Tim Buckley - Father of the son

by John Greenwood   

Many modern music fans will be aware of the great Jeff Buckley, who died a decade ago at a tragically young age – but who remembers his father Tim, who didn't make it to 30 when he died more than 30 years ago?

I came across Tim before Jeff, and it was always clear where Jeff's voice and appearance was inherited from. When Jeff, whose father left his mother when he was a child and died when he was very young, made his live debut at a Tim Buckley concert it must have been like seeing a ghost for those who remembered the older young man.

Finally, we can now see for ourselves the power and range of a Tim Buckley performance with the DVD release of Tim Buckley - My Fleeting Hours (Manifesto), the first authorised visual collection of his work, drawn from late 60s and early 70s sources as varied as the second series of The Monkees' TV show to Britain's own Late Night Line-Up and The Old Grey Whistle Test.

The majestic Song To The Siren, later covered by the Cocteau Twins, from The Monkees show is pure magic, and the Late Night Line-Up brace of Happy Time and Morning Glory (yes, Oasis did get that title from somewhere and with Noel Gallagher's taste it could well have been here) are fabulous, showcasing Buckley's soaring voice and music, a fascinating and inventive mix of folk, blues, psychedelia and jazz.

Blue Melody, taken from a 1970 TV performance which also provides an unreleased track, Venice (Music Boats By The Bay), has long been onne of my favourites and there's no harm in seeing one of the few previously released moments again, Dolphins, filmed only months before a disastrous drink and drugs cocktail killed him.

Taken from The Whistle Test, the Fred Neil song was one of Buckley's own favourites and one of mine too. He's clearly enjoying performing it, with a great band, a final glimpse of what might have been. Buckley's work, esoteric as it was, still hasn't been given the exposure it deserves.

See this, or search out his best albums - Goodbye And Hello, Happy Sad, Blue Afternoon and, if you can find it, the challenging Starsailor (you now know where that band got its name, too) - and you won't be disappointed. And like me, whenever you hear Dolphins, you'll forever think of Tim.

© 2007 Greenwood/Halifax Courier(UK)