Happy Sad

In high school, I had a crush on a girl. She had long since decided we should only be friends. I had my head buried deep in the self-absorbed teenage sands and I was unfoundedly convinced that the time for our true relationship was imminent. You would've thought I'd have known better, given she already had a boyfriend. One day, she asked me to drive her to boyfriend's house, to which I agreed because ... of course I wanted to hang out with her! We got there and the plan somehow turned into the three of us hanging out in my car, in the dude's driveway. They chatted and cuddled while I strummed my guitar. In hindsight, I'm sure there were numerous clear signals that I should have gone for a walk or something, but as I said I was oblivious. In fact, as the plan went on, I became progressively convinced that I had been invited along because somewhere deep down inside she wanted to leave this guy and be with me. The masterstroke of my subterfuge, most certainly, would be my musical prowess. In reality, I was shit at playing the guitar and the main reason I was there is primarily because I had a car. I feel like Tim Buckley and young me, were on a similar wavelength.

Tim Suckley

That's boring. You're boring everybody. Quit Boring Everyone.

I was gonna make a joke, but holy cr*p, it's actually Jeff Buckley's dad. I've never heard of this guy, but I was immediately excited by how few tracks were on here. These are long songs, with time for Tim and his audience to settle into the tunes together. I really like this, "happy sad" is spot on. The instrumentals sound bright due to what I think is the vibraphone - I'm getting that from wikipedia. The production is meandering and jazzy, while his lyrics and vocals are much more melancholy. "Gypsy Woman" is a nice shot of adrenaline too. I really don't have any complaints with this one, I think it's really cohesive and ruminative in all the right ways. Sign me up for more from Buckley, Sr. Favorite tracks: Buzzin' Fly, Gypsy Woman, Love from Room 109, Dream Letter. Album art: Just a simple headshot (or HS for those of us in showbiz, gracias amigas) but It's a good shot. More sad than happy but I like the angle and everything. Very cool. 4.5/5

crappy bad

i think Tim misunderstood what the word happy means. some depressing shit right here.

I suppose it was ok. It probably helped lots of people get laid in the early 70s.

I went from being happy to sad.

Was a solid 2 until 12 minutes of Gypsy Women came on

Psychedelic-Folk crossed with Jazz Fusion is a combination of genres that I did not expect to see together. And I gotta say it's pretty enjoyable. I normally have a tendency to complain about albums having an excess of long songs. But I think it is something that both Tim and Jeff Buckley manage to do very well. "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)" Has as many words to the title as it does minutes in the song, but it was a great song to just sit there and vibe out to. "Dream Letter" is similarly wonderful to vibe to. "Gypsy Woman" is where it gets more experimental and feels like too long of a song. It isn't a bad song, but it's just not for me. Happy Sad is basically how I describe my personal musical style of both what I make and what I listen to. So this album resonates with me very well.

This album was interesting. It reminded me a bit of Gary Burton (with Chick Corea) but that was most likely just because of the vibraphone. I liked the album more as it went on and thought the opening track was the weakest. It's quite laid back and it certainly doesn't demand attention in the way some other albums do. That being said there is a lot of variety between slow ballads like Dream Letter and much more upbeat folk-rock songs like Gypsy Woman. I didn't get the chance to listen to the album all the way through twice but I would like to come back to it. Favorite Songs: Buzzin' Fly, Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway), Dream Letter, Gypsy Woman, Sing a Song for You Least Favorite Song: Strange Feelin' Strong 8/10

Dear God this sucks. What the fuck is this? 6 versions of the same shitty wannabe jazz. How did this get made? How is it considered socially relevant? Ugh

I couldn’t quite place it but this album sounded so familiar at times. It was just different enough to have its own personality and overall enjoyed it throughout. Saved gypsy woman as a favorite for future listens

Tim Buckley is that bleak prick who turns up at a house party with an acoustic when all everyone wants is to drink, get stoned, and fuck. This is fine, but completely unremarkable.

oh I don't have enough time in my life for this.

