Customer Reviews

Live at L'olympia

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The hallmark of Jeff Buckley's recrodings is his engaging style. This is only magnified when one listens to his live recordings.

This CD, even more than "Mystery White Boy" gives us a playful, respectful and engaging Jeff Buckley. The CD packaging is also superior to "White Boy" because, in addition to its fantastic photos, it also has lyrics and some of Jeff's own penmanship (a la "Sketches For My Sweetheart the Drunk").

Another reviewer had previously offered ratings on the songs for this album and I would just like to add a few of my thoughts.

(1) "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" - Everyone has a favorite song and this one just happens to be mine. The version that appears on this album is superior but, believe it or not, the EP import of "Everybody Here Wants You" has an acoustic version that is truly amazing.

(2) "Dream Brother" - Haunting, emotional, breathtaking.

(3) "Eternal Life" - I like this song very much but I thought the "Mystery White Boy" version was better than this version. This version has a certain raw energy that is very powerful but the "Mystery White Boy" offering strikes a better balance between energy and lyrical delivery.

(4) "Kick Out the Jams" - Continues the energy from "Eternal Life." This is the kind of song you NEED when you are stuck in traffic...

(5) "Lilac Wine" - A bit too quiet at times... but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

(6) "Grace" - In my opinion, this is the best version of "Grace" out there... even better than the studio version.

(7) "That's All I Ask" - A great showcase for Jeff Buckley's vocal talents.

(8) "Kashmir" - I was hoping that this would be a full length cover but, alas, it was only a short funny bit...

(9) "Je n'en connais pas la fin" - A solid song that gives the listener an idea of the interaction between Jeff Buckley and his audience.

(10) "Hallelujah" - The only real relative disappointment on this disc. This version sounds tired and daresay, uninspired.

(11) "What Will You Say" - Those who come to this song expecting the rocker from "Mystery White Boy" will, instead, be treated to a stripped down intimate version featuring the vocals of Alim Qasimov. The two versions are an interesting contrast and when one considers them both, side by side, one sees that had Jeff Buckley recorded this song in a studio it would combine both the energy found in the "White Boy" version and the intimate subtlety of this version.

All in all, this is a great CD. A true find... if you can find it.

I own Mystery White Boy, Grace, the live DVD, and Sketches for my Sweetheart. I recently came to France, and saw this album for sale in a grocery store. I picked it up, and it didn't disappoint. It's taken a place in my collection almost even with Mystery White Boy, my favorite.

Here are the songs in this 11 track piece of beauty:
Lover You Should've Come Over(9/10) - Very good version, on par with the original, but not incredibly different. I LOVE this song though.

Dream Brother(10/10) - Jeff shines here, in the best version of this song I've heard yet.

Eternal Life(9/10) - Extremely rocking, better than on mystery white boy, he really gets into it.

Kick Out the Jams(6/10) - He doesn't go as crazy on the live DVD, but if you need this song on CD, look no further.

Lilac Wine(8/10) - A beautiful song, well performed.

Grace(9.5/10) - One of the best performances of this song(they're all awesome), Jeff goes off into his beautiful voice at the end.

That's All I ask(8/10) - A bit slower, not incredibly intricate, but great vocals as always(duh)

Kashmir(5/10) - I give it a 5 just because it's short, but it's not really a song, more of a quick parody of Led Zep. Jeff's a funny guy though.

J n'en connais pas le fin(8/10) - Great song, my only complaint is that Jeff stops in the middle to talk for a bit. But hey, that's the quirk and beauty of a whole show, rather than a compilation.

Hallelujah(7/10) - Ok, this is one of my favorite songs ever. And I'm giving it the 7 because he talks before the last verse, and it's not quite as perfect as on Grace. I like to be harsh, but the truth is I'll still listen to this over and over.

This is a fascinating recording of Jeff Buckley's concert in Olympia, France. Perhaps not as quintessential as the previously released "Mystery White Boy" live album, but significant because of the late singer's fame in France. He was adored like a major rock artist by fans who cheered, sang along, and held their lighters up in sweaty, glowy bliss. You can hear Jeff Buckley's bemused gratitude when he calls the French audience, "you strange wonderful people." Someone shouts out "You've given us so much!" and humbly Buckley replies, "You've given me very much too."

*** It's gratifying for fans in the aftermath of JB's untimely death, to hear him receive in person a taste of the adoration he had inspired. He was only just getting started in his own country, but overseas in France and Australia particularly, Jeff Buckley was a rave hit in his lifetime.

*** There's a particularly zany interlude during the "Olympia" concert when he spontaneously breaks into a 45rpm rendition of a 33rpm Lynyrd Skynrd song. But the most beautiful track is the last -- a version of "What Will You Say" sung as a duet with Alim Qasimov. It's a fine embodiment of JB's love of international music and a showcase for his own transcending voice.

This is a beautiful record. Period.

After a long, and tiring tour, a road-weary Jeff Buckley took the stage with an enthusiasm that must have been conjoured up from within the depths of his musical soul. What resulted was one of the best concerts ever!

This performance is extraordinary! Taking elements of James Brown ("OLYMPIA! I think I wanna kick out the jams one time! Move it. White boy style, you know! Can I count it off? Can I count it off?"), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah), and Led Zepplin (a funny cover of Kashmir) Buckley woos the crowd and keeps them into it up till the very end.

This concert contains a bonus track. A compelling eastern-sounding song called What Will You Say (featuring Alim Quasimov).

All-in-all this is an amazing album. Definitely worth releasing. Definitly worth owning.

