Mystery White Boy: Live '95-'96 [IMPORT] [LIVE]

Jeff Buckley

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 18, 2001)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 2000
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Live
• Label: Phantom Sound & Vision
• ASIN: B00004TG1O
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #388,573 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Australian edition of the posthmous live album from the late singer/songwriter. Features 12 of his best loved tracks including covers of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' & Alex Chilton 's 'Kanga Roo'. Includes an Australian exclusive bonus disc featuring 3 tracks recorded live at various venues around the world, 'That's All I Ask', 'Lover, You Should Come Over' and 'So Real'. Sony.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the raw..., July 13, 2000

By	Dirk Hugo (Cape Town, South Africa) - See all my reviews

Jeff Buckley's studio recordings all sounded very polished, with his soaring, passionate voice often haltered by big and highly layered production. On these live tracks his voice is naked and raw, often descending headlong into an anguish that the studio versions only hinted at. The musical interpretations of the songs are also less compact, often meandering into improvised explorations in a spirit of childlike adventure. This special edition is well worth acquiring, if only for the inspired renditions of "So Real" and "Lover, You Should Have Come Over".

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile second disc makes this worth the investment., September 12, 2005

By	Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Jeff Buckley's brief career consisted only of one studio album and a live EP of solo performances before his drowning death. In the years that follows, a proliferation of material has surfaced, authored by the executor of Buckley's estate-- his mother Mary Guibert. While one questions the integrity of releasing studio material Buckley deemed not good enough for public consumption (although one questions his choice in that regard), the release of archived live material seems to bother me less. "Mystery White Boy", culled from the tour of the same name spanning 1995-1996, is one such example.

Made up of tracks pulled from various shows to try and provide a strong experience, the record is a powerful slab of live performance, illustrating Buckley as an engaging and energetic performer. It is, in many ways, a fairly indulgent recording, with arrangements being extended out, vocal and guitar pyrotechnics and feedback-drenched interludes, mumbles, whispers, etc., but that really makes the energy of the show, increases its effectiveness in some ways. If there's a complaint to be levied against this, its that without being a single show, the in-song chatter and sort of organic flow of the performance is broken up. Guibert claims in the liner notes this was a better way to represent the music, but I can't be brought forth to agree.

Still, there's a number of fine performances on here-- dark and moody "Dream Mother", delicate and explosive, more patient than the record, opens things up, an explosive, emotional and powerful "Mojo Pin" (with Buckley wailing freely on the line "black beauty") and a feedback-drenched, ranting "Eternal Life" are all superb. And with several tracks not on "Grace" (some b-sides, a new cover) and a great medley of "Hallelujah" and the Smiths' "I Know It's Over", there's enough worthwhile material on here for a fan to seek it out. This version adds three more tracks on a bonus disc-- all three are quite nice, including a stunningly passionate take on "Lover, You Should Have Come Over".

More casual fans can probably skip this one-- the stuff released during Buckley's lifetime is so critically essential ("Grace" and "Live at Sin-E") that it could likely encourage further exploration, but start with "Grace".

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Great Lost Talent, July 13, 2000

By	Ian Creamer (Dublin,Ireland) - See all my reviews

Like many other people I was totally amazed by the passion,power and the incredible vocals of Jeff Buckley when I first heard the c.d. 'Grace'.It was and still is one of the best c.d.'s I've ever heard.I was totally devestated when I heard what happened to him and one of my biggest regrets was not having availed of the opportunity to see him live in Dublin many years ago.When I heard a proper live c.d. was coming out I was really excited at the prospect.I know these concerts were not recorded with any specific idea to make them into c.d.'s and I now think having heard them it was a mistake to do so.You can get a vague idea of how good a singer and guitarist Buckley was but the quality is ridiculously poor.The great songs like 'Last Goodbye' and 'Grace' have been totally diminished by the awful sound quality.The whole c.d. is redeemed slightly by the last track-'Hallelujah/I Know It's Over'medley.The 3 songs on the bonus c.d. are better than nearly all the other songs on the main c.d.,especially 'So Real' which sounds really powerful.If you are a real die hard Jeff Buckley fan and really want to get this I would certainly reccommend buying the extra c.d. I like many other fans feel selfishly sad that I never got to hear Jeff Buckley write and record songs the way he himself wanted-now I just hope that they stop re-issuing reject material and leave us to remember him from that amazing album 'Grace'!