Meandering rubbish

crappy bad

Liedermacher und Jazz. Kann das funktionieren? Es funktioniert. Und wie. Ein große Freude und Entdeckung für mich. Ich danke der Challenge und Tim Buckley. Happy sad. Für mich nach diesem Genuss: Happy Happy

This is a lovely record, a bath of relaxed jazz guitar, vibes, cheerful strumming and Buckley sounding somehow both casual and sublime. I’m in the mood for this today; some days, he’s too angelic for me, but I may play Dream Letter later as a chaser. An of-its-time content warning is merited for the witchy gipsy woman song, but I suppose his fantasising about Romani is kinder than Enid Blyton’s. As my Uncle Feroz pointed out when he snatched a Famous Five book out of my eight-year-old hands, man she was racist as heck.

Beautiful, but perhaps just a bit too introspectively maudlin

Trite lyrics ruined by excessive vibraphone and weird guitar noodling.

Absolutely pants - Drivel dirges

This is genuinely shit. Drawn out, offensively bland shit. 1/5.

Incredible album. Need to revisit this one. I could definitely hear a bit of jeff in his voice.

Extraordinary music from a tragic hero.

The Buckleys were a gifted but ultimately tragic family, and this is the first example of it that my group has gotten. What a voice the elder Buckley has. Solid 5 Stars.

It was exceptional. I loved everything.

No longer feeling beholden to whatever barricade that stood in his way, Tim Buckley created Happy Sad to allow listeners become witnesses to his immersion into jazzier terrain and folkier ruminations. Using his sprawling yet engaging musical explorations to full effect, this album is a journey from which one would not emerge the same; it could perhaps be said of Tim in regards to the most watershed work of his career.

Brill

Great album!!

This music set my teeth on edge, esp. “Gypsy Woman.” The final song is sweet enough to push the rating into 3 star territory. Even so, Jeff is way better than his deadbeat dad.

Some pretty good moments in songs, but the songs are too long, and there's a lot of not great stuff in between the good stuff.

These Tim Buckley records are pretty good so far, they seem to breeze by with subtle instrumentation and atmospherics and aren’t very intrusive - good music if you need to concentrate on another task while listening. A bit melancholic for my taste, especially towards the end (expected from an album called happy/sad), but not to the point of being a drag.

Boring, I’m so sorry!

The music on this album is so calm and relaxed that it risks not leaving any impression at all. I’m usually down for some slow, meditative music and I generally like this sort of jazzy singer-songwriter style but these songs are pretty boring. “Gypsy Woman” is a nice surprise. I like this wild energy. The song is still a bit formless though. I’m not sure there was a strong enough song to begin with before it breaks down into jazzy riffing and improvisations.

NOT GOOD

This is the third Tom Buckley album that I’ve listened to and it just doesn’t seem to get better. Buckley obviously has some good ideas and his playing is standard for the time, but his lyrical content leans far too into the sensitive artist trope. There is a lack of self awareness that makes this album a slog to get through. I will grant that his leaning onto the experimental and utilizing jazz elements was a good move for him.

Jeff Buckley is an artist whose voice I appreciate quite a lot, but I only recently found out he was not the first in his family with a significant reputation in the music world. On this record, the first track does not inspire the same confidence in me. I find the instrumentals on it (Strange Feelin') to be very confusing, not fitting with the lyrics or tone of the song at all. This same feeling continues in the rest of this record, I find it mostly too slow, with mismatched sounds and weird choices in song length, and uninspiring. I can appreciate the vocal quality and theme, but it is not something I would find myself listening to with enthusiasm in the near future. Overall score, 2/5.

Usually I find it pretty easy to separate the art from the artist but then again, usually the art is pretty good. Here, not so much. Whiny songs sung by a whiner who was a shit dad. He gets one star which is actually my middle finger.

Happy Sad? You bet, Happy when it’s over and Sad that you wasted almost an hour of your life.

God I hate giving this album a one but it's just so... all over the place. It meanders constantly. The jazziness is definitely noticeable, but it doesn't save the record from getting super boring. The songs are long, and it all just feels like a marimba-heavy jam session that got recorded and Tim Buckley said, "Yeah, good enough, send it." Just... not for me, I guess.

