30 years Zurich-Los Angeles Connection 1977-2007
On the occasion of TIM BUCKLEY’s 60th birthday
Liner notes for the 2CD Tribute COMEBUCKLEY.

He coached the tribute band COMEBUCKLEY of Zurich, immersed himself in an unfinished movie-project on TIM BUCKLEY, had an intense letter exchange with Buckley’s guitarist LEE UNDERWOOD, visited his widow JUDY BUCKLEY in Los Angeles and almost met his son JEFF BUCKLEY twice: Veit F. Stauffer could have digressed in every second line for yet another anecdote. We asked him to bundle his archeological results of a passion that has been lasting for three decades..

1. Andi Czech
From CITY VIBES via COMEBUCKLEY to RADIO OSAKA.

„Helvetia“ was the first song of the CITY VIBES that I heard in February 1979 in the cellar at the Weinbergstrasse 84 in Zurich when I was auditioning as their first drummer. They had already worked out four songs and were (as it then was fashionable) keen on releasing a single EP as soon as possible.

“Helvetia....Helvetiiaa...” were the words whispered by singer ANDI CZECH (22) into the microphone during the clever intro, and the timbre of his voice instantly reminded me of TIM BUCKLEY, a singer I had discovered in June 1977. My admiration for Buckley’s music had grown very quickly and had sent me off on an 18 month odysee to find the 9 LPs that he had recorded from 1966 to 1974.
However, I soon pushed that thought aside because at the time we were into bands like Wire, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith and Pere Ubu. A schoolmate of Andi had just emigrated to London and also had a very high opinion of Tim Buckley too. His name was Hanspeter “Düsi” Künzler, still to this day the most important Swiss music journalist living outside of Switzerland. In the spring of 1980 Andi began showing more interest in Buckley’s music and I borrowed him my treasured LP’s to copy. I also gave him a songbook which was published by the French music magazine Atem in may 1977 which contained most of his lyrics.

In the summer of 1985 the City Vibes rejoined for a short comeback. There were 10 rehearsels and interesting ideas, but in the end the project failed. I proposed a Tim Buckley cover version and chose „Get on Top“ of 1972, this perhaps being the initial spark for all further COMEBUCKLEY projects...
In the autumn of 1986 I received an invitation from Czech for the only performance of the partyband BYE BYE BROTHERS at the Kanzlei in Zurich. They performed various cover versions from the 60’s and 70’s as well as three Tim Buckley tracks: „No Man Can Find The War“, „Stone in Love“ and „Quicksand“. I was delighted and stunned. After the concert in a surge of euphoria I told Andi that I would produce a tribute album for Tim Buckley, whenever he liked to. This was a remarkable proposal for two reasons: firstly, tribute albums were practically unknown back in 1986 and secondly, I knew next to nothing about producing.
Andi’s fellow student Urs Rageth, was engaged as co-producer. Guitarist Jürg Breitschmid brought along his experience as a sound technician. Soon the four of us met and we all made a list of our favorite tracks. The songs that appeared on all 4 lists made it to the final round. Andi became totally involved with this ambitious project, and until today it is his speciality to sing and act like Tim Buckley, with awe but also like a rogue. In Spring 87 things got realy serious. On one weekend the COMEBUCKLEY Band (Andi Czech, Jürg Breitschmid, Urs Klingler, Phil Esposito, Fredi Flückiger Tommi Meier) locked themselves up in a vacation house in Frutigen, Berne, for the final and intense rehearsal sessions with co-producer Urs Rageth.
I was in the midst of a painful separation; it looked like that my two-year old son Orlando would spend his childhood in the distant city of Amsterdam, 10 hours away from me. I tried to cope rationally with the situation but I was exposed to huge mood swings, lovesickness and jealousy, anger and desperation, accusation and conciliation. I was 28 and had just bought my first bottle of Cognac so that I could take a calming sip from time to time. On Sunday I arrived in Frutigen to listen to the results on tape.
If I think back about this today I can’t help but smiling. Like a “real manager” I theatrically covered my face with my hands and shouted: „No way!“ Some of the songs were falling apart and I missed a sense of commitment and determination. I tried to articulate my doubts as objectively as possible, in any case they soon started to show an effect. First Andi took over responsability for the musical concept and then we also had a joker up our sleeve called BEN JEGER, a famous keyboarder from Solothurn who was supposed to come directly to the Sunrise studio in Kirchberg SG with his accordeon and hammond organ. To witness the three days in the studio with soundman Hairi Vogel turned out to be a fascinating experience. The atmosphere was frisky but we were very concentrated. We had chosen six songs from the years 1967-1972 and each song needed its own setting. Side A should show the rock-driven, extroverted side of Buckley, „Make it Right“ was the short concentrate of Sweet Surrender, one of the most accomplished Buckley songs, especially concerning the string arrangement.