"Grace" is an amazing work of genius; it's a great place to start with Jeff Buckley. If you want to hear him live, you've got all sorts of choices, but I'm holding out for this one. He does a great series of tracks -- you can see the listing above, and yes, it does include "Hallelujah", a great version that sort of deconstructs it and puts it back together all by the end. His version of "Kick Out The Jams" is really funny, as he starts it out by saying something about "rocking out, White Boy style". Everything he does is quasi-improvisatory and displays the full range of the expressive power of his voice (all however many octaves of it) as well as his guitar. The rest of the band is not very loud; not so present as to take away from him, but decidedly there. The in-between-the-songs banter is also great; from an Edith Piaf impression to shouting "Vive la France!" randomly, he HAS the audience and you can tell.

So, after you're done wearing out "Grace", get "Live at L'Olympia".

Fans have rightly complained about too many posthumous Jeff Buckley releases, but this import-only live album is something special. Buckley considered his Summer 1995 performances at the Paris venue L'Olympia, once the haunt of his idol Edith Piaf, to be among the best of his career. Incredibly, Buckley had a cassette tape of the performance which, except for a little hiss and some slightly unideal miking, sounds quite fine.

The first Buckley live release, MYSTERY WHITE BOY, was a mishmash of American concert dates. Though they show Buckley still in fine vocal form--by the L'Olympia dates his voice had been weakened from excessive smoking--the selections for that album are tame and unexciting. On the L'Olympia recordings, however, he really lets loose. The album starts with an extended version of "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" that improves over even that on GRACE. The electric version of "Dream Brother" complements the album version well, and some added lyrics make its allusion to Jeff's father Tim Buckley all the more poignant. "Eternal Life" is played savagely, easily moving into a cover of MC5's "Kick Out the Jams". And the wild performance of "Grace" here lacks the control of the album, but goodness, he's doing such vocal acrobatics live!

There's also a great rapport between singer and crowd here. A brief break has Buckley playing Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" as if it were a 33 RPM record played at 45. In "Hallelujah", he makes a slight change in the lyrics to "I used to live with Leonard before I knew you." And, as insensitive as it might occasionally seem, Buckley taunts the crowd with mentions of Piaf and the little French he knows. And very touching is the way this crowd adored the singer. Buckley found instant fame abroad while he remained an underground figure in the US. At one moment Buckley has to interrupt his sound to say as if overwhelmed, "You people, you crazy people".

I suppose this album was import-only because MYSTERY WHITE BOY was selling sluggishly in the US and the label thought there was insufficient market for Buckley there. Nonetheless, if you are a fan of the singer, you absolutely must seek this out.

It has been 9 years since his death and record companies are still releasing some new stuff about him.This album is his third live album and for me it's the best.Although it was recorded from a casette found after his death,the sound is absolutely perfect and you can easily feel the atmosphere.This album was recorded on 6th and 7th of July 1995 at the Olympia Theatre in Paris in 2 soldout concerts and has 11 great songs featuring covers of the MC5's 'Kick out the jams' and Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir'.This is precious for any Jeff Buckley fan,but if you have no idea about him this is a good place to start.

This was my first Buckley live CD. I'm waiting for Mysterious White Boy and when it arrives I'll definitely be comparing the two. But as for Live Buckley, this is a good representation of him. Let me review the songs:

Lover, You Should Have Come Over - Excellent. Hearing this song live is a powerful and moving experience. Great rendition. Nothing wrong here. Some great Buckley...

Dream Brother - Great version...first song he wrote, or so he says during the show.....

Eternal Life - Loud and powerful....the concert so far is going great...chugging along and each song is movingly played...

Kick Out the Jams...nothing but straight rock here...guess it's pretty much the same with any other version....So far, all these songs are heavy and hard only the way Buckley can deliver...concert is rolling smoothly.......

Lilac Wine...beautiful live version...I like it....it's not studio but hey, this is a live show...so get the studio version out of your head!

Grace -- Great live version...I like it! You will too!

That's All I Ask -- never heard this song before...like it alot, nothing complicated but pretty and vocals are angelic as only Buckley can deliver......

Kashmir - This is where the concert takes it's first nosedive..Buckley doesn't try to perform the song just have fun with it at 45rpm style...nothing memorable here and a waste of time......

Je n'en connais pas la fin - beautiful, although Buckley does stop in the middle of the tune to chat with the audience..it's a little annoying but then Buckley would do that so you gotta roll with it...it's good nonetheless, though it falls shy of great b/c I was annoyed with the chit chat during the middle of the song....

Hallelujah - The only lemon during the entire show! This rendition stinks! That's because Buckley starts paying more attention to the audience and not to play the song! He barely gets through it, laughing along the way and really giving a weak rendition of this moving piece...I don't expect the studio version per say, but to laugh through this song and get distracted by the audience, well, it's too bad.......

What Will You Say -- very cool, this track isn't from the Olympia show but is an extra track from a show he did in the French countryside somewhere...it has Middle Eastern influences and is great...

Overall, I'm surprised by how short this Olympia concert is. It's less than an hour! And he flew to Paris to perform at the Olympia for just an hour show??? Bizarre!! Makes me wonder how long he performed at other shows through his tours in other countries and in the U.S......

Anyways, I still recommend you purchase this disk but do so for $15 or less, it's not worth more than that...

Thoroughly enjoyable--it is evident by listening to this EP of the live concert in Paris that JB had the time of his life performing for his beloved french audience. Very original performance of some of his best material.

I was not particularly aware of Buckley until I heard "Hallellujah" on a TV show. I bought this album since it had the longest version of the song on it, of any of his albums. What a disappointment. He seems to play it as a duty, showing little respect for a truly wonderful song.

He also sounded tired of some of the other songs, substituting loud sound for music.

On the other hand he covered "Grace" and "What will you say" beautifully. The album itself is a masterpiece of presentation, and I am keeping it for that reason, but will look to find a better version of him singing "Hallellujah."