Jeff Buckley Classic or Dud?

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Personally I love Jeff Buckley and think Grace is a superb album and the man had a beautiful voice. But I'm sure you lot out there have very different opinions.......

― Richard Jordan, Sunday, 11 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

canonization of such an ordinary talent is tough to swallow. his voice is pretty but he never put it to much use in the way of tunes. most everything he did was aor schmaltz.

― keith, Sunday, 11 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

well, i personally don't think he's worth all the hype, but I would have to throw him under "classic", just because so many people ripped off Grace. The fact that a band like Coldplay can do so well 4 years after his death is testament to his influence. So despite what we think, he'll always be a classic since he died in Ol' Man River and his dad was famous.

― brent d., Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Typical martyr syndrome here, but yeah I'd say classic.

― Phil Paterson, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Brent- y'seemed to be a big fan when ya placed Jeff on PF's Top of the 90s. Bruised with whispers? Sounds classic to me.

― Mitch Surnamewithheld, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

A good choice for classic or dud - there's been so much stupid, but expected, hype. I have "Grace" and "Sketches..." and the jury's still pretty much out. Grace just seems to get more difficult to digest with every listen. There are some outstanding tracks (Last Goodbye, Eternal Life, Dream Brother), but overall Buckley seems to be trying too hard to doo too many different things, often all at the same time. Lilac Wine and the Benjamin Britten hymn just get in the way and kill the momentum. I'd happily never hear them again.

For me, "Sketches..." is a different story. I know it's not a 'proper' album and would never have been released in this form if Buckley had lived, but it's pretty damn good, much better than Grace. Without the opportunity to slap a load of raga-strings over the top and over-arrange the hell out of this material, it sounds really strong to me. "Everybody..." "Vancouver", "Yard of Blonde Girls", "Opened Once" are fantastic. The home demos CD, packaged along with "Sketches" is complete crap, of course. The live album sounds like a load of rock-legend showboating, but no doubt there will be more live stuff to follow. Probably best to avoid. Overall, dud I suppose.

― Dr. C, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Grace - brilliant, just brilliant. Occasionally a little overblown, but "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" is perfection. As for Sketches, "Vancouver" is as good as most of the songs off Grace but the rest of it is sorely lacking. But still good considering they are unfinished. The home demos are best left unmentioned, actually, best left unlistened to.

― Edward Okulicz, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Oh Jesus H. Christ, THAT bastard. On a human level it's sorry to see anyone depart accidentally from this world, but on a cold, cruel music crit level thank fuck he didn't do any more than he did. All he was ever good for was inspiring "Fake Plastic Trees," which pisses from a rather large height over his miserable music. The fact that Coldplay *has* triumphed indicates that there are ingrates and fools running rampant, once again. DIE DIE DIE. Oh wait, he is dead. Never mind.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Ned, clearly your comments about the wretched Coldplay are correct, but why do you hate Buckley so much? Your reply was little more than a glorified 'he sucks'- can't you say WHY you think so? It might be a little more interesting.

― Dr. C, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Speaking for myself, I just find old Jeff a little too overly- histrionic and bloated musically. Granted he had a nice voice, but he didn't utilise it in the right way. He was like one of those singers at amateur night at the Apollo Theater who does a 10-minute version of Over the Rainbow.

― Nicole, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

It appears he's already ascended into classic status, given the obligatory bio and weird post-mortem fandom. I liked Grace but found it patchy. The Sketches material was equally iffy but it had some great moments, too. I didn't understand why he was so down on the Tom Verlaine sessions -- they seemed fine to me. The best had yet to come, but I don't think he was as hotsnot as most make him. Anyway, I've got a Makaveli 6 bootleg I can sell you...

― Andy, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I've never heard anything convincing.

― the pinefox, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

He was pleasant enough. I'd rather listen to 'Grace' than 'The Bends' in all honesty - for me it just has a certain magical quality that Yorke and co don't.

― DG, Monday, 12 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

His studio albums are listenable, but his real greatness comes out in Mystery White Boy. He was such a perfectionist that only in live performances could he completely give himself to the music. At a minimum this album shows his skill as a performer.

