Jeff Buckley

[e_wind]

This dude is my current obsession and I can't tell you why. The first thing I heard that was blowing my mind was his cover of I Shall Be Released on Pandora. His voice is incredible. Then I saw the video of him alone doing Hallelujah. HOLY SHIT. Then I started listening to his original shit after reading about his "self-predicted death".... I'm not a huge fan of his songs at all, but I still cant stop listening. His voice is sooo good, and he seems soooo tortured. I can listen and actively acknowledge that I don't like the song-writing very much, but I can't turn it off. I want to be his psychiatrist or something.
He looks like James Franco, he sings like an angelic version of Thom Yorke, and he can tear up a guitar. Too bad he wasn't around long.


This is seriously one of my favorite videos ever:
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

This cover is really good too:
"I shall be released" - Bob Dylan covered by Jeff Buckley

And this is pretty good:
Jeff Buckley - So Real & Last Goodbye (Acoustic)

[APR]

What a super talent with an incredible voice.  He did seem tortured.  I remember when Grace came out and my friend played it for me.   I went out and bought it and listened to it a ton.   "Last Goodbye" is one of my all time favorite songs by any artist ever. 

I recommend Grace Around the World, a very good DVD,  to see some good performances and interviews (tortured, sounded a bit out of it sometimes, but 100% caring about his art).  Disc 1 of Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk has some great songs, but Grace is top notch....... easily one of the top 5 or 10 albums of the 90s.  Sketches is what Jeff was working on when he died so it's incomplete, but better than nothing.

I was so sad when Jeff Buckley died.  Unfortunately, I never got to see him play.   Of course, Mr. Whippy did a few times and I was a bit jealous when he told me of the shows, tiny venues.

I'll watch those clips you posted.  I'm not sure how you can love it and listen to it so much if you don't like the songs?  However, I have a feeling you'll  grow to like many of the songs/song writing pretty soon.

[Waddy Peytona]

I think Leonard Cohen has pretty much conceded "Hallelujah" to Jeff Buckley. That's a a testament to his talent.

I remember the several days he was missing in the water and thinking how agonizing that must have been for his mother. How do you recover from something like that?

[weeniebeenie]

Jeff is great. I love, love Dream Brother. It is so good how it builds and builds. All his songs are great though. That's just the one that always pops into my head. And I love the covers; Be Your Husband, Night Flight, If You Knew etc.

[wolof7]

Mr. Whippy saw Jeff Buckley?!? I'm gonna need him to give me a summation of those shows!

I got into Jeff in high school. Such an amazing talent. I agree that the first disc of Sketches is worthy. I can't remember the second disc at all. Mystery White Boy and Live at Sine' are must haves for any fan. He a musician who stays with you.

[CC]

Saw him twice in 1995.. at the Rock Werchter festival and in Nighttown, Rotterdam. That Nighttown show is still one of my favorite shows ever. He played almost all of Grace and covers of Big Star and Bob Dylan. He ended with Hallelujah which was just breathtaking. My passion for music really started that night.  Before that show I was only seeing Simple Minds and U2 arena shows.. after that show I only went to small clubs and discovered bands like Sonic Youth, Brainiac, Beck, Oblivians, Elliott Smith... So yeah, that Jeff Buckley show pretty much changed my life.

[e_wind]

Thats awesome CC. I would, too, like to hear some stories from Whip about the Buckley shows.

[Jaimoe]

Nothing beats "Mojo Pin". Fucking rock and roll!!

[MrWhippy]

I saw Jeff Buckley a couple of times in the mid 90's.  Once at Noe Valley Ministry, which is a church in San Francisco that had shows on some evenings, and once at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

Both were amazing shows, both his voice and the depth and texture of the music were amazing.  The Mystery White Boy album is a good representation of what the shows I saw were like.  Dream Brother was an incredible song to open a show with, and captured very well on that record.  The long intro he adds to that song is amazing, and little flourishes like the percussive burst of feedback right before the band really kicks in for the first time really speak to the texture and depth I'm talking about in his live performances. 

In fact, some of the Mystery White Boy album is taken from the Great American Music Hall show that I saw.  Another great thing about that record is it has "What Will You Say?" on it, which is a great track that got left off of Grace.  Also, the versions he was doing of Kanga Roo to end shows were crazy and rasied a pretty serious ruckus.  He also turned "Eternal Life" into a much heavier song when played live, as heard on that live album.

