Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

GOODBYE AND HELLO

Tim Buckley

Prog Folk


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Tim Buckley Goodbye and Hello album cover
3.41 | 64 ratings | 8 reviews | 17% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

Write a review

Buy TIM BUCKLEY Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 1967

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. No Man Can Find the War (2:59)
2. Carnival Song (3:12)
3. Pleasant Street (5:17)
4. Hallucinations (4:53)
5. I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain (6:05)
6. Once I Was (3:23)
7. Phantasmagoria in Two (3:28)
8. Knight-Errant (1:59)
9. Goodbye and Hello (8:42)
10. Morning Glory (2:51)

Total Time 42:49

Line-up / Musicians

- Tim Buckley / vocals, 6-, 12-string & bottleneck guitars, kalimba, vibes

With:
- Lee Underwood / lead guitar
- Brian Hartzler / guitar
- John Forsha / guitar
- Don Randi / piano, harmonium, harpsichord
- Jerry Yester / piano, organ, harmonium
- Jimmy Bond / bass
- Jim Fielder / bass
- Eddie Hoh / drums
- Carter C.C. Collins / congas, percussion
- Dave Guard / kalimba, tambourine

Releases information

Artwork: William S. Harvey with Guy Webster (photo)

LP Elektra ‎- EKL 318 (1967, US) Mono audio
LP Elektra - EKS 7318 (1967, US) Stereo audio
LP Rhino Records ‎- R1 318 (2017, US) Mono audio

CD Elektra ‎- 74028-2 (1989, US)
CD Elektra ‎- 7559-60896-2 (2000, Europe)

Thanks to Sean Trane for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy TIM BUCKLEY Goodbye and Hello Music



TIM BUCKLEY Goodbye and Hello ratings distribution


3.41
(64 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(17%)
17%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(47%)
47%
Good, but non-essential (30%)
30%
Collectors/fans only (6%)
6%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

TIM BUCKLEY Goodbye and Hello reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
3 stars 3.5 stars really!!!

After an esteemed critical success and little commercial one, Elektra got Tim back in the studio and definitely decided to break his name into the wide open and put the means where their mouths were. And the album did get very successful, causing G&H to become some kind of template for the ideal singer/songwriter blueprint to follow-up. Trouble is that Tilm didn't want much of it, as he had already his own idea of the direction he wanted to head in for; but he clamped down and did what was told for this album, as he needed to get himself some notoriety for him to find the space to be able to record his own music. Tim had jokingly suggested calling this album Timbuck Two, but they went ahead with the dual front and back cover and the title spreading on the two .

By now, Tim is working as a dual partnership in songwriting with longtime buddy Lary Beckett taking care of the lyrics. This is a bit of an amazement when you'll know how much of the next year's text will ring so much like Buckley's personal experiences being sung. Most likely they were and Beckett was probably finding the words that Tim couldn't find but was eagerly awaiting someone to put in his mouth. However the superb I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain, Tim unleashes his thoughts towards his wife, whom he'd been coerced into marrying, something that obviously only Tim could feel. Not only poignant lyric-wise, the music (a bedding of 12 strings and congas) is equally impressive.

Elsewhere in the album, there is the 8-mins+ stunning piece, the title track that splices into two parts, the first sung by their parent's generation and the other voice being the counter-culture's generation's answer abut these old decaying values, Beckett's lyrics attacking marriage (remember Tim's semi- forced wedding)war, TV (then controlled by the establishment) etc. Although I wouldn't really call this a rock opera, we're not far away from it, either, as the two melodies evolved into a single piece and a string section was called upon for the rich arrangements. It might not please everyone but the title track is one of the album's highlight. And besides Tim's second best-known track Morning Glory (after Song To The Siren), you'll find poignant anti-war song like No Man Can Find War, starting with a nuclear blast.

Two of my favourites are Pleasant Streets, a superb positive song with Tim's superb higher tone of voice over a fantastic bed of keyboard layers and a wild fuzz guitar to answer him, and the aptly-titled Hallucinations, which starts out psychedelic-wise with a sitar, but Tim's absolute delicate melody give a troubadour twist to the song, with the middle section overflowing from great instruments but maybe a bit too wisely over-produced. Both tracks are grandiose and really give the album a special touch, one that should get you inside Buckley's interior world.

