Back catalogue: Folk/Americana

Review: It's difficult to understate the originality running through everything Tim Buckley wrote, played, and sang. Tragically invited to join the 28 club back in 1975, in the nine years he was actively recording and touring he offered some of the most forward thinking folk music of that time. Which, considering just how busy that scene was then, is certainly saying something. Goodbye & Hello is an archetypal example, because in many ways it feels so anarchic.Yes, this is definitely a product of its day, but in the best possible way. Sending ferocious rock 'n' roll crescendos crashing into country-hued journeyman stuff, traditional folk, jazz, psychedelia and so much more. A testament to just how fertile the decade was, it's remarkable that today his name is often only referenced by the most devoted music historians and back catalogue diggers. So, if you're new here, this is an introduction you should not turn down.

Review: It was probably easy to come up with a catchier title for this collection of treasured recordings from one of the 20th Century's greatest lost talents. But like everything Buckley and music, ease isn't really part of the story, that is unless you're referencing the pure bliss of listening to this legend's voice, which is as easy on the ear as you could ask for.

Comprising tracks that were originally captured for broadcast, they reveal the very essence of what Buckley was about. Heartfelt, open-veined songs that grasp the human condition in astute swoops, by this point in his career the folk and Americana signatures had merged with jazz and abstract elements, presenting an image of a restless artist determined to keep exploring. It's been said before, but we will reiterate; had it not been for the tragic overdose a year after the OGWT recording featured here, we can only imagine where his oeuvre would have ended up.