39 minutes is a long time to scream “I have sex”. Surprised there’s no cleverly innuendo named track ‘Lick my tube’
Greetings from L.A. is the seventh album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in August 1972. It was recorded at Far Out Studios in Hollywood, California. Like most of his other albums, Greetings from L.A. did not sell well, although this is probably his best seller (there at least 2 different US pressings: the first with removable postcard and dark green WB label, the second had no perforations for the postcard and had the Burbank WB label), getting substantial airplay in the Twin Cities on the Minneapolis FM station KQRS and selling very well at the independent record shops in Minneapolis-St. Paul and elsewhere (Detroit, New York, etc.) until it was deleted by Warner Brothers (whereupon Greetings continued to sell as a UK/European import into the '80's). The album was later re-released on November 7, 2005, in a compilation with debut album Tim Buckley by Elektra.
39 minutes is a long time to scream “I have sex”. Surprised there’s no cleverly innuendo named track ‘Lick my tube’
Each song has more offensive lyrics than the next. The racism and chauvinism age poorly.
I hate it
I was going to give it 2 stars, but then 'Devil Eyes' made me want to puke.
I'm not a huge Tim Buckley fan. I like some of his earlier records much more than this one. The singing style here begins to grate on me after awhile. It's like some kind of carnival ride throwing you about this way and that. I find it exhausting. I also find the whole raunchy thing he's got going off-putting.
Bro sounds like Barney from the Simpsons in the earlier parts of the album. This was pretty annoying and dude seems like a real POS.
He seemed like a shit person but I really liked the funky-ass album. Don’t emulate your heroes, kids.
Forgive a spoiler for the second season of the Sopranos: in his final moments, the character Big Puss simulates cunnilingus to his friends, soon to be his murderers. A moving scene. Greetings From L.A.’s main revelation is that this performance is a discrete homage to Tim Buckley’s lascivious scat on the song “Devil Eyes”, soon after the words “do the monkey rub”. This is representative of the album’s schoolboy horny, dick-windmilling vibe. Too ridiculous to offend, worth it for the sheer wtf and the band’s bounce and grit. Hong Kong Bar has been added to my playlist of 70’s burn-out freak blues tracks.
This album sounds so claustrophobic. Tim Buckley sounds like a white guy trying to be Bill Withers with a stuffy funky boogie. On top of that, his voice just kind of pisses me off. Pass!
I am fascinated with the music of Tim Buckley. Buckley has an unusual, rich, caramelly voice. He hits his high notes with a wail and such intensity, in a way that sounds, dare I say almost feminine? It's really cool. The album is full of high energy songs, sexy, bluesy concoctions with hodgepodge instrumentation including organs, congas, sax, guitar, also strings?! Love it. The horndog lyrics haven't aged especially well, but I'm not bothered by it. I'm actually impressed how sexually open the lyrics are. I can't even imagine how they were received at the time. Fave songs: Make It Right, Sweet Surrender, Get on Top
- more instruments than neils young :harvest: but still boring....
garbage.
Well. Little Timmy got all drugged out and horned up since the last time we heard from him, didn’t he? Haha. Good Lord! I did not expect to hear this dude speaking in tongues and talking about licking toe jam on this record, but I wholeheartedly approve. 👍 (But what’s up with all the double artist dipping on this “random” generator so far? We’ve still got 900-some records to go. Spread this shit out!)
Well – that was unfortunate… Sex-Funk huh??? So this was my 2nd Tim Buckley album and I’m only about 40 albums in, so not sure what I did to deserve this… I will say that his 1967 “Hello & Goodbye” effort was the first album on the 1,001 that I would have given a “0” to, as it had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and was pretentious as hell… 1972’s “Greetings From LA” is definitely different from that previous album – so at least there’s that, and for the most part – some of the musical jams weren’t all that awful, and certainly better than “Hello & Goodbye”, but the lyrics were simply abysmal… It sounds like this departure from his early folk work really pissed off his initial fan base, and not quite sure what other fan base he was looking to appeal to with this record… While some of the vocal sections were interesting at times – as a whole however, it was simply a hot mess… Lyrically, it’s as if he didn’t bother to write any – and just sang, moaned, or screamed whatever came to mind while in some drug-induced state… "Move With Me", "Get On Top", "Devil Eyes" - just a frickin' nightmare,,, Actually surprised that he didn’t have someone give him a blow-job like Jim Morrison did, while recording the song “LA Woman” in order to pull out some degree of authenticity… Anyways, not as dreadful as the “Hello & Goodbye” – so not the "Animal House" Belushi grade point average, but maybe tad higher like a 0.25 if I could go there… Was really puzzled why “Hello & Goodbye” was on this list, and now even more puzzled that this one is on here as well… Begrudgingly giving it a 1 since I’m not allowed to go any lower, as this was simply a train wreck…
Yep
do not like
Not my bag
Really great album. Surprised more people weren't listening to this in the 70s (imo the most boring period of rock). Funky, sexy, funny and rockin. Some of the sexier lyrics havent aged very well but I think that adds to the art and showing of the times.