By now Tim had a prototype of his ultimate back up band and his concerts started sounding rather different than he sounded in the studio, and he meant it that way. This trend would sort close with the few albums to come such as Happy Sad and Lorca. So general concerts by the time of release of G&H consisted of five songs from the featured album, none from the debut and the rest from the jazz- infested folk that filled HS and lorca?, much to the furry of the Elektra label that resented Tim sabotaging what they thought was a top 20 album. Indeed, this wouldn't be the last of this fight. While G&H is a vast improvement on the debut album, and there are a few stunning tracks, G&H will not be able to compete with what was to come. Definitely worth a listen and might just be worth a space on your shelves.

Review by Easy Livin
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
3 stars Yester-days

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.

Review by UMUR
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars "Goodbye and Hello" is the second full-length studio album by US, folk/psychadelic rock artist Tim Buckley. The album was released through Elektra Records in August 1967. Itīs the successor to the eponymously titled debut album from October 1966. Lead guitaris Lee Underwood and bassist Jim Fielder remain from the lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically the material on "Goodbye and Hello" is a developed version of the American folk rock which Buckley introduced on his debut album with some added psychadelic rock leanings. Buckley branches out more on this album and although itīs not an overtly experimental release, "Goodbye and Hello" still features enough interesting and and memorable musical moments to not be your standard fare folk rock release. Buckleyīs strong and distinct sounding voice and passionale delivery are the central focus of the music, but the instrumental part of the music isnīt just background muzak. In fact there are some really strong musical performances from all involved.

Compared to the relatively polished and less interesting debut there are a couple of more adventurous tracks on "Goodbye and Hello" like "Carnical Song", "I Never Asked to Be your Mountain, the title track, the psychadelic "Hallucinations", and my personal favorite on the album "Pleasant Street". Tim Buckleyīs vocal performance on the latter is nothing less than outstanding.

With seasoned veterans like Jac Holzman and Bruce Botnick producing and turning knobs, itīs no surprise that "Goodbye and Hello" features an organic, detailed, and well sounding production. So upon conclusion "Goodbye and Hello" is a good quality sophomore studio album by Tim Buckley which shows the right amount of development and experimentation while still remaining relatively accessible. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Review by Kotro
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars No, seriously, who is she?

Goodbye and Hello is a much stronger output than its predecessor. This is even clearer when, like me, you get to hear them one immediately after the other: the edition I'm reviewing comes with Tim's self-titled debut album in the same disc. The booklet, while not vast, includes complete artwork and credits for the albums, as well as a critical review of the period in Tim's career when they were recorded.

In contrast to the songs on the previous album, the opener No Man Can Find The War is quite a change, introducing some sounds effect emulating explosions, featuring some great harpsichord ant Tim's vocals toned down (less dramatic, but much more melancholic). Carnival Song perfectly conveys the sense of a fair, with the circus- like atmosphere music being once more delivered by the keyboards and sound effects. A lovely piano tune opens Pleasant Street, accompanied by the again beautiful harpsichord and electric guitar strumming, in a delicate tapestry of sounds, before the outburst of the chorus. Tim's vocals are very "feminine" in this track. Hallucinations has a certain British Isles folk feel to it, again featuring some interesting use of eerie sound effects and percussion. I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain is a return to the vocal style and melody of the first album, but the ending is wilder than anything on Tim Buckley. Once I Was sounds like an old country western ballad. Phantasmagoria In Two follows in the same mood, again appearing to cross the Atlantic towards the electrified medieval troubadorism of Albion, a strategy repeated for the slightly cheesy but fortunately short Knight-Errant. The epic Goodbye And Hello mixes much of the styles that have been presented throughout the album, with the added benefit of the presence of a backing orchestra. It is more a collage of different tunes than a proper epic construction over the same base tune, but it works excellently. Morning Glory wraps up the album, another short and sweat ballad.