I'll search for detailed information about Tim Buckley's album "Happy Sad" to provide you with a comprehensive review. Now let me search for more specific information about the production details and critical reception of the album. Now I have gathered comprehensive information about Tim Buckley's *Happy Sad*. Let me provide you with an in-depth review of this pivotal 1969 album. --- ## **In-Depth Review: Tim Buckley – *Happy Sad* (1969)** ### **Overview** Released in April 1969 on Elektra Records, *Happy Sad* represents a watershed moment in Tim Buckley's career. At just 21 years old, Buckley had already released two folk-rock albums (*Tim Buckley*, 1966 and *Goodbye and Hello*, 1967) that established him as a precocious talent with a multi-octave voice and literary sensibilities. However, *Happy Sad* marked a radical departure from his earlier work—abandoning traditional verse-chorus structures for extended, jazz-influenced compositions that prioritized mood, improvisation, and emotional rawness over commercial accessibility. The album was produced by **Zal Yanovsky** and **Jerry Yester** (both formerly of The Lovin' Spoonful), with production supervision by Elektra founder **Jac Holzman**. Recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles in December 1968, it became Buckley's highest-charting album (peaking at #81 on Billboard), despite—or perhaps because of—its uncompromising artistic vision. --- ### **Musical Style & Production** **The Jazz Transformation** The most striking aspect of *Happy Sad* is its incorporation of jazz elements, particularly modal jazz and cool jazz influences. Buckley had been immersing himself in the work of **Miles Davis**, **Charles Mingus**, and **Thelonious Monk**, and this fascination permeates every track. The album's opener, **"Strange Feelin',"** explicitly borrows its guitar progression from Davis's **"All Blues"** (from *Kind of Blue*, 1959), transposing the jazz standard into a folk-rock context . **Instrumentation & Arrangement** The production is characterized by its **spacious, organic quality**. The core ensemble consists of: - **Tim Buckley**: 12-string acoustic guitar, vocals - **Lee Underwood**: Lead guitar, keyboards - **John Miller**: Double bass (acoustic bass) - **Carter C.C. Collins**: Congas, percussion - **David Friedman**: Vibraphone, marimba, bass marimba The **vibraphone** is the album's secret weapon—an instrument virtually unheard in folk or rock music of the era. Friedman's shimmering, sustained tones create an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere that defines the record's sonic identity. As one reviewer noted, Friedman jokingly called the band "the Modern Jazz Quartet of folk" . The arrangements are **predominantly acoustic**, with Underwood's electric guitar serving as the only amplified instrument, providing subtle coloration rather than rock aggression. The production, described as "lovingly under-produced" , maintains a live, spontaneous feel—Buckley famously disliked multiple takes, preferring the raw energy of first performances . --- ### **Track-by-Track Analysis** **1. "Strange Feelin'" (7:40)** The album opens with its most explicit jazz homage. Built around a progression lifted from "All Blues," the track establishes the template for what follows: extended runtime, elastic vocal phrasing, and hypnotic repetition. Buckley's lyrics address romantic uncertainty with disarming directness: *"I got this strange, strange feelin'/Deep down in my heart/I can't tell what it is/But it won't let go"* . The song builds slowly, ebbing and flowing like waves, with Buckley's voice moving from intimate whispers to impassioned cries. **2. "Buzzin' Fly" (6:04)** The album's most accessible moment and arguably its masterpiece. Written years earlier (reportedly during Buckley's high school days with his band The Harlequin 3) , the song features a more conventional structure—though still expanded beyond typical folk parameters. The lyrics ache with longing for a distant lover: *"You're the one I talk about/You're the one I think about/Everywhere I go"* . Buckley's vocal performance is extraordinary, showcasing his four-octave range with supple, soaring melodies. The vibraphone and guitar interplay creates a warm, enveloping soundscape that justifies the song's extended length. **3. "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)" (10:49)** The album's centerpiece and most ambitious composition. Originally two separate songs—"Danang" and "Ashbury Park"—merged into one sprawling piece . The track is a masterclass in **progressive folk-jazz**, shifting through multiple movements with bowed bass, atmospheric guitar, and Buckley's voice as the primary through-line. Notably, the ocean sounds heard throughout were not originally intended—they were overdubbed to mask an electrical buzz on the master recording . This accidental addition transformed the track, creating a sense of place and transcendence that elevates it beyond its technical origins. The lyrics explore themes of redemption and transformation: *"You changed an old man filled with pity/Back to a child again"* . **4. "Dream Letter" (5:12)** A devastatingly intimate address to Buckley's estranged wife Mary Guibert and their young son, Jeff (who would later become the acclaimed singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley). Following the more confrontational "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain" from *Goodbye and Hello*, this is Buckley's **apologetic, vulnerable reconciliation attempt** . The instrumentation is stark—upright bass, gentle guitar, and vibes—with Buckley's voice carrying the emotional weight. The closing lines are heartbreaking in their simplicity: *"Oh, what I wouldn't give to hold him/Does he ask about me?"