Edsel has recently brought three posthumously-released live albums from troubadour Tim Buckley together in one compact box set.  Buzzin' Fly: Live Anthology 1968-1973 contains, on four CDs, the complete albums Dream Letter - Live in London 1968 (1990), Live at the Troubadour 1969 (1994) and Honeyman: Recorded Live 1973 (1995).  Taken together, these three live sets feature eight songs not otherwise recorded by Buckley.

Dream Letter, captured at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on July 10, 1968 and issued here on two CDs, saw the 21-year old artist revisiting songs from his sophomore album, 1967's Goodbye and Hello, while looking forward to Happy Sad (released in July 1969), Blue Afternoon (November '69), and even Sefronia (1973).  Buckley, in a creatively fertile period that placed him at the vanguard of folk-rock, performed six songs that evening that he would never officially release ("The Troubadour," "I've Been Out Walking," "Who Do You Love," "The Earth is Broken," "Wayfaring Stranger," and a unique "Carnival Song" not to be confused with his other song of the same title).  He was joined by a small band including Lee Underwood on guitar, David Friedman on vibes, and Danny Thompson of Pentangle on bass, and additionally performed three songs in solo acoustic fashion, accompanying himself on 12-string guitar.  The concert showed Buckley's ever-evolving style, as his pure folk sensibility gave way to incorporate rock and then jazz.  Alongside his original compositions, he tackled Fred Neil's oft-covered "Dolphins" and even tipped his hat to Motown with "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and Hollywood with "Hi Lili, Hi Lo" from the film Lili.  No matter what style Buckley chose to write and sing in, however, the one constant was his utterly striking and hauntingly sincere voice - traits which he would pass on to his son Jeff, who also died tragically young.

Live at the Troubadour 1969 found Buckley in the famed Hollywood club, culled from performances on September 3 and 4 of that year.  Though the venue was smaller, the band was bigger; joining Buckley and Underwood were Carter C.C. Collins on congas, John Balkin on bass, and Art Trip on drums.  In addition to earlier songs such as a pair from Happy Sad, two tracks previewed his very next release, Blue Afternoon, while another three would be aired the following May on Lorca.  The intimate performance finds Buckley in a more hedonistic period, musically hinting at the white-funk style he would later embrace, and joking about drugs (particularly chilling in light of his own demise in 1975 at the age of 28).  Two more otherwise-unreleased songs premiered on Live at the Troubadour: "I Don't Need It to Rain" and "Venice Mating Call."

The final live set in this box, Honeyman, was recorded in front of a live audience on November 27, 1973 for New York radio station WLIR following the release of 1973's Sefronia, his second-to-last album.  The band this time consisted of Joe Falsia (lead guitar), Bernie Mysior (bass), Buddy Helm (drums), and Mark Tiernan (keyboards).  Buckley's style had shifted even further from his folk roots on such releases as the avant-tinged Starsailor, the sexually-charged Greetings from L.A., and covers-heavy Sefronia.  For the radio broadcast, Buckley only played two of his sixties compositions ("Buzzin' Fly" and "Pleasant Street"), taking three tracks from Greetings and four from Sefronia including longtime favorite "Dolphins."

Alternately gentle and drivingly funky, the intense and beguiling music of Tim Buckley lives on.  Buzzin' Fly: Live Anthology 1968-1973 has been remastered by Phil Kinrade (from the original mastering by Dan Hersch, Ken Perry, and Bill Inglot, who co-produced the three albums contained within) and contains the original liner notes from all three releases in one 20-page booklet.  Each disc is housed in its own mini-LP sleeve.  This collection is available now at the links below!

Tim Buckley, Buzzin' Fly: Live Anthology 1968-1973 (Edsel EDSL 0005, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1-2: Dream Letter - Live in London 1968 (Demon DFIENDCD 200, 1990)

1. Introduction
2. Buzzin' Fly
3. Phantasmagoria in Two
4. Morning Glory
5. Dolphins
6. I've Been Out Walking
7. The Earth is Broken
8. Who Do You Love
9. Pleasant Street/You Keep Me Hangin' On

 

1. Love from Room 109 at the Islander/Strange Feelin'
2. Carnival Song/Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo/Intro to Hallucinations
3. Hallucinations
4. The Troubadour
5. Dream Letter/Happy Time
6. Wayfaring Stranger/You Got Me Running
7. Once I Was

CD 3: Live at the Troubadour 1969 (Edsel EDCD 400, 1994)

1. Strange Feelin'
2. Venice Mating Call
3. I Don't Need It to Rain
4. I Had a Talk with My Woman
5. Gypsy Woman
6. Blue Melody
7. Chase the Blues Away
8. Driftin'
9. Nobody Walkin'

CD 4: Honeyman: Recorded Live 1973 (Edsel EDCD 450, 1995)

1. Dolphins
2. Buzzin' Fly
3. Get on Top
4. Devil Eyes
5. Pleasant Street
6. Sally Go Round the Roses
7. Stone in Love
8. Honey Man
9. Sweet Surrender