If you wish to find out why Tim Buckley is listed in ProgArchives, the first few albums are not the place to look. However, Goodbye and Hello is a much more varied and interesting album than Tim's debut, with longer and more complex compositions, featuring some great folk-pop tunes, with occasional glimpses of 60's early American psychedelia. Buckley's voice is still an acquired taste (and if you arrive unprepared, sometimes you will swear it's a woman singing), but if you can take it, this album might be a good place to start looking for the roots of the eclectic experimentalism that will be heard in his later works.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Mild psychedelic ideas start seeping into Tim Buckley's folk rock stylings at this point, with the opening number No Man Can Find the War being an intriguing look at the psychological side of the Vietnam War, and the fact that it was a conflict which the US was utterly embroiled in and yet at the same time people living in the US could very, very easily ignore if they felt inclined to. Tim's use of his voice has become more subtle and nuanced at that point, relying less on the stentorian declarations that characterised his debut album. A departure and an omen of things to come.
Review by VianaProghead
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Review Nš 234

Tim Buckley was an excellent musician and one of the greatest vocalists of the 60's, which was able to reach a cult status due to his music and because his premature death too. His music drew from folk, rock, psychedelic and jazz and created a considerable body of adventurous and very special musical works in his brief lifetime. His very special and unique voice with multi octave range was perfectly capable to express a really astonishing power and at the same time great emotional expressiveness, swooping from sorrowful tenderness to anguished wailing. This is real amazing, truly.

'Goodbye And Hello' is the second studio album of Tim Buckley and was released in 1967. Like his eponymous debut studio album, this is also an album where half of their songs were co-written by him and by Larry Beckett, the poet and songwriter, who was colleague and friend of Tim Buckley, in those times. As happened with their debut, Elektra continued providing to Buckley an impressive number of musicians to collaborate with him on 'Goobye And Hello'.

'Goodbye And Hello' has ten tracks. The first track 'No Man Can Find The War' written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett is a song dealing with the horrors of war. It's a protest song against the Vietnam War but we can also interpret it as a war in our minds. It's a beautiful and simple song very melodic with good bass and percussion. The second track 'Carnival Song' written by Tim Buckley speaks about the hypocrisy and truth. This is a song created in a fair funny atmosphere of a circus. It's also a song sung by Tim Buckley with the circus atmosphere in the back delivered by the keyboards and some special sound effects. The third track 'Pleasant Street' written by Tim Buckley is one of the finest songs on the album. It's a very sentimental, emotional and temperamental song full of energy. This is one of the strongest songs on the album and one of my favourites too. The fourth track 'Hallucinations' written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett is a psychedelic song also very strong on both, lyrics and music. This is a song with very strange beautiful moments and it's also a bit tragic. It has also some interesting eerie sounds and percussion effects causing a strange and unusual musical moment. The fifth track 'I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain' written by Tim Buckley is a very personal song of him. This is a song addressed to Mary Guibert his first wife, the mother of his son, Jeff Buckley, also musician, speaking of the forces that pull two people together and drive them apart. It's a very energetic and frenzy song with fantastic lyrics. This is the second highest moment on this album and for me is one of the best things that Tim Buckley ever wrote. The sixth track 'Once I Was' written by Tim Buckley is a very simple and melodic song that speaks of love and change. It's a calm ballad with nice harmonica and it has some of the most beautiful musical parts of this album. The seventh track 'Phantasmagoria In Two' written by Tim Buckley is dominated by psychedelic guitar and piano sequences and also by the incredible voice of Tim Buckley. It's probably the most psychedelic song on the album. This is a song deeply melodic that, for me, represents one of the most beautiful moments on this album. The eighth song 'Knight-Errant' written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett is a very short song. It's a romantic song that uses the images of a knight and his lady in the musical atmosphere of the medieval troubadours. This is a simple, melodic and nice ballad. The ninth track is the title track 'Goodbye And Hello'. It was written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett and is the lengthiest song on the album and is also the epic magnum opus of it. The lyrics are a fantastic piece of poetry brightly sung by Tim Buckley with several types of vocals. It's, without any doubt, the most complex musical piece on the album and it has also the benefit of the presence of a backing orchestra. This is an excellent song that works very well. The tenth track 'Morning Glory' written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett is the song that closes quietly this album. This is another short, gentle and sweet ballad, very simple and romantic and with nice chorus too.

