C or D: Tim Buckley's "Greetings From L.A."

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I say classic if only for Sweet Surrender, but other good stuff as well - Move With Me (lol lyrics)
"Well, I don't care if you tell me you're married,
'Cause I can be your man when your husband ain't home,
Now if he should walk in you just tell him I'm your houseboy,
And that you just can't stand to sleep here alone...no more"

Where he finally says "buh-bye" for good to his folkie troubaDOUR image

Bonus -Great cover

― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 4 May 2006 05:53 (7 years ago) Permalink

one of the best, most fucked-up LA druggie albums of the '70s.

― jbr with a z (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 4 May 2006 06:00 (7 years ago) Permalink

i like this way more than anything else he released, and yes, sweet surrender

― jäxøñ (jaxon), Thursday, 4 May 2006 06:19 (7 years ago) Permalink

Classic album. It's one I return to a lot.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Thursday, 4 May 2006 08:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

The opening lyric is "Well I went down to the meatrack tavern / And I found myself a big ol' healthy girl", isn't it? Classic. I like it WAY more than anything else by him.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 4 May 2006 08:09 (7 years ago) Permalink

It's classic in places (esp. Get On Top Of Me Woman) but not in same league as Starsailor or Lorca, not even in the same universe.

― Omar (Omar), Thursday, 4 May 2006 10:15 (7 years ago) Permalink

that's part of what I love about this album, such an anomaly in the Buckley canon. like Tim said to himself "ha they want sexxy make out music I'll give em fucken make out music and then some!"

these guys I knew in college days threw lots of parties and for a long spell their top top party soundtrack albums were (inexplicably) Some Girls, More Songs About Buildings And Food and Greetings From LA....go figure.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Thursday, 4 May 2006 11:50 (7 years ago) Permalink

i have greetings from l.a. on at full blast this morning.

swee-hee-hee-heet surr-eh-eh-eh-EH-ndah mamah!

― brooklyn of the stone age (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 14:03 (7 years ago) Permalink

Six days to go!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 14:05 (7 years ago) Permalink

what a strange, strange album.....amazing actually....i really can't think of anything that sounds quite like greeting's from LA, and as mentioned upthread, a classic album cover of all time.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 14:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

classic alright, though it's some years since I played it. will have to dig it out tonight...

― dr x o'skeleton, Tuesday, 16 May 2006 14:44 (7 years ago) Permalink

Y'know, I have never heard this fuckin' jam. It sounds great. In fact, all those lyrics sound like Jim Morrison lines, and that's a stone cold plus for me. I'm buying this thing.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 15:15 (7 years ago) Permalink

Like I said upthread i play this album all the time. Its never off my ipod.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 15:25 (7 years ago) Permalink

I've always felt that Buckley's album-by-album career trajectory roughly matched that of onetime labelmate Captain Beefheart (until he died, of course), so that makes Greetings his Clear Spot. But it's not nearly as great a sell-out album, in my opinion. The music backing him up is often a bit too conventional for my tastes. "Sweet Surrender" and "Get On Top" are both excellent (kinda vaguely like left-of-centre Van Morrison), but they're the only two tracks I can really recall at present. (Haven't owned that record in like 15 years.)

― Myutiny Von Bounty, Tuesday, 16 May 2006 15:39 (7 years ago) Permalink

Nobody has mentioned "Hong Kong Bar" which is another highlight for me. He sounds like he's genuinely gone crazy on this album. Yes, "Sweet Surrender" is probably the greatest song ever made... but I don't think this could be my favorite Buckley album, could it? Love them all so much

these guys I knew in college days threw lots of parties and for a long spell their top top party soundtrack albums were (inexplicably) Some Girls, More Songs About Buildings And Food and Greetings From LA....go figure.

excellent! add Fun House & Nigga Please and these are my people!

― ghost dong (Sonny A.), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 16:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

if you like this album don't sleep on the Honeyman live set either... buncha tunes from this album plus his version of "Dolphins" plus a pretty sweet "Buzzin Fly" (but when is that tune ever not sweet)

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 16:37 (7 years ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

Alright I used to like this album

But I listened to it this weekend and it was like FUCKING OTHERWORDLY AMAZING!

It's the Funhouse of Santana w/Al Johnson from US Maple on vocals!

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 17:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

great album...a little too cheesy in parts, but mostly class all the way. his soaring sex holler was never better than on here.

― guanoman (mister the guanoman), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 17:55 (6 years ago) Permalink

some songs start out kinda cheezy LA santana rock, but they all usually end up as INSANE raveups that obliterate whatever came before.

overall, this is one of the most unhinged vocal performances ever.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 17:57 (6 years ago) Permalink

It's the Funhouse of Santana w/Al Johnson from US Maple on vocals!

no it isn't! since when do johnson's monotone burblings (not intended as an insult, btw) bear any relation to the buckley horn-yowls?

― guanoman (mister the guanoman), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:00 (6 years ago) Permalink

i dunno! not really! i'm excited right now!

sometimes his way of cooing random syllables reminds me of al johnson in a wierd way!

but yes buckley is bonkers in his own unique way on this album!

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:02 (6 years ago) Permalink

(i still think that if there is a funhouse of santana this is it though!)

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:03 (6 years ago) Permalink

it's arguable, but nevertheless I'll thank you not to mention santana in my presence, lest you soil my buckleylove. *heaves*

― guanoman (mister the guanoman), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:04 (6 years ago) Permalink

the bongo-fueled santanamosphere of this album is pretty hard to ignore though.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:06 (6 years ago) Permalink

la la la can't hear you...

― guanoman (mister the guanoman), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:07 (6 years ago) Permalink

"Sweet Surrender" IS sex.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 07:38 (6 years ago) Permalink

5 years pass...

my reaction to this album is always a mixture of utter amazement and occasional hard laughter.

― Cunga, Friday, 7 September 2012 01:50 (8 months ago) Permalink

its fucking brilliant though. It's one I listen to on my ipod a lot

― VOTE in the 1980's ROCK POLL PLEASE! (Algerian Goalkeeper), Friday, 7 September 2012 01:57 (8 months ago) Permalink

oh looks like i already posted in this thread years ago

― VOTE in the 1980's ROCK POLL PLEASE! (Algerian Goalkeeper), Friday, 7 September 2012 01:58 (8 months ago) Permalink

I talk in tongues mama

― Ask The Answer Man (sexyDancer), Friday, 7 September 2012 05:34 (8 months ago) Permalink

if someone hears this record and still prefers jeff buckley they deserve to drown or od

― buzza, Friday, 7 September 2012 06:00 (8 months ago) Permalink

Get On Top Of Me Woman is astonishing. Not listened to it in a long time.

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 7 September 2012 08:08 (8 months ago) Permalink

I was more familiar with the Return of THe Starsailor versions of the sex songs from this when I was doing street sales. I kept finding myself singing Get On Top Of Me Woman then remembering what the song was and why i shouldn't be singing it to an all-ages probably somewhat conservative Dublin public.

I think that Return Of the Starsailor may have the wildest versions of a few of those tracks. Seems to have more kick than Honeyman. It was recorded live at KNebworth in '74.

I'm still trying to find out if there actually is video footage of that set. It was advertised for years in Goldmine/other US record collector mags but I've yet to hear anybody confirm they actually own it. Would love to get a copy.

― Stevolende, Friday, 7 September 2012 08:19 (8 months ago) Permalink

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