* . The song represents Buckley's mature, self-penned lyricism at its peak, free from the literary abstraction of his earlier collaborations with Larry Beckett. **5. "Gypsy Woman" (12:19)** The album's most challenging and divisive track. A **12-minute avant-garde jam** that abandons conventional structure entirely, featuring extended percussion sections, free-form guitar work, and Buckley's voice used as an instrument—wordless wails, chants, and improvisational flights . The "gypsy woman" concept has aged poorly (some critics have noted its problematic exoticism) , but musically, it's a fascinating precursor to the even more experimental work Buckley would pursue on *Lorca* (1970) and *Starsailor* (1970). The track functions as a **tribal, trance-like ritual**, with Carter Collins's congas driving the rhythm and Buckley pushing his voice to its limits. It's exhausting but undeniably powerful—a glimpse into the wilder territories Buckley was eager to explore. **6. "Sing a Song for You" (2:39)** The brief closer serves as a **palate cleanser**, returning to the more straightforward folk of Buckley's earlier work (complete with verse-chorus structure). Yet even here, the vibraphone presence and melancholic undertone mark it as part of the *Happy Sad* universe. The lyrics are stunning in their emotional directness: *"In my heart is where I long for you/In my smile I search for you/In my world the devil dances and dares/To leave my soul just anywhere"* . --- ### **Themes & Lyrical Content** **Emotional Duality** The album title *Happy Sad* perfectly encapsulates its thematic core—**the coexistence of joy and sorrow**, connection and isolation. Buckley explores romantic relationships in various states of dissolution ("Strange Feelin'," "Buzzin' Fly," "Dream Letter"), finding beauty in melancholy and melancholy in beauty. **Personal Confession** This is Buckley's first album writing all lyrics himself (following the departure of collaborator Larry Beckett to military service) . The shift from Beckett's literary, politically charged poetry to Buckley's **direct, conversational, deeply personal** style is profound. These aren't protest songs or mythological narratives—they are intimate dialogues, confessions, and prayers. **Fatherhood & Absence** The presence of Jeff Buckley haunts "Dream Letter" and, by extension, the entire album. Buckley's awareness of his failings as a husband and absent father adds layers of guilt and longing that make the album emotionally devastating. The knowledge that both father and son would die young (Tim at 28, Jeff at 30) lends retrospective poignancy to lines about holding a child who asks about his father. **Jazz as Freedom** Buckley's embrace of jazz wasn't merely aesthetic—it represented **artistic liberation**. He explicitly stated that he admired jazz musicians because "their music comes out of the communication between the men playing it... Everything is so over-rehearsed in rock, that when somebody hits a wrong note, they don't know what to do with it" . *Happy Sad* celebrates the "wrong" note, the spontaneous moment, the extended exploration. --- ### **Critical Reception & Legacy** **Initial Reception (1969)** Upon release, *Happy Sad* received **mixed but generally positive reviews**. Pete Frame in *ZigZag* called it "A treasure of incredible, rare aesthetic excellence" . However, some fans of Buckley's earlier, more accessible work were alienated by the lengthy, improvisational structures. The album's commercial success (relative to Buckley's catalog) suggests it found an audience hungry for something more sophisticated than standard folk-rock. **Critical Reassessment** By the late 1970s, Buckley's reputation had faded significantly—the first *Rolling Stone Record Guide* (1979) gave his "masterpiece" *Goodbye and Hello* only three stars and dismissed his jazz-folk experiments as "futile" . However, the 1991 tribute concert *Greetings From Tim Buckley* (featuring Jeff Buckley's New York debut) sparked renewed interest. The 2004 *Rolling Stone Album Guide* revised its rating to **four stars**, calling *Happy Sad* "abstract expressionism of a rare bravery" . Today, the album is **universally celebrated** as one of the finest records of the late 1960s, earning four- and five-star reviews across major publications. It was voted #954 in Colin Larkin's *All Time Top 1000 Albums* (2000) . **Influence** *Happy Sad* has