More often than not, the word “tragic” will appear in any story discussing the life and times of Jeff Buckley. Surely his untimely death could be described as such. However, with this week being what would have been his 49th birthday, it is important to celebrate not a talent that once was, but a talent which continues to inspire musicians even today.
Jeff’s life was full of both pitfalls and major successes. Much like his father, he found fame early in his career, but being aware of the unsavory side effects of rock and roll fame, Jeff generally steered clear of trouble. His father, Tim Buckley, had died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol at the age of 28. Having met his father once at the age of eight, Jeff would find out only a few months later of his father’s passing.
Buckley’s only studio album Grace has sold over 2 million copies, but less known are his live albums which, in my opinion, are where his true talent really shines through. Particularly it is in his album Live at Sin-é where he takes the giant sounding songs from Grace and somehow manages to recreate their immensity with simply an amp and a Fender Telecaster in a small cafe in Manhattan. Many times I have tried to figure out how he plays these songs to this degree, but the tunings he uses and his skill level surpasses anything that I can wrap my head around.
After the success of Grace, Jeff had decided to move down to Memphis to regroup with his bandmates, clear his head from chaotic New York life, and start recording new music. It was here where Jeff met his untimely death in the Wolf River channel portion of the Mississippi River. The events surrounding his death were recounted by a friend who watched him go out into the pitch black water for a night swim. Buckley was reportedly pulled under by both the strong undercurrent of the river and by the pull of a passing tugboat. A coroner report showed only a mildly elevated blood alcohol level, the equivalent of one beer. This was apparently an activity Jeff frequently engaged in, wearing all of his clothes and boots each time. News of his death resulted in memorials at various sites Jeff had played in, including the cafe where Live at Sin-é took place.
My experience with the music of Jeff Buckley has led me to pursue B sides, live albums, and unreleased demos. In my opinion, his talent and ability are still completely relevant today, not because he died so young, but because it is clear that each of his songs are carefully crafted and extreme care was taken to create a genuine sound to coexist with his lyrical ability. Even when performing cover songs, he gives them new life and musical depth. His most famous cover of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen is just one example. (For the record, I don’t even like this song normally, but listen to the live version of Buckley playing this- it’s awesome.)
So in honor of the life and talent of Buckley, I highly suggest checking out the following tracks (these are my personal favorites, in no particular order):
- Forget Her from So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley
- Strange Fruit from Live at Sin-é
- Eternal Life from Live at Sin-é
- Grace from Live at Sin-é
- So Real from Grace
- Lover, You Should’ve Come Over from Grace
Not familiar with Jeff Buckley but I just listened to “Last Goodbye,” “Dream Brother” and “Mojo Pin.” Absolutely beautiful. I notice that a lot of Nick Drake is listed near Buckley on YouTube and I think I hear some similarity in the gentleness of the vocals, especially on “Mojo Pin.” Crappy computer speakers – can’t really appreciate the guitar work. Gotta force myself to stop listening while I’m at work and wait until I get home to listen to the whole album with some quality speakers. Thanks for sharing.
Nike Drake’s story is pretty crazy too- If you like Buckley you might want to check out Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon”- I was really surprised when I found out that this album was from 1972- it just doesn’t sound like something I would have placed within that decade. It’s incredible.