Comebuckley managed to approach the song with a confident post-punk attitude, and while Ben Jeger graced the song with his hammond, Czech conjured up the sexual despair of the protagonist with in a totally credible way. „No Man Can Find The War“ was also brilliant and a formidable teamwork: Breitschmid has his great moments on screaming lead guitar, the whole rhythm-section is perfectly interlocked and Czech performs his ingenious trick with a double-superposed-echo scream, all culminating in the sound of a huge bomb explosion at the end of the track. The arrangement of “Pleasant Street” was highly effective: discreet and sparse with elegant piano playing in the beginning it slowly builds up to an explosive refrain. Side B is dedicated to the introverted and experimental „nightside“ of Buckley. The hymnic, ghostly „The River“ still continues to produce goosebumps on my skin: a hypnotic sound-carpet with desolate guitar licks and a marvellous Fredi Flükiger on percussion with damped drums.
Then the greatest challenge, a piece from “Starsailor“ (1970). „Jungle Fire“ is one single ritual séance, first a moderate intro with sampled whale sounds, then, after 160 seconds, the outburst and entrance of tenor saxophonist Tommi Meier, a creative chaos: „Mama Lion, I Love You Like A Jungle Fire“ - which leads to a wonderful, totally original contribution of the Comebuckley Crew. A quote from Buckley - „Everything is Music“ - had been expanded and translated to Italian: „Tutto E Musica-Continuere a Vivere-Finche Tu Amerai“-La Mia Musica“. The four female singers of the acapella band SOPHISTICATS were invited to improvise on these words during a special recording session in the woods at the Uetliberg close to Zurich: Clara Buntin, Eva Enderlin, Yvonne Geraedts and Erika Stucky. Since there already was a New York garage band with the same name, the group later changed their name to SOPHISTICRATS and released two LPs „Four Singers And Bass“ (90) and „We love you” (92). Afterwards, ERIKA STUCKY started a successful solo carreer as a jazz singer. The final song was the the beautiful „Blue Melody“ with the lead guitar of Breitschmid and Ben Jeger on accordeon.
The following week I listened nonstop to the rough mix. The astonishing result of 30 minutes saved my inner life in the early summer of 87. Since November 85 I had been in contact with the 46 year old Tim Buckley guitarist and journalist LEE UNDERWOOD. His reaction was euphoric and encouraging. „I am impressed with your dedication to Tim and his music, as well as how closely the singer resembles Tim’s tone and nuance. Obviously, a lot of work went into studying Tim, working out the arrangements, recording etc. I think you guys are terrific, and, indeed, I wish you all the best of success!”
On the one hand we had huge expenses in order to mix the songs at the Powerplay studio, on the other hand the preparations for the LP release party on the 5th of December 87 were running on full speed. Comebuckley was the headliner, imbedded in a big party with 1500 people in the actionhall of the “Rote Fabrik”. The timing was perfect when the then-WEA employee Paul Fischli gave me a video which he had found in the Montreux-Archive of Claude Nobs. It was there that for the first time I saw Tim Buckley in motion, singing the two tracks „Dolphins“ and“ Honey Man“, recorded in May 74 with British studio cracks. (Tim Hinkley, Ian Wallace and Charlie Whitney). I was emotionally overwhelmed.

In February 89 we had the chance to go on stage again. The studio band of 87 was no longer available, so FISH OF HOPE, the band of the Basler songwriter SKY BIRD filled the gap.This time we chose seven different Buckley songs which we arranged in our usual acribic way: Sally Go Round The Roses, Honey Man, Mexicali Voodoo, Song To The Siren, Sefronia, Stone In Love and Dolphins.
In 1992 Andi Czech initiated his newest project RADIO OSAKA, an amalgam of experimental rock, jazz, electronica and ambient. This band included Tommi Meier and Fredi Flükiger of Comebuckley and (from 1993 until 2004) recorded seven CDs including 2 Remix CDs and a Live CD. A new addition was guitarist STEPHAN THELEN, a pupil of Robert Fripp and an important figure for the Comebuckley production in 2007.

In 2003 Czech initiated the duo project „Comebuckley Light“. First he covered more more Buckley songs in solo, unplugged versions but soon asked his friend MARTIN STURZENEGGER to join him. The songs had been sung by Andi at home over the years and were now expanded to fit the new duo. Martin (in 1982 a member of the punkband K.O.K. and for years a member of the Neil Young Cover Band YOUNG) convinces with his earthy rhythm guitar as well as with effective backup vocals. This smaller Comebuckley formation excellently takes the initial concept a few steps further: on the one hand sticking very closely to the original versions and on the other hand revealing unexpected qualities of the material.
In this context, a minor mystery was recently unraveled and Buckley managed to surprise me again. I thought that „Sally Go Round The Roses“ was a cover version of the 1963 hit of the female black band The Jaynettes (in the UK version published in 1974 of the LP „Sefronia“, Lona Stevens and Zell Sanders are listed to be the authors while all other versions declare Tim Buckley to be the author and the publisher seems to be indecisive). The truth is: Buckley only kept the refrain, wrote his own lyrics and conjured a completely different tune...
Personally, I would love to give “Comebuckley Light” two songs of Fred Neil and two of Jeff Buckley and then send the duo (which performs in Switzerland on a regular basis) on tour abroad: this according to my ironically meant motto, created on a new years eve party 1979/80 of the City Vibes: „I will take you to America!“

2. JUDY BUCKLEY
JUDY BUCKLEY was not really obsessed with details when speaking of her deceased husband. Nevertheless I had the impression she really embosomed me during the ten days that I spent in Los Angeles during July 1991 to do some research on a planned Swiss documentary project. Judy showed me pictures of Tim from her archive and told me that after 16 years she still had regrets that she didn’t pick him up at the airport that day like she usually did. She also incidentally told me that her hair literally turned grey overnight. The only possibility for her to get the publishing rights for the catalogue of Tim Buckley’s music would be to completely pay off all the debts. She said that there were various stream of consciousness texts in Tim’s estate and also a condolescence letter from Jacques Brel. On Saturday, July 20th 1991 I was invited by Judy for dinner at her friends house in an apartment on the beach of Santa Monica. Standing on the balcony I looked out at the romantic evening sun on the opposite side of the valley. Judy pointed at the house in which Tim had died on the 29th of July 1975 on an accidental overdose of heroin and alcohol. At the end of the evening, her third husband gave me a lift, he was a witty and refreshing Irishman, Llew Llewellin. I told him about my parents house and I impressed Llew by mentioning that my father took LSD in 1970, listened to Captain Beefheart and founded a liberal artschool with my mother.

Judy’s son Taylor (28) had the intention to drive me through Los Angeles and to introduce me to JEFF BUCKLEY (24) who was in town at the time. Unfortunately I didn’t succeed to make the sparks fly between Taylor and myself. Although I was conscious of the complexities of a patchwork family, it did not mean that I didn’t make any mistakes. I visited Judy five times during that week and at the end of the week she gave a signed Tim Buckley picture to me (which is printed in this booklet) and gave me some life counseling. When I complained about the unsteady character of my ex-wife, who left me in 1987 for a man in Amsterdam, taking our two year old child Orlando with her, she said (and she was totally right) that there were some lessons waiting for me and how important it was to give enough space in a relationship. Hardly back to Zurich with a jetlag after a Saturday afternoon in bed I pulled myself together to go to an art performance at the Shedhall of the Rote Fabrik and I met the woman of my dreams, Maria Gasche, who had come from Basel. Completely euphorical and alcoholized I overdid it with the flirt and it took almost a year until we finally became a couple in July 92.

