Television
- The Julie Felix Show Progression
was norw Buckleys watchword. Dream Letter, recorded in 1968 at London's
Queen Elizabeth Hall, was already more diffuse than Happy/Sad, lacking
the pulse of Carter CC Collins's congas. The budget couldn't afford him or bassist
John Miller, so Pentangle's Danny Thompson was drafted in to play an intuitively
supportive -- and barely rehearsed -- role.
"I got a call asking me to turn up and rehearse everything at once," recalls Thompson.
"He refused to get into a routine of singing 'the song'. We did a TV show, and
when it came to doing it live Tim said, 'Let's do another song', which we'd never
rehearsed. It was two minutes longer than out time slot, and the producer was
putting his finger across his throat, and Tim looked at him with a puzzled expression
and carried on, like art and music was far more important than any of this rubbish
that surrounds it. He was fearless." Clive
Selwood, who ran the UK branch of Elektra records, recalls the same episode :
"Tim had got a slot on the Julie Felix Show on BBC. He turned up to rehearsals
with Danny Thompson an hour late; he shuffled in, nodded when introduced to the
producer, unsheathed his guitar, and they launched into an extemporisation of
one of his songs that lasted over an hour. The producer and Feliz watched open-mouthed,
not daring to interrupt. The most exhaustingly magical performance I have ever
witnessed -- and all to an audience of three. When it was done, Tim slapped his
guitar in the case, said 'OK?' to the producer, and departed."
Tim
Buckley : The High Flyer Martin
Aston - © MOJO Magazine |