Search - Tim Buckley :: Starsailor

One of the best.

Steven Rokosz | Michigan | 12/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few artists can lay claim to the uncompromising artistic integrity that Tim Buckley displays on Starsailor and which helps make Starsailor one of the greatest moments in the history of recorded music. Tim could care less what you thought about his songs and he certainly could care less about what the record companies thought. Buckley lays out his tortured soul for the duration of the album in a pure way that has no regard for the rules of conventional folk or rock music. With its fractured, wild vocal melodies and lack of traditional song structure, hardly a note on the entire record seems like it was planned in any way by Buckley. I doubt that Buckley was even consciously aware of the feelings that he airs out in Starsailor. Just as he begs of the listener, he learns as he goes and takes his voice wherever it may lead him, whether that be into shrieks, yodels, howls, or groans. Buckley regresses to a point deeper in our musical history and unleashes the remnants of a primitive or tribal instinct buried deep within us. As one listens to Starsailor, it is easy to imagine Buckley playing for an audience at a sacrificial bonfire in the middle of a jungle in sub-Saharan Africa. The sounds contained in Starsailor are free, organic, and celebratory, but they are also simultaneously pained and frightening.



Starsailor kicks off with "Come Here Woman", a song that bleeds of desperation and lust for a girl that only wants to tease. The creepiness created by Buckley is propelled by the driving two-note guitar riff of Larry Underwood that drones on and burns into your psyche. Such a repetitive and simple guitar riff is characteristic of many of the songs on the rest of the album and aids Buckley's far-out vocals in adding a primitive edge to the tunes. "Moulin Rouge" is a more conventional tune that feels out of place after the mind-bending creativity that precedes it, but it is a gorgeous song in its own right that gets a little crazy as Tim sings in French near the end. The stripped-down and heavily emotional take on "Song to the Siren" presented here is far removed from the simple folk tune that Buckley had earlier performed on The Monkee's television show, with Buckley's wounded delivery and poignant lyrics working together to create what I believe to be one of the greatest songs of all time.



Things start to get really heavy in Side B. "Jungle Fire" is another highlight that showcases Buckley's vocal ability as he transitions from relatively normal to a yelling and yodeling madman by mid-track. Somehow he effortlessly makes it sound like a totally natural progression. "Starsailor-The Healing Festival" is clearly the most experimental track on an album in no shortage of experimental tracks. In this song, Buckley overlaid 16 takes of his beautiful vocals to create an immersive and truly original work of pure art. Starsailor ends much like it began in "Down by the Borderline", with Underwood hypnotizing you with a driving guitar riff as Tim once again demonstrates his amazing vocal acrobatics by stuttering and hopping all over the track. It's a more light-hearted and catchy number that would not sound out of place blaring on some tropical island.



Starsailor is a genuine rarity in music. It is a shame that more artists do not try the risk taking and artistic leaps that Tim shows in this set of songs, but given that the market for such original music is so small, it cannot be surprising. Although Tim will not be around to see it, his following will only increase as more and more people will discover it and pass on word of its power. For now it remains a cult favorite, but truly deserves to have the classic status that has been bestowed upon far lesser works."