Full of pleasant anticipation I delineated a 20 page exposé, which should have helped us to raise the money for the film (about 150.000 $). Finally in June 92, when time for the practical realization and for the money raising came, my friends Andrea and Franz Hauser (Catourne TV) were too much occupied with their children and busines and our communication proved to been unclear. Additionally, I was starting to have a conflict of loyalty, because Judy distanced herself from Lee during a visit - obviously unaware of his superb obituary from June 77 in Downbeat (which was published in German in Rocksession 8/Nov 85). 2002 she consequently did not give him the permission to cite from the Tim Buckley’s lyrics in his beautiful book of memories „Blue Melody“. It would be easy now to blame the failure of the project on this two reasons, but 50 % of it was my lack of ambition. I was working as an express postman, riding my bike through town no matter what weather was. I was also looking after of my daughter Raffaela for 35% of the time and was working on the estate of my father, so I simply did not have enough energy to fully commit myself to the project.
Fragments were there: The Hausers had recorded a short interview with HERB COHEN and had received the permission to film all the photographic Buckley material from his archive. They also had an intimate conversation with Taylor during a long car drive where he affectionately reflected upon his childhood (1970-75) with his adoptive father Tim. In June 92 we filmed an interview with EUGENE CHADBOURNE who saw Buckley live several times and who had various cover versions in his repertoire. In April 93 then the highlight: Zappa drummer JIMMY CARL BLACK came to Zurich to perform with Chadbourne as a duo. Before the concert started we filmed an interview with two prominent quotations. Black is considered to be the “discoverer” of Tim Buckley, the one who connected him with Herb Cohen. In 1965 he worked in a guitar shop in LA and insulted Buckley who was trying out different guitars: „Put that damned guitar back, unless you wanna buy it!!!“ In 1975 he was on tour with Beefheart when the news of Buckley’s death arrived. That was the only time he saw Herb Cohen crying... In July 93 the GRANDMOTHERS played in Berne and I had a thrilling backstage discussion with BUNK GARDNER, the original musician of the Starsailor album and inventor of the wordplay BIM TUCKLEY (mentioned 1972 on the first Geronimo Black Album). In June 1994 I took over the Rec Rec Shop after a 5 year break, but that meant that I definitly had no more time for other projects.

3. Tim Buckley
Looking at the color photo of TIM BUCKLEY on the cover of Sefronia (1973), I can’t really convince myself that he could theoretically be my son. The charismatic 27 year old singer looks sad and burnt out, 10-15 years older than he was at the time. I have been studying Buckley’s late phase 1972-75 for many, many years and it remains an enigma to me, as probably to most of Tim Buckley’s audience. The objectors of the Lorca-Starsailorphase often say that Buckley would have recorded another ten albums in this experimental style if the management would have not stopped him. At the same time we know that Buckley was always changing and he would surely have eventually recorded more accessible material. In my eyes, the tragedy of his death in June 75 is closely connected with the way that the Starsailor / Lorca phase ended in Spring of 1971.
It is often emphazised the sales of these two albums were very bad, but 25.000 LPs were definitely sold. (When RecRec Zurich went into the international Independent business 3.000 albums were considered to be a success. The trilogy of FRED FRITH on Ralph Records from 1980-83 started with 10.000 copies). I am sure that the 1972 – 1974 productions caused more financial damage to Judy Buckley than Lorca and Starsailor. A very high cultural damage resulted because of the fact that no other label (or management) was willing to record another album with the Starsailor band. Every concert of this phase should have been recorded and/or filmed. I consider the radio recordings of October 1970 with the Starsailor band in Los Angeles including an interview with Tim Buckley at the height of his powers to be his most important unpublished document.
In October 1988 the acclaimed jazz trombone player GLENN FERRIS who was at age 18 a member of the undocumented Starsailor band said: „To play with Buckley was much more interesting and adventurous than playing with Zappa.“ This he told me between two sets of a concert in Uster near Zürich with the trumpet player Peter Schärli, who incidentally also played on two albums of RADIO OSAKA, which closes another circle. EMMET CHAPMAN who was also a member of the undocumented Starsailor band, lent the CD to AL JARREAU, who was so fascinated that he did not want to give it back. The recent numbers on Ebay speak a clear language: each copy of Starsailor - LP or CD - is auctioned for over 100 $. In a fit of “over-enthusiasm” I prepaid 1000 pounds in January 2006 to the British Label Finedisc of David Stone, without ever receiving the promised 150 copies of the new cd-edition of Starsailor…

