GOODBYE AND HELLO

Tim Buckley lost no time in following up his delightfully straightforward debut, returning to Los Angeles in early 1967 to work with noted producer Jerry Yester. Yester was well versed in the sophisticated pop of bands such as The Turtles, with a keen ear for a strong song. Buckley was already starting to push back against his singer/songwriter, folk troubadour image both visually and in terms of the songs he was writing.

The result was an album which only took a month to record, but which was put together at significant expense and with great attention to detail. At this stage, Buckley still had the full belief of Elektra records behind him, so the inclusion of a 14 piece orchestra and almost unlimited studio time was not an issue for them.

The album opens with an exploding bomb introducing "No man can find the war", an undisguised protest song with lyrics which, although still relevant today, are very much of their time. While the songs are generally similar to those on the first album, the pop elements are already starting to be suppressed, with songs such as "Pleasant street" having a moodier feel. The lead guitar work on the track is more overt, while Buckley flexes his vocal dexterity. "Hallucinations" continues the darker atmosphere, with spacey effects and psychedelic references.

By this time, Tim was already separated from his wife and son (Jeff), a situation reflected in the open lyrics of "I never asked to be your mountain". The main fury of the song though is in Buckley's thrashing of his 12 string guitar. The song conveys the full power and majesty of Buckley's unique voice.

The focal point of the album is the epic (almost) 9 minute title track, which weaves its way through various time signatures and melodies, a song where it seems Buckley has thrown in everything he can think of. In some ways, this is Buckley's "American Pie", but it lacks the catchy chorus of songs such as that, leaving a rather impenetrable ramble through an obscure story. The album closes with the heavenly "Morning glory", with angelic choirs and lush orchestration, lovely song.

While "Goodbye and hello" lacks the immediate accessibility of Tim's debut, it generally remains an album of fine individual songs. The hints are there of the path Buckley would choose to follow, but at this stage he is still largely committed to working with his record label to secure commercial success. Overall, there is a sophistication to the music here which was missing on the first album but both are delightful in their own ways.

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