Happy Sad
Encyclopedia
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 here represent a departure from the binary form
that dominated much of his previous work. The sound of the album is characterized by David Friedman
's vibraphone
, an instrument which gives the album a more relaxed tone than Buckley's earlier work. The songs are much longer than on previous releases and this style continued through to later works. The vocals on the album are more drawn out than earlier performances and this represents the beginning of Buckley using his voice like an instrument. The lyrics
on Happy Sad represent a change as Buckley stopped working with Larry Beckett
, his lyricist on the two previous albums Tim Buckley
and Goodbye and Hello
, and began writing the lyrics himself. Buckley's self-penned efforts stand in contrast to Beckett's occasionally political and literary-style work. Buckley would also go on to author all his own material on the following two albums.
and Blue Afternoon
. Much of the material that would appear on those albums was written at the same time as the songs that appear on this album, representing the most productive and prolific period of Buckley' career. Buckley's musical tastes expanded during the period that the album was written and the first track, "Strange Feelin", was directly inspired by Miles Davis
' "All Blues
" from Kind of Blue
and the melody of the song is directly taken from the song. "Buzzin' Fly" was written much earlier than the rest of the work and was originally performed with a group Buckley had during high school, the Harlequin 3, with bassist Jim Fielder
and later lyricist, Larry Beckett
.
The third track, "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)", is a song composed of various movements and this represents the second time Buckley wrote in this manner, his previous effort being the title track of Goodbye and Hello
. The segments of the song were written separately as "Danang" and "Asbury Park", as demonstrated on the later released demo sessions, The Dream Belongs to Me: Rare and Unreleased 1968 - 1973
. The final version of the song is backed by an 'ocean' sound effect
, however this was not originally intended to feature on the song. Buckley and the band were happy with the take of song but due to a recording problem the track had a slight electric buzzing in the background. The producer solved this by muffling the buzzing with the ocean overdub.
"Dream Letter" is as an ode and apology to his ex-wife, Mary Guibert, and his son Jeff Buckley
. This is the second song Buckley wrote about the pair, the first being "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain" on his previous LP, Goodbye and Hello
. In comparison to that song "Dream Letter" has a more apologetic tone, the lyrics reveal this with Buckley lamenting "Does he ever ask about me?" . It would be over five years later that Buckley would meet with his son again. The name of the song would later be used for a live album
: posthumous release Dream Letter: Live in London 1968
. The concert features much of the same personnel from the Happy Sad.
"Gypsy Woman" is a long track highlighting Buckley's vocal acrobatics and on the record has some qualities of a jam session
. Buckley and his band were disappointed with its recording but the song would remain as part of Buckley's live repertoire for the following years. The closer of the album, "Sing a Song For You", is more similar to Buckley's work on Goodbye and Hello than to the songs on the rest of the album. It shares the verse/chorus style and folk leanings of "Song to the Siren
", which though released on Starsailor
was written around the same period.
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 singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
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...
, released in 1969. It was recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It marked the beginning of Buckley's experimental period, as it incorporated elements of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
that he had never used before. Many of the songs here represent a departure from the binary form
Binary form
Binary form is a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance....
that dominated much of his previous work. The sound of the album is characterized by David Friedman
David Friedman (percussionist)
David Friedman is an American jazz percussionist. His primary instruments are vibraphone and marimba.Friedman studied drums in the 1950s, then marimba and xylophone in the 1960s at Juilliard...
's vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, an instrument which gives the album a more relaxed tone than Buckley's earlier work. The songs are much longer than on previous releases and this style continued through to later works. The vocals on the album are more drawn out than earlier performances and this represents the beginning of Buckley using his voice like an instrument. The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
on Happy Sad represent a change as Buckley stopped working with Larry Beckett
Larry Beckett
Larry Beckett is a poet and songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Tim Buckley in the late-1960s.-Early life:...
, his lyricist on the two previous albums 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...
and 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 began writing the lyrics himself. Buckley's self-penned efforts stand in contrast to Beckett's occasionally political and literary-style work. Buckley would also go on to author all his own material on the following two albums.
Inspirations and song analysis
Happy Sad shares much in common with his later albums, LorcaLorca (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 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...
. Much of the material that would appear on those albums was written at the same time as the songs that appear on this album, representing the most productive and prolific period of Buckley' career. Buckley's musical tastes expanded during the period that the album was written and the first track, "Strange Feelin", was directly inspired by Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' "All Blues
All Blues
"All Blues" is a jazz composition by Miles Davis first appearing on the influential 1959 album Kind of Blue.It is a 12 bar blues in 6/4; the chord sequence is that of a basic blues and made up entirely of 7th chords, with a ♭VI in the turnaround instead of just the usual V chord...
" from Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue
Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959, on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22, 1959...
and the melody of the song is directly taken from the song. "Buzzin' Fly" was written much earlier than the rest of the work and was originally performed with a group Buckley had during high school, the Harlequin 3, with bassist Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder is an American bassist, best known for his work as an original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears....
and later lyricist, Larry Beckett
Larry Beckett
Larry Beckett is a poet and songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Tim Buckley in the late-1960s.-Early life:...