The attempts to launch a successful comeback of Buckley were musically not cleverly enough carried out by the producers (Jerry Goldstein 1972, Denny Randell 1973, Joe Falsia 1974). In Europe (where presumably his largest fan society would have been) Buckley’s talent was never honoured in an adequate way. After the success in October 68 in England (see „Dream Letter“ - recordings from London) and at “Essener Songtage” in Germany he played at the first Knebworth festival (20th july 1974) at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, while most listeners were still installing their tents. After Buckley played the Alex Harvey Band, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van Morrison, the Doobie Brothers and the Allman Brothers. For me, it did not make it any better that at that time I was travelling for four weeks with two friends with an Interrail ticket through Europe and that we spent three days in London. I never was closer to Tim Buckley than on that day. But we didn’t go to any concerts, only checking out all the record stores and besides, I only discovered Tim Buckley three years later. Possibly, Tim Buckley was even in my home town in the summer of 1974.
In August 1988 the well-known music journalist Bernie Sigg visited me at the Rec Rec Shop following an insider tip. After 1975 there was to be a third edition of the German” Rocklexikon”, published by Rowohlt, so he had to freshen up the discographies. He set up his portable computer and I dictated - practically by heart – all that he wanted to know. I asked for a small salary or at least the mentioning of my name. Since he had a low budget he feebly apologized . Mentioning the name Tim Buckley he told me that he had recorded an interview with him in summer of 1974 in Zurich, which he couldn’t use for the magazine “Pop”. He told me he would look for the tape at home and give it to me in return for my services. Unfortunately he could not find it anymore, as a small gesture he put the Comebuckley LP on the Tim Buckley LP list. Urban Gwender (publisher of the Underground magazine „Hotcha“ and a friend of Zappa from 1966 until 1976) shook his head in disbelief when he heard that Herb Cohen (who was visiting Urban at the time) did not mention that Buckley was also in town.
The irony of the story is that the connection with FRANK ZAPPA didn’t help Buckley at all, on the contrary. Although Starsailor contains thrilling experimental rock music with unbelievable harmonies and rhythms which theoretically should have appealed to a Zappa audience, in the end that just didn’t happen. Although I like Zappa’s work during the period 1966-75, enjoyed reading his memoirs and am friendly with his symphonic work, I was never more ashamed of his audience than while listening to the Bootleg “Live at Felt Forum NYC 23, September 1972”, when Tim Buckley was mercilessly boo-ed off stage. If the anecdote in the thrilling Zappa biography of Barry Miles is right, Zappa almost had a fit in a LP-shop when he found out that „Sefronia“ was not available - the new Discreet-label obviously had put a lot of hope into the LP.
„Look At The Fool“ is probably Buckley’s least appreciated album, it often doesn’t even get two stars when reviewed. My friend Andreas Walter, one of the greatest music collectors of Switzerland with a superb knowledge always defended that LP,so I took that as an assignment and listened to that LP at least 250 times. „Wanda Lu“ as the final track is really depressing ( I prefer to regard the Bootleg recording “Live At Starwood” from May 75 as his final statement, on which he introduced the band and himself during the last song with an exquisite self confidence). It is also worth mentioning that without any exception every one of the ten tracks was faded out at the end so that presumably precious parts were lost. But it must be noted how on this last LP ( which he originally wanted to call „Tijuana Moon“) Tim Buckley sounds more and more like a (sighing) black lady... When I once asked my three year old daughter if she knew where this singer came from, she said (with a disarming accuracy): „From the country where the black women talk...“

