Jeff Buckley / Beatles
Gobnotch
alt.music.jeff-buckley newsgroup.
Thought Beatles & Buckley fans might like some of the comparisons drawn.
Matt.
_____________
The Tracking Angle
Issue 16, Fall 1998
Page 83
Review by The Vinyl Vulture - Carl E. Baugher
Jeff Buckley
Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk
Ratings (on a scale of 1-11):
Music: 9
Sound: 7
Produced by Tom Verlaine and Nicholas Hill
Engineered by Michael J. Clouse, Ray Martin, Irene Trudell, and Jeff
Buckley
Mixed by Andy Wallace, Tom Verlaine, Michael J. Clouse, Thom Cadley, and
Mary
Guibert
No mastering credit
Columbia C2K 67228 (2 CDs); 3C 67228 (3 LPs, UK)
What's every recording artist's nightmare? Come on, think hard. Well,
I
don't know about you, but mine would have to be that I died and my MOTHER
picked through my private tapes and put out an album of unfinished
material,
complete with her grieving-mom, mawkish "Message to the Fans." Yeah. That's
scary, alright. Whew.
Well, shit. That's exactly what happened to poor Jeff Buckley. I don't
profess to speak for him (or anyone else), but I did meet the guy once back
in
the early 1990s at Lou's Records in Encinitas. He had just finished blowing
everyone's mind with an impromptu set in the parking lot. People were
sitting
on hay bales and I went up to him after the show, shook his hand, and
complimented him on his debut release, Grace. He seemed shy and genuinely
polite. Judging by his meticulous, studied approach to recording and the
dearth of official releases during his lifetime, I'm guessing the last
thing
he'd want is this inflated set of "sketches." For better or worse, mother
Mary
Guibert will now decide what the world hears from her dead son. Proceed
with
caution, record buyers.
This would have made a good single CD. There's 11 strong,
semi-finished
songs here, featuring Buckley and his band, that consistently kick ass.
Buckley's poetic sense is well-represented on "The Sky Is A Landfill."
"Throw
off your shame or be a slave to the system/I see you take another drag/One
more lost soul to raise your flag/The sky is a landfill." Strong images
wrapped in a rocker of considerable power. "Everybody Here Wants You" is
the
highlight, a gorgeous soul testifier with a stunning, heart-breaking vocal.
Listen to Jeff sing this one and you'll know the man himself. Similarly,
"Opened Once" is a beautiful ballad conveyed with pure voice and lovely
electric guitars. "Nightmares by the Sea" and "Yard of Blonde Girls" have
strong Nirvana-awareness (of the Seattle, not the celestial, variety). But
there's enough uncomfortable references to the sea, water, and drowning
(e.g.,
"Stay with me under these waves, tonight") to make you wonder. The facts
don't
support suicide in Buckley's case, but his death by drowning in the muddy
Mississippi make these lyrics thought-provoking, to say the least.
"Witches Rave" sports the kind of melodic hook in the repeating "I
can't
help looking outside for a guarantee" that is downright Beatleish. And
speaking of The Beatles, is it just me or is the "Don't belong" section of
"New Year's Prayer" a nod to George's "Blue Jay Way?" Hmmm. "You and I" is
an
atmospheric dirge that is almost spooky in its evocation of father Tim's
"Starsailor," and "Haven't You Heard" is seriously smart rock-biting
lyrics,
whip-cracking rhythms, and edgy guitars.
That's it for the good news, however. Pointless, alternate mixes of
"Nightmares" and "New Year's Prayer" are included, and then there's the
raw,
unfinished four-track demos. "I Know We Could Be So Happy," "Jewel Box,"
and
"Gunshot Glitter" (included only on the 3-LP UK set) could have evolved
into
great tunes. But we'll never hear them, of course. Frustrating. On the
other
hand, unfinished, private doodles like "Murder Suicide Meteor Slave," "Your
Flesh Is So Nice," and "Back in N.Y.C." should never have been released.
But
hey, that's the kind of thing that happens when the dead artist's mom calls
the shots in collaboration with a huge record company that just loves to
sell
them there double-CeeDee sets, boy.
The decision to close with a live 1992 recording of "Satisfied Mind"
that
has nothing to do with the rest of the material was apparently intended as
a
sentimental farewell to the "fans." It's an uncharacteristically weak
performance, but it's about what you can expect from an audio valentine, I
reckon. Too much of this album feels like a calculated bye-bye, from the
song
selections to the packaging. Jeff Buckley was all about music. This album
should have been, too.
Sonically, the CDs and LPs are remarkably similar; everything
obviously
came from the same digital masters. The studio stuff isn't bad but the
four-
track demos are, well, four-track demos. Hardly release-quality and often
simply ugly and dreadful to sit through.
Jeff Buckley was a truly transcendent talent who possessed a rare,
heartfelt artistry. He also had a magnificent singing voice and wrote
highly
original songs. I simply cannot imagine he would have wanted this
sprawling,
unfinished mess to be issued. Whatever.
na
and yes it was interesting for this beatles fan
Gobnotch wrote in message <01bdfbc3$bf41d8c0$7c0908d2@whatever>...
Lizz Holmans
When Jeff Buckley died, I realized I hadn't been so angry since John
Lennon's senseless death.
I was a big fan of Jeff's dad, Tim, 'way back in the old days. When I
heard he had a son that sounded (not to mention looked) uncannily like
him, I bought 'Grace' without ever hearing a single band of it. I was
transported.
Jeff's voice had more range, but less power than Tim's, but the same
sort of yearning. I wish he hadn't started recording when grunge was
still the Only Acceptable Serious Rock Music, but had been allowed to go
the singer-songwriter route (so seriously injured by morons like James
Taylor and Dan Fogelberg that it may never recover, dammit). Hearing him
scream over the band was vocal pyrotechnics totally wasted. He did it
well--he did nearly everything well--but if you have a voice like an
angel, why try to sound like Eddie Vedder?
What a waste. What a sad waste. Life is too goddamned random.
Lizz 'Wishing I had some lilac wine right now' Holmans
--
Visit http://www.urbanlegends.com
Tom
>Jeff's voice had more range, but less power than Tim's, but the same
>sort of yearning.
I'll have to give Jeff another chance.
but, More range than Tim? Tim's was pretty impressive.
na
Tom wrote in message <713lep$2t9$1...@supernews.com>...
>
>
>>Jeff's voice had more range, but less power than Tim's, but the same
>>sort of yearning.
>
>I'll have to give Jeff another chance.
too late:)