I remember being a bit freaked at the Great American Music Hall show because I was a big taper back in those days and recorded that show with some really high quality microphones and a digital audio tape player.  By the time of that show Jeff was really starting to hit it big, and his record company knew they were sitting on a serious star.  They thus had signs up all over the venue about recording being forbidden and warning of serious consequences if being caught.  I had never seen signs like that up at a show before and was a bit scared by them, but not scared enough to not tape it.  I managed to not get caught and my tape turned out pretty well.  I still have it somewhere in a box in the basement.

I guess the other thing I'll add about Jeff Buckley is I literally cried when I heard he had died.  It's hard to even fathom what is career would have been like if he hadn't passed away so young. 

[wolof7]

I saw Jeff Buckley a couple of times in the mid 90's.  Once at Noe Valley Ministry, which is a church in San Francisco that had shows on some evenings, and once at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

Both were amazing shows, both his voice and the depth and texture of the music were amazing.  The Mystery White Boy album is a good representation of what the shows I saw were like.  Dream Brother was an incredible song to open a show with, and captured very well on that record.  The long intro he adds to that song is amazing, and little flourishes like the percussive burst of feedback right before the band really kicks in for the first time really speak to the texture and depth I'm talking about in his live performances. 

In fact, some of the Mystery White Boy album is taken from the Great American Music Hall show that I saw.  Another great thing about that record is it has "What Will You Say?" on it, which is a great track that got left off of Grace.  Also, the versions he was doing of Kanga Roo to end shows were crazy and rasied a pretty serious ruckus.  He also turned "Eternal Life" into a much heavier song when played live, as heard on that live album.

I remember being a bit freaked at the Great American Music Hall show because I was a big taper back in those days and recorded that show with some really high quality microphones and a digital audio tape player.  By the time of that show Jeff was really starting to hit it big, and his record company knew they were sitting on a serious star.  They thus had signs up all over the venue about recording being forbidden and warning of serious consequences if being caught.  I had never seen signs like that up at a show before and was a bit scared by them, but not scared enough to not tape it.  I managed to not get caught and my tape turned out pretty well.  I still have it somewhere in a box in the basement.

I guess the other thing I'll add about Jeff Buckley is I literally cried when I heard he had died.  It's hard to even fathom what is career would have been like if he hadn't passed away so young.

Thanks Jon, he was such a huge part of my formative years but a bit before my time to catch live and thus only know a very limited about him and what the live JB experience would be. Grace is easily one of my favorite albums of all-time.

[MrWhippy]

Yeah, I feel really, really lucky that I was aware of Jeff and in the right place at the right time to have gotten to see him a couple times. 

Have any of you guys into Jeff heard his dad, Tim Buckley?  I knew to check out Jeff pretty early on as I was a fan of Tim and interested when I heard his son was making music. 

Tim was a folk singer who put out a few albums in the late 60's/early 70's.  Like Jeff he had an absoultely incredible voice and a huge vocal range.  Also creepily like Jeff, Tim also died really young.

My favorite Tim Buckley release is a live album called "Dream Letter Live in London 1968".  That album has some of my favorite vocal performances ever.  It's like every line that he sings is an emotional journey in and of itself. 

I think I no longer know how to link videos on the forum, but here are some URLs for songs from Dream Letter that are up on Youtube.

Tim Buckley - I've Been Out Walking

Tim Buckley - Dolphins

Tim Buckley - Once I Was

[CC]

My favorite Tim Buckley release is a live album called "Dream Letter Live in London 1968".  That album has some of my favorite vocal performances ever.  It's like every line that he sings is an emotional journey in and of itself. 

Huge fan. So is Jim. One time after a My Morning Jacket show in London we all ended up in the lobby of the hotel.. Jim started dj-ing and at the end of the night he made everybody fall in love with Dream Letter.

"Jim James has that Jeff Buckley quality to him, and it isn't a stretch to say that James brings to Newport what Tim Buckley brought to Newport in 1968: an eclectic taste in music, complete with a jazz side, and that voice."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2008/08/newport_folk_festival_day_2.html

ps. I made this: www.timbuckley.com

[MrWhippy]

My favorite Tim Buckley release is a live album called "Dream Letter Live in London 1968".  That album has some of my favorite vocal performances ever.  It's like every line that he sings is an emotional journey in and of itself. 

