I have spent the last two evenings in the company of the late, great (and very much missed) Jeff Buckley....well, at least through my Linn system anyhow! I have loved "Grace" since it first appeared, but had only really dipped in and out of the albums/ep's issued since his death. However, I have now re-discovered "Sketches for My Sweetheart, the Drunk" and I'm really enjoying it. This includes a CD with an album he'd been working on with Tom Verlaine, coupled with a second disc of alternate mixes, new tracks and some very rough home taped demos of new "work in progress" songs. The sound quality and mastering on the Andy Wallace mixed studio CD (plus one or two tracks on the second disc) is very good indeed IMHO - so much so that on a few tracks it felt like Jeff was right there with me. It sent a few shivers down my spine...spooky! Recommended if you love Jeff. Any other Buckley Jnr. fans out there?
Jeff Buckely Yeah, I consider myself to be a huge fan. I still kick myself for not going to see him. Closest I can come now is his DVD which I really recommend. If you have not seen this buy it today. His solo take on Leonard Cohens classic Hallelujah is without question one of the most moving things I have ever heard. I mean in my life. The job he does on the MC5's Kick Out The Jams is amazing. See it today Peace Norm On the long and winding road to two thousand posts....
Thanks Norm, I already own and love the DVD of the Chicago gig...I also really like the TV studio versions of "Grace" tracks and interview added on as extras. Where did that guy come from? He had that strange and wonderful "otherness" so rare in life let alone music! I felt so upset when he died...it was like losing a loved one Thankfully his great music and visual performances live on
What was really strange was the way he died. I mean it was almost like the guy was on fire and just flamed out. I remember distinctly when he died they interviewed someone who was in Tennessee with him; maybe a guy in the band or from the studio, and he said that the water was so nasty that you would never consider getting in there yet Buckley just dove right in. He never came out alive. Damn I have been on his website which I believe is run at least in part by his mother and Tim Buckley's widow. Got a cool "Mystery White Boy' T-Shirt from them. Of course it's www.jeffbuckley.com Peace Norm
Thought this was going to be about something else entirely... If you're really getting back into Sketches, you might want to track down a Japanese copy - 2CD in the "fat" double-case, with two bonus tracks not found on the US version and extra booklets. If you're interested, let me know as I might be able to access a copy for around $30. You'll also be happy to hear that the Live at Sin-e EP is being expanded for a 2CD (plus bonus DVD) release later this year... haven't seen a full tracklist yet, but it will likely appear on the official Buckley website soon.
Has anybody heard Lewis Taylor's cover of "Everybody Here Wants You"? It's on the Japanese (and UK?) pressing of Lewis II. It's been my first exposure to Jeff Buckley, but I'm very interested in checking out the rest of his output, based on that particular tune.
"Everybody Here Wants You" isn't exactly representative of the rest of Buckley's material, though, so fair warning... I'd recommend picking up a copy of Grace (which is now budget-priced) and going from there. I think you'll find that Buckley owes a lot more to Led Zeppelin than to the heavy Prince influence of "Everybody".
I'm really looking forward to that expanded edition of the Sin-e album. If you're a big Jeff fan, you should read David Browne's book "Dream Brother" which covers the lives of both Jeff and Tim Buckley. I was a big Tim fan back in the day (still am!). When Tim was alive, live recordings of his music were non-existent. There have luckily been some nice live recordings issued in recent years. Cheers, Chris
Here's the full tracklist for the expanded Live at Sin-e release... the bonus DVD will apparently have five additional performances and a Buckley interview. Disc One Be Your Husband Lover, You Should Have Come Over Mojo Pin Song for Lovers Grace Reverb/The Doors Strange Fruit Night Flight If You Knew Fabulous Time for a Guinness Unforgiven Twelve of Never Café Days Eternal Life Just Like a Woman False Start/Calling You, Apology Disc Two He's Hot, He's My Elvis Yeh Jo Halka Halk Saroor Hai I'm a Ridiculous Person If You See Her, Say Hello Dink's Song Matt Dillon/Hollies/Classic Rock Radio Musical Chairs Drown in My Own Tears The Suckiest Water The Way Young Lovers Do Walk Through Walls Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin I Shall Be Released Sweet Thing Goodnight Bill Hallelujah
mjb, Thanks for posting that track listing. I always thought that it was a shame that the truncated version was released in the first place. I read a story (likely in David Browne's book) about the events surrounding the recording. More than one night was recorded so, this new edition likely represents music from both shows. Cheers, Chris
Jeff''s stuff is great. One of the things I got ahold of was a live recording of "Gods And Monsters" (ex-Beefheart Gary Lucas' band). Much more experimental than Jeff's officially released solo stuff. Some of those recordings were officially released recently but I haven't picked them up yet.
Chris, there's a *bunch* of Sin-e material in the vaults... I had been hoping for a series of releases, but it looks like a 2CD compilation (for now, anyway) was all that the label would swallow. I'd really like to see the Buckley estate follow an Experience Hendrix model, but only time will tell.
Yeah... Maybe something like the King Crimson Collectors Series - an internet/mailorder only series. There's a lot of good quality Jeff boots out there. It would be nice to see the material issued and sold properly. Cheers, Chris
