Buried Treasure, Vol. 1 brings to light a demo tape
Jimmy Buffett recorded for Nashville producer
Buzz Cason in Mobile, Alabama and Nashville in 1969.
Buffett forgot about these tapes, and so did
Cason. They were discovered by engineer
Travis Turk when cleaning a closet and, intrigued,
Buffett decided to put out 11 of the best songs as
Buried Treasure, Vol. 1. These recordings do showcase a nascent talent, one who is admittedly in thrall to
Gordon Lightfoot. At times, he can also sound a little bit like
Bob Lind ("The Gypsy") and he also dipped his toes into pure country-rock ("Abandoned on Tuesday"), but most of this features a singer/songwriter alone with a guitar, figuring out his own voice, and it's fascinating for that. [
Buried Treasure, Vol. 1 was also released in a CD/DVD Deluxe Edition, featuring a 20-minute documentary on the DVD. The set also included a 40-page book.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine