Phantasmagoria in Two - Tim Buckley 1967-68
MO : Broulee | Dreams | Freewheelin' | Parliament | Prose 2001-4 | Phantasmagoria | Prose 2021+ | Red&Black | Roma | Seabird | Songs 1972-4, 2021-3 | St. Pauls | Uncle Jack |
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| Phantasmagoria, n., a sequence of real or imaginary images like that seen in a dream. |
Contents
- Magical
- Rain/e
- Tutorials
- Covers
- References
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1. Magical
One of the present writer's favourite songs is the exquisite Phantasmagoria in Two by Tim Buckley (1947-75). It is for a number of reasons, but primarily because of the impact of a live version from 1968 upon first hearing back in October 2001 .... but we will come to that later. The song was written by the American singer songwriter in early 1967 and a studio recording made in June of that year. It presented the listener with a poignant love song, traditional in its lyrics and full of statements of loss and parting. They went as follows:
Phantasmagoria in Two
If a fiddler played you a song, my love
And if I gave you a wheel
Would you spin for my heart and loneliness
Would you spin for my love
If I gave up all of my pride for you
And only loved you for now
Would you hide my fears and never say
"Tomorrow I must go"
And everywhere there's rain my love
Everywhere there's fear
If you tell me a lie, I'll cry for you
Tell me of sin and I'll laugh
If you tell me of all the pain you've had
I'll never smile again
And everywhere there's rain my love
Everywhere there's fear
I can plainly see that our parts have changed
Our sands are shifting around
Need I beg to you for one more day
To find our lonely love
Everywhere there's rain my love
Everywhere there's fear.
The earliest surviving version of the song comes from a live concert at the New York Folklore Centre on 6 March 1967, with Buckley performing solo on a his preferred 12 string acoustic guitar.
Phantasmagoria in Two, live, 6 March 1967, YouTube, duration: 3.17 minutes.
The rendition is intimate and plaintive, with Buckley's portrayal of heartache palpable. His clear falsetto tones rise with ease above the meatiness of the guitar accompaniment, comprising a steady combination of chords and picked notes. The closest the writer has found to a modern equivalent - of the many covers to be found on YouTube - is the following bedroom presentation from an artist simply known as sizzlington and recorded back in 2013. Whilst her vocal range is not as varied as Buckley's, the intensity of the delivery is close:
Phantasmagoria in Two - Tim Buckley cover, sizzlington, 7 August 2013, YouTube, duration: 2.59 minutes.
The song was originally recorded at Western Recorders & Whitney, Los Angeles, in June 1967 and released shortly thereafter on the Elektra Goodbye and Hello album - Buckley's second. That version was rather poppy, with a faster beat and full instrumental backing. Buckley's high vocals and emotive phrasing was somewhat buried behind it, though a 2017 remaster appears to have brought it more to the fore. Unfortunately that recording is rather unforgettable, especially in comparison with what was to come.
Phantasmagoria in Two, studio, June 1967, YouTube, duration: 3.28 minutes.
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2. Rain/e
The writer first heard Phantasmagoria in Two one cold, dark and misty night many, many years ago, at the turn of the new millennium (late October 2001), in a house located at the base of Mount Kiera, a ridge rising from an escarpment situated on the east coast of Australia approximately fifty miles south of Sydney. The live recording featured Buckley's incredibly moving vocalisation, the rich textures of his twelve-string guitar playing, and the mournful electric guitar of Lee Underwood. The writer was introduced to it by a friend, Ariane Lewis (1979-2007).
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| Tin Sheds, Thirroul, October 2003. |
Ariane is no longer with us. She tragically passed away in 2007 at the Morrison / Joplin age of 27, a victim of cancer. Why did she suffer this way at such a young age? Who knows. She achieved much in her short life, and remains strong in the memory of many. That night she had invited the writer over to listen to some music, discuss their shared interest in politics, music and Tibet, and enjoy a cup of tea. The sorry plight of Tibet was ever present as she had been studying Tibetan Buddhism for a number of years and was an active member of the local Nan Tien temple and monastery. She was the founder of the Wollongong Dharma Collective and instigator of the Wollongong Tibetfest of 2006. Unfortunately her illness was to interrupt her participation in the latter, though her spirit was present throughout.
Back in late October 2001 Ariane was very much alive and full of life. The night began around 10 pm with pleasantries in the brightly lit kitchen. Once the tea was ready, we moved to a room with an expansive lounge, lit only by moonlight falling in through large, floor to ceiling glass windows. The night was still, late spring, and silent. There was no other sound apart from the music of Ariane's choice and our muted, brief conversations in between as we with listened with supreme intent, almost as in a meditation. After about two songs whose names have faded from memory, she inserted a new CD into the machine and softly announced, "I'll play you some Tim....."
The writer sat there enchanted by her ethereal presence - younger than he in age, but older and so much wiser in life, and in a way quite unfathomable. One was left with a sense of wonder around her. Was it due to previous lives? Yes, no doubt, but she had also achieved so much in her own relatively short 21 years on this earth. That night the writer was mindful of sitting back and calmly taking it all in, undistracted by a world crazy around. Remember this was the year of 9/11 (11 September 2001) and beginning of the so-called "war on terror." Little over a month later we found ourselves casting all of that aside in order to sip tea, talk, and listen to music made 33 years prior.
