DEMON MUSIC
This EP of four previously unreleased demos recorded before Tim Buckley’s 1966 debut album offers a fascinating snapshot into the singer’s early work with his band The Bohemians before he signed to Elektra. The demos, mastered from the original tape by Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch, are believed to have been captured in 1966, after November 1965’s Orange County sessions, but before Buckley’s self-titled debut was recorded. That’s about as definite as we can be, as the sleevenotes feature a water-muddying interview with Bohemians drummer and co-songwriter Larry Beckett, who identifies the rest of the band by their playing, but throws doubt on whether it’s himself behind the kit. What’s beyond question here is the undiluted folky brilliance, untainted by hi-fiproduction, with three of the four songs going on to be recorded by different musicians on the album. Sixface, the only track not to make the cut, is a rollicking five-verse delight. Gary Walker