Jeff Buckley

1993

Buckley is accompanied only by his guitar, and is able to showcase is voice. If you've heard Grace, the spare, folky vibe of this EP may surprise you.

Buckley was a great performer, always sympathetic to his songs while, at the same time, bringing much of his own unique expression to the music.

Mojo Pin: Spare, gritty version of song which later appeared on Grace. Only guitar and voice, so the big rock dynamics are missing. Buckley puts his heart into everything he sings here; expressionistic electric folk.

The Way Young Lovers Do: 14-minute cover version of a Van Morrison Song. Gutteral, heartfelt rendering. Buckley tears out his vocal chords scatting a few verses. This is not the music he would make on Grace, but it is highly charged, emotional music.

Jeff Buckley:
Vocals, guitar

1994

Buckley leads a great band, and is supported by ace arrangements, through this set of his unique, emotional pop and a few interesting covers.

Producer Andy Wallace serves up a grandiose rock mix that fits the music here like a glove. Buckley's voice soars over sounds that recall everyone from Led Zeppelin to Joni Mitchell to Sarah Vaughn. Strings, vibraphone, and Indian instruments add to the eclectic atmosphere.

Grace: Title song establishes hallmarks of Buckley's sound--passionate, multi-octaved voice, rock-solid pulse of the rhythm section, dense textures (often with strings), and slashing guitars. Ambitious pop.

Lilac Wine: Cover of a song made famous by Nina Simone. Spare, intimate atmosphere. Sympathetic band accompaniment and production help reveal all the subtle nuances in Buckley's vocal performance.

Buckley:
Vocals, guitar, organ, harmonica, harmonium, tabla

with
Matt Johnson, Mick Grondahl, Michael Tighe, Gary Lucas, Loris Holland, Karl Berger, Misha Masud

1998

Buckley drowned in 1997, and this set contains rough versions of songs intended for his next album. All of the songs are unfinished, and some (particularly on the second disc) are still in the experimental stage.

The first disc contains songs recorded professionally in a studio, and mixed by Andy Wallace. The second disc contains mostly 4-track home demos recorded by Buckley.

The Sky is a Landfill: Opening track of the set, is reminiscent of the epic, classic Jeff Buckley sound. Music is like alternative Zeppelin, but large holes in production emphasize the unfinished-ness of the song and the album.

I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby: Demo from the second disc. Has all the makings of a typical Buckley rock-symphony, except the production. There is no band on the demos, and the drum sounds are made by Buckley beat-boxing into a microphone. This is one of the more realized demos.

Buckley:
Vocals, guitar

with
Mick Grondahl, Michael Tighe, Parker Kindred, Eric Eidel