Post Description

In a life cut too short too abruptly, Tim Buckley was also just a bit overly idiosyncratic to ascend into the upper echelons of contemporary folk music. Yet, as much of an acquired taste they might be, his wide-ranging forays into jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul and avant-garde styles also present ample rewards in the hearing of them, albeit directly in proportion to the potential challenges of listening. Some eighty minutes taken from two shows at San Francisco’s mythic Ballroom in 1968, Bear’s Sonic Journals: Merry-Go-Round at the Carousel, is a snapshot of Buckley’s eclectics in action.

Recordings captured on tape by the late Owsley Stanley were transferred and mastered by Jeffrey Norman, a long-time technical collaborator with the Grateful Dead. Accordingly, as astutely sequenced as is this single CD, it clearly doesn’t take long for Tim to become lost in the moment(s)  during the first of two takes of ”Buzzin’ Fly.” Avid listeners will no doubt follow suit, entranced by the deceptive mix of resilience and fragility evident in what follows, the nine-plus minutes of  “I Don’t Need It to Rain.” The reappearance of the former tune later in these bakers’ dozen tracks will thus induce a welcome sense of grounding (as in ‘yes, I really did hear that!?’).

Merry-Go-Round at The Carousel is a clear picture indeed of a courageous artist nearing the full flush of his adventuresome spirit. Correctly apt in this context is Buckley’s willingness to push and pull with his voice, in effect utilizing it as another instrument: his vocals are tremendously effective in this mix of material, arrangements for which feature bass, percussion, and vibraphone. While not particularly mellifluous in his singing, Tim is nevertheless remarkably pliable with his phrasing and delivery, most notably (and fittingly) on “Strange Feelin’.”

Tracks:  
June 15
1. Buzzin’ Fly — 6:54
2. I Don’t Need it to Rain — 9:28
3. Blues, Love — 10:42
4. The Father Song — 2:30
5. The Lonely Life — 1:09
6. Happy Time (digital only) — 3:20
7. Hi Lily, Hi Lo (digital only) — 4:17

June 16, 1968
8. Green Rocky Road — 6:46
9. Happy Time — 3:11
10. Wayfaring Stranger — 9:40
11. Buzzin’ Fly — 5:08

Strange Feelin’ Suite
12. Strange Feelin’> — 7:34
13. Love from Room 109 at the Islander>— 2:23
14. Sing a Song for You> — 2:32
15. Merry-Go-Round> Strange Feelin’ (reprise) — 10:58

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQoMd5PQWsY