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.

crappy bad

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

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.

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

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

I went from being happy to sad.

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

Meandering rubbish

crappy bad

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

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

Absolutely pants - Drivel dirges

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

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

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

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!!

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.

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.

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.

Trite lyrics ruined by excessive vibraphone and weird guitar noodling.

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.

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

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.

Extraordinary music from a tragic hero.

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

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.

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.

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!

Such a nice groove

i get that tim buckley is not everyone's bag and he definitely doesn't try to be but man if you really get past the initial shock there's so much good stuff here. he is so captivating and unique as an artist

Country. Fungerer bra, positiv opplevelse.

Another one I enjoyed more I expected to. Interesting fusion of styles. The vibraphone is on almost every track and used in ways I’ve never heard before. Definitely inspires a relisten.

A father and a son, both with the voices of angels, both taken too soon. Tim branched out much further than Jeff, though he had some more time to develop his experimental tastes. This is yet another transitional album, and maybe not my favorite of his with Starsailor. When he’s sticking more to composition and folk, it works much better than a poppier sound. The two extended tracks are proof - “Love from Room 109” is a beautiful meandering path while “Gypsy Woman” almost feels like Tim doing a Jim Morrison impression, albeit with much better musicianship. It’s a really good record, just a bit uneven.

so lush. this is a fav

Pretty bloody lovely. Nepo dad

was a huge tim b fan in hs... guess what... i still am

Not as good as goodbye hello and a lot longer/jazzier jams with a lot of vibe playing but still a good record.

Ok, but I like Jeff’s stuff better.

Personally I don't understand all the hate this album send to be getting here.

Strange Feelin' had me feeling good about this album and then Love from Room 109 stands out with Gypsy Woman giving me some Led Zep vibes. Sing a Song for You just leaves me fealling melencholy so I guess the album does what it says on the tin.

The jazz tendencies continue throughout the album and make for a great departure from his previously folk-inflected albums.

wonderful voice and lovely psychedelia

A nice jazzy effort that bears deeper listening. Doesn't work well as background listening as too many subtleties that augment one's enjoyment. This album showcases very well the similarities between Tim and his son Jeff. love the opener Strange Feeling' with the beautiful vibraphone, lovely jazzy feel and dynamic shading to heighten the intensity. More of the same with Buzzing' Fly, though more upbeat. Things take a turn for the quiet and contemplative with the beautiful 11 minute opus Love from room 109. But that's not the only extended song here Gypsy Woman is an extended latin jam that has a fiery vocal performance and some wonderful jamming from an obviously great band. All-in all this is a really great discovery from an intensely original artist. 4 stars

Oh Wow, I love Tim Buckley. His brand of psychedelic folk is so unique and charming, and his voice is amazing. I think Star sailor is my favorite album of his but this one is great as well. Let's give it another listen. I don't know if "Happy Sad" is the correct title. It's more "Uplifting Sad". Tim's amazing vocals and powerful arrangements are somber yet uplifting. This is so beautiful.

I enjoyed it overall

Mediocre album

нормалек, но у сыночки песни позажигательнее, конечно)

I really like the blues infulences, they don't feel too in your face as maybe led zeppelin does. This is also much more atmospheric that the previous album which I listened to from him. The Dream letter song might be one of the saddest I've ever heard, in hindsight. The first long song is great, and uses its length to develop a lot (not sure if I can say that about the other long song...) Gypsy woman is not good at all man. Favourite songs: strange feelin', love from room 109 at the islander (on Pacific coast highway), sing a song for you. Overall around 8/10

Musically it’s great and he has a great voice! Sing a song for you and Dream Letter were my favorite

Am suddenly quite melancholy

Честно говоря, это чуть более сэд альбом, чем хотелось бы, и гораздо менее драматишный, чем тот с желтым фоном, который прямо вот настроил меня на получение истинного удовольствия. Лучшая песня - Buzzin' Fly.

Really liked this a lot actually, very mystical and relaxing. I also think listening to Gypsy Woman from the lens of a jam session helps justify its length

Spoke to me

I’m at a 4. Wikipedia lists this as “psychedelic folk,” and I can’t say I find that description too accurate. It doesn’t feel as psychedelic as other 60s acts we’ve gotten, and I hesitate to call it “folk”, because it doesn’t really feel that close to acts like Simon & Garfunkel, or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. I can’t really place a specific genre on this either; I guess my best attempt would be “ambient pop”, and certainly with a sad bend. It really does jump around between genres though – a bit of reggae influence, some straight jazz, some solid folk stylings with a bit of a rock lean, and oddly, some elevator music (that vibraphone’s really present throughout this thing). However, it never really strays away from the “ambient pop” feeling I described – a lot of these tracks are anchored in finding a rhythm, sticking to it, and expanding when necessary. It’s a formula that only works because the ambience is captured so well, and complemented further by his vocals. His voice has a strong power to it, and while his held notes do start to feel long and repetitive over time, when it works, it really worked for me. The biggest knock I have on this album is that it’s too long for what it offers, and that the tracks don’t do enough evolving to justify some of the longer run times – Gypsy Woman is the key offender here. You wanna make that track 12 minutes long? Fine, as long as you can actively expand it in a better way than the sort of lackluster “give / take” approach, especially when it’s taking a lot more instrumentation away compared to what it’s giving back. Past that, I do think the album, for as much as it jumps around in terms of genres and influences, simply has a problem with pacing – Dream Letter is the third slower song in a row after the opening track, and even though I think its lyricism is stellar, it just hits less because it’s the last track of a 21 minute stretch of slower songs. Those pacing issues, and the length of the album are why I’m at a 4 – it’s a great set of tracks, don’t get me wrong, but as a full front to back album, the progression isn’t as satisfying as it could be, and so it makes the 44 minutes feel slower than they should. If you listen to this and find it boring, I understand that too; maybe I was just in the mood for some slower and more relaxed stuff, so this hit really nicely for me. I do like this album, and I’m glad it’s on the list. I don’t think it should have a 2.78 average – it’s not that bad, but it doesn’t fully succeed at what it’s going for as a complete project. The moods are right, the lyricism is good, the instrumentals are fine; the ingredients are there, but the recipe feels incomplete. With a few tweaks, and a little more “fun’ sprinkled throughout (it’s a rather drab album, let’s be honest), I do think this could’ve gone up to a 5 for me. As it stands, though, it’s a 4; probably closer to a 3.5, but “Sing a Song for You” is an excellent closer that bumped me up to a flat 4.

Not as magical as Goodbye and Hello, but I still love how complex and delicate a lot of the sounds are in this album, the use of marimbas and vibraphone gives it this sweet feel that fits the more subdued sound of this album. Not always a vibe I'm looking for but this is really nice and makes me want to keep exploring his discography.

7.5/10. It's a very sweet-sounding album. It's a nice folksy and jazzy listen.

Much Smoother and lower key than hiss other works. Very pretty and sonorous

I liked this a lot. I'm not generally into the melancholy singer-songwriter with a guitar vibe. But there was a lot of accompaniment by jazzy instruments like double bass and vibes and stuff and that gave it a different, er, vibe. It feels very sixties, somehow. But, yeah, I dig it, man! Another one I might revisit.

Powerful….

What a voice.