Classic

― Josh D, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

To Dr. C -- you have to allow for the passion of hate there. ;-) If you want a more 'reasoned' response -- how cold that sounds! -- then I rather think he loved his voice not too wisely but too well, and insisted on making a series of wretched showings of it. A man who makes Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury combined seem subtle is not someone I'm going to rank as a burst of effluent energy across a skyscape of broken dreams -- I will, however, enjoyably mock him as a doofus. And his Smiths covers ate. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I met him at a signing on the Grace tour. He recommended a Gastr Del Sol record on Big Cat that I've never been able to find (Does it exist?). I was sad to hear that he'd died.

I find his canonistion problematic, even though he was a personable and approachable fellow. One above average record and an interesting live set does not a classic make.

― Richard Jones, Friday, 16 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

shouldn't the question be "tim buckley classic or dud?". jeff was promising but certainly not classic.

― nathalie c-c, Tuesday, 20 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

In response to the first respondent... That would be interesting to hear "Demon John" and "Your Flesh Is So Nice" on album-oriented radio....heheheheh...

In case you don't get it, Jeff Buckley was never very commercial, but he did some very dissonant and difficult 4-track experiments that ended up on his second product "Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk." He also did a very harsh, grating porno-punk song in the best tradition of, of, heck I dunno. My only exposure to punk is Greenday and Elastica, and I don't even know if they're really punk.

― Jack Redelfs, Wednesday, 21 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

His version of Kanga-Roo on Mystery White Boy tops the original Big Star version.

― Sterling Clover, Saturday, 24 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Loved Grace at the time, and heard some of it for the first time in ages at a friend's house the other day. I still found it pretty good, though it seems somewhat more po-faced now than when I was a teen. 'Sketches' is very patchy but has some pretty good stuff. I think I'll say classic. More talented a songwriter than his father, certainly.

― Ally C, Monday, 26 February 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

The more I listen to Tim Buckley's music, the more I think what Jeff did was only a good start. He showed a willingness to go out on a limb, but he never pushed his voice as far as Tim did. In response to the person who said he was a better songwriter than his father, I simply don't agree. First off, how many originals of his do we have? Nearly a third of the songs on Grace are covers, and, as others have pointed out, nearly the entire second CD of Sketches is unlistenable. Tim certainly wrote his share of duds, but he also wrote a number of truly wonderful songs. And his best songs sound effortless, which is more than you can say for most of Grace. Perhaps Jeff might've stopped trying so hard; we see him going in that direction with Sketches. But, sadly, we'll never know.

― Matt Purdy, Sunday, 4 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

His mother once cyber-harassed me in iMusic for talking about a bootleg recording of Jeff covering "I Against I" by the Bad Brains. It was such an ugly exchange that it virtually put me off enjoying his music.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 16:04 (8 years ago) Permalink

Everything I've seen about his mom scares me. I wish I had been able to see him live though. From some accounts he was a dick, though that has never been an impediment to musical or performing talent.

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 17:20 (8 years ago) Permalink

Oh Jesus H. Christ, THAT bastard.

This has to be the most un-Ned sentence ever.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 17:27 (8 years ago) Permalink

I attended this thing that his mother orchestrated a few years back. A documentary was shown along with a live video and then she spoke for a bit. The evening was enjoyable enough, but his mom did strike as uber-vulture.

― darin (darin), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 17:43 (8 years ago) Permalink

Ugh. His voice makes Conor Oberst sound like Smokey Robinson.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 17:53 (8 years ago) Permalink

very interesting thread.

agreed:

Ned, i just can't abide Coldplay either and i don't know why. No actually i do. they peddle 'cheap, emotional patriotism' - see 'the scientist'. they send shivers down my spine in a lot of very bad ways, where somehow Jeff despite being One For The Ladayz manages to touch nerve-endings in an intimate folk-rock aor ballady number without resorting to such lyrical, emotional schmaltz that seems to cling like Gwyneth to a lot of Clayplod's output. 'Grace' is a fine, fine record of it's kind.

crappy cash-in live/unreleased albums, greedy moms, walking into rivers and rampant self-mythologisation: Dud.

Agreed Matt Purdy. For me it's all about Tim Buckley. Wading through the smack-outs and jazz odyssies may dissuade some, but pan-handling Tim's back catalogue gives a clear 50% yield of PURE FUCKING NUGGETS.