In many reviews of Tim Buckley the fact is often overseen that there was in a huge crisis going on in pop music during the years 1972 to 1978 and that Buckley’s commercial period should not be judged in an isolated way. Many of the musicians that we admire either were forced to adapt strongly to the publics taste or they fell silent after 1975, jammed between glamrock, the pretentious aftermath of symphonic rock and the emerging disco hysteria. After „Ruth is Stranger Than Richard“ (75) ROBERT WYATT was no longer supported by Virgin Records and it was only after 1980 that he could be persuaded to do a comeback. JOHN CALE had big problems with Island Records; “Helen of Troy” (75) consisted of unfinished demos and was released while he was away, and in the UK version the lyrically controversial song „Leaving it Up To You“ was exchanged with „Coral Moon“. His next Studio-LP „Honi Soit” wasn’t released until spring 81. NICO made a break after „The End“ (74) until „Drama of Exile“ in the fall of 81. From 1967-73 (almost simultanously with Buckley) the famous songwriter TOM RAPP (Pearls Before Swine) released nine LPs, the last one „Familiar Songs“ (73) being released by Reprise without his knowledge with outtakes and a ridiculous cover. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART is another typical example: after “Lick My Decals Off, Baby“ (71) he got more and more commercial (the absolute low point being two LPs from 1974: „Unconditionally Guaranteed“ and „Bluejeans & Moonbeams“) before finding back to his old form on his last three LPs from 1978-82. The smart KEVIN AYERS maybe was an exception, he didn’t show any signs of decay until after 1980 with „That’s What You Get Baby“ (sic!). VAN DYKE PARKS released his weakest LP „Clang of The Yankee Reaper“ in 1975 and it wasn’t until 1984 that he released his next masterpiece „Jump“. MILES DAVIS retired into an inner emigration after „Agharta“ (75) for five years. After nine LPs including the live LP „USA“ from 1975 KING CRIMSON took a break until 1981 when they released „Discipline“.

The group HENRY COW had an enormously creative phase during 1973 –75 on the ambitious Virgin Label and didn’t release their next album until May 78 under the name ART BEARS on their own label Recommended Records - which led a year later to the Swiss label Rec Rec. KEVIN COYNE belongs to the small group which was immune to the crisis. With „Matching Head & Feet (75) und “Heartburn” (76) he was under a lot of pressure and was even forced by Virgin to release an overproduced single version of „Fever“ by Elvis Presley, but then from 1978 until 1982 he created seven very impressive LPs. Also in Germany TON STEINE SCHERBEN had a big crisis after the release of „Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten ist, ist der Tag am nächsten“ (75) and their next LP (the black „IV“) was not published until 1981. Punk rock didn’t evoke all these developments, but put an end to a certain agony - at least for a short period of time. For the first time there were also female songwriters who were setting the standards: PATTI SMITH with „Horses“ (75) ANNETTE PEACOCK with “X-Dreams” (78) MARIANNE FAITHFUL with „Broken English“ (79) or LAURIE ANDERSON with „Big Science“(82)...

I don’t have a Tim Buckley memorial room at home, I was never keen on starting a fanclub and I have never had the time to participate in an online chat. Since 1994 I have only sporadically listened to Tim Buckley. In my daily life I have been occupied with other musical biographies and I have allowed myself the widest possible spectrum. Nevertheless or maybe because of this I have always had the greatest passion for Buckley’s music. As a symbolic act, in Novemer 78 I buried an Italian copy of STARSAILOR in the garden of my parents, and only dug it out undamaged when my most beloved tomcat Seppli deceased. During the winter of 1986-87 I discovered the irritatingly beautiful work „Quartet for the end of time“ by OLIVIER MESSIAEN, which Buckley was listening to during the recording of Starsailor. Because of the crisis in my relationship that I mentioned before I was in a exceptional state of agony. The disturbing but also soothing music, especially the contrast between “Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes“ and the two sustained “Louanges” pieces helped me to gain a lot of ground in the following period of my life. Messiaen composed the work from 1940 until 1941 during his imprisonment in Germany for the world premiere he himself played the piece with three fellow prisoners on partially broken instruments to a mesmerized audience of 6000 People. Finally in June 1992, I came across the novel „Outcast of the Island“ (1895) by JOSEPH CONRAD, which Tim Buckley intended to use as the basis of a concept album in 1975. Having already experienced many mysterious coincidences in my research for Buckley, I was not that surprised to detect a mind-boggling ressemblance of Orlando’s mother to the actress KERIMA (born in 1925) in the Carol Reed movie adaption of the same book.