influenced generations of artists seeking to merge singer-songwriter intimacy with jazz sophistication: - **Jeff Buckley**: Obviously influenced by his father's vocal techniques and emotional rawness, particularly on *Grace* (1994) - **Van Morrison**: Though *Astral Weeks* (1968) was released first, the albums share a kindred spirit of stream-of-consciousness folk-jazz - **Talk Talk / Mark Hollis**: The minimalist, atmospheric approach of *Happy Sad* prefigures Talk Talk's later masterpieces (*Spirit of Eden*, *Laughing Stock*) by two decades - **Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine**: Contemporary indie-folk artists who blend acoustic textures with experimental structures owe a debt to Buckley's pioneering work - **This Mortal Coil**: Their 1984 cover of "Song to the Siren" (written during this period though released later) introduced Buckley's compositions to the post-punk generation --- ### **Pros & Cons** #### **Pros** 1. **Vocal Performance**: Buckley's voice is simply extraordinary—ranging from a deep, intimate baritone to soaring falsetto, often within the same phrase. His use of voice-as-instrument would influence countless singers. 2. **Innovative Fusion**: The seamless blend of folk, jazz, and blues created a template for "folk-jazz" that remains distinctive and influential. The vibraphone-led arrangements are still unique in the canon. 3. **Emotional Authenticity**: Buckley's self-penned lyrics represent a major artistic maturation—direct, vulnerable, and devoid of the pretension that sometimes marred his earlier work with Larry Beckett. 4. **Production Quality**: Yanovsky and Yester achieve a perfect balance—organic and live-sounding without being sloppy, experimental without being alienating. The "under-produced" quality serves the material beautifully . 5. **Song Sequencing**: The six tracks flow perfectly, from the jazz-inflected opener through the epic centerpiece to the brief, poignant closer. The album sustains a cohesive mood while offering variety. 6. **Historical Significance**: As Buckley's commercial peak and the beginning of his experimental period, it serves as both an accessible entry point and a transitional masterpiece. 7. **"Buzzin' Fly"**: Simply one of the greatest songs of the 1960s—melodically gorgeous, emotionally devastating, and perfectly performed. #### **Cons** 1. **"Gypsy Woman"**: The 12-minute jam tests the patience of even dedicated listeners. While historically important as a precursor to *Lorca* and *Starsailor*, it lacks the compositional strength of the other tracks and features problematic exoticism in its lyrics . 2. **Accessibility Issues**: The extended song lengths (four tracks over 6 minutes, two over 10) and lack of traditional hooks make this a challenging listen for those expecting conventional folk-rock. This isn't necessarily a flaw, but it limits the audience. 3. **Vocal Polarization**: Buckley's elastic, sometimes mannered phrasing—while innovative—can sound affected or overly dramatic to modern ears unaccustomed to this style of singing. 4. **Instrumental Limitations**: The minimalist acoustic approach, while tasteful, occasionally lacks dynamic range. Some listeners may crave more rhythmic drive or textural variety. 5. **The "Ocean" Effect**: While the added wave sounds on "Love from Room 109" were serendipitous, they can feel gimmicky or dated to some listeners, though others find them atmospheric . 6. **Inconsistency**: The closing "Sing a Song for You," while beautiful, feels somewhat disconnected from the jazz experiments of the preceding tracks—more like a *Goodbye and Hello* outtake with vibes overdubbed. --- ### **Conclusion** *Happy Sad* is a **masterpiece of late-1960s experimental folk**, representing the moment when Tim Buckley transformed from a talented young singer-songwriter into a visionary artist unafraid to follow his muse into uncharted territory. It captures a rare balance—commercial enough to become his best-selling album, yet adventurous enough to alienate portions of his fanbase and point toward the even more radical experiments of his later work. The album's **emotional honesty, sonic beauty, and innovative fusion of jazz and folk** make it essential listening for anyone interested in the boundaries of singer-songwriter music. While not without flaws (primarily the overlong "Gypsy Woman"), the highlights—"Buzzin' Fly," "Dream Letter," "Strange Feelin'," and "Love from Room 109"—rank among the finest achievements of Buckley's tragically short career. In the context of 1969—a year that produced *Abbey Road*, *Led Zeppelin II*, *The Band*, *Dusty in Memphis*, and *Tommy*—*Happy Sad* holds its own as a quiet, introspective counterpoint to the era's more bombastic statements. It asks for patience and attention, but rewards the investment with moments of transcendent beauty and emotional truth. **Essential for fans of**: Van Morrison's *Astral Weeks*, Nick Drake's *Five Leaves Left*, Joni Mitchell's *Blue*, Jeff Buckley's *Grace*, and anyone interested in the intersection of folk and jazz. --- **Rating: 4.5/5 stars** (or 9/10)