Sometimes nothing, no-one, is ever going to hit the mark like a Tim Buckley classic. No-one. And for the casual listener the joy is discovering these treasures without having them rammed down your throat by anyone.

― john clarkson, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 19:48 (8 years ago) Permalink

I flew down to L.A. one year and went to this event that sounds like what darin described. She was definitely very militant about the whole downloading/bootleg issue from quite early on, which you know, I don't agree with, but I don't recall a time when she was actually rude about it. I still get the Jeff Buckley Newsletter and read her responses to reader's questions and all that. I can't say I've ever really gotten a bad vibe off her. She seems like a nice lady and I think it's rather impressive the amount of work she's taken on, I mean, as a fan, I'm glad she went to all that trouble and sacrifice. I don't think every mother would. I'm honestly sorry to hear you had that experience, Alex.

I will allow that there did get to be a point where I felt like it had gone a little too far with the posthumous releases, though. I still find the double SinE CD to be painful to listen to, I guess because it's such an intimate setting and he just seems so alive and in your face, and the video interview that came with that was devastatingly short - like 15 minutes. At some point I just wanted to stop reopening the wounds and finally quit grieving him and it was like I wasn't being allowed that. Some part of me feels that where he was planning on going musically when he left us was just so much more important than this stuff. And I didn't buy the reissue of Grace, either.

I hope no one takes offense at any of this, it's just my perspective. I don't play him often now but when I do, I prefer to listen to the last things he did, even where they are rough. I'd like to think he's still continuing on somewhere, I guess, that he's on his 4th album now and we just aren't privy to it.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 05:50 (8 years ago) Permalink

I've had to work with his mother, and she's a complete head case. A terrible human being suffering from a chronic case of what I call Executor's Disease: confusing yourself with the deceased.

And Jeff, who I was acquainted with, didn't like her either.

I was at that Sin-e show and it sounded a lot better in person than it does on the double live reissue. He was really amazing live. Fearless even.

― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 16:19 (8 years ago) Permalink

I once chanced upon him playing on the main stage at Glastonbury -- he was amazing, I didn't even know who he was, I had to ask. So I went out and bought the album and thought, meh. So yeah mainly dud if only cos of all the lame copyists.

― Steve.n. (sjkirk), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 16:42 (8 years ago) Permalink

I once chanced upon him playing on the main stage at Glastonbury -- he was amazing, I didn't even know who he was, I had to ask. So I went out and bought the album and thought, meh

Exactly.

Jeff, who I was acquainted with, didn't like her either.

What gave you that impression?

― Huey (Huey), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 16:55 (8 years ago) Permalink

I'm so surprised at the general ILX vote here (esp. such virtriol from Ned!). I think he was extremely talented as a singer, and a much better than average songwriter (Mojo Pin, Lover You Should've, Last Goodbye, Grace). His EP 'Live at Sin-e' was the first I heard him. The album 'Grace' suffers from overproduction at times but on the whole I think it's great. I definitely come back to it after years and years. And re: his mother's kookiness -- who cares?

― 57 7th (calstars), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 17:17 (8 years ago) Permalink

Yeah i'm rather surprised too i must say. Grace is one of my favourite albums, ive probably listened to it 200+ times and the opening "I'm lying in my bed, the blanket is warm. this body will never be safe from harm...." still sends a shiver down my spine. "Morning Theft" from "Sketches..." is my favourite Jeff song, it's sublimely wonderful.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 17:24 (8 years ago) Permalink

TS Jeff Buckley vs. Nellie McKay. *flees*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 17:25 (8 years ago) Permalink

Huey, I got that impression when I heard him say, "I can't stand my mother."

They were barely speaking when he died.

She's a nightmare. Check out the wedding picture of her and Tim and the look on Tim's face. He knew.

Jed: OTM re: "Morning Theft."

I'm also quite fond of "Jewel Box."

― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 17:33 (8 years ago) Permalink

well Ned doesn't like any male solo singer who is vaguely assertive or masculine in any way, so it's sort of a given that he wouldn't like Buckley (though Dr. C's reply to Ned's histrionic initial post is hilarious and totally on point.)