During a 2005 visit to Orlando in Amsterdam I heard about the record dealer Herman Berkhout (Flesch Records) who diminished his private collection from 40.000 to 300: all the LPs of Tim Buckley were included...Once I was asked in a questionnaire about my “favourite time”, I jokingly said the time in the evening from 19:47 until 19:59 (the two birthyears of Tim and myself beamed down to 12 minutes). I have collected 18 singles from 1966-74 until now and I realized that not one single picture cover exists in any country on the continent, although the most terrible bands in Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway etc. always had a picture cover at that time. My greatest act of diligence presumably consisted in compiling a list of the countless albums to which all the musicians associated with Tim Buckley have offered their talents. I thereby discovered the beautiful funk / soul LP „Brown Sugar (73) by CLYDIE KING and the less successful LP „Memorandum”(75) by the singer MARCIA WALDORF, who accompanied Buckley on his only duo on „Sefronia“. I also discovered the cellist JESSE EHRLICH (1920-89) who also played on LPs by Zappa, Tom Waits and Van Dyke Parks and who released his own composition „Six Short Pieces for Three Cellos“ in 1971 (Orion LP 7037), which I found a day after the deadline of this booklet! The last time I heard from him was on „The Forest“ (91) by David Byrne, on the same LP that the Swiss singer Corin Curschellas can be heard.

4. JEFF BUCKLEY
With a little bit of luck I could have met him in July 1991 in Los Angeles. Instead, Judy gave to me his first demo tape with 4 tracks. Unfortunatly, it was too late when I heard of the Tim Buckley tribute concert in April 91 in New York, organized by HAL WILLNER. It was there that Jeff sang „I never asked to be your mountain“ and leaving a strong impression on the critics. On February 14th, 1997 the Zurich radio station Lora (Polo and Fritz) invited me to a 4-hour morning show on the occasion of Tim Buckley’s 50th birthday. I talked extensively - amongst other things – about my trip to Los Angeles. Asked about JEFF BUCKLEY I praised his development and I pointed out that in my opinion he would do everything the right way in order to avoid the perennial comparisons with his super-father. I was deeply impressed by the way Jeff learned his skills through solo performances, playing with the charisma of a street musician in small New York Cafés for years and how he accompanied himself in a boyish but very virtuosic fashion on the electric guitar (impressively documented on the posthum „Live At Sin-E“ CD). I was also very moved by the way he released his ingenious debut CD „Grace“ at the age of 27, the same age at which his father had released his last work...

Unfortunately, I was wrong: a few weeks later Jeff Buckley died under mysterious circumstances when he jumped into the Mississippi river with his clothes on in order to take a refreshing bath. During interviews the early days, when he did not close himself up against the questions about his father, Jeff spoke in a derogatory way about the commercially unsuccessful late phase (1972-75) of his father. Jeff had an incredibly strong debut in 1994 and he managed to blow away the late phase of his father with one coup. Everything went according to plan, Sony had great hopes in the rising star, he went on tour all over the world with his band, countless limited edition singles were released in France, Holland, Japan and Australia. On July 16th, 1995 he played at the Gurtenfestival in Berne, Switzerland. Before it started, Jeff and two musicians came walking towards me, but I did not want to disturb him in his concentration before the concert, besides I wasn’t sure how to adress him.
The performance blew away my last doubts, I was fascinated by the unrivaled grace with which he modulated his voice, but also by the extreme range of songs from „Kick out The Jams“ (MC 5) to „Hallelujah“ (Leonard Cohen). Euphorically I tried to congratulate Jeff, but the backstage space was completely inaccesible due to modern security measures. In February 1998 I met the greatest female Jeff Buckley fan of Switzerland, Alex Reiter from Berne in the Rec Rec store. We talked about his unique performance in Switzerland, his death and his funeral. Alex did not only manage to fly to New York in time, she also managed to meet Jeff’s mother MARY GUIBERT, to attend the public and the private funeral ceremony.

