Monday, September 28, 2015

Thirty Days of Fifty # 28 Tim Buckley


Nick Kent, the legendary seventies NME journalist, writes about seeing Tim Buckley play at New York's Max's Kansas City in 1973.

'I saw Lowell George's Little Feat, Tim Buckley and Gram Parsons form unforgettable shows in a space you'd have been hard-pressed to swing a cat in.

Buckley in particular was a revelation. I'd been a fan of his back when he was attempting a sort of angel-voiced jazz-folk synthesis, but he'd recently jettisoned  this approach and hooked up with a straight rock band in order to sell more records. He had a brand new record out called Greetings  From LA which I didn't particularly like and so I attended the show with certain misgivings. As I'd suspected his back-up unit were nothing to write home about but Buckley was so on fire that night that he didn't really need any help. I've never seen or heard another performer use his or her voice as bewitchingly as he managed to do before or since that performance. The guy was gifted with an extraordinary five-octave range and he could summon any sound from his larynx - from a blue yodel to a jazz trumpet to a police siren. Take it from one who saw both live: his son Jeff was great but Buckley senior was greater. Women were just wilting in front of the stage whenever he sang.'

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