Tim Buckley Series, #9: Tim Buckley- Works in Progress (1999) / The Dream Belongs to Me: Rarities & Unreleased 1968-1973 (2001) MP3 & FLAC

"How can my giving find the rhythm and time of you, unless you sing your song to me? "

Lee Underwood: "Right from the beginning, Tim moved me deeply with his music, his attitude, his intelligence and sense of humour. I played guitar with a number of people back then, but he was different. He was not afraid of change. He kept me and the other musicians on our toes. When he moved into this avant-garde or modern classical dimension, I felt both challenged and thrilled. It was one of the most exciting times of my life." Tim Buckley's creative restlessness can best be gauged through the meteoric arc of his work over the course of his first three albums. From the tentative beauty of his overly mannered debut to the stunningly gorgeous Folk songs of Goodbye and Hello to the Jazz inflected explorations of Happy Sad, Buckley's approach in the studio bore the mark of his iconoclastic tendencies and mirrored the increasingly improvisational nature of his live performances. Once, when asked to what extent his music had changed, Buckley responded, "It's not for me to judge. I'm living too close to it. It's a transition. I have to be ruthless and say what is happening. I'm not sentimental over old songs. I'm constantly writing. The main thing is the music." Buckley's "ruthless" need to push boundaries first came to the surface in an explicit way midway through the 1968 recording sessions that would eventually yield Happy Sad. Early on, Buckley and his band recorded a number of the songs that ended up on the final album, but they did so utilizing traditional Folk-oriented arrangements, nearly all of which were quickly abandoned as the sessions took a very different turn. Most of this material was thought lost, but it was eventually rediscovered in the early nineties, a selection of which materialized in the form of Works in Progress at the end of the decade. While Works in Progress is, for the most part, an album of outtakes, it is nearly as essential as Buckley's studio albums, for, not only does it offer a rare glimpse into his creative process in the studio, but, more importantly, it is comprised of a gorgeous set of songs such as "Danang" and "Ashbury Park," which ended up on the final album as parts of a longer composition, "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)." Both sound as though they would have been revelatory stand alone tracks. And then there's the amazing rendition of "Song to a Siren," one of Buckley's best songs, which would end up appearing on Starsailor in a vastly different, less straightforward, arrangement. This is the song Buckley played during his now-iconic appearance on The Monkees after having been invited by his old friend Mike Nesmith: "They asked me to sing on the show. I went along and there was Mike in his mohair suit, and I turned up in working shirt and trousers. Mike said, 'Hey, you're still wearing the same old clothes.' I replied, 'Yes, and I'm still singing my own songs.'"

Works in Progress

(Rhino Handmade ~ 1999 ~ Limited Edition)

Tracklist-

 1. Danang (A Fragment Later the Third Movement of "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific 

 Coast Highway)"-Takes 7&8 Intercut)  (6:31)

 2. Sing a Song for You (Take 11)  (5:44)

 3. Buzzin' Fly (Take 3)  (6:44)

 4. Song to the Siren (Take 7)  (3:28)

 5. Happy Time (Take 14)  (3:14)

 6. Sing a Song for You (Labeled "Skies (Let Me Sing a Song for You)"-Take 8)  (2:40)

 7. Chase the Blues Away (Take 3)  (4:01)

 8. Hi Lily, Hi Lo (Take 7)  (3:37)

 9. Buzzin' Fly (Take 9)  (5:07)

10. Wayfaring Stranger (Take 4)  (4:24)

11. Ashbury Park (Version 1-Take 8)  (2:47)

12. Ashbury Park (Version 2; A Fragment Later the First Movement of "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)"-Take 14)  (3:22)

13. Ashbury Park (Version 2; A Fragment Later the First Movement of "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)"-Take 25, Labeled Master)  (3:28)

14. Dream Letter (Takes 16&17 Intercut)  (5:13)

15. Father Song (Take 3)  (2:45)

16. Fiddler (Instrumental Version of "Phantasmagoria in Two"-Rough Mix)  (3:26)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320) 

MU: Lossless (FLAC) 

The Dream Belongs to Me: Rarities & Unreleased 1968-1973

(Manifesto ~ 2001)

Note: tracks 1-6 are also on Works in Progress

Tracklist-

 1. Song to the Siren (1968 Outtake)  (3:29)

 2. Sing a Song for You (1968 Outtake)  (5:43)

 3. Ashbury Park (1968 Outtake)  (2:48)

 4. Danang (1968 Outtake)  (6:31)

 5. Happy Time (1968 Outtake)  (3:12)

 6. Buzzin' Fly (1968 Outtake)  (6:44)

 7. Sefronia (1973 Outtake)  (3:36)

 8. Because of You (1973 Outtake)  (4:47)

 9. The Dream Belongs to Me (1973 Outtake)  (4:56)

10. Falling Timber (1973 Outtake)  (4:44)

11. Stone in Love (1973 Outtake)  (3:00)

12. Freeway Dixieland Rocketship Blues (1973 Outtake)  (4:40)

13. Honey Man (1973 Outtake)  (2:59)

14. Quicksand (1973 Outtake)  (5:35)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320)

MU: Lossless (FLAC)

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