Tim Buckley's return to this folk shoppe might not be the loudest, but it certainly will be one of the biggest in biz. Opener Tuesday (21) "heavy" on both shows, around 400 in total. It should hold up right through the two-week stand with Mary McCaslin -- and for the Memorial Day weekend's added attraction, The Incredible String Band.

Buckley gave the patrons a lot for their money, perhaps too much, staying on stage with his wailing and sometimes growling "soul" tones for a feature-length 90 minutes. It was fine for the first hour, but bogged down considerably at the tailend.

Though his lyrics are indistinguishable, as was the case in his last outing here nine months ago, the whipped-hairdo Buckley somehow gets to his audience with his rock-jazz, at other times sounding like a howling coyote in the moonlight. The attentive habitués were kept glued to their seats throughout, watching and strangely hushed by the moods of Buckley. At times, he was lilting a lullaby, later it was a whining tone. Whatever it was, he was warmly applauded by his fans, who no doubt are many. Backing Buckley's vocals and 12-string guitar plunking are excellent sidemen -- C.C. Collins, congas; John Miller, bass; and Dave Friedman, vibes.

Mary McCaslin gave an okay accounting of herself in a soft and tender 20 minutes of vocalizing. She could be upped by 10 -- and Buckley cut by a good 30 minutes.