I was not expecting any of that, and I loved it

9.4/10 I really made the right call listening to this at night, about an hour before bed - it’s honestly the perfect time to hear this album. It’s so ethereal, dreamy, and sometimes so intimate that it feels like I’m in the room with the band. Between Tim’s acoustic guitar, his breathy vocal style, and the minimal, raw studio polish, it really just sounds like a jazz-folk session happening in some quiet room somewhere, and I absolutely love that. The only real “complaint” I have is that some of Buckley’s vocal inflections sound a little strange, but that’s genuinely just a nitpick. Over time I might even grow to love those moments. These reviews are mostly based on first impressions anyway, since I’m listening to a new album every day and don’t have time to sit with most of them again until I’m through all 1000+ records. That being said, this album is amazing. I’d highly recommend it to anyone - and I’ll probably end up pestering some of my friends to listen to it too. Favorite song: Love from Room 109 at the Islander (on Pacific Coast Highway) Least favorite: Buzzin’ Fly

A father that produced a classic and a family legacy.

Me ha encantado. No conocía a este hombre ni este disco. El rollo de cantar bonito jazzy chill sobre un VIBRÁFONO??? Increíble. He caído por un hombre guapo. El primer tema es literalmente All Blues de Miles Davis. Un disco precioso, emotivo, relajante. Me ha pillado dándome un paseo en un día soleado con las calles mojadas y me ha encantado. Gracias, Tim Buckley.

Not his best

LOVED THIS

12/15/25. Really impressed with this one, a great mix of folk and jazz elements. Also enjoyed the vocals a ton. As I go on, my favorites are leaning toward less pop and more experimental and jazz - across all genres.

Wonderful, beautiful album. Some of the best bells/xylophone parts I've heard and Tim Buckley's got a great voice

Tim Buckley never made things easy for his audience. Where his son Jeff turned aching vulnerability into pop gold, Tim wandered straight into the deep end — ambitious, challenging, often strange, and occasionally brilliant. Happy Sad (1969) may well be his masterpiece: an album steeped in melancholy and experimentation, where folk, jazz, and something more elusive blur into one hypnotic whole. It opens with Strange Feelin’, a clear reimagining of Miles Davis’s So What — the cool jazz influence unmistakable. From the first bars, you’re struck by the sound of the vibraphone, which gives the album its shimmering, dreamlike atmosphere. It’s an instrument almost never heard in rock or folk, and its presence makes the record both distinctive and, at times, impenetrable. The highlights come early: Buzzin’ Fly, buoyed by Buckley’s supple voice and a flowing melody, is perhaps the album’s most direct moment. Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway) is sprawling and strange, with bowed bass and shifting textures that shouldn’t work but somehow do. And Dream Letter — an aching message to his estranged wife and young son Jeff — offers a glimpse of the emotional intensity that made Buckley such a singular figure. It’s not all flawless. Gypsy Woman, a twelve-minute suite of wails, improvisations, and sharp-edged guitar, pushes its luck — fascinating in intent, exhausting in execution. But then, that’s part of the album’s charm: no progress without a few derailments. Happy Sad is beautifully melancholic, sometimes difficult, often mesmerizing. It’s a record that asks for patience and attention — and rewards both. For those who only know the son, it’s well worth spending some time with the father. The voice is different, the mood deeper, and the risk-taking far greater.

