CD Review
Jeff Buckley - (Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk (Sony, 1998)
CD one:
1. The
sky is a landfill
2.
Everybody here wants you
3. Opened
once
4.
Nightmares by the sea
5. Yard
of blonde girls
6.
Witches' rave
7. New
year's prayer
8.
Morning theft
9.
Vancouver
10. You
& I
CD two:
1.
Nightmares by the sea
2. New
year's prayer
3.
Haven't you heard
4. I know
we could be so happy baby (if we wanted to be)
5. Murder
suicide meteor slave
6. Back
in N.Y.C.
7.
Gunshot glitter
8. Demon
John
9. Your
flesh is no nice
10. Jewel
box
11.
Satisfied mind
So what's my impression of the album? At first, it is a downright "raw" experience. That, not to say that it's only for die-hard-fans, but to reflect the sound of the recording as well as the state of songs. To me, there a brilliant songs on the album, and recording is not as bad (rare analog tape hiss on some tracks, except that better recording than many other popular releases, so expect no bootleg), many other bands would be glad to release in such a state. Yet compared to the predecessing album "Grace", there is a clear hint what Buckley, if alive, would have made out of these first takes of the songs. The album lacks the charming perfection of "Grace", it has a different charm. The line up of most of the songs is basic: vox, guitars, bass, drums - and the mixers have taken care not to spoil this charming rawness of Buckley's first takes with their own ideas. So these are Buckley songs without "gimmicks", they, to me, do resemble very much "live experiences". It's not perfect, it's not polished, but it definitely shimmers and shines by sheer songwriting capability and playing/singing, not overdubs, remixing and all the like. Maybe this album would have been more perfect, better sounding, with some new ideas in songs and a greater variation in "sound", but the songwriting wouldn't have been much better. It's a shame to have this album not completed, but even presented in this state, it clearly is a good album by the means of Buckley's (and his band's) songwriting. And, maybe, it's even a relief to hear such an album in a time of overproduced albums, though it could have never replaced Buckley's real "My Sweetheart The Drunk". But that doesn't exist and never will.
So, if you want to give this album an initial listen (though it deserves and takes much more than this to appreciate its quality), I would suggest to take the first five songs of the first CD, which to me represent the highlights of the album. "The sky is a landfill" is an angry, straightforward song, which, though quite charming from the first moment on, stands the test of time with its unpretentious, subtle complexity. "Nightmares by the sea", the fourth song, to me, is a brilliant incarnation of atmospheric songwriting, it's got drive, it's haunting and builds up quite good suspense by variations of repeating passages - musically und lyrically. "Yard of blonde girls", its follower, doesn't stand behind though employing quite similar techniques with a different, more positive charm.
A passage from "Nightmares by the sea" (by Jeff Buckley):
All
young lovers know why
nightmares
blind their mind's eye.
Your rube
is young and handsome,
so new to
your bedroom floor,
you know
damn well where you'll go.
I've
loved so many times and I've drowned them all.
From
their coral graves, they rise up when darkness falls.
With
their bones they'll scratch the window,
I hear
them call,
"Don't
know what you asked for"
"Don't
know what you asked for"
