Grace (Rm) (Dvd) [Original recording remastered, Special Edition]

One Small Problem...

The first time I popped in the Legacy Version, I noticed something- "Hallelujah" didn't give me the same spine-tingling sensation that the version on Grace did. The reason? Simply put, the version of "Hallelujah" on the original Grace album had a much better balance, level wise, between Jeff's vocals and guitar playing. If you do a side-by-side comparison, you will find that Jeff's vocals are too harsh and forward on the remastered version of Hallelujah, when compared to the version found on the original Grace CD.

However, all the other tracks on this reissue actually sound BETTER than their previous incarnations.

There's more impact on the drums, deeper bass, more detailed instruments and better separation (listen to the strings on "Last Goodbye"), and Jeff's vocals (his greatest strength) are clearer and higher up in the mix.

The unreleased song, "Forget Her," is definitely the highlight of the second disc. The remainder of the second disc proves to be an interesting listen that demonstrates the versatility of Jeff Buckley as an artist.

The Bonus DVD showcases the music videos, which range from average-well done, and a 25 minute documentary that features interviews with Jeff, Steve Berkowitz, and "behind the scenes" footage. Buckley makes some interesting quotes about the impact of music on his life, that will undoubtedly find their way on an Internet fan site some day. A welcome addition.

My other suggestion for Columbia would have been to include more information in the included booklet- perhaps more commentary on the Grace album as was done with the tracks on the second disc.

Overall, well worth the purchase for Jeff Buckley fans, and any music lover looking to be challenged and inspired. Just remember to extract track 7 ("Hallelujah") onto your hard drive before you give away or sell your original copy of Grace.

UPDATE:

This is in response to S. Johnson's "are you people HIGH?" review. Buddy, I read the same article by Rip Rowan a long time ago so please don't try passing off his arguments as your own (including his examples comparing Rush CDs over the past few decades). Next time quote your source.

Now if you don't feel that the remaster & remix job is any better, all power to you. I actually agree with Rip Rowan's remarks on how music today is geared towards radio-friendly compressed loudness. In fact I think everyone should give the article a good read (just google it).

However, when in comes down to it, I trust my ears over anything else. I've purchased many "24 bit digitally remastered" over the years and end up returning about half of them because they just don't sound as good as the original CD master. I'm anal about music to the point where I'll do A/B tests between remasters and original masters using anything from Alessandro and Beyerdynamic headphones to an Eastern Electric Minimax Tube CDP to a regular car stereo system as a point of reference- before I make a decision on which version to keep. I don't analyze soundwaves for compression or normalization or loudness- I trust whatever sounds better to my ears.

If you prefer something different, that's perfectly fine with me. But if you want to act like a condescending audio-snob and insult everyone who prefers the overall sound of this remaster, that's another story...

So, ten years later, we have a spruced up re-release of what some people would call one of the greatest albums of the 90's (I would be one of those people). Most reading this have probably already heard Grace and have a copy of it. So the real question is, is it worth getting the Legacy Edition?

The First Disc:

What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's magical. I couldn't tell any difference between this remaster and the original.

The Second Disc:

The second disc starts of with "Forget Her", an oft-bootlegged tune that was cut from Grace in favor of "So Real". "Forget Her" is gorgeous, although I understand the personal decision Jeff made not to release it. What follows is a slew of rare tracks - some can be found on EPs, promo CD's (and one from the First Love, Last Rites soundtrack), but some are completely new. Amazon's track listing is incorrect, by the way - the second track is an alternate take of "Dream Brother" - it's between "Forget Her" and "Lost Highway", for a total of 12 tracks.

Stuff like "Alligator Wine" makes you smile, when you hear Jeff laughing and fooling around in the studio. There is a version of "Alligator Wine" that Jeff did on WMFU that's floating around somewhere, and which I like more...on this he forgets the words and starts ad-libbing, and I don't think the drum beat really adds anything.

This disc will probably get JB completists like me riled up after they hunted down stuff like Peyote Radio Theatre, or the First Love, Last Rites soundtrack, but there is still plenty of stuff they didn't put on here. There's his awesome collaboration with the Jazz Passengers (actually I'm surprised they didn't put "Jolly Street" on here) and his work with Chris Dowd.

In what is sure to disappoint many fans who read the Columbia press release, "Strawberry Street" is NOT on here. I don't know what happened. You can find a bootleg taken from his Babylon Dungeon demos if you look hard enough, but it would have been nice to hear a high-quality version of it.

The DVD:

The DVD has the original music videos for "Grace", "Last Goodbye", and "So Real". They are all pristine and much better than anything you could download. They also included a "video" for "Eternal Life", but it's just the road version of the song poorly synced to low-quality footage of his performance in Chicago (which can be found on the Live in Chicago DVD). There's also a video for (an edited down) "Forget Her", which has some random Jeff footage - some has been in the many documentaries about him, most of it new.

Also on the DVD is "The Making of Grace". When it started I was disappointed, because the first few minutes are just the Grace EPK (which is also on the Live in Chicago DVD). But then! New interviews with Steve Berkowitz, Andy Wallace, and the bandmembers (you finally get to hear Mick talk!). Also some new footage of Jeff in the studio, Jeff live, and Jeff talking about the record. Good stuff. It's about 25 minutes long.

The Verdict:

If you're a fan of Jeff, this is a must-buy. Even if you've gotten all of the released rare tracks, downloaded the music videos (which haven't been *officially* available until now), and have the Live in Chicago DVD, the *totally new* recordings and the new footage in "The Making of Grace" make it worth the price of admission. If you haven't seeked out those rare-but-released recordings, then this is a no-brainer - it will all be new to you.

Although the new stuff/old stuff ratio isn't as great as the Legacy Edition of Live at Sin-e (which I'd highly recommend as well), it's still solid and still worth getting. Hopefully in a few years we can look forward to a Legacy Edition of Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk, but until then I'll keep my fingers crossed.

KEEP your original copy of "Grace" or buy a used one while you still can. First, the "Grace" album itself warrants five stars. It is stunning from start to finish. The problem is with this "remaster". Like most of the dung the industry and record companies continue to heap on us, this remaster is s**t. It is UNNECESSARILY over-compressed, overmodulated, and DISTORTED. The only passages you need to hear to prove this are the loud peaks in "Hallelujah" - i.e. "I've seen your flag..." or "And every breath we drew...". The digital distortion in Jeff's voice is a direct result of George Marino's LOUSY mastering. It makes me want to vomit. Marino either has NO ears or didn't have the stones to stand up to Columbia and tell them he would not desecrate this beautiful record by mastering overly hot according to current industry "standards". These passages are NOT distorted on the original CD of "Grace". Howie Weinberg's mastering on the original issue sounds wonderful, especially by comparison to this monstrosity, and keeps in perfect balance the dynamic highs and lows and "breath" in the music and without distorting the peaks. This remaster is not the way this album should be heard and experienced. Everyone who allowed this to happen should be ashamed.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 37 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars