Customer Reviews

Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk)

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This two-CD set represents, with the exception of one song, the work that would've become Jeff Buckley's follow-up to his magnificent debut album "Grace". It never quite reaches the dizzying romantic riff-filled goth/folk/R&B-inflected highs of that album, but it has its own beauty that cannot be overlooked.

The first disc comprises Jeff and his band's sessions with legendary Television guitarist Tom Verlaine. As detailed in David Browne's fine memoir "Dream Brother", Jeff had come to identify with Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's balancing act between artistic integrity and commercial success. Like Cobain, Jeff had come to resent the gloss liberally applied to his last album courtesy one Mr. Andy Wallace (although it suited Buckley's style far better than Cobain's), and decided he wanted a more "indie" feel to his follow-up. The Verlaine sessions did not culminate in a finished product, but rather finds Jeff feeling out his creative potential and directions.

"The Sky is a Landfill" is an explosive anti-media anthem, and "Witches' Rave" is a sweet piece of Smiths-inspired goth pop. "Everybody Here Wants You" is an outgrowth of the blues leanings present on 'Grace', complete with a fine, sensual lyric ("Coffee smell and lilac skin/You're a flame in me"). The cover of "Very Sexy" entitled "Yard of Blonde Girls" finds Buckley exploring grunge, and the off-kilter "Vancouver", a tale of infidelity set in London (leaving the title fairly inexplicable), is a likewise ennervating piece of rawk. The sparse ballads "Opened Once", "New Year's Prayer" and "Morning Theft" are the closest in spirit to 'Grace', but only hint at the greatness acheived there.

The real revelation from these sessions is the Nirvana-esque ballad/rocker crossbreed of "Nightmares by the Sea". Unfortunately, Andy Wallace's remix of the first disc effectively neuters this track, but the original Verlaine mix is presented on disc two and is a messy, epic song filled with powerful, unforgettable imagery and undeniable heartbreak --- in short, precisely the kind of song that drew critical attention to Buckley in the first place. With powerful cymbal-thrashing like waves hurtling themselves against rocks, the song draws to a close.

"Haven't You Heard", neither a demo or a Verlaine session castaway, is another stab at a political song, and while it feels like confused vitriol and Buckley's falsetto actually becomes quite grating halfway through it, the song is powerful and well-executed enough not to dismiss.

Buckley's work was never user-friendly by any means, and always required multiple listens to grasp its nuances. The lo-fi demos on the second disc don't make his work any more accessible, but they are ultimately at least as rewarding a look into his mind as the first disc, as it showed him finally closing in on his vision. 'I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted to Be)" may be awkwardly titled, but is a fantastic song, and stands with the best in Buckley's career. The Genesis cover, "Back in NYC" is surprisingly very good, a stripped-down take on a track from the prog-rock group's Gotham concept album 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'. The lovely "Jewel Box" stands on its own as well, but the rest of the demos simply don't offer enough of the finished product to merit repeated listens.

Finally, "Satisfied Mind", the song played at Jeff's funeral, isn't as transcendent as many of the covers the man recorded, so it simply has to settle for being very good instead of excellent. Not bad.

It's hard to criticize "Sketches", being that it was never intended as a final artistic statement, bur rather a musician's struggle to discover a new voice for himself. While he never was able to commit that voice to tape with a band present, he did leave some wonderful scraps for us Buckley fans to obsess over. And we should be grateful for it. And him.

A friend of mine introduced the music of jeff buckley fairly recently to me. I can not believe i've lived so long without this music in my life. A bit dramatic? well, as soon as you listen to this you will understand. This album has some of the most perfect songs i have ever listened to. "Everybody here wants you" is a song so alluring and passionate that my soul stirs every time i listen to it. "New Year's Prayer" "nightmares by the sea" and "Vancouver" are brilliant and haunting. "Morning Theft" is a poetic simple song that exudes such beauty i want to weep. "We could be so happy baby" is raw, vulnerable, and stripped of pretense...music Jeff probably wasn't on planning on anyone to listen to. This album isn't entirely melancholy and sad. I laughed when I heard the far from subtle "your flesh is so nice." It wasn't a song i expected to hear but i love it as well. For the new buckley listener i recommend starting with "Grace." Then move on to this and you will forever be an admirer of jeff buckley. Although it's an immense loss that we no longer have him to share his beautiful music with us, i thank god he did leave us with these few but precious songs.

I am 12 and have had Sketches for a about six months. My sister introduced me to Jeff Buckley's first album about a year earlier. Me, being a Jimi Hendrix, and Beatles fan, I didn't take much notice of the album. But after a while, after a long time of listening to it in the car, I relized I knew all of the songs on the album, and began listening to it over and over. Grace was an amazing album, polised to perfection, and when buying Sketches, I wasn't sure of what would come of this 2-cd set. The first cd, being my personal favourite, doesn't seem unfinished at all. Even if the sound wasn't as solid as compared to Grace, it made the music stand out more, mainly Jeff's incredible voice. I have had the CD for a while, and almost all the songs are great, 'The Sky Is A Landfill' being a powerful lyrics and heavy yet beautiful music. And of course, 'Everybody Here Wants You' is a lovely song, which definately stands out. 'Nightmares by the Sea' is pretty cool, and 'New Years Prayer' has a great haunting sound. The second CD, does have some good tracks, yet doesn't come to the same standard of the first. The majority of the songs, are home recorded, and you can hear how well he used his resources(banging on the microphone for a thumping beat) There is some weired sounds here too. The last song though, 'Satisfied Mind' is one of the albums best. It's the sort of slow, heavenly, yet bluesy, song that leaves you humming(if you can sing that well!) Sketches is a good as Grace, if not better. I was horrified to hear of Jeff Buckleys death, and I don't think that there is many young, great musical poets left who could bring out emotions like Jeff could. His death was a great loss. Recently, I heard of 'Mystery White Boy' and I have heard Jeff live in Australia on the radio. I am eager to check this out.

I became a Jeff Buckley fan on first hearing "Grace" - an album that inspired me, changed my life, and made me complete. I had also bought "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk" at the same time as "Grace", but his debut album just held me so much so that I didn't really give "Sketches..." a *real* listen until I had been truly filed by "Grace".
When making this album Jeff did not want to make a "second Grace": He had to develop, and this album shows just what a talent this man really was. Every single song on this album is on the same level as "Grace", if not higher. The songs are mature, rock-y, passionate, brave - they are songs of *emotion*. Disk One shows the songs which Jeff had made