Customer Reviews

Live at the Folklore Center NYC March 6 1967 (Dig)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One disc 55 minutes in length approximately. The sound is very good,if slightly flat,which is a minor quibble. Considering this was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder,in 1967,in the open air,the sound of Buckley's voice is full,his guitar sound ringing. Every nuance of his voice and guitar can be heard clearly. His voice at times soars,at other times its softly plaintive. His guitar is crisp no matter if he's picking individual notes or strumming full chords (something Buckley did to great effect and excitement) which give these songs a real fullness. Truly this is two instruments working and blending together to create a very powerful sound.

In 1967 (the late) Tim Buckley had already released his first album,TIM BUCKLEY. He was soon to release his second,GOODBYE AND HELLO the same year as this live recording. Stylistically,this new release fits somewhere between these two albums. Buckley had started out as a folk-singer,and started to get away from a traditional folk sound on his second album,and then pushed his vocals and arrangements closer to a jazz sound by the time his third album,HAPPY SAD,was released. This live concert is a bridge between those first two albums. His vocals are closer to his first album,while the guitar sound is closer to his second release,and Buckley performs here solo,with great emotion.

All the tunes except one,Fred Neil's "Dolphins",were written or co-written by Buckley. But what's important is that six of these tracks have never before been released on any previous live or studio album. All six tracks are good,substantial songs that fit in nicely with Buckley's more well known compositions. The high caliber of new (to listeners) songs like "Just Please Me", "What Do You Do (He Never Saw You)","Cripples Cry","Country Boy",and the other two,fit seamlessly together in this concert.

Izzy Young,the owner of the Folklore Center,had never heard Buckley's music,and didn't bother with an audition. The room was small,holding about three dozen people. Buckley performed with no microphone,singing and playing in the open air. There is a feeling of excitement on these recordings,of someone finding out who they are. Buckley is very at ease before this small group. His confidence is evident in his between song patter and in his performances of both old and new songs. Buckley's emotion comes through in his voice on each song,and his timing is perfect.

To have early good recordings of Tim Buckley,when he was first gaining recognition is a real present to Buckley fans. I still recall hearing Tim Buckley's second (I still own all the vinyl albums) album in 1967. It was clear even then that he had a unique talent,something which was proved throughout his relatively short career. The packaging is very nice,with period photographs and a short interview,that shows Buckley's thinking about music at this stage of his life and career,now so long ago. The folks at Tompkins Square should be commended for releasing an album that probably won't sell in large numbers. While Buckley was revered in certain circles,he never had mass acceptance. That makes this release even more important. Not just an important release,but an exciting sounding release. If you're into Tim Buckley-get this soon.

Now,if someone would release all of the late Bert Sommer's tracks. Now that would be exciting. He wasn't in the same league as Tim Buckley,but he had a fairly good,interesting voice. Even though Sommer had a short-lived (no pun intended) career,and was a cult figure even when he was alive,his albums contained a number of worth while songs. So forgotten,his name isn't on the "Woodstock plaque",at the concert site with the other performers,maybe the small amount of music released on the latest Woodstock set will bring him some recognition.

It feels like Tim Buckley is under-appreciated today. I wonder how many Jeff Buckley fans are familiar with Tim's work, Tim being the source of the genes that gave Jeff his amazing, groundbreaking singing voice.
The good news is that several live releases of Tim have come out posthumously. These do a great service to us, the listeners, because Tim could really put on an amazing live show, and the live discs are better listening than his studio albums.
This captures Tim early in his career, raw and stripped down to just guitar and vocals. The guitar isn't even a 12-string, which is unusual for Tim; it's 6 strings. He's steeped in his folk period, which is one of his most accessible artistic phases. There's no effects, it's mono, and the performance was not amplified in any way, but Tim's voice is powerful and clear over his strumming. There's a few songs you won't find anywhere else in his catalogue. It's amazing that this would surface so long after recording. It makes you wonder what else is out there.
This is, absolutely, my second favorite Tim Buckley CD, period. It's only surpassed by the live Dream Letter: Live in London 1968. But that one gets my vote for the best live folk CD of all time, so it's hard to beat.

This live concert is really very interesting and rare. The magic of this work is its simplicity of the sound. Of course it cannot compare with Dream Letter but it gives us a different aspect of Tim Buckley talent.
It is highly recommended to all Buckley's fans and not.

Buckley's voice and early songs remain remarkable nearly a half century later, but I had no idea he was such a fine guitarist and such a powerful presence in concert. What a treasure! His later work does not hold up, sounding pretentious and strained. But this release confirms his position just a few rungs below Dylan in the pantheon of '60s folkies. Not 5 star only because of sound quality - adequate but not excellent.

When I saw this album the other day, I had no idea this even had been released (more than 42 years after the performance) and immediately snapped it up. What an incredible time-treasure this is, Tim Buckley in an acoustic performance in New York in early 1967.

"Tim Buckley Live at the Folklore Center, NYC - March 6, 1967 (16 tracks; 55 min.) brings the performance of then 20 yr. old Tim Buckley, just him and his acoustic guitar, in an intimate setting (about 35 people in the audience--more on that later). The owner of the Folklore Center, Izzy Young, had the presence of mind to ask Tim if he minded if he (Izzy) taped the show, Tim didn't mind, and so Izzy recorded this with a 1/4-inch recorder and a single mike. Despite these primitive recording tools, the results are nothing short of amazing, it's like Tim is sitting in your room playing these songs (no hiss to speak off). The highlights are many, check out the opener "Song for Jainie" where Tim attacks his guitar and brings the song with a heartfelt passion, but that is true for many other songs as well. While this recording contains a number of well-known Tim Buckley songs (check out the biting rendition of "No Man Can Find The War"), it also contains a mesmorizing 6 preformances from Tim never heard before, "Just Please Leave Me", "What Do You Do (He Never Saw You"), "Cripples Cry", "If The Rains Comes", "Country Boy" and "I Can't Leave You Loving Me". Amazing.

In all this is a MUST HAVE for any Tim Buckley fan, and frankly for any fan of music history. To have this recording preserved and now finally available after 42 years just blows the mind. The liner notes from Izzy Young are indispensable and bring a tremendous insight how this show came about and how it turned out (it's Izzy who informs us that there were about 35 people in attendance). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I first heard Tim Buckley sing in a club in NY about two months after the performance you will hear on this CD. I had gone to hear the band he was opening for but he blew me away. I had never heard a voice that rich and complex. His songs were excellent and for the time very musically advanced.

I bought all his albums but never felt that they captured the richness of his performances.

This comes very close. His guitar playing is brilliant, but if you are used to the other albums you may miss the band. Still, it's amazing how well his sound holds up.

Great album!

This is about the best album of all time!! If you already like Tim Buckley, you must get this, and if you don't know Tim Buckley, PUHLEASE give him a try!!!

I listened to this the other day, noting it was a performance before Tim had started recording his second album "Goodbye and Hello." My ears were blown away. Tim Buckley playing a six string acoustic guitar singing his songs in front of 35 people on a March day in 1967. Incredible. That voice. Those songs. Several songs he played wound up on "Goodbye and Hello" - "I Never Asked to be Your Mountain", No Man Can Find the War." Stunning. There is an interesting contrast in the styles of songs heard here. From traditional finger-picking folk songs to the more rhythmic strumming he employed later in his career. If you're a Tim Buckley fan, especially towards his earlier period, then this is indispensible. All tracks are previously unreleased and features several Buckley compositions he never officially recorded. Recording quality is quite good, although there are few tape dropouts that could not be repaired digitaly. This is truely great stuff. Tim's voice is in full force here and his entire performance is very impressive.

Young Tim Buckley. What could be better? It's his essence, before the strings. overproduction, and life disruptions.
His 1967 purity is still a beacon.