Conclusion: I have a vinyl copy of this album, since the 70's, and I must confess that I've always loved it. So, I'm a bit disappointed with some of the reviews and the ratings of this album on Progarchives. I really think that 'Goodbye And Hello' deserves much more. In the first place I'm very surprised to see so few reviews. In the second place I sincerely can't understand the argument this is an album slightly progressive or not progressive. This is an album released in 1967 and from what I know the first really progressive album was 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' of King Crimson that only was released two years later. So, what should we say about the first albums of The Beatles and The Doors? 'Goodbye And Hello' is a fantastic psychedelic/folk album, with some great, sophisticated and complex musical compositions, and Tim Buckley is a great composer that owns a very special and unique voice. To finish, 'Goodbye And Hello' is an essential musical piece of the end of the 60's that can be considered as a great proto-prog album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review by DangHeck
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars For his sophomore release, Buckley attained the talents once more of Blood, Sweat & Tears' own Jim Fielder on bass, and instead of one drummer associated with The Mothers (BIlly Mundi, on his self-titled debut), we have yet another, Jim Gordon. At this time not at all famous yet for his role in Derek and The Dominoes, nor via the aforementioned Mothers, but Gordon had earliest appeared backing The Everly Brothers and was on Pet Sounds (1966). Certainly to many, worth a mention, I thought. Most interestingly, though, it wasn't until today that I realized that Gordon was actually a part of the famed Wrecking Crew(!); of this same guild we also have Don Randi on keys and Jimmy Bond on double bass.

It cannot be helped by where I'm coming from: right off the bat, Buckley sounds like The Monkees to me, vocally like Micky Dolenz. This may be frustrating to those who find nothing to appreciate in The Monkees' industry plant status (despite the obviously excellent songwriting of Mike Nesmith, may he rest in peace). But funny enough, here we have a true-blue contemporary in Tim Buckley! Opening the album is a darker, gloomier Psychedelic song, "No Man Can Find the War". I really liked this song and find it an interesting opener. Psychedelia continues strong via "Carnival Song", by way of carousel-twinkling Wurlitzer(?). A fine track, the instrumentation is very oldie and goldie to me, this time reminding me for obvious reasons of Todd Rundgren's later, greater song "The Night the Carousel Burned Down" off his 1972 superhits album, Something / Anything? (1972).

Overall, Buckley is retaining a straight line of feeling from song to song, as "Pleasant Street" slowly and creepily grooves along next. Not a whole lot of interest in compositions (this song in particular is honestly pretty static), but plenty to offer in texture. Very of the time and yet classic; it holds up to my ears. Fitfully titled, "Hallucinations" is next, folksy and eerie; conceivably proto-Comus. Yet again, the draw is in the texturing of the instruments. And many a texture there are. It's a winner. Should be given at least a listen, for sure. In terms of the whole, thus far, I hadn't been super impressed. Continuing at first very much like "Hallucinations", "I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain" strides along, driven by acoustic guitar strums and introduced with sharp though far-off string-plucking. The Dolenz comparisons are back here, too, which really I am about. Tim has a nice, rich, but strong voice. Here, though, "I Never Asked..." had promise aplenty, yet ended up just boring me over its 6-minutes length.

Tim is good at pretty, so "Once I Was" was much more successful to me, as it wasn't trying to be something else [in my opinion]... Again, pretty, but no more greater, by many of my standards, than the last. "Phantasmagoria In Two" is a classic, folksy ditty, but I really have nothing to say about it aside from the drums being better than mediocre [Yikes]. "Knight-Errant" is... troubadour? Nothing to say about this either. My least favorite, since I thought it was offering more than it even had.

Now, as we near the end, we get the title track, the 9-minute epic "Goodbye and Hello". And certainly compositionally, compared to what came before, for sure 'epic'! Very regal in nature, with horns galore. Another that's worth a listen. I think I'm often looking for a lot more than what's goin' on at best here, though. Finally is the slow and sweet ballad, "Morning Glory". Nice vocals toward the end. But... bored again. Burnt out, really.

True Rate: 2.5/5.0

Latest members reviews

5 stars Classic 1967 album! A folk rock / psychedelic / proto prog masterpice. The Album opens with the epic No Man Can Find The War, this was the first Buckley album i got so this was the first song by him i heard and i remeber thinking woooow! what a voice he have so beautiful and pure yust as i hade ... (read more)

Report this review (#178050) | Posted by Zargus | Thursday, July 24, 2008 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of TIM BUCKLEY "Goodbye and Hello"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.