This is gooood
Like narration of a 70's porn flick. Lyrics aside, the music and the quirky vocals are excellent. I will listen to any album with Chuck Rainey playing funky bass which is why this get 4 stars rather than 2.5.
I was a little worried this was going to be some honky tonk bar band bullshit based off of the first track. On the back half of “Get on Top”, I’m reminded a bit of that late 70’s Can performance on German TV: they’re playing “Moonshake” off of Future Days (or maybe it’s “Don’t Say No” - same song, essentially), an exceptionally funky rendition. You may have seen the clip, they’re playing the funkiest shit you ever heard and they cut to the audience who is sitting there, perfectly still, with the exception of one college student who is causally bouncing his knee up and down to the beat. Its funny as hell and doesn’t do much to dispel the notion that the Germans are an extremely serious people. Sorry for the sidetrack, we’ll talk about Can another day… Greetings from LA sounds of its time, for sure, but it does enough to differentiate itself from its peers to make it a unique listening experience. It’s fun and funky, well produced and a little unorthodox; a worthy entry on this list.
Andy was teaching me about Tim Buckley before we started and I really enjoyed the phrase “sex funk”. This was a fun album!
This is pretty cool stuff. Love the rambling rock, sexually charged lyrics, occasional bluesyness, saxophones, and I even think I heard some bongos - its a full serving. Very surprised to read that Tim Buckley was most popular in the Twin Cities - “getting substantial play on KQRS”. Wikipedia also has an excellent descriptive that sums up the careers of Tim Buckley and many aspiring, yet unnoticed, talents: “Like most of his other albums, ‘Greetings from L.A.’ did not sell well”. 3.5 stars, and rounding up for the local history.
Enjoyed the bluesy 70s feel to the music. Prompted me to learn more about this artist online. Another who died too young. And, same for his son!
Great album, love the guitar and congas on these songs, very groovy. Standout tracks: Sweet Surrender, Devil Eyes, Hong Kong Bar
"I'm Horny: The Album"
About 1/3 of this is pretty good, quite different style from the folk minstrel material I was familiar with. I'm not fully convinced by the UrghSexBuckley on display here, but "Move With Me", "Sweet Surrender" and "Make It Right" are entertaining. Beautiful cover brings home the 3*
Jeff definitely improved on his father.
Jesus Christ, Tim, please try to have some decorum. I'm not sure I've ever heard a more flagrantly horny record. Shoutout to him for siring the great Jeff Buckley, but, yeesh.
I can't recall what was my first awareness of Tim Buckley; via the (awesome) This Mortal Coil cover of 'Song to the Siren' or mid-80s Triple J listener poll of "sexiest songs ever", that included 'Get On Top' pretty high on the list. In the 1980s, Tim Buckley was a largely forgotten artist. His albums were largely hard-to-get, often deleted. And, frankly, I think he would have stayed that way if not for Jeff Buckley's career and the eerie echoes of their similar looks, voices and early deaths. (David Browne's book Dream Brother points out the ways in which their lives also contrast.). I do not know why the Greetings from LA album is on the list. It's well recorded and pretty great band (shout out to Venetta Fields, always happy to see her name on album credits), but this album is not Tim Buckley playing to his strengths. A deliberate play toward some sort of commercial appeal, this turgid white-boy "sex funk" is frankly embarrassing. I cannot think of anything worse than trying to get it on to 'Get On Top'. It's appearance in that poll suggests to me that Australians in the 1980s were not a particularly sexy people, because this song is just cringe. I have time for Tim Buckley's jazz-inflected folk rock, and he has a great voice, and he wrote and covered some great songs over his career. But not on this album. This is not good.
For the love of me, I couldn't figure out how an album that has a wiki entry that says "Like most of his (Tim Buckley) other albums, Greetings from L.A. did not sell well, although this is probably his best seller" made the list of something I should listen to before I die. Sure, it's got a 1972 Jim Morrison vibe to it but, c'mon, give me L.A. Woman and get this weak shit outta here.
Not what I was expecting from Tim Buckley after the other more introspective offerings. But here he kinda comes across as just wanging on about sex endlessly, and it sounds a bit like bad Doors songs. Half the time he sounds like a demented gibbon on acid - and not in a good way.
