Goodbye and Hello

Recorded in Los Angeles in June 1967 and produced by Jerry Yester and Jac Holzman, it was an ambitious release for Buckley, and Elektra let the group choose the content. Beckett co-wrote five of the ten songs. Beckett's No Man Can Find the War addressed the psychological nature of war, Lee Underwood welcomed the darker territory of Pleasant Street, and I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain was a confessional lyric to his estranged wife and child. The mix of introspective folk and political themes drew folk fans and anti-war audiences, and the press appreciated both his low register and his falsetto.

It debuted on the Billboard Top LP's chart dated 4 November 1967 and peaked at 171 in a five-week run. Trouser Press called it a considerable step forward and found the title track and Hallucinations over-produced, while singling out I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain, driven by Carter C. C. Collins on congas, as the standout. Pitchfork has counted it among Buckley's heavy-handed early albums. It is in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and in 2000 it was voted number 516 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.