Grace is obviously a fantastic, really musically accomplished and just plain beautiful album, though it took me a while to warm to it myself. Now I consider it one of the best of the 90s. Who has heard the recent 2cd + DVD edition? Is there anything on there that hasn't already been released on the various other odds 'n sods packages that is worth hearing?

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 18:33 (8 years ago) Permalink

I don't know about the Grace re-issue, but that deluxe Live At Sin-e thing is fantastic (and I say this not having even checked out the DVD that came w/ it).

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 18:37 (8 years ago) Permalink

well Ned doesn't like any male solo singer who is vaguely assertive or masculine in any way

Who says I don't like Neil Diamond?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 19:12 (8 years ago) Permalink

(As it stands, approving of singers for their masculinity is for the birds. I approve of them for succeeding as opposed to sucking unlike the ol' mystic washout doofus under discussion here. ;-))

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 19:15 (8 years ago) Permalink

Grace is really quite good. I'd always heard fragments of it over the years and found it compelling but not enough to buy it or anything, maybe because it seemed out of step with the other stuff I was into at the time. And then a year or two I came into possession of it, and, yeah, it's great. Especially late at night.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 19:17 (8 years ago) Permalink

ol' mystic washout doofus
HA. Ned, anyone else you would put in this category? Kevin Sheilds perhaps???

― 57 7th (calstars), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 19:17 (8 years ago) Permalink

Hey, Billy Corgan's turned into one several times!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 19:18 (8 years ago) Permalink

dnftjbt

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 19:19 (8 years ago) Permalink

Anyone who can't see the greatness of his cover of Genesis' "Back In N.Y.C." is just lost in a forest for the trees.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 February 2005 08:02 (8 years ago) Permalink

Well I suppose there aren't a whole lot of Buckley fans on here, and you know, that's fine, but I just wanted to say I think my favourite song of his ever is "Gunshot Glitter" and if you're in the U.S. and bought a U.S. version of Sketches, this song won't be on it! You have to get the UK version. And I think that's so sad that the two versions of Sketches are identical except for this one song that got left off. The first time I heard it I thought "this is the closest thing I've heard to the Cocteaus yet" although I don't feel that way now when I play it. Go figure. I still think it's my favourite song of his.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Monday, 28 February 2005 06:08 (8 years ago) Permalink

Say what you may about the hype and the canonizataion and the "martyr syndrome," but I don't see how anyone can deny the power of songs like "Lover, You Should've COme Over" or his rendition of "Halllelujah." He had a gorgeous voice and the talent to do something above and beyond what we've heard from him, but what he left behind is great on it's own right. Grace is excellent, if spotty, and Sketeches has many songs that would've been special had Jeff seen their completion. "Witche's Rave," "Jewel Box," "Everybody Here Wants You," "Nightmares By the Sea," etc. are all greta tunes.

Classic.

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Monday, 28 February 2005 06:47 (8 years ago) Permalink

Grace's "flaws" are it's Masterpiece. Classic.

― miss chievous grin (miss chevious grin), Monday, 28 February 2005 10:41 (8 years ago) Permalink

I dig 'Grace,' but his version of "Hallelujah" defines the phrase "epochal misreading."

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 28 February 2005 11:13 (8 years ago) Permalink

I used to like this fellow, but now I don't really care. However, he got me into Leonard Cohen, so classic.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 28 February 2005 14:08 (8 years ago) Permalink

And re: his mother's kookiness -- who cares?

Well, personally speaking, the notion that his mother was trolling around the `net, chastising JEFF'S FANS for discussing his music (when, the point could be made in the particular instance i was caught in, it was the BAD BRAINS who were actually getting short-changed) left quite a bad taste in my mouth, so much so that it almost completely put me off the man's music, which is a shame. I'd paste some of the comments that were made during the exchange (it was rumored that she also used a variety of pseudonymns), but .....hmmmm....I was going to say "why dig up old bones?" or "that's just water under the bridge", but I can't think of a colloquialism that isn't somehow in exceptionally poor taste.

