As we approach the 45th year of a world without Tim Buckley, it seems only fitting to look back on the career which saw his buttery tenor stretch across 18 albums, both studio and live set. A standout, at least to me, was his performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, 1968.
Recorded and released by Enigma, what we are gifted on this album entitled Dream Letter is an uncut, unedited, truly masterful concert archive which spans over 2 hours. The fidelity is unbelievable, in tracks like 'Pleasant Street', 'The Earth is Broken' and 'Wayfaring Stranger' where Buckley stands alone, self-accompanying with a twelve string guitar, the ambience is such that you could hear a pin drop. It documents a really interesting time for Buckley and his developing sound, a practitioner of sonic defiance. Melting ties between jazz, blues, folk and rock, 1968 marks a period between the critical acclaim of folk pioneering in Goodbye and Hello, and the capacious musical opportunities of Happy Sad; “I can see where I’m heading, and it will probably be further and further from what people expected of me”. Dream Letter is a glimpse into the performative alchemy which is Tim Buckley, especially for those whom time has been an unfair gatekeeper of witnessing him play live.
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