Tim Buckley – My Fleeting House

This DVD includes some uninterrupted performances, rare footage and interviews by Tim’s co-writer Larry Beckett, guitarist Lee Underwood and author of “Dream Brothers” David Browne. The most interesting interviews were of course w/ Beckett and Underwood the men who actually knew & played w/ Tim. These guys give more insight to Tim’s career. Beckett who wrote “Song To The Siren” gives his most poetic comments about Tim. There was kindred spirit as Beckett comments the first time they collaborated saying his lyrics and Tim’s music just fit together that they both felt spooked by it.

Beckett also gives a reading of “Song To The Siren” in it’s extended form. You can feel his loss for Tim as he reads the poem.
Lee Underwood gives us the insight to Tim’s musical direction as starting out more folk Tim later starts to go into more Jazz and Avant-Garde sound. Also if you’re a musician you would appreciate Lee’s notes of some chords played on a few songs.

Then of course you have the reason of purchasing this DVD is the footage of Tim himself performing. Since the only footage I ever seen Tim on was The Monkees at the end of one of their episodes in which Mickey introduces Tim performing acoustically “Song To The Siren” w/ a smashed up car in the background. If any remember the car in the background is from Mike Nesmith and Frank Zappa during a Monkee ending filler
in which they smash the car w/ sledgehammers. I thought it was interesting since Tim Buckley signed on to Zappa’s Straight label.

The title of this DVD “My Fleeting House” is from Tim Buckley’s song “Morning Glory” which he performs along w/ “Happy time” from the Late Night Line Up in ’68.
One of my favorites is “Blue Melody” performed on Bobquivari in ’70.
There are about 11 in all performances by Tim ranging from ’67 to ’74. I would of liked to see a full performance of “Pleasant Street” and on The Steve Allen Show they show Tim talking to Steve Allen but I wonder what the song he performed that wasn’t included in this DVD.

Extras include album by album review by Beckett & Underwood. Interesting insight as they go through Tim’s 9 albums. Beckett comments on Dream Letter Live in London 1968 that came out in 1990. Larry comments on the song “The Earth Is Broken” in which part of the song Tim wrote about is Larry being drafted and Beckett never heard of this song until this CD came out.
Beckett reading unedited “Song To The Siren” poem and “On The Hook” a song he was working on w/ Tim prior to his demise.

Also interesting to hear Tim was asked to write a song for the movie Midnight Cowboy but decline because co-writer Larry Beckett was in the service. “Talking About” was later written by one of Tim’s favorite musician Fred Neil who wrote “The Dolphin” that Tim covers.

The good thing about this DVD is you can play the whole music w/ comments or you can just play the music w/out any interruptions. There isn’t much on Tim Buckley so this DVD has rare collection of Tim’s performances. I doubt we’ll see anything else about Tim w/ such passion.

You can purchase this DVD through amazon.com


 

Jethro Tull
Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970

I have the Slipstream videos but no actual full concert of Tull in their early days.
I always wanted to see Ian Anderson in his prime w/ the long hair and coat performing on stage being back up by Martin Barre, Glenn Cornick, John Evan & Clive Bunker.
Isle of Wight is the closest thing of early footage even though it’s a very brief concert.
Isle of Wight is like UK version of Woodstock. Some of the big performers were Hendrix, Doors, and The Who. I remembering reading interviews which Ian Anderson dreaded this concert. Now in hindsight w/ many years behind him he gives it a better review on this DVD calling it “a watershed time”. He does mention the chaos & “hoolaginism”.

This concert consist of 6 songs plus one song “A Song For Jeffrey” from The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus. This included a brief Tull member Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath on guitar. It’s a good number but don’t know why they stuck in the middle of the concert. This should have been before or after the Isle of Wight performance.

As for The Isle of Wight concert it was excellent. The songs included Bouree, My Sunday Feeling, a new song introduced by Ian titled My God. Dhrama For One a time for a long drum solo by Clive Bunker but this is the 70’s & that’s what they did in those days. This reminds me of Zepplin’s Moby Dick. Nothing Is Easy and the encore We Used To Know/For A Thousand Mothers that was an excellent number which Martin Barre provides a mini solo.
Since Tull’s time is pretty short this DVD includes Ian’s accounts of the time and history on why he chose the flute, the one legged stand, the tension behind & on stage and just interesting filler between the songs. Ian also comments the making of the songs that he plays during this concert.

There is also a DVD/CD package out of this show that includes “Cry You A Song” on only the CD. I just question why didn’t they include this on the DVD. They had plenty of room and are there any other songs that Tull performed that night that are not on the DVD?
If anything I would of love to have a menu on the DVD to just see the Isle of Wight songs w/out the comments in between. I mean I enjoy the critique but if I just want to watch the concert itself I have to go back to menu & select the songs.

Only bonus feature includes a photo gallery section of scenes of Tull on stage.

A booklet 3 panel booklet includes a forward by Ian dated 2004 who dedicates this record to Jimi Hendrix “to the man who wasn’t exactly my pal, but would certainly have become one if he were alive today”.

 
 
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