Long-lost bootleg documents Buckley’s pretty picking and soaring voice
Listening to Tim Buckley emotively belting on Live at the Folklore Center, you can tell where son, Jeff, got his golden pipes. This stripped-down, informal solo-acoustic performance for an intimate audience of 35 nicely captures the ’60s singer/songwriter’s raw beauty. It’s a shame the reels on which the show was recorded sat on a shelf for so many years because Buckley is in fine form—his guitar picking so crisp, his vocals so soaring that it’s an enjoyable listen despite sounding just a cut above a John Darnielle boombox recording. The only other downside to this unearthed Buckley bootleg is that—even with an artist as talented as he is—it’s a daunting task to hold a listener’s interest for 16 tracks with nothing more than voice and guitar. Still, if taken in small doses, this historical document—featuring a half-dozen never-before-released Buckley tunes and some engaging liner notes by Folklore Center proprietor, Izzy—offers many rewards.
