Customer Reviews

Eternal Life

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is, perhaps, one of the best EP's available to showcase Jeff Buckley's musical prowess and diversity. The "Road Version" of the title track is harder than most "hard rock" or "alternative" bands that fall within these labels. I think, given the empathic nature of Jeff's music, it lends the song an edge that most other "harder" bands lack; there's also a maturity in his sound and songwriting that seems infinitely wise beyond his youthful countenance. My two favourite tracks, however, are the live/acoustic renditions of "Last Goodbye" and "Lover You Should've Come Over". Both songs are beautifully crafted and powerfully moving. The recording quality is immaculate (probably live-in-studio) and the performances are electric! Essential listening for devoted and casual fans alike.

Having been lucky enough to see Jeff Buckley perform four times before his death and also to meet him, I can attest to the high quality of these unique recordings, from the charged electric wonder of "Eternal Life" to the elegant acoustics of "Last Goodbye." Jeff Buckley brought the same passion captured on his studio recordings to each live performance anew, interpreting and reinterpreting his songs. The true gem of this CD, however, is "Lover, You Should've Come Over." The passion present in the live version far exceeds that found on "Grace," and I think this version captures soul in its purest form, at times oozing like honey, at other times emerging painfully. It is one of the only recordings that has ever brought me to tears from its sheer beauty. On top of all this, I am a DJ on local independent public station WYEP, and each time I play this version I get a caller desperate to know where it can be found. Luckily, next time I'll have an answer, as Amazon.com is the only place I've seen this Australian import since I purchased it in 1995.

If you're just a casual Jeff Buckley fan I can't really recommend hunting down all his singles and EPs as it will get expensive and they're not easy to find. There aren't any b-sides on them anyway, except for "Lost Highway" on the "So Real" single. Here we have the "Eternal Life" single. Track 1 is the album version, nothing new. Track 2 is the "Road Version" of "Eternal Life", and it's played faster and harder. The "Mystery White Boy" live album's "Eternal Life" is played exactly the same way....so nothing really new. Track 3 and 4 are "Last Goodbye" and "Lover....", acoustic and live. This IS a good CD. I will not deny that. But I don't understand why Columbia put out all these EPs and singles and didn't include actual b-sides. There are a lot of songs, perfectly good songs Jeff recorded in the studio that could have been used but for unknown reasons his record company thought no one would notice that they were rehashing the same songs OVER and OVER.

I just think this CD is cool. From the soft/sweet guitar on "Last Goodbye" and "Lover you shoud've come over", to the rip-roaring guitar of the "Eternal life" road version. I think Jeff Buckley is a great singer, who has great improvisational skills.

There are four songs on this Jeff Buckley CD single. The first is "Eternal Life" as taken from Jeff's album "Grace." The second is the "road version" of this song. Next are "live and acoustic in Japan" renditions of "Last Goodbye" and "Lover, You Should've Come Over." The highlight of this CD is the "road version" of "Eternal Life", as there are no other recordings available where Jeff shows so much hard-rock energy. Michael Tighe and Jeff play their electric guitars with precision and mastery, skillfully supporting, reinforcing and MATCHING each other. Jeff sings an octave higher than on the album version of "Eternal Life," and his snarling and wailing give the song an impetus which you never knew it lacked before. All of the instrumentalists contribute to the enormous rhythmic drive that is present in the "road version" of "Eternal Life:" Mick Grondahl plays a consistent bass, and Matt Johnson (drums) is ever present with the 3-3-2 pattern that forms the basis of the rhythmic idea. But let's face it; this version of "Eternal Life" is Buckley and Tighe's baby. The "live and acoustic in Japan" songs are studio recordings with acoustic guitars, electric bass, and drums, and do not differ significantly from the album versions. This is why I have given this CD only 3 stars; there is not much NEW material; only the "road version" of "Eternal Life." (I give 5 stars for that song on its own!) However, Jeff's vocals are always worth listening to; and each time I hear a different recording of any one of Jeff's songs I am absorbed by the nuances of his performance. "Last Goodbye" and "Lover, You Should've Come Over" are no exception in this regard, and may be thought of as the cream-cheese icing on the carrot cake (mmmm carrot cake) that is "Eternal Life," CD single.

The "Eternal Life" EP was released in 1995 as a promotion of Jeff Buckley's great album GRACE and the Australian tour. As Buckley died tragically young two years later, there is little of his work available, and EPs like this, while never reaching the heights of GRACE or a live concert experience, are nonetheless enjoyable.

The EP contains four tracks. The first is "Eternal Life (lp version)", which is identical to the second-to-last track on GRACE. The second, "Eternal Life (road version)" is much more memorable, a rawer form of the song without the strings and containing a lot of the MC5-like vocal theatrics that made Buckley in concert so exciting. The third track is a live and acoustic performance of "Last Goodbye" recorded in Japan for radio. I must admit, this was one of my least favourite songs from GRACE, and I don't find it any more interesting here. The last track is a live and acoustic version of "Lover You Should've Come Over" from the same Japanese performance. Out of the several performances I have heard of this song, this is the most meditative and slow. Though not as powerful as the version performed in Paris at L'Olympia, it is nonetheless an interesting alternative perspective on the material.

The "Eternal Life" EP is by no means an essential purchase. Even if you were amazed by GRACE, there are a number of other releases you should pick up first, like the superb LIVE AT L'OLYMPIA album, the "Live in Chicago" DVD, and the Legacy Edition of GRACE. If you are Buckley completist, however, it's a worthy EP.

I think if you're a Jeff Buckley's fan you will be sorry if you don't buy this Single. The Eternal life road version is powerfull, Last goodbye has nice guitars and "Lover" you have to hear it to belive it. Nevertheless if you're not a fan you won't think this Cd a great deal, that's why I only rated 4 starts.

This is an absoliutely magical single, it includes the stunning road version of ythe title track, as well as two magnificient live songs. I've got to go now, but just quickly, it's the best single, EVER!

This Single/EP contains some very good yet very different versions of familiar Buckley tunes. Definately worth the purchase for the serious Jeff Buckley fan.