With my friend DANIEL WALDNER I founded the Rec Rec mailorder in September 79. Soon Daniel became the leading force through hard effort and optimism. In August 81 he opened the Rec Rec Store and in February 83 the Rec Rec label. In 1995 the firm had grown to the most important Independent distributor in Switzerland with 15 employees. During a harmless hike in the Swiss mountains an hour’s drive away from Zurich, Daniel had a fatal accident on September 3rd with his 14-month old son Valentin when they fell over a steep hill.
For a few minutes his wife Barbara lost him in the rising fog, she survived the drama with her eight- year old son Johannes. On the evening of May 28th in 1997 I invited Barbara over for dinner and for the first time since the accident we had the opportunity to talk about everything. We were preoccupied by the same questions that the a lot of people had when Tim and Jeff Buckley died, a subject on which DAVID BROWNE has written an entire book: (Dream Brother, 2001): “Would it have been possible to avoid the accident?“ „How high was his own allotment“ (compared to an airplane-crash?) „What symbolism speaks through the accident?“ „How does the event fit into his previous life history?“ A few hours after this four-hour highly emotional, enormously disturbing talk, Jeff Buckley jumped into the water with his shoes on...
The last words however go to JOAN WASSER, Jeff Buckley’s girlfriend at the time of his death. I had been following her development as a viola player during the years and in 2006 she impressed me with her first work as a singer under the name of JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN. In November 2006 she performed with her trio in the Zurich club Moods to an intimate audience of 120 people. The delicate version of „Real Life“ touched and impressed me deeply and sounded to my ears like a very conciliable echo to father and son Buckley.

Veit F. Stauffer, Easter 2007, Zurich-Wipkingen

Linernotes translated by Katrin Jeanne Lässer
The original german version you can read under www.recrec-shop.ch

www.timbuckley.com/
http://timbuckley.net/
www.leeunderwood.net/
www.radio-osaka.ch/
http://catourne.tv/m
www.recrec-shop.ch
www.jeffbuckley.com
www.joanaspolicewoman.com/

Recorded at repTile reFuge Zürich by Stephan Thelen & Klangatelier Famosaik Zürich by Andi Czech
Mixed at repTile reFuge Zürich by Stephan Thelen
Mastered at Oakland Winterthur by Walter Schmid

Produced by Andi Czech & Veit F.Stauffer
With financial Support from the Town of Zurich

Andi wishes to thank:
Martin Sturzenegger particularly for bathing in sweat during the recording sessions in the hot summer days of july 2006; Stephan Thelen for his inspired and unfailing encouragement in the whole production; Silvia Caluori for giving us a sign to take a break with culinary surprises; Düsi Künzler for lending us his extraordinary open ears; Rachel Fichmann, Benedetto Vigne and the Präsidialabteilung der Stadt Zürich for their generous financial support.

Veit wishes to dedicate this album to:
Maria Gasche, Orlando Stauffer & Raffaela Diener.
Daniel Waldner with Valentin, Manfred Pichler (1964-2006),
my grandparents Gertrud König (1910-2007) & Edi Kloetzer (1904-1936).
All close friends who gave me feedback to the linernotes
or encouraged my Tim Buckley-research during all those years...

Any Feedback is welcome under recrec-shop@dataway.ch

You can buy all CD's of RADIO OSAKA and original vinyl copies of COMEBUCKLEY for 15 Euro each plus postage, Paypal available. www.recrec-shop.ch