Dream Letter: Live in London 1968
This
superb two-hour performance by the late Tim Buckley, recorded at London's Queen
Elizabeth Hall on July 10th, 1968, has never been available before, even in bootleg
form, and it is a revelation, capturing this folk-pop visionary at a critical
and exciting juncture in his tragically abbreviated career.
Hailed
as a "new Dylan" (and not without justification) in the wake of his
first two Elektra albums, Buckley was already taking a nervy detour into ethereal,
jazzy romanticism and heady, freewheeling voc al improvisation when he arrived
in London.
Although
nominally still a folk artist, Buckley found plenty of room to maneuver within
the gently swinging context of his acoustic vibes-bass-guitar trio, transforming
his early classics Morning Glory and Pleasant Street (coupled with
a startling interpretation of the Supremes' You Keep Me Hanging On) while
relishing the open spaces in more expansive meditations like Happy Time
and Love From Room 109.
Live Buckley bootlegs are rare enough as it is, but Dream Letter is more
than a wonderful archival discovery. It is essential listening.
