Tim Buckley’s handwritten and signed lead sheet* for his song ‘Long Tide.’

Buckley wrote and recorded “Long Tide” with longtime collaborator Larry Beckett.  It was recorded for the so-called ‘acoustic demo’ tape made just before the August 1966 sessions for Buckley’s self-titled debut album. The ‘acoustic demo,’ with ‘Long Tide,’ was released in 2011, as part of the deluxe reissue of Buckley’s  debut album, a copy of which is included here.

Larry Beckett confirmed for us that the title, lyrics and chords on this lead sheet were all written by Buckley, who also wrote at the top ‘Music by T. Buckley III’ and ‘Words by L.Beckett’. On the other side of the sheet is an earlier attempt by Buckley to write out the same song; apparently he made an error, crossed out his work, and began again.  Beckett theorized this and a number of other lead sheets were written for their music publisher, Third Story Music, noting that the musical notation was not written by Buckley but by someone hired by Third Story to transcribe the demo tape. But he confirmed all of the writing is by Tim Buckley.

This lead sheet was part a small number acquired from the estate of Buckley’s longtime manager, Herb Cohen. As far as we can determine, these lead sheets–for the ‘acoustic demo,’ the demos of his first band, The Bohemians, and a few unrecorded songs from the same era are the only Tim Buckley handwritten lyrics ever to surface.  Even Buckley’s autograph is quite rare.

A museum quality Tim Buckley collectible.  With Recordmecca’s written ifetime guarantee of authenticity, and a copy of the two-cd reissue of Tim Buckley, featuring ‘Long Tide.’

[*A lead sheet is a form of musical notation that specifies the essential elements of a popular song: the melody, lyrics and harmony.]