Really good!

oh wow, really enjoyed this! Did not expect to with the deluge of late 60's male rockers but the voice is really interesting and I like the experimental production. A 10 minute song about beauty and meloncholy at the beach? Hell yeah.

relaxing

ho pianto tutte le mie lacrime

Just 6 songs but that's all I need. I love Tim Buckley. The vibraphone on this record is just amazing. Love the jam sections too, it's pretty fun

One of those mood albums. Absolutely astonishing. I was walking around Rotterdam in the rain, remembered to do my list, and it soundtracks quite a grey day. Lovely melody lines, and a calming but miserable voice. Dream Letter was my favourite, but Strange Feelin' was also good. Songs on the long side, but I could cope. I enjoyed the his previous album (he's a filthy animal) too. Hit me at the right time and right place. Which was, depressed.

Tim Buckley er enda en av de jeg liker alt jeg har hørt av, men aldri har fått somlet meg til et helt album. Happy Sad traff meg bedre enn jeg forventet. Tittelen er passende, for musikken hopper fra lekende lystige melodier til beint fram murring. Det er sjeldent jeg får lyst til å tenne levende lys, men når jeg hører denne plata så ser jeg for meg mange høstkvelder med levende lys.

BOUT TIME

Had a great time with this. Some really interesting modal mixture type of chord sequences and matching beautiful melodies that really pull you in. It all makes the more indulgent drawn out song forms work. Gypsy woman is a regrettable concept and he leans into it hard. We all make mistakes

The first time I listened to the album, my impression after the first few songs was "hm, very tonal". But halfway through, I realized I was actually kinda enjoying the album, lots of passion being this tortured vocalist. So I listened to the album again and realized I actually really liked this, it walks the fine line between being a pseudo-earnest dad rock album vs. being a genuinely earnest album. I've decided it's the latter, so 4.5 rounded up!

Very good vocals and nice guitar melodies/sound. Lyrics are decent.

Great find!

Almost thought this was Jeff Buckley for a minute 😂

First time really spending any time with Tim Buckley. Oddly calm and yet chaotic at the same time… in a late 60s ditch weed kinda way.

This was the first Tim Buckley album I’ve heard, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a more avant-garde and experimental take on singer/songwriter music, with a strong freeform jazz influence in the instrumentation. The entire album puts a lot of focus on mood and atmosphere, and what really stood out to me was Buckley’s vocal range—shifting from quiet, intimate whispers to wild, emotional outbursts that are often wordless and improvised.

He was great, great composer, great voice, great at all. But completely aged for these fast times.

Looks like it runs in the family, and by it, I mean. Well, let’s just say. Talent Rush could learn a thing or two from Tim

Buzzin Fly Strange Feelin sing a song for you gypsy woman dream letter Love from room 109

beautiful

Nice to the ears

O instrumental simples não tem refrões ou solos, parece uma constante improvisação lenta. Junto com o vocal langue e as músicas de longuíssima duração, o álbum ganha um tom intensamente introspectivo. Definitivamente não é para qualquer momento, mas em nenhum momento me senti entediado - diferente de outros álbuns que eram mais agitados mas tinham uma construção melódica repetitiva e sem graça - e sim muito calmo e centrado. Por não parecido com nada do que ouvi aqui até agora ainda ganha pontos de originalidade.

A transitional album between his folk beginnings and later free jazz and funk leanings.

holy shit i love this album, one of the only albuns im proud of enjoying cause no one else talks about it. it has such a mystic vibe to it while being extremely folk, i guess thats what buckley is all about really. the range on his voice too is very clear here on songs like gypsy woman and buzzin fly, roars to whispers. probably my favorite of his, love to listen to it as i fall asleep.

Chill album.Every song is good. Strange feeling:8/10 Buzzing fly:18/10 sounds so chill and I'd play this if I was on a train even this entire album Love from Room 109 at the Islander(On the Pacific Coast Highway):9/10 very jazzy Dream letter:9.9/10 It is so chilling and sounds so soothing and kinda scary. Gypsy Women:6/10 tbh wtf is this song? Sing a Song for You:20/10 it sounds like western lullaby and is the best song on the album by far.

