Dream Letter: Live in London 1968
Encyclopedia
Dream Letter: Live in London 1968 is a live album
by Tim Buckley
. The album was recorded in Queen Elizabeth Hall
, London
, England
on October 7, 1968 (mistakenly credited as being recorded on July 10 due to a confusion between American and British formatting of dates). Due to a lack of available funds Buckley was unable to tour with regular bass player John Miller and conga
player Carter "C.C." Collins. The concert instead features bassist Danny Thompson
(from British folk group Pentangle
), guitarist Lee Underwood and vibraphone player David Friedman.
The concert features songs from Buckley's second album, Goodbye and Hello
and the soon to be released Happy Sad
. Also featured are the songs Happy Time, which appeared on the 1970 album, Blue Afternoon
, and a cover of Fred Neil
's "Dolphins", which would appear on Sefronia
in 1973. The "Carnival Song" which appears here is not the song of the same name from Goodbye and Hello
, but an entirely different composition. Five other tracks from this set had, at the time of Dream Letter's release in 1990, never been heard on record before.
Disc 2
Introduction by Pete Drummond of BBC
Radio 1.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Tim Buckley
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...
. The album was recorded in Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on October 7, 1968 (mistakenly credited as being recorded on July 10 due to a confusion between American and British formatting of dates). Due to a lack of available funds Buckley was unable to tour with regular bass player John Miller and conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
player Carter "C.C." Collins. The concert instead features bassist Danny Thompson
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
(from British folk group Pentangle
Pentangle
Pentangle may refer to:*another word for a pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes*Pentangle , a British folk-rock band*The Pentangle, the 1968 album by the band Pentangle...
), guitarist Lee Underwood and vibraphone player David Friedman.
The concert features songs from Buckley's second album, 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 the soon to be released 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...
. Also featured are the songs Happy Time, which appeared on the 1970 album, Blue Afternoon
Blue Afternoon
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...
, and a cover of Fred Neil
Fred Neil
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
's "Dolphins", which would appear on Sefronia
Sefronia
Sefronia is the eighth album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1973. The album was recorded at Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California...
in 1973. The "Carnival Song" which appears here is not the song of the same name from 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....
, but an entirely different composition. Five other tracks from this set had, at the time of Dream Letter's release in 1990, never been heard on record before.
Track listing
Disc 1- "Introduction" (Buckley) – 1:06
- "Buzzin' Fly" (Buckley) – 6:13
- "Phantasmagoria in TwoPhantasmagoria in Two"Phantasmagoria in Two" is a song that was composed by Tim Buckley, as opposed to the Larry Beckett/Tim Buckley collaboration that was more commonly credited during Buckley's earlier years, and released as the third and final single from his second studio album, Goodbye and Hello...
" (Buckley) – 4:41 - "Morning Glory" (Beckett, Buckley) – 3:43
- "Dolphins" (Neil) – 6:39
- "I've Been Out Walking" (Buckley) – 8:18
- "The Earth Is Broken" (Buckley) – 6:59
- "Who Do You Love" (Buckley) – 9:27
- "Pleasant Street (Buckley)/You Keep Me Hanging On" (Holland, Dozier, HollandHolland-Dozier-HollandHolland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
) – 7:58
Disc 2
- "Love from Room 109/Strange Feelin'" (Buckley) – 12:18
- "Carnival Song (Buckley)/Hi Lily, Hi Lo" (Deutch) – 8:50
- "Hallucinations" (Beckett, Buckley) – 7:14
- "Troubadour" (Buckley) – 6:04
- "Dream Letter/Happy Time" (Buckley) – 9:25
- "Wayfaring Stranger/You Got Me Runnin'" (Buckley) – 13:08
- "Once I Was" (Buckley) – 4:29
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...
– vocals, 12 string guitarTwelve string guitarThe twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar... - 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...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Danny ThompsonDanny ThompsonDaniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - David Friedman – vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
Introduction by Pete Drummond of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio 1.