Starsailor (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Starsailor
Type = studio
Artist = Tim Buckley


Released = 1970
Recorded =
Genre = Jazz-Rock, Folk-Rock, Avant-garde
Length = 35:54
Label = Straight Records LP
Enigma Retro CD
4 Men with Beards LP (2007 Reissue)
Producer = Tim Buckley
Reviews = *Allmusic rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aifixqq5ldfe link]
*Piero Scaruffi rating|8.5|10 [http://scaruffi.com/vol1/buckley.html]
Last album = "Lorca" (1970)
This album = "Starsailor" (1970)
Next album = "Greetings from L.A." (1972)

"Starsailor" is a 1970 album by Tim Buckley (see 1970 in music), released on Frank Zappa'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 people,Fact|date=May 2008 it also contains his best known song "Song to the Siren". Ironically this more accessible song was written much earlier than "Starsailor" 's newer material, originally in a more traditional folk arrangement, as shown on the later released compilation album "". Bunk Gardner, a former member of the Mothers of Invention joined Buckley's normal band to record the album. Also, Buckley began working again with lyricist Larry Beckett, after a three album absence.

Leontyne Price attended a concert in New York during the supporting tour and told Buckley, "Boy, I wish they were writing things like that for us opera singers," to which Buckley responded, "Well, do what I did; get your own band." [ cite web |title="Goldmine Magazine" interview |url=http://home.casema.nl/jim2873/timbuckley/ |accessdate=2008-05-03 ]

Renewed interest

"Song to the Siren" has been covered by a variety of artists, most notably This Mortal Coil, in their 1984 album "It'll End in Tears". The British trance act Lost Witness also covered it as "Did I Dream (Song to the Siren)" and This Mortal Coil's version was sampled by acid house duo Messiah in their singles recording "Temple of Dreams".

While the revival of "Song to the Siren" renewed interest in Buckley amongst independent artists in the 1980s, the success of his estranged son, Jeff Buckley, in the 1990s, inspired indie rock artists to look at the career of his father. [ cite web |title= The Rough Guide to Rock |url=http://www.timbuckley.net/articles/tim.htm |accessdate=2008-05-03 ] The British band Starsailor took their name from this album.

The album had a brief reissue on CD by the Enigma Retro label, but like the other Tim Buckley release on the Straight Records label, "Blue Afternoon," it drifted out of print due to legal battles over who owned the rights to the music. This stems back to a 1976 separation and lawsuit between Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa, the co-owners of Straight Records. [ cite web |title=Herb Cohen - Random Notes |publisher=united-mutations.com |url=http://www.united-mutations.com/c/herb_cohen.htm |accessdate=2008-07-05 ] As a result, many of the albums released on Straight (including Captain Beefheart's "Lick My Decals Off, Baby") are very difficult to find on CD. [ cite web |title=Tim Buckley: Starsailor |publisher= |url=http://garbocathedral.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html |accessdate=2008-07-05 ] In 2006, the album was released on the iTunes Music Store, making it available to the general public once more.In 2007, 4 Men With Beards reissued the album on vinyl, as well as the rest of Tim Buckley's nine album catalogue. However, CD copies of this and "Blue Afternoon" remain out of print and difficult to find on the market.

Recognition

It was featured at #50 in Pitchfork Media's "Top 100 1970's album", falling just behind Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". [ cite web |title=Pitchforkmedia.com Top 100 albums of 1970s |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36725-staff-list-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/page_6 |accessdate=2008-05-03 ]

In addition, "Starsailor" was selected as the 47th best rock record of all time in the 1987 book "The Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums of All Time". [ Gambaccini, Paul. "The Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums of All Time", Harmony Books. 1987]

Track listing

All songs by Larry Beckett and Tim Buckley, except where noted.
# "Come Here Woman" (Buckley) – 4:09
# "I Woke Up" – 4:02
# "Monterey" – 4:30
# "Moulin Rouge" – 1:57
# "Song to the Siren" – 3:20
# "Jungle Fire" (Buckley) – 4:42
# "Star Sailor" (John Balkin, Beckett, Buckley) – 4:36
# "The Healing Festival" (Buckley) – 3:16
# "Down by the Borderline" (Buckley) – 5:22

Personnel

*Tim Buckley – Guitar, Vocals
*Lee Underwood – Guitar, Keyboards
*John Balkin – Bass
*Bunk Gardner – Horn
*Maury Baker – Percussion

References