Blue Afternoon
Encyclopedia
Blue Afternoon, released in 1969, was Tim Buckley
's first self-produced record and his debut for Herb Cohen
and Frank Zappa
's Straight record label
. This was Buckley's fourth album after Tim Buckley
, Goodbye and Hello
, and Happy Sad
. Blue Afternoon used the same group of musicians as Happy Sad, with the inclusion of drummer Jimmy Madison.
Several tracks on Blue Afternoon are songs Buckley had intended to record on earlier albums but had not completed. "Chase the Blues Away" and "Happy Time" are numbers he had worked on in the summer of 1968 for possible inclusion on Happy Sad and demos can be heard on the Rhino label
's Works in Progress
album.
On Blue Afternoon, Buckley takes the folk song as his starting point and expands it, drawing on jazz influences to create new dynamics and to emphasize atmosphere and mood. This approach can perhaps be best appreciated on the mournful track "The River". During the same four weeks in which he recorded Blue Afternoon, he also recorded its follow-up, Lorca
, and material for Starsailor
.
Blue Afternoon, like Starsailor
, has never been released on CD format outside of the USA. It was re-released on CD format only once, in 1989 on the Enigma Retro
label.
In late 2005, the album was made available on the iTunes Store
.
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
's first self-produced record and his debut for Herb Cohen
Herb Cohen
Herbert "Herb" Cohen was an American personal manager, record company executive, and music publisher, best known as the manager of Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, and many other Los Angeles-based musicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:Cohen was born in New York...
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's Straight record label
Straight Records
Straight Records was a record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. Straight was formed at the same time as a companion label, Bizarre Records. Straight and Bizarre were manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by...
. This was Buckley's fourth album after Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley (album)
Tim Buckley is the self-titled debut album by Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1966. Most of the songs on it were co-written by Buckley and Larry Beckett while they were in high school...
, Goodbye and Hello
Goodbye and Hello
Goodbye and Hello is the second album by Tim Buckley, released in 1967. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California in June 1967.The album was later re-released on January 22, 2001 in a compilation with debut album Tim Buckley by WEA/Elektra....
, and Happy Sad
Happy Sad
Happy Sad is the third album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1969. It was recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California. It marked the beginning of Buckley's experimental period, as it incorporated elements of jazz that he had never used before. Many of the songs...
. Blue Afternoon used the same group of musicians as Happy Sad, with the inclusion of drummer Jimmy Madison.
Several tracks on Blue Afternoon are songs Buckley had intended to record on earlier albums but had not completed. "Chase the Blues Away" and "Happy Time" are numbers he had worked on in the summer of 1968 for possible inclusion on Happy Sad and demos can be heard on the Rhino label
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
's Works in Progress
Works in Progress (Tim Buckley album)
Works in Progress is a compilation album by Tim Buckley. The album is a collection of studio recordings dating from early and mid-1968 in addition to one recording dating from a recording session in 1967. The material on this album consists of songs Buckley was working on for a third album, the at...
album.
On Blue Afternoon, Buckley takes the folk song as his starting point and expands it, drawing on jazz influences to create new dynamics and to emphasize atmosphere and mood. This approach can perhaps be best appreciated on the mournful track "The River". During the same four weeks in which he recorded Blue Afternoon, he also recorded its follow-up, Lorca
Lorca (album)
Lorca is the fifth album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1970. Named after Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, it was recorded simultaneously with Blue Afternoon, though notably different in style. It was one of Buckley's two avant-garde albums, and explored some sounds and ideas he...
, and material for Starsailor
Starsailor (album)
Starsailor is a 1970 album by Tim Buckley , released on Herb Cohen's Straight Records label. It marks the moment Buckley's folk rock origins became invisible as he fully incorporated jazz rock and avant-garde styles in to his music. Although it is often regarded as not being accessible to many...
.
Blue Afternoon, like Starsailor
Starsailor (album)
Starsailor is a 1970 album by Tim Buckley , released on Herb Cohen's Straight Records label. It marks the moment Buckley's folk rock origins became invisible as he fully incorporated jazz rock and avant-garde styles in to his music. Although it is often regarded as not being accessible to many...
, has never been released on CD format outside of the USA. It was re-released on CD format only once, in 1989 on the Enigma Retro
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
label.
In late 2005, the album was made available on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
Track listing
All tracks by Tim Buckley.- "Happy Time" – 3:15
- "Chase the Blues Away" – 5:14
- "I Must Have Been Blind" – 3:40
- "The River" – 5:47
- "So Lonely" – 3:27
- "Cafe" – 5:40
- "Blue Melody" – 4:55
- "The Train" – 7:53
Personnel
- Tim BuckleyTim BuckleyTimothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
– 12 string guitar, Vocals - Lee UnderwoodLee UnderwoodLee Underwood is an American musician and writer notable for performing on lead guitar with Tim Buckley for most of Buckley's career. Underwood appeared on seven of the nine albums Buckley recorded during his brief life, and on several posthumous releases, including Live in London...
– Guitar, Piano - David Friedman – VibesVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
- John Miller – Acoustic & Electric Bass
- Jimmy Madison – Drums
- Carter C.C. Collins - Congas on "Blue Melody"
External links
- Review by Wilson Neate, Allmusic
- Review of Blue Afternoon and Starsailor in Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
- Review of Blue Afternoon by Don Heckman in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...