Often cited as the ultimate
Tim Buckley statement,
Goodbye and Hello is indeed a fabulous album, but it's merely one side of
Tim Buckley's enormous talent. Recorded in the middle of 1967 (in the afterglow of
Sgt. Pepper), this album is clearly inspired by
Pepper's exploratory spirit. More often than not, this helps to bring
Buckley's awesome musical vision home, but occasionally falters. Not that the album is overrated (it's not), it's just that it is only one side of
Buckley. The finest songs on the album were written by him alone, particularly
"Once I Was" and
"Pleasant Street." Buoyed by
Jerry Yester's excellent production, these tracks are easily among the finest example of
Buckley's psychedelic/folk vision. A few tracks, namely the title cut and
"No Man Can Find the War," were co-written by poet
Larry Beckett. While
Beckett's lyrics are undoubtedly literate and evocative, they occasionally tend to be too heavy-handed for
Buckley. However, this is a minor criticism of an excellent and revolutionary album that was a quantum leap for both
Tim Buckley and the audience. ~ Matthew Greenwald