In any case, it never struck me as a good idea that someone so close to the deceased should be in charge of his vaults. I'm sure her maternal instincts and deep feelings of loss amplified any legitimate legal grievances, so she's not really to be blamed, I suppose. Still, I can't listen to the stuff anymore without thinking of her sitting at a computer, foaming at the mouth, ripping her hair out and painting herself red with lipstick like Diane Ladd in "Wild at Heart".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 28 February 2005 16:17 (8 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 210 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I definitely sought Tim out after I got into Jeff.

― VegemiteGrrl, Monday, 9 May 2011 01:27 (2 years ago) Permalink

yeah i migrated to tim from jeff. starsailor and lorca and happy/sad are completely crucial records for me now but i might only barely know them without the tremendous jeff fandom i experienced from ages 12 to okay now.

― Brad Nelson (BradNelson), Monday, 9 May 2011 02:07 (2 years ago) Permalink

Me too. Heard Starsailor first and was blown away.

― Guy? Guy? It's me, your cousin, Marvin Mann-Dude (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 9 May 2011 04:04 (2 years ago) Permalink

So, let's ask the question: Tim Buckley and Jeff Buckley -- in what order did you hear them?

― suspecterrain, Monday, 9 May 2011 05:18 (2 years ago) Permalink

i got happy/sad on a whim and aint quite been the same since

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 9 May 2011 05:29 (2 years ago) Permalink

Whoops, made a mistake there: I heard Jeff first, dug him, then moved onto Tim, whereupon I was blown away by Starsailor.

― Guy? Guy? It's me, your cousin, Marvin Mann-Dude (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 9 May 2011 13:54 (2 years ago) Permalink

How many of of you sought out "Starsailor" after being blown away by the breakout band Starsailor?

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 9 May 2011 14:00 (2 years ago) Permalink

They pissed me off so much, not only did they nick the name but the bleeding font as well, twats.

― Per Yngve's having his brain out (MaresNest), Monday, 9 May 2011 14:17 (2 years ago) Permalink

^^ those are the exact reasons I made a point of never hearing the band Starsailor.

― shake it, shake it, sugary pee (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 9 May 2011 14:19 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Him from Gossip Girl will play Jeff Buckley in a film

― Gukbe, Tuesday, 21 June 2011 00:56 (1 year ago) Permalink

Hand me my shotgun

― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 21 June 2011 01:15 (1 year ago) Permalink

did anybody else notice the url

http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/penn-badgley-to-play-singer-tim-buckley-in-biopic/

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 21 June 2011 02:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

he doesn't really look the part but whatever, dude was lobster todd, i'll give him the benefit of the doubt

― admin logbs (some dude), Tuesday, 21 June 2011 02:47 (1 year ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Apparently not! Big boots to fill, Spider-Man.

LOS ANGELES, CA(AUGUST 15TH, 2011) – Actor/singer-songwriter Reeve Carney (Broadway’s Spiderman: Turn off the Dark) has been cast as Jeff Buckley in the forthcoming “Untitled Jeff Buckley" film, it was announced today by the filmmakers. To be directed by Jake Scott (Welcome to the Rileys), and written by Ryan Jaffe (story by, The Rocker), the filmmakers hold a robust rights package that includes the exclusive rights to Jeff's music and personal archives, and is fully supported by Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert, who serves as executive producer. Michelle Sy (Finding Neverland) and Orian Williams (Control) are producing, with Alison Raykovich (Jeff Buckley Music) serving as associate producer. Producers are currently out to additional cast for the project.

The film will chronicle the life of Buckley, one of the most critically acclaimed musical artists of his time, who died tragically at age 30 in a drowning accident in Memphis, Tennessee’s Wolf River. Production will commence in New York and Memphis in November.

Carney currently stars on Broadway as Peter Parker in the high profile production of Spiderman: Turn off the Dark. Reeve also co-starred in Julie Taymor’s THE TEMPEST for Miramax. His current single, "Rise Above 1 featuring Bono and The Edge" (Music From SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark), was performed by the trio on the season finale of American Idol this year. In addition, Reeve and his band Carney opened for U2 on the last stop of the U2 360° tour. Their debut album Mr. Green Vol. 1 is available on DAS Label/Interscope.

