1967. Goodbye and Hello seems to be the most well-known release of Tim Buckley’s canon, the point where his folk and rock reached it zenith and he began to incorporate jazz and psychedelic grooves. The result is one of the most emphatic albums in memory, equally audacious and spectacular.
Interestingly the album is implied by AllMusic to be a little too decorated, as opposed to his other releases, though the album seems to receive little gratification amongst similar classics of the year including Surrealistic Pillow and Younger Than Yesterday; two records which also featured a cross-over of folk and pop styles.
Tim Buckley’s voice is fantastic, huge and encompassing to the point where weaker material would falter under such a burden, but the songs here are really really good. Tracks like ‘No Man Can Find A War’ and ‘Hallucinations’ pertinently have their roots in the 60s, but this doesn’t neccessarily mean that the quality or appeal should have reduced in the years since then. ‘I Never Asked To Be Your Montain’ and ‘Goodbye and Hello’ are of such towering magnitude they dominate the album – both songs are masterpieces in their own right. Moreover, the two tracks aforementioned are probably the most compelling because of the heart and soul that Buckley has evidently poured into the songs with such tremendous effect. His son Jeff would reach similar standards with ‘Mojo Pin’ and ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over. ”Knight-Errant’ clocks in at 2 minutes and is a slender, gorgeous and sweet fairytale-esque memento to a lover. The song is extremely melancholic yet so uplifting you can’t help but wish Buckley all the best in the quest for his lover. ‘Once I Was’ is similarly stricken with doubts of love that occur across many of the songs.
9.2/10
Tracklist (Picks in bold, duds in italic)
No Man Can Find The War
Carnival Song
Pleasant Street
Hallucinations
I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain
Once I Was
Phantasmagoria In Two
Knight-Errant
Goodbye and Hello
Morning Glory
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