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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

1972

Buy At Rough Trade
Greetings From L.A.
Album Summary

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.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.88

Votes

12312

Genres

  • Pop
  • Folk
  • Psychedelic Rock
  • Singer Songwriter

Reviews

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Jul 07 2021
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1

39 minutes is a long time to scream “I have sex”. Surprised there’s no cleverly innuendo named track ‘Lick my tube’

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Sep 03 2022
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1

Each song has more offensive lyrics than the next. The racism and chauvinism age poorly.

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Nov 25 2021
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1

I was going to give it 2 stars, but then 'Devil Eyes' made me want to puke.

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May 15 2021
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2

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.

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Feb 18 2021
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4

He seemed like a shit person but I really liked the funky-ass album. Don’t emulate your heroes, kids.

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Aug 08 2021
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4

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

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Apr 05 2024
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1

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.

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Apr 07 2021
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3

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!)

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Feb 17 2021
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1

- more instruments than neils young :harvest: but still boring....

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Mar 03 2021
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5

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.

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Sep 22 2020
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4

Great album, love the guitar and congas on these songs, very groovy. Standout tracks: Sweet Surrender, Devil Eyes, Hong Kong Bar

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Jan 20 2021
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4

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!

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May 17 2021
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4

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.

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Feb 14 2022
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4

Andy was teaching me about Tim Buckley before we started and I really enjoyed the phrase “sex funk”. This was a fun album!

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Jul 03 2023
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4

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.

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Mar 21 2024
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4

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.

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Jun 20 2024
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3

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*

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Jun 20 2024
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3

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.

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Dec 22 2023
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2

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.

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Mar 13 2024
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2

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.

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Mar 29 2024
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2

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!

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Jun 04 2021
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1

Essentially, did not listen. First tune failed to get my attention in the very least.

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Dec 01 2021
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1

No conozco el trabajo de este cantante, pero se nota como un album de transicion.

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Mar 20 2024
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1

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…

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Jan 28 2021
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5

Great album. Each song needs a little bit to get going but all worth it

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May 11 2021
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5

Great album will definitely be added to my rotation

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Jun 24 2021
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5

5/5 - I had heard of Tim Buckley but never listened to any of his catalog. This is a great album.

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Nov 08 2021
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5

I had never heard of this guy, but wow, this was fun as hell.

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Dec 22 2021
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5

Funk-rock. Me ha gustado bastante. Venga, le pongo un 5.

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Aug 15 2022
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5

Sweet surrender is great. I like that sexy vibe of 70s. Obvious and naive.

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Jan 09 2023
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5

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

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Jan 22 2023
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5

Perfect mix between folk blues and new wave. Excellent for musicians.

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Feb 01 2023
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5

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.

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Apr 11 2023
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5

Funk-rock. Me ha gustado bastante. Venga, le pongo un 5.

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Apr 26 2023
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5

Amazing, i really really enjoyed this album.

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Jul 22 2023
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5

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!!!

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Oct 12 2023
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5

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.

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Jan 25 2024
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5

Love it. Tim Buckley had problems though, damn.

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Jan 29 2024
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5

A little groovy, nice guitar and instrumentals. His voice is great too. Tragic to find he died shortly after this album!

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Feb 07 2024
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5

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

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Feb 22 2024
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5

10/10 damn, Tim Buckley really delivered such an amazing and diverse discography despite it being tragically short, it really did so much

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Jun 20 2024
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5

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!

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Jun 26 2024
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5

Tim has some really fun tunes on this.

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Mar 19 2021
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4

Fedt rock album og den gamle. Desværre lyder sangeren ret Adam Sandler agtig irriterede. Jeg med en anden sanger kunne den måske hvad været 5 stjerner

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Jan 25 2021
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4

psychedelic rock, progressive jazz Dream Letter (1990) + Blue Afternoon

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Feb 24 2021
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4

Quirky album with some real Sing-along tunes. Great for a sunny afternoon listening. Reminds of Jerry Reed in song composition and sound.

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Jul 14 2021
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4

Nooit eerder iets van Tim Buckley geluisterd; Erg tof

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Apr 16 2021
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4

Not something I’ve listened to before and I liked it!

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Jun 16 2021
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4

What a great voice. Gone too soon.

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Jun 04 2021
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4

This was great! Really enjoyed it, funky bluesy bar rock! VINYL purchase coming up! Cracking album!

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Jul 07 2021
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4

Buen estilo, buena voz, buen disco que se me hizo muy corto.

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Jul 07 2021
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4

YASS TIM BUCKLEY, let’s gooooo I did not have time to focus, rly but I know I will come back jeszcze słucham ale dam czwórkę, bo pewnie będzie mi się podobać więcej na rym

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Aug 16 2021
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4

A nice, easy listen. A little swing, a little soul, and other things that I can't quite name. If Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin had ever collaborated, I think that the result would have been something like this.

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Aug 18 2021
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4

I liked the album. Never heard or heard of this artist. 3.5

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Sep 05 2021
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4

A lot of energy going on here, most of it good. Nicely put together songs, powerful vocals. His verbal 'solos' are a bit odd though.

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Feb 13 2022
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4

Really cool album. More gritty than Goodbye and Hello. Talented songwriter.

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Feb 14 2022
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4

Again, I am a simple gal with simple wishes, and if I can dance to it then I will enjoy it. I can most certainly dance to this, and so I enjoy it a lot! Tim Buckley's voice is so bloody good and the instrumentals are so FULL WOO

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Feb 23 2022
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4

4/5. Tim Buckley has a funny voice 👍

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Mar 03 2022
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4

I never listened to a Tim Buckley album before...not at all what I expected. Figured it would be some quiet, NickDrakeesque folk songs sung by a plaintive fragile whispy voiced loner. Imagine my surprise...this album rocks. What a voice ol' Tim has, I see from where his sons talent comes. I like this album, I'm on my third play in 24 hours, and like it more each time. 4 🌟

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Mar 10 2022
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4

Estranged father of Jeff Buckley. Died at 28 of heroin overdose. Kinda funky and strange. Interesting fun sound.

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Mar 17 2022
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4

My first thought when I saw this one was “ANOTHER singer-songwriter, yay…” HOWEVER, I thought this one was pretty good, there’s some nice instrumentation here. The most enjoyable songs on this record were ‘devils eyes’ and ‘make it right’ though there were a number of good songs here. The lyrics are… interesting. Not the type you’d want to play out loud next to a busy window (which I found out the hard way). The singing is nice though. Overall I’d give this one a 3.75 stars.

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Apr 04 2022
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4

Odakle ljubav prema Timčeku? Bome, prije svega, svestran je. Ovo nisam očekivao da će snimit, da će napravit, ali ipak je! Bome si nas napustio jako rano, šteta velika.

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Apr 07 2022
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4

Great blues stuff straight to the soul. Started as a 3 but rose to a 3.5 and settled at a 4.

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Apr 07 2022
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4

Wow what a skilled guitarist and musician, the playing on Hong Kong Bar is absolutely mesmerising!! I really loved this album. There were a few outdated elements like the fetishisation of black women in Move with Me which is otherwise a great track. This was totally acceptable at the time in the 70s though (may even have been seen as a good thing) but it does just stick out and feel a little uncomfortable listening now...

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Apr 17 2022
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4

Whats not to love about Tim Buckley apart from the fact that he is no longer with us to give us those searing blues compositions? Love "Nighthawking" and "Sweet Surrender". Classic Album rightfully on the list.

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Apr 22 2022
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4

Cet album de l'imposture Buckley est extrêmement convaincant. La voix du faux Buckley est en effet des plus impressionnantes, et la musicalité n'est pas sans rappeler la musique du réel Buckley. Fort heureusement, nous ne sommes pas dupes au sein du générateur, et n'accordant à cette copie qu'un 4/5, là où le réel Buckley parvenait à aller chercher la note suprême.

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Apr 24 2022
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4

Such a soulful voice! Not sure its my kind of music, but it's really good anyway.

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Apr 27 2022
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4

Thrusts AF, but pretty good musically

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Jun 22 2022
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4

The music makes it clear the dude fucks. And tbh, the album does fuck. I liked it more than I thought I would.

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Jun 29 2022
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4

some real good tracks here, this album is one you can really sink into. didn’t know anything about tim buckley except for his son, going to check out more of his music.

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