"We are over the moon that Reeve has agreed to take on this challenging role. I've seen him perform several times...he's been getting ready for this all his life. It certainly doesn't hurt that he looks so much like Jeff," said Guibert regarding the choice.

Scott commented, “We are excited to have found in Reeve the perfect combination of musical prodigy, impish charm, innate intelligence & sensitivity to play Jeff.”

The as-yet untitled script is based on screenwriter Jaffe’s in-depth examination and research into Buckley’s life, which includes scores of interviews, unlimited access to the Jeff Buckley Estate archives, and Jeff’s personal journals, drawings, and letters. Producers also optioned the book “Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley” by David Browne, for research purposes.

― satan club sandwich (Dr Morbius), Monday, 15 August 2011 21:06 (1 year ago) Permalink

Producers also optioned the book “Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley” by David Browne, for research purposes.

that's gotta be some nice scratch. anyone know how i can get hollywood to option my black flag book?

― sbgorf (stevie), Monday, 15 August 2011 21:09 (1 year ago) Permalink

Rollins becomes gov of Calif.

― satan club sandwich (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 16 August 2011 00:24 (1 year ago) Permalink

i saw this guy do a TV interview once and didn't remember what he looked like but wow the resemblance is pretty strong

― forkshighwaytopoopon (some dude), Tuesday, 16 August 2011 00:31 (1 year ago) Permalink

8 months pass...

the tapes of this have been in this thread iirc but here it is in flash version

god i love this

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 16 April 2012 05:37 (1 year ago) Permalink

just so many little touches, the tape wobble making the voice shudder and the guitar doing the ghostly feedback on the line about "feel the water touch my skin" gives me goosebumps

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 16 April 2012 05:39 (1 year ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

two biopics?

― omar little, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:00 (8 months ago) Permalink

― omar little, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:01 (8 months ago) Permalink

I like him as sung by Genevieve Schatz.

― _Rudipherous_, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:14 (8 months ago) Permalink

Music starts 1:45ish.

― _Rudipherous_, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:15 (8 months ago) Permalink

No Dan Rossen in starring role of biopic, no credibility.

― Yellow Tonka//Sony Titanium - YT//ST (Craig D.), Thursday, 20 September 2012 04:21 (8 months ago) Permalink

Nah, James Ransone!

― Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Thursday, 20 September 2012 08:04 (8 months ago) Permalink

Dan Rossen? Neither looks nor sounds like Buckley?

― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 20 September 2012 09:25 (8 months ago) Permalink

Jeff Suckley.

― Hungry4Ass, Thursday, 20 September 2012 09:25 (8 months ago) Permalink

http://www.soulracer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/4-Without-Limits.jpg

― omar little, Wednesday, September 19, 2012 11:01 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

lol... ive thought about doing a poll on these

― Hungry4Ass, Thursday, 20 September 2012 09:26 (8 months ago) Permalink

Ha James Ransone would be amazing.

Here's Penn Badgley (he off Gossip Girl) doing "Lilac Wine". As far as imitations go... surprisingly not terrible?

― Roz, Thursday, 20 September 2012 15:28 (8 months ago) Permalink

i actually thought the trailer for the buckley flick he's in looked okay. Except for Kate Nash.

― pandemic, Thursday, 20 September 2012 15:34 (8 months ago) Permalink

really? cause I thought it looked pretty awful - why is it shot like a 500 Days of Summer-type rom-com?

That said, I wasn't expecting Badgley to be the best thing about this. He sounded really good in the tiny bits of music shown.

― Roz, Thursday, 20 September 2012 15:46 (8 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

his version of "Hallelujah" is one of my least favorite pieces of music ever

― corey, Saturday, May 7, 2011 2:34 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

i used to think this was badass when i was a teenager, just tried listening to it now and i couldnt prevent myself from laughing my damn buns off at it, hes so freaking overdramatic

― turds (Hungry4Ass), Saturday, 27 October 2012 15:13 (6 months ago) Permalink

I have no prob with Buckley's version; I just never thought "Hallelujah" was that good a song to begin with, at least not something that warrants over a thousand known cover versions. (The rest of Grace is great though - "Lover, You Should've Come Over" and "Last Goodbye" both feel like the soundtrack to my life).