Very surprised by how much I liked this. Heavy on the vibraphone, but a very relaxing experience.

I am really Happy Sad now. Great album!

I really enjoyed this album and will be checking out more of his work! Well written and sung!

Jazz Rock is always an automatic 10/10 for me and Tim Buckley is one of the most talented, and tragically short-lived artists I’ve ever had the privilege of listening to

Like a long sunny trip on a drunk summers day

Sad Sad

PREFS : TOUT MOINS PREF : RIEN

Very good. Too short. I didn't think I would ever say that about an album. Favorite song: Strange Feeling.

This is really a great album and, at the same time, such an unassuming one. Except for the last song, which is concise and more straightforward (but nevertheless a gem), this album doesn't try to win you over with catchy melody, unique chord progressions or instrumental pyrotechnics. Rather, it is mood music of the best kind, creating its own sense of atmosphere, almost existing in its own world and letting you stay in it from the beginning to the end. It's also one of the best albums to listen to while taking a bath or shower.

What a gorgeous album, what a beautiful man. This is folk pop but the instrumentals are syncopated and idiosyncratic, jazzy really. Together with Tim's extraordinary expressive powers, both lyrical and vocal, the effect is poignant, magical. "Happy Sad" is exactly right -- like the album cover, the tones are warm and the songs express earnest wistfulness in the best folk tradition. Buzzin' Fly made my heart feel tighter and lighter at the same time. The mood and sound remind me of Nick Drake (with the exception of Gypsy Woman which is interesting and well executed but seems misplaced here). Clearly something special was happening in pop music in the years 1968-69.

This album is like a warm bath to my soul; I just feel good when I listen to it. I feel my mind being transported to another time and place I’ve never been and it’s intoxicating. Tragic story Tim Buckley has… fantastic album.

Ich fand das sehr ansprechend komplex. Die Mischung aus melancholischer Stimme fast jazziger Gitarre und Meeresrauschen hatur gut gefallen. Die 5 Sterne sollen mich motivieren mich damit noch einmal auseinander zu setzen

Where has this been all my life? Astral Weeks via Kind of Blue, Stevie Wonder's Visions and Eddie Vedder. Not what I was expecting at all. Love it.

Endlessly relaxed jazz infused singersongwriting. Songs ebb and flow creating his own magical world

pretty wonderful

this is so pretty. listening to this was a whole experience. amazed.

The lyrics and vocals on this album are incredibly gorgeous ;-;

It got better with each song !! I wasn't super into it during the first two songs but when I listened to Dream Letter I was transported to a different place while I was washing dishes. I was at a farm at night and the more I listened the different I felt and the more I imagined !! The song just kept painting different pictures in my mind and it was very interesting to see what my mind would come up with at different points during the song. Dream Letter and Love from Room 109 were my favorites and I really liked Gypsy Woman and Buzzin' Fly. Cool experience genuinely because it's been a bit since a song has made me imagine 20 different things in the span of five minutes.

Beautiful, listened to this in my teens and didn't wow me that much but glad I revisited - an outstanding album

Great sound. Very surprising

Amazing

This one is amazing!

Happy ˢᵃᵈ

Well this is definitely a change after Once I Was (my only previous knowledge of Tim Buckley). I love the jazz meets psych-folk feel of the album. I love the soloing on opener Strange Feelin’. The extended jam of Gypsy Woman was another highlight. I found Love From Room 109… a bit long and meandering in places but I saw the vision and love what he was trying to do so I will be listening to this album again.

Okay. Huge Jeff Buckley fan and never really listened to Tim, but feel protective on Jeff’s part so let’s see how this goes!! Yeh, a really nice listen. Not sure what I was expecting but this is a pleasant surprise. Easy to listen to, really nice layers and groove. I like. Takes a little dip in the middle for a more sombre feel and longer tracks. Prefer the first couple. And then back to it with Gypsy Woman 🕺🏻 (although 12 mins!) I guess ‘Happy Sad’ really does sum it up! And nice to hear Jeff in his voice and vibratos too.