This brings to mind the old Buckley’s cough syrup slogan. “It tastes awful, and it works.” Effective advertising if any mention of the common name “Buckley” awakens my mind like a Cold War era capitalist sleeper cell. Hoping this slogan doesn't reflect the list maker’s modus operandi in adding this album the pantheon of mandatory albums. That’s right folks, I’m begging the amorphous entity(s) who compiled this list for an album that indeed sounds good, and works as an entry on this list. Will Tim deliver? We once again don our bell-bottoms and travel to a time before female access to credit cards, in the year of 1972. Take us to LA Timmy B. Fuck. Riverboat song about adultery. Four minutes into hearing somebody and I know everything I need to. The worst guy at a wedding gets too drunk and sings what he remembers of the blues brothers 2 soundtrack. I wish the guy in the song killed him before I had to smell this medical waste barge wafting down a tributary of the Mississippi River. Hey guess what? They didn’t cut off that wedding guy and now he’s doing a Jim Morrison impression while trying to woo a married bridesmaid. Why would I (in any universe) want to hear about this man’s sexual exploits? Why? It’s a theme that is so pervasive in musical history and I simply can’t understand it. Are there good songs that have sexual themes? Yes. I can almost guarantee those songs weren’t explicit. Not that I follow this advice, but brevity is the soul of wit. Try subtlety and maybe an entirely new lyric set and also music, and voice and also don’t release it. Then we’re on to something. You know what. As heinous as adultery is, the other person in this song dodged a bullet. I can’t imagine anything less likeable than this song. I lack words to describe how much I hate this. Oh boy! More fake blues!! INSUFFERABLE WHITE GUY BLUES DRINKING GAME - Now if the singer says any one of the following words - Boogaloo, Momma, Daddy, Redneck, ol’, or anything of the sort. Take a swig. Use bleach for best effects! I am mad at the band for playing behind this. This is another explicit sex song by the world’s least attractive moron. Aren’t you excited?? If this guy was around 30 years later, he’d absolutely be buying cocaine off of the friends of the minor he was courting and performing horrible Limp Bizkit covers in bars his girlfriend couldn’t get into. Are we serious with this? Reminiscing about fucking a teenager is not a point of relation, Tim. It’s a point of me wanting to quit listening to music. This will be my retirement. Here let me workshop a song from this album. Ok, let me channel my Grover from Sesame Street voice. Ahem. “Ahhh girl I’m your daddio and you’re 14 and I’m drunk on rum, how about I engage in inappropriate physical touching and sing about how that makes me an artist. Rahhhhh gurrrrl that’s right I’m your daddio and you’re my sweet child and I swear this Jim Morrison gig is going to pay off some day just wait ahhh.” I hate almost everything about this with a depth I thought unreachable. While the band was good at points, I’m the most disappointed in them. Why? Becausewhat they did was act as a vehicle for this drugged out, talentless moron to detail his laundry list of sex crimes to the applause of near deaf weirdos who comprise the music listening public. I sometimes hate living on this planet. Death does not create depth. Can we not see a project for what it is before and after the demise of somebody? This guy needed to be checked into rehab/jail, and he wasn’t, so we got this album, his death, and the ensuing brain dead applause from the internet’s most self-assured dolts. Now, I’m sure if he WAS checked into rehab, we would’ve gotten more bad music (with a fraction of the praise) a multitude of allegations, and a set of Botox influenced pro-Donald Trump TikToks in about 50 years time. If this album apparently matters, so do lyrics and these were some of the worst I’ve ever read. A complete lack of self-awareness surrounding each disgusting bar. Greetings from L.A. is the sound of a male manipulators final wheeze. I look back to my starry eyed intro to this review and I can say without a doubt that this tasted awful, and unless the objective was to get me to hate music, it did NOT work. 0 HIGHLIGHTS: The Consequences of the Rockstar Lifestyle
His complete over-performance of the vocals just annoyed me. Over-shadowed anything nice there might have been in the music.
No conozco el trabajo de este cantante, pero se nota como un album de transicion.
Terrible vocal style - hated it
Not my favourite.
Meh
Essentially, did not listen. First tune failed to get my attention in the very least.
Fuck that Springsteen shit
I didn’t listen to this
Great album! Reminds me of the doors in some ways. Listened to it twice.
Bangers with some horny posting
This was apparently the start of Buckley's "sex funk" era, and I've got to say I quite like it. The lyrics didn't register as being fantastically objectionable, unless you're some kind of puritan, perhaps a pearl-clutcher. He tries to pick up a girl in a bar who's married, and gets the shit kicked out of him. He gets his end away. He picks up hookers and likes to get spanked. Ooh, scandalous! The music is good. His voice is great. This will score highly from me.
Yes
Sweet surrender
Tim has some really fun tunes on this.
I feel I stumbled upon a backwoods after hours lounge. It’s a bit naughty, but the musicians are giving it their all, and I am totally captivated. I gave it three listens and I’ll be back for more soon!
Sex songs
10/10 damn, Tim Buckley really delivered such an amazing and diverse discography despite it being tragically short, it really did so much
What a strangely unique voice. Some questionable lyrics but man was this jammin. Reminded me a bit of Talking Heads which Im all for. Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this album front to back. 9/10
A little groovy, nice guitar and instrumentals. His voice is great too. Tragic to find he died shortly after this album!
Love it. Tim Buckley had problems though, damn.
Monkey rub down under the sheets? WTF? Anyway. Lots of groove, a bit of wistfulness, some wanton lust and free spirit. A good sound, but perhaps a bit dated.
okay tim!
I thought I knew what to expect from Tim Buckley. But I didn’t expect a rock album dripping with backup gloriousness. The backup singers on that opening track “Move With Me” sounded right out of the Schoolhouse Rock “Verb” song. I loved this!!!
Funky
Amazing, i really really enjoyed this album.
Funk-rock. Me ha gustado bastante. Venga, le pongo un 5.
Nice
I thought this was really strong top to bottom. He had great presence and the band did a great job keeping the songs interesting musically. Better than the other Tim Buckley album we heard, which I also liked.
Perfect mix between folk blues and new wave. Excellent for musicians.
Excellent Rock/Blues album, reminiscent of the doors LA woman. Killer vocals with huge range. Funky, jamming instrumentals supporting lyrical styles from from detailed stories to wild howls to playful skat. Tight guitar work on the likes of Hong Kong bar. Not a bad song. All new to me. 4.5
Great mood music.
Sweet surrender is great. I like that sexy vibe of 70s. Obvious and naive.
Great voice, great songwriter
Funk-rock. Me ha gustado bastante. Venga, le pongo un 5.
I had never heard of this guy, but wow, this was fun as hell.
Muy bueno, en serio.
5/5 - I had heard of Tim Buckley but never listened to any of his catalog. This is a great album.
V good rocky album
Great album will definitely be added to my rotation
4.5
Great album. Each song needs a little bit to get going but all worth it
Such a great talent, taken from us too soon
Favorite Songs: Move With Me / Hong Kong Bar
9/10 Tim Buckley, I was woefully unfamiliar with your game. I forgive you for abandoning Jeff Buckley as a child now. This album rips. It has so much influence from the powerful rock artists of the time but also feels like it combines big band with that same late 60s/early 70s sound. Gives me some CCR energy but with more edge. Will be coming back to this again. Favorite Song: Nighthawkin’
Finally an album totally new to me that I really enjoyed! Steely Dan-core so an easy sell for me, liked the distinctive vocals and rumbling energy.
I really enjoyed this album! It sort of sounds like if Geese got a studio contract in the 70s lol. Very good listen, definitely going in my normal rotation!
Great sound but nothing unique. His son was better.
На Sweet Surrender я наконец въехал в Тима Бакли. Откровенные и мрачные песенки.
Went in thinking Americana, left feeling satisfied with some good funky funky. Not world class by any means, but a nice 40 minute hit to brighten the day a bit. Low 4
‘Greetings From LA’ of course the famous first words of Len Houmous when he was Britain’s representative at Eurovision in ‘92. Always one to have a bit of a laugh! It really through everyone. Fortunately the Dutch saw the funny side of it - which was lucky. They were in a really bad mood that year. 4.0
That was a solid record. Tim has a unique but great voice.
Loved it
Fun springtime music. Will be listening again
raro, me encanta
I enjoyed this!
Little Feat meets Chris Isaac; liked Sweet Surrender the best.
Is it any surprise this came out at the same time as Deep Throat?
4.0
Rare treat
Very mellowy
Clearly jazz inspired Crooning soulfully upon Care free edgy rock
Actually, Pet Shop Boys, actually is a really good album. It’s A Sin with its up tempo synsonic base beat and catchy lyrics is the best song, followed by the equally rhythmic Heart. S-h-o-p-p-i-n-g is missable, but the rest of the songs are listenable. Album flows well enough to go (3.6*s)
This is a tough one. Really cool music. Interesting voice. Raunchy ass lyrics.
Крутой альбом. Вокалист напоминает Роберта Планта из Led Zeppelin. Мне понравилось. Отличный фанк-рок от сингера-сонграйтера. 4. Точно не тот альбом, который нужно послушать до своей смерти.
Musically fun and with excellent vocals, this was a very enjoyable one to listen to.
This is a strong veer from Tim's usual shitty folk fare...This is more bluesy/funky mixed with rock and sexually charged lyrics. It surprised the hell out of me. This was actually the most tolerable album Tim ever made. Favourite songs: Get on Top, Nighthawkin', Move With Me Least favourite songs: Make It Right 4/5