― Lee626, Saturday, 27 October 2012 19:00 (6 months ago) Permalink

John Cale's "Hallelujah" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> every other version (including cohen's)

― tylerw, Saturday, 27 October 2012 19:09 (6 months ago) Permalink

his melodrama is very 90s. very Reality Bites romantic montage. still, i think that Sketches shows that his songwriting was still developing and he could have done a lot better than Grace had he lived.

― Jamie_ATP, Saturday, 27 October 2012 19:11 (6 months ago) Permalink

tyler OTM

― EZ Snappin, Saturday, 27 October 2012 19:14 (6 months ago) Permalink

jeff's covers are never about giving himself over to the song, they're about JEFF BUCKLEY CAN SING REALLY WELL

― Jamie_ATP, Saturday, 27 October 2012 19:15 (6 months ago) Permalink

Jeff Buckley at the Garage in 1994 was one of the most boring shows I've ever seen.

― Manfred Mann meets Man Parrish (ithappens), Saturday, 27 October 2012 20:00 (6 months ago) Permalink

jeff's covers are never about giving himself over to the song, they're about JEFF BUCKLEY CAN SING REALLY WELL

disagree at least re: his van morrison covers and his weird homespun version of "back in nyc"

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Saturday, 27 October 2012 20:07 (6 months ago) Permalink

I heard a really nice version of Elton John's 'Curtains' once, understated.

― Pat Ast vs Jean Arp (MaresNest), Saturday, 27 October 2012 21:06 (6 months ago) Permalink

yeah the Cale version is still legit. also props to him (or perhaps... boos to him???) for setting the template for every cover to follow

― turds (Hungry4Ass), Saturday, 27 October 2012 23:29 (6 months ago) Permalink

maybe i'm wrong, but it feels more like j buckley taking cale as the template set the template for every cover to follow from there? or at least the vast majority.

not rly sure why but jeff buckley is one of the few idols of my teenage years who i haven't returned to in some way. others have faded away but then i've felt compelled to revisit them over the period of ten years or so, but jeff, despite being a major teen obsession, i have no desire to listen to again.

― Perfect Chicken Forever (Merdeyeux), Saturday, 27 October 2012 23:35 (6 months ago) Permalink

― Perfect Chicken Forever (Merdeyeux)

I had the same thing happen to me. In the late 90's I listend to Grace probably once every day and then suddenly I just stopped listening to him at all. A few weeks ago I put it on for the first time in probably eight years. I just didn't get a lot from it, not sure if I just associate it too much with with an angsty teenager. I still enjoyed the title track, Last Goodbye, So Real and Lover but I didn't care for much else.

I played Sketches right after it and enjoyed that so much more. Everybody Here Wants You is a stunning song, easily the best he did.

Agree with the whole hating Hallelujah thing, I just think it's a boring song whoever does it.

― Kitchen Person, Sunday, 28 October 2012 00:56 (6 months ago) Permalink

'morning theft' and 'eternal life' will stay among my favorites forever. could take or leave the rest.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 28 October 2012 22:02 (6 months ago) Permalink

sketches is just fantastic, so many great things on there

― Jamie_ATP, Sunday, 28 October 2012 22:05 (6 months ago) Permalink

yeah, he was headed in a really interesting direction w/ some of that stuff

― the man with 2 BRAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINZ! (some dude), Sunday, 28 October 2012 22:11 (6 months ago) Permalink

"Grace" popped into my head the other day, not really sure why—haven't thought about the album in a dog's age, and when I do I usually repress it immediately. great vocal on that track tho, idc if it's "melodramatic" or whatever

― have you ever even *seen* a cliche?? (bernard snowy), Sunday, 28 October 2012 23:39 (6 months ago) Permalink

... also I've been listening to a lot of Shearwater so my tolerance for operatic male rocks vocals is at historic highs

― have you ever even *seen* a cliche?? (bernard snowy), Monday, 29 October 2012 00:14 (6 months ago) Permalink

*rock vocals, duh

― have you ever even *seen* a cliche?? (bernard snowy), Monday, 29 October 2012 00:14 (6 months ago) Permalink

yeah "Grace" is a pretty neat song

― some dude, Monday, 29 October 2012 00:24 (6 months ago) Permalink

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