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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 |
|---|
| 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 |
| Disc: 2 |
| 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. Demon John |
| 8. Your Flesh Is So Nice |
| 9. Jewel Box |
| 10. Satisfied Mind |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
Perhaps the most talented "son act" in pop music, Jeff Buckley combined the often harrowing eclecticism of estranged papa Tim Buckley with the rock acrobatics of Robert Plant. This posthumously released collection of four-track demos and sessions helmed by Tom Verlaine indicates that Buckley's astonishing full-length debut, Grace, was no fluke. The young singer-songwriter puts his falsetto to good use on an extraordinary collection of original material, from the soulful "Everybody Here Wants You" to the psychedelic "Murder Suicide Meteor Slave." And while his bluesy take on Porter Wagoner's "Satisfied Mind" may not be as revelatory as his earlier version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," this album offers ample proof that Buckley was among his generation's most gifted voices. --Bill Forman
Review
Though the posthumous Sketches contains only rough drafts of tunes intended (and a few deemed inadequate) for the singer's follow-up to the outstanding 1994 debut Grace, its musical shimmer and emotional resonance compensate for missteps and a lack of polish.... From the salacious rock of Your Flesh Is So Nice to a forlorn cover of Porter Wagoner's country ballad Satisfied Mind," Buckley demonstrates a stylistic range and vocal honesty that few '90s singer/songwriters share. -- USA Today
[A] testament to Buckley's role as a lifelong student of rock history.... [An] incomplete, yet affecting, farewell. -- Entertainment Weekly
[I]t's the clarity and punch of these [Tom] Verlaine versions [of Buckley's songs] that help bring out the promise of Buckley's rock-punctuated folk style.... -- The Los Angeles Times
[The late Jeff] Buckley had a trove of material prepared for his next album.... Powerful, impassioned and haunting, [these songs] are a sadly fitting legacy--sketches of what might have been. -- People
[A] testament to Buckley's role as a lifelong student of rock history.... [An] incomplete, yet affecting, farewell. -- Entertainment Weekly
[I]t's the clarity and punch of these [Tom] Verlaine versions [of Buckley's songs] that help bring out the promise of Buckley's rock-punctuated folk style.... -- The Los Angeles Times
[The late Jeff] Buckley had a trove of material prepared for his next album.... Powerful, impassioned and haunting, [these songs] are a sadly fitting legacy--sketches of what might have been. -- People
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
so experimental and beautiful. Disc one is much more polished than two but doesnt mean its better. the gems that stand out on both cd's for me are "everybody here wants you" and "I know we could be so happy" but just like grace a new favorite pops after each listen. he was a true musical genius and it seems like the pot of them just keeps gettin thiner. i recommend this only for those who truly appreciate the music.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By derek
Format:Audio CD
It is a tragic shame this album was not completed. This shows Buckley's willingness to evolve into a true artist. He finished 'Grace' with class, it was time to move on. Some of the songs on this album would fit perfectly on Radiohead's recent releases, while others could be attached to an almost endless list of random artists. The first disc is a group of studio cuts destined, most likely to never see the light of day(not these versions at least).The second disc is comprised, mostly of home recordings(after Buckley was dissatisfied with direction).This record may just be "sketches", but one day it will get the attention it deserves.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Tim Brough
Format:Audio CD
Had the marketing gluttons at Columbia held their greed in check and issued this at a single disc's length and price, it might have made a greater impression. Sadly, they have opted to milk the passing of Jeff Buckley by releasing every scrap of tape available, including a disc's worth of unnecessary demos here. "(Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk," even as an incomplete work, still sounds amazing. Buckley had the soaring voice of a tormented angel and was barely beginning to understand his potential. It shows if you contrast the alternate versions of "Nightmares By The Sea" or "New Year's Prayer." But aside from those two songs and a straightforward solo performance of "Satisfied Mind," disc two is the kind of yuck that would never be released if the responsible party had a chance to get back to it later. Unfortunately Jeff Buckley doesn't have that option.
But the first disc, oh, what a loss we have sustained! The apocalyptic imagery of "The Sky is a Landfill" fills all the promise of "Grace." There is a newly mined soulfulness to "Everybody Here Wants You" and a haunted quality to "You and I" that suggests he and producer Tom Verlaine were kindred spirits. (Indeed, some of these songs hearken, in the best way possible, to Verlaine's finest work as a solo artist and with Television.)
It's pretty darned obvious that Buckley was in the process of making a brilliant album. The final "My Sweetheart The Drunk" is something we will never hear as Jeff intended, and that's the pity.
Disc One: 5 stars
Disc Two: 1 star
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4.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
Sketches for my sweetheart the drunk is just as amazing as Grace. If you're a big fan of Grace, you'll want to hear this!
Published on July 12 2009 by Theresa Laurenti
1.0 out of 5 stars
Some Clever Lyrics, But Mostly A Bore!
Jeff Buckley had a great vocal range and some nice guitar work on this album, and quite a few clever lyrics, but he is such a bore. Read more
Published on Feb 21 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here's what this stuff REALLY is...
Ok. I've read a lot of reviews about this cd set, and a lot of them are not really appropriate. The songs that are piled together on this cd are simply what the band memebers and... Read more
Published on Jan 28 2004 by Jess
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music At Its Best!
This album is my bible Jeff Buckley is my God we come together to make a chance in the starlight, altough Jeff never finished this album his un finished music leaves you thinking... Read more
Published on Jan 6 2004 by Chris
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definately worth a look
Jeff Buckley's second studio album is only half finished but still better than what most of todays pop dreck will release in thier pitiful careers. Read more
Published on Dec 23 2003 by "lizard_scum"
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Work in Progress......
Simply stated, this is a very very cool collection of songs, of sincere, heartfelt creativity, interwoven with some beautiful, angry, intense, wistful, eerie and reflective... Read more
Published on Sep 23 2003 by Timothy Cummings
2.0 out of 5 stars
Grace is unique!
The milking of the legacy has started. On hearing this I became convinced that JB would have been a one hit wonder, had he lived. Read more
Published on Jun 14 2003 by R. Bruynesteyn
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fitting tribute
The first posthumous release after Buckley's untimely drowning death, "Sketches. . ." is an an in-progress document of the album he was working on at the time of his death. Read more
Published on April 28 2003 by jeu8478
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Groundbreaking Odyssey Into Music
Sketches is one of the best albums I own. It is also one of the most anguishing. This duality exists because the music was never finished, they are but "sketches" of the... Read more
Published on Mar 16 2003 by M. Neal
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't overlook this gem.
'Sketches' is a fantastic piece of music. The quality and sheer artistic genius of Jeff Buckley's work comes out in full force on the first disc, which alone is well worth the... Read more
Published on Mar 6 2003 by James
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