Timelessness descended upon us, and the writer found himself focused by the meditative stillness of Ariane's presence and the location, snuggled under a mountain covered in dense, dark green foliage. It was one of those magic nights where nothing else existed except the moment, the place, the people and the music. Phantasmagoria in Two came on and we sat there in complete silence, listening. Ariane looked at me, at my reaction, and my complete focus on what I was hearing for the first time. She already knew.
I think I began to smile as soon as I heard the initial chorus refrain, or, at least I felt a strange joy come over me, for this song was a pure expression of love, like I had never heard or felt before. At the time it struck me as incredibly moving, mystical and magical, in many ways just like Ariane, or the avatar she was presenting that night. At heart it was a simple acoustic song, with some electric guitar in the background as the recording was from a live concert in London on Monday, 7 October 1968. Simply guitar (acoustic and electric) and voice, and a plaintive plea from the heart for love - to experience love, its pain and joy, to have and to lose, to share or simply know it, perhaps alone when love was lost.
Tim Buckley, Phantasmagoria in Two, London, 1968, duration: 4.41 minutes.
The words were the key, weaving a strange mood that night, and most especially the phrase: And everywhere there's rain, my love. Uncanny .... Ariane had a number of nicknames and online aliases, including seabird and schnauzi. The writer preferred Ari for short, though she often signed herself raine in emails and sms. So to hear the phrase everywhere there's rain, my love that night was nothing if not thought provoking, for at that point there was no doubt that between the two listeners there was an evolving, intimate connection, a fire growing since that first spark had been lit back in May. As Ariane later said to the writer .... "Yes, I suppose you could call it love...." That connection would continue through to 11 am on 25 November 2005 when the writer received a call from her....
A: I have cancer ...... please don't cry ..... and don't try to contact me as I want to focus on getting better .....
Contact with Ariane continued via sms and email through to 11 September 2006, mostly in connection with the Tibetfest 2006 arrangements as she underwent treatment. However, around this time contact was cut off with many of her friends and she was last seen by a member of the committee in October. In a note to the writer the following month, the latter wrote somewhat mournfully:
From my experience as a nurse, it may be that she is (justifiably) angry with what she is having to deal with and it is common for people in this situation to cut off contact with past ties and reminders to past times. The fatigue, treatment regime and symptoms that accompany cancer & the treatment itself, all take their toll as well.
That night back in October 2001 would thereafter continue to come to mind, for it was not just Phantasmagoria in Two to be remembered. The remainder of the night - brief though it was - was magical. There was more music, tea and biscuit, and an embrace, a kiss like no other kiss - dry lips and pure emotion. The writer was also introduced in person to the music of Nick Drake, which would prove even more profound than that of Tim Buckley. Finally, and something a big rockier, was the CD Road Apples by a little known, though now legendary Canadian band The Tragically Hip. As can be seen, this was a very special night, with Phantasmagoria in Two the obvious musical and emotional highlight. The writer was moved to compose a few lines on the evening a week or two later, so that it's magic would not fade, even if precise memory did.
This moment in time
I sit down by you, close to the side
and take your hand gently, with mine eyes open wide.
I kiss you so softly, close my eyes tight to bind
think of nothing more, 'cept this moment in time.
Our arms embrace tightly, so close, yet as one
as though we need saving, from the world all around.
Our minds intoxicated, the fire - it burns
no drugs, no others needed, just my lips dry for you.
Is this love our last? How can anyone know
for a love here right now, that's all we need show.
A kiss, a caress, savor it so
'Till the end of time, when we’re old and all done
this memory will linger, as ours 'n ours alone.
To have no one else, to need no one.
Do not belittle, deny, or forget
To know and to love you, for there is no regret.
Just a yearning, deep yearning, to start afresh
at the beginning of time, just me and you.
and yet - I wonder? ... No - it cannot be true
Do not think of heartache that waivers for you.
Do not wonder ‘bout what I
dream, savor,
my saviour.
Please, please believe me, this love is for you
it lives, is not over, and yet.....
13.11.01
As an interesting addenda, in 1991 Tim's son Jeff Buckley (1966-97) played a version of Phantasmagoria in Two at a memorial event for his father. The version is rough, intriguing, and avant garde, especially when one considers the disconnected relationship between the father and son, though the magical connection in regard to their journey as artists.
Jeff Buckley - Phantasmagoria in Two, Tim Buckley Tribute, 1991, Any N, 3 April 2022, YouTube, duration: 6.03 minutes.
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3. Tutorial
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| Ultimate Guitar (extract) |
On the Tim Buckley music archive site the guitar is tuned two steps down (or capo two frets up).
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4. Covers
Aborea's 2011 ukelele version is perhaps the closest to Buckley's in emotional intensity, though her voice lacks the incredible range of the original artist.
Spring Usher 2011
sizzlington 2013 :-)
amwf 2014
Μαριάνα Κατσιμίχα 2020
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5. References
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MO : Broulee | Dreams | Freewheelin' | Parliament | Prose 2001-4 | Phantasmagoria | Prose 2021+ | Red&Black | Roma | Seabird | Songs 1972-4, 2021-3 | St. Pauls | Uncle Jack |
Last updated: 10 January 2025
Michael Organ, Australia
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