The Most heartrending album I own... (Morning Glory: The Anthology - Tim Buckley)

Member Name: kenigma

Product:	Morning Glory: The Anthology - Tim Buckley
Date:	16/05/01 (484 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Incredible album

Disadvantages: None

Tim Buckley - Morning Glory - the Tim Buckley Anthology

Despite only owning this album for a few weeks I would not give it up for anything. It's the most moving album I own, and it has some of the best singing I've ever heard.

For those of you who don't know the story of the Buckleys, sit back and read a while...For those of you who do, you will appreciate the incredible agility and variety of both his voice and that of his son Jeff.

Tim Buckley was born on Valentine's Day in 1947 in Washington DC. He died in 1975 from a heroin overdose. In the 28 years he was alive he created music that most people would spend a full lifetime trying to make and never succeed. He had a voice that was often described as angelic, but it was often tinged with more than a hint of melancholy. One of his band members once said "It was the clarity and purity of his tone. Even when he screamed, it sounded like singing."

His voice is haunting - reaching out through the speakers from beyond the grave and imparting its emotion on you. This seems to be the time for discovering lost talent with Eva Cassidy's Songbird compilation reaching number 1 in many countries after hearing her beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Last Summer was the turn of Tim Buckley's son Jeff Buckley who has a different sounding but equally incredible voice.

But enough of the background now.

I can say now that unless you're a dedicated pop-head you will love this album. I know a lot of people say that about albums, but here I can say from the bottom of my heart it is my favourite album I own.

A few highlights of it (it's a double album by the way)


Song to the Siren - There are two versions of this on the album. The studio version and one that was played live on the Monkees TV show. My personal favourite is the Monkees one. The singing is richer and more heartfelt than the studio ver
sion. There is an interesting story behind this song which appears on the album "Starsailor" (yes that's where Starsailor got their name - they're big fans). Larry Beckett, a poet, wrote lyrics for some of Buckley's songs, and one day he brought the words to Song to the Siren along to Buckley's house while he was having breakfast. He took a look at the words and then picked up his guitar and played the song pretty much as it appears on the album. Everyone present was flabbergasted at how something that beautiful had been created while they watched.

Song Slowly Sung - A wonderfully haunting ballad which is well described by its title. There is a long instrumental section in the middle which is sparse and fits the mood of the song brilliantly, then Buckley comes back singing softly as before to finish the song.

Hallucinations - an incredible song starting with several guitars and slowly building to Buckley singing in a style which I can imagine being that of a travelling troubador in times of knights and princesses in distress. It is an incredibly moving song in a style which no-one has tried before or since. The lyrics are incredible and with the background noises you can imagine yourself having this hallucination.

No man can find the war - a song of protest against the war in Vietnam, it is a very strong and angry song. But at the same time it is still delicate and as wonderful as his others.

Goodbye and Hello - this is another protest song and I find it hard to describe - it has several distinct styles within it and is eight and a half minutes of pure genius.

Phantasmagoria In Two (live) - A beautiful love song which has hints of the travelling troubador like in Hallucinations. It makes my eyes watery every time I hear it.
"If a fiddler played you a song my love and if I gave you a wheel, would you spin for my heart in loneliness? Would you spin for my love? If I gave up all my pr
ide for you, and only loved you for now would you hide my fears and never say 'Tomorrow I must go'. And everywhere there's rain my love, and everywhere there's fear. Well if you tell me a lie I'll cry for you. Or tell me of sin and I'll laugh. If you tell me of all the pain you've had I'll never smile again."

A review 10 times this long could not do this album justice, so I will leave it here before I lose your attention.

If you only buy one album this year on spec - make it this one and I promise you it will be worth your while.

Ken

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