Huge fan. So is Jim. One time after a My Morning Jacket show in London we all ended up in the lobby of the hotel.. Jim started dj-ing and at the end of the night he made everybody fall in love with Dream Letter.

"Jim James has that Jeff Buckley quality to him, and it isn't a stretch to say that James brings to Newport what Tim Buckley brought to Newport in 1968: an eclectic taste in music, complete with a jazz side, and that voice."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2008/08/newport_folk_festival_day_2.html

ps. I made this: www.timbuckley.com

Wow!  That's all very cool, and makes me very glad I brought up Tim Buckley and the Dream Letter record.  I guess it makes sense that my favorite living vocalist (Jim) was also touched by my favorite non-living vocalists (Tim and Jeff Buckley). 

That Tim Buckley set looks awesome, C.C., I'll definitely spend some time with it soon.

[CC]

If you wanna do some reading go for Blue Melody by his former guitar player Lee Underwood. Dream Brother by David Browne is another one but not as good.

[MrWhippy]

If you wanna do some reading go for Blue Melody by his former guitar player Lee Underwood. Dream Brother by David Browne is another one but not as good.

Thanks. That Lee Underwood book sounds interseting.  I really like Lee Underwood's liner notes for the Dream Letter album.

[capt. scotty]

This dude is my current obsession and I can't tell you why. The first thing I heard that was blowing my mind was his cover of I Shall Be Released on Pandora. His voice is incredible. Then I saw the video of him alone doing Hallelujah. HOLY SHIT. Then I started listening to his original shit after reading about his "self-predicted death".... I'm not a huge fan of his songs at all, but I still cant stop listening. His voice is sooo good, and he seems soooo tortured.

Seriously? So you're obsessed with him, love his covers, but not really digging his original stuff? Gun to my head, Grace is probably in my top 10 albums of all-time. Sketches isnt as strong for aforementioned reasons, but still has its moment. I just have trouble figuring out how anyone who likes Jeff Buckley not realizing the greatness of Grace.

[capt. scotty]

I recommend Grace Around the World, a very good DVD,  to see some good performances and interviews (tortured, sounded a bit out of it sometimes, but 100% caring about his art). Disc 1 of Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk has some great songs, but Grace is top notch....... easily one of the top 5 or 10 albums of the 90s.  Sketches is what Jeff was working on when he died so it's incomplete, but better than nothing.

Never knew about this, I'll have to track it down. I have the Mystery White Boy DVD and love it.

Of course Sketches is no Grace, but it would be interesting to have heard it with him still being alive to put the finishing touches on it and release the album he wanted to. I love The Sky is a Landfill, Vancouver,  and Yard of Blonde Girls, but there isnt really a bad song on the rest of Disc 1. Disc 2 is obviously more songs that probably weren't going to make the original album and very demo-ish, but Haven't You Heard and the Satisfied Mind cover are great, and Your Flesh Is So Nice is good fun.

[capt. scotty]

In fact, some of the Mystery White Boy album is taken from the Great American Music Hall show that I saw.  Another great thing about that record is it has "What Will You Say?" on it, which is a great track that got left off of Grace. Also, the versions he was doing of Kanga Roo to end shows were crazy and rasied a pretty serious ruckus.  He also turned "Eternal Life" into a much heavier song when played live, as heard on that live album.

Not that it would preclude it from being on Grace obviously, but I thought What Will You Say was a cover?

Love Kanga Roo. MWB is probably one of my favorite live albums.

[capt. scotty]

Also, the talk about Tim Buckley reminded me of a movie called Greetings From Tim Buckley which was released earlier this year that is about Jeff Buckley's days before playing at his father's tribute concert in 1991. Havent been able to find it yet.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823125/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2


The dude they got to play Jeff does look like him, but as ewind mentioned it wouldve been cool if they got Franco for the part and made this a big movie on the scale of Ray or Walk the Line.

[MrWhippy]

Not that it would preclude it from being on Grace obviously, but I thought What Will You Say was a cover?

Love Kanga Roo. MWB is probably one of my favorite live albums.

I'm pretty sure What Will You Say is an original.  I also checked on allmusic.com and they list the song as composed by Jeff in their track listing for Mystery White Boy.