Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk)

Jeff Buckley

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 26, 1998)
• Original Release Date: May 26, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000006O7C
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,445 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
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

Spin
Jeff Buckley’s death was so rife with rock-star symbolism--he drowned after playfully jumping into a Memphis marina only to get swept away by a Mississippi undertow--that it’s easy to forget that he never quite became one.

The two-disc Sketches collects Buckley’s work-in-progress--selections from the awkward Verlaine sessions plus the aforementioned demos--into a typically mercenary and reputation-tarnishing memorial. Tempering his bluster into sultrty quiet storm probably seemed like a smart move for this sad-eyed sex symbols. But "Everybody Here Wants You" is strictly sub-Spandau Ballet balladry. Sketches is more unneeded proof that, in rock & roll, dead men ultimately tell whatever tales they’ve committed to tape, no matter how inconsequential or unfinished.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The masterpiece even Buckley missed?, January 8, 2006

By	E. Weed (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'll add a few thoughts for the person considering this CD, particularly who only knows the album Grace: The first disc of this set is a relatively finished product produced for Buckley by Tom Verlaine (with some subsequent minor clean-up). The second disc consists mainly of rough drafts for unrecorded songs, and should be considered as such. The second CD is not easy listening, and is really for the most devoted fans only (as is fully disclosed in the liner notes).

It is said that Buckley was dissatisfied with the Verlaine sessions. I recall that Buckley's biographer reported that Verlaine told Buckley, essentially: "If you don't like the tapes, destroy them, or they'll find their way into the public eye eventually." Buckley didn't destroy them. He and Verlaine worked on them in Memphis, then Buckley set them aside.

Buckley chose Verlaine to produce the sessions. Verlaine produced Buckley's music with a far more stripped-down sound then you find on Grace. Buckley and his band (save for the drummers on the tapes) had been touring for quite some time, and were deeply attuned to one another's playing. They had a wonderful sound, simple, centered on electric guitars (played with relatively few effects), bass, and drums, supporting Buckley's vocals. This is the sound that Verlaine, and perhaps Buckley, wanted to capture. And they did, very well.

I describe the sound as "simple"--what I mean is that the ingredients were as straight-forward as your basic bar band. What they did with those ingredients was 10 levels beyond your basic bar band. Buckley had developed into a first-rate writer of deceptively complex songs. A song, like "The Sky is a Landfill," might start out rather like a basic rock 'n roll song, but pretty soon you're in another place...the verse-verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure generally vanishes; the 2 guitars (sometimes more) and bass play off of one another (with considerable panache and skill) into different layers and blends, and Buckley sings his serpentine melodies, unflinchingly exploring his uniquely wide range and timbres. It still rocks, and often pretty hard, too, but it requires, and greatly rewards, attention. (There are several ballads as well--not surprising for Buckley, who was a master of the form.)

None of this is utterly different from Grace, but Grace was more heavily worked in the studio, with considerable multi-tracking of vocal parts, multiple and various-sounding electric and acoustic guitars (some "treated"), some keyboards, strings, etc. And Grace is terrific. But so is Sketches...even though Sketches is thought to be something of a rough draft. In terms of the way it sounds to this listener, it's not that rough--certainly no "first draft." Maybe more of a "works in progress," by a band that, like any really active, working band, is always somewhat "in progress."

But what about Buckley's dissatisfaction? Is it possible that we're dealing with an end result that, though excellent otherwise, just didn't match his vision for it, and thus simply disappointed him at the time? Is it possible that he would have turned to it later and been pleasantly surprised? We'll never know. But he didn't destroy it. And now we have it, and can be grateful for it.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, September 26, 2001

By	Jeffrey Ellis "bored recluse" (Richardson, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Assuming that I've heard correctly, this CD was compiled and released following Buckley's untimely death and that probably explains why the recordings have a certain rough feel to them at times. But no matter -- the unpolished production is actually perfect for Buckley's moody style. Jeff Buckley was one of those all-too rare artists whose power as a musician came not from slick producers but instead from the mournful yet exhilirating sound of his own voice. Though he died without acheiving the success that he deserved, Buckley had that most elusive of qualities -- a natural born charisma. He had one of those voices that could automtically posess the mind of the listener and that charisma comes through even in the most unpolished of recordings. Whenever I hear this unpolished album, its easy to imagine being in some obscure club and discovering, for the first time, a truly great talent with all the promise in the world ahead of him -- its the type of exhilirating feeling that I think everyone hopes to possess whenever they see some unknown band take the stage.

This is one of those CDs that to which I find myself continually drawn and its rare that a day goes by that I don't listen to at least one or two songs from it. Especially when one considers Buckley's eventual fate, the songs on this album have a certain fatalism on them. As a friend of mine put it, "It has a real drowning quality to it." I don't know if I'd go that far but the music is truly haunting as is Buckley's voice, its amazing range thankfully preserved here. Among the songs themselves, my personal favorites are the three that start off the second disk -- Nightmare by the Sea, New Year's Prayer, and especially Haven't You Heard. After the mournfully fatalistic feel of that first two songs, Haven't You Heard serves as a powerful remainder that Buckley was more than an obscure, moody folkie. Haven't You Heard, to me, stands as proof that Jeff Buckley was -- for lack of a less stereotypical term -- a true rock star. Unfortunately, that was a destiny he wouldn't get to witness for himself.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I feel so collectable!", November 29, 2005

By	Samantha Kelley "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk) is the first posthumous release of the late great Jeff Buckley. The songs on these two disks were taken from what Buckley had been working on during the time of his accidental drowning. Most of the tracks were taped onto old Michael Bolton tapes in Buckley's in-home studio. He used electronics and his own musical talents to record; there was no one else there to aid him. The cover of the CD is really effective; it is a photograph of Jeff Buckley reflected through a mirror. Instead of this collection being Jeff's own, it is his work tweaked by friends and family in an attempt to make the album as close to what Buckley would have wanted.

Disk One is probably the easiest to begin with if you want to like this CD. The songs are more polished; a few of the songs are included in lesser form on the second CD. However, this is the half that most people can identify with. Fans of Grace might surprised at the change in Buckley's style, but Buckley is Buckley. He's absolutely amazing.
The Sky is a Landfill is obviously one of those songs Buckley wrote first as a poem, then a song. The lyrics are really beautiful and the message is strong. It could be used for a political movement; it is really good. The music that accompanies the lyrics is not as outstanding, so one might look over the song right off, but take another listen. I promise, with anything Jeff Buckley related, taking a second look is always rewarding.
Everybody Here Wants You is a very feminine nightclub type of a song. One can just see the smoke and the dismal men at the bar staring at an attractive girl. It's really a beautiful little song, but it is certainly one of Buckley's most feminine on this set.
Opened Once is a sad lament with some really gorgeous lyrics. It is short and quiet, a personal song.
Nightmares By the Sea is an excellent catchy song with better than average lyrics. It seems to be a warning to young lovers and the damnation they face. It's dreamy and mournful but happy and beautiful at the same time.
Yard of Blonde Girls was not written by Buckley. It is a slow, louder type of a song.
Witches' Rave is a truly fun song, one you'll find yourself singing along to and bouncing to in the car.
New Year's Prayer is an acid-trippy psychedelic song with a persistent beat and wavy echoing vocals.
Morning Theft is an excellent example of the uncharacteristic style of Buckley. He is able to change a song's mood right in the middle of a song making it progressively more gorgeous as it goes.
Vancouver is an overlooked gem. It began as a long instrumental song, but with lyrics and Buckley's vocals became a million times more powerful.
You & I is a haunting, somewhat disturbing song. There is an ominous hollow sound in the background as Buckley sings these strong lyrics. The result is raw but very emotional.

Disk Two is much more raw than the first. This disk captures more of the energy that Buckley had live. Here is his with mistakes and all, just him and a guitar sometimes, or sometimes with a few other gadgets thrown in.
Nightmares By the Sea is a repeat from the first CD. This version seems to have more effects done on the voice and the backgrounds; they seem less natural. This version is actually my favorite of the two because it seems more ominous which lends to the lyrics.
New Year's Prayer is also included a second time. This one seems to have more echo but the lyrics are the same and there don't seem to be many differences.
Haven't You Heard is a song that is practically shouted, but it is really good. It is lacking a bit in the music department; things are left to a minimum there.
I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted To Be) is certainly a work in progress. It has a very bare guitar sound and less than perfect vocals. However, this turns out to be quite effective.
Murder Suicide Meteor Slave is hard to get used to, but it is actually enjoyable once you get used to it. The ending, however, is very, very strange.
Back In N.Y.C. was not written by Buckley, and thank goodness. I can't get myself to like this song. It is very raw and very strange.
Demon John is also a little difficult to get used to. It just seems to wander around aimlessly.
Your Flesh Is So Nice is an incredibly funny song. It is really bare musically, but the words will have you in stitches.
Jewel Box is a sweet little tune. The vocals and guitar are not perfect, but that adds to the song's appeal. When listening, one can just imagine Buckley sitting in front of a recorder with a guitar on his lap singing with a smile on his face.
Satisfied Mind was originally a country song. This is a perfect example of Buckley's interest in all sorts of music. This one has a good message, that one doesn't have to be rich to be happy. It's a simple, sweet song, and a great way to end the set.

Overall, Buckley fans will love this CD and new converts might warm up to him, but must be wary right at first and give Jeff his proper chance.