.
The third track, "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)", is a song composed of various movements and this represents the second time Buckley wrote in this manner, his previous effort being the title track of 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....
. The segments of the song were written separately as "Danang" and "Asbury Park", as demonstrated on the later released demo sessions, The Dream Belongs to Me: Rare and Unreleased 1968 - 1973
The Dream Belongs to Me: Rare and Unreleased 1968 - 1973
The Dream Belongs to Me: Rare and Unreleased 1968 - 1973 is a compilation album by Tim Buckley. The album consists of three demo sessions, two recorded in 1968 and the other in 1973....
. The final version of the song is backed by an 'ocean' sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
, however this was not originally intended to feature on the song. Buckley and the band were happy with the take of song but due to a recording problem the track had a slight electric buzzing in the background. The producer solved this by muffling the buzzing with the ocean overdub.
"Dream Letter" is as an ode and apology to his ex-wife, Mary Guibert, and his son Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
. This is the second song Buckley wrote about the pair, the first being "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain" on his previous LP, 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....
. In comparison to that song "Dream Letter" has a more apologetic tone, the lyrics reveal this with Buckley lamenting "Does he ever ask about me?" . It would be over five years later that Buckley would meet with his son again. The name of the song would later be used for a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
: posthumous release Dream Letter: Live in London 1968
Dream Letter: Live in London 1968
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...
. The concert features much of the same personnel from the Happy Sad.
"Gypsy Woman" is a long track highlighting Buckley's vocal acrobatics and on the record has some qualities of a jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
. Buckley and his band were disappointed with its recording but the song would remain as part of Buckley's live repertoire for the following years. The closer of the album, "Sing a Song For You", is more similar to Buckley's work on Goodbye and Hello than to the songs on the rest of the album. It shares the verse/chorus style and folk leanings of "Song to the Siren
Song to the Siren (Tim Buckley song)
"Song to the Siren" is a song written by Tim Buckley and his writing partner Larry Beckett and was first released on Buckley's 1970 album Starsailor...
", which though released on 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...
was written around the same period.
Reception
Released at the height of his popularity, Happy Sad was his highest charting album, reaching #81 in the US Pop albums chart, but Buckley's experimentation on this album would alienate some of the fanbase and his mainstream appeal he gained with Goodbye and Hello. However, this was only the beginning of Buckley's experimentation with sound and genre, and subsequent releases would further reduce his mainstream popularity and see his sales take a downturn.Track listing
All tracks written by Tim Buckley.- "Strange Feelin'" – 7:40
- "Buzzin' Fly" – 6:04
- "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)" – 10:49
- "Dream Letter" – 5:12
- "Gypsy Woman" – 12:19
- "Sing a Song for You" – 2:39
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...
– 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...
, Vocals, 12 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...
– Guitar, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - John MillerJohn Miller-Politics:* John Miller , Governor of North Dakota, 1889–1891* John Miller , Governor of Missouri, 1826–1832; U.S. Representative from Missouri, 1837–1843...
– Acoustic BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Carter Collins – Congas, Conductor
- David FriedmanDavid Friedman (percussionist)David Friedman is an American jazz percussionist. His primary instruments are vibraphone and marimba.Friedman studied drums in the 1950s, then marimba and xylophone in the 1960s at Juilliard...
– PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, MarimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, VibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
- Zal YanovskyZal YanovskyZalman "Zal" Yanovsky was a Canadian rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky. He played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin' Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964...
- Producer - Jerry YesterJerry YesterJerry Yester is an American folk rock musician, record producer, and arranger.Growing up in Burbank, California, Yester formed a duo with brother Jim Yester, the Yester Brothers, and starting playing folk clubs in Los Angeles in 1960...
- Producer - Jac HolzmanJac HolzmanJac Holzman was the founder, chief executive officer and head of both Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records.-Biography:He founded Elektra Records in his St. John's College dorm room in 1950 and Nonesuch Records in 1964...
- Production Supervisor - Bruce BotnickBruce BotnickBruce Botnick is an American audio engineer and record producer, best known for his work with The Doors, and with Love. He engineered Love's first two albums, and co-produced their third album, Forever Changes, with the band's singer-songwriter, Arthur Lee.In November 1970, he took over production...
- Engineer - Ed Caraeff - Photography
- William S. Harvey - Art Direction
- Robert L. Heimall - Design
Further reading
- "Tim Buckley Biography" by 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...
- Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim BuckleyDream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim BuckleyDream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley is a biography by the American author, journalist, and former music critic for Entertainment Weekly, David Browne. First published on February 1, 2001 the book is a dual biography of Jeff Buckley, American songwriter and musician, and Tim...
, David BrowneDavid BrowneDavid Browne is an American journalist and author. He was the resident music critic at Entertainment Weekly between 1990 and 2006. He was an editor at Music & Sound Output magazine and a music critic at the New York Daily News before EW...