Tim Buckley – Goodbye and Hello (1967) & Happy Sad (1969)
[Albums 907 & 908 / 1001]
“It tastes awful. And it works”
– Tagline for Buckley’s Cough Syrup
Do you remember those commercials?
I appreciated how the slogan acknowledged the unpleasantness of the product up front.
And then proceeded to cleverly use that unpleasantness as a competitive advantage: our competition may taste better, but ours actually gets the job done.
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“Feel that blast of menthol right away. Music to my ears”
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With Happy Sad, the opening two tracks both featured dropped G’s in their titles (Strange Feelin’ and Buzzin’ Fly) and blasts of vibraphones right away.
Now that’s music to my ears!
And though Goodbye and Hello had a considerably different tone (tracks like Knight-Errant felt like they could have been from 1667 rather than 1967), it still worked, without any discernably awful taste.
I was also pleased to see that both records had antonymous album titles.
Although that might have been a bit of a misdirect, as it made me think that his music might have led to similarly polarizing reactions, that these would be love/hate listening experiences.
Instead, both albums delivered the goods, no Strange Feelin’s one way or another.
Just customer satisfaction with a couple of products that got the job done!
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Verbalize the Positive
When I started this project on December 1, 2011, I gave myself 10 years to complete the project.
The great news is that I’ve now heard all of the albums.
The, let’s call it a great opportunity, is that I now get to figure out something to say about the remaining albums!
So to add a bit of fun, I’ll keep updating the time + albums remaining in a hastily edited photo along with each post.
If I’m going to miss the self-imposed deadline, I’m at least going to go down swinging!
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1001albumsin10years 
For polarizing Tim Buckley albums, try ‘Lorca’ or even his ‘sex’ record, ‘Greetings from L.A.’ 😉
Good luck with The Final Countdown, Geoff.
I started with Greetings from L.A.. I like his weird stuff much better. Greetings almost sounds like parody- Get on top of me woman!
Yet I suspect he was sort of serious. 😒
Have you tackled ‘Starsailor’, Graham?
I’ve only dabbled into that one lightly.
Where’s the parody in that?
The lyrics aren’t parody on paper, but his delivery is pretty over the top and makes it hard for me to take it seriously. Kind of Vegas.
Greetings from LA is on the list as well – I may have to revisit it, I missed that layer of it the first time around!
Goodbye and Hello is a really, really, really good record. Much better than anything his son has put out. :-
I think I preferred Happy Sad but I liked how the sounds were quite different.
His son’s album didn’t have enough vibraphone!
Great opening paragraph using the Buckley Medicine add. lol. Say what you want about that stuff but that goop works.
Thats impressive you have been doing this for 10 years. Time flies doesn’t it?
Well Done Sir…
Head to that finish line
Does it ever fly, Deke!
My thanks – and yes, the finish line is in sight.
Just hopefully it’s not like in the prairies, where you can see something in the distance, but because the terrain is so flat it might actually still be really far away!
Ha, no kidding or its so flat you think you see water ahead! lol
That is a lot to get through, but I have faith you will get ‘er done.
My thanks, John – like my favourite Bon Jovi album, Keep the Faith!
Wow, the final countdown! I’m free in only 447 more LPs too.
Here’s to freedom being on the horizon, Joe!
1001 albums in your ears. That, sir, is a lot of music in a targeted project that has seen a brilliant blog blossom into the greatness it is today! Looking forward to the final run! Also, Tim Buckley. Yes.
Much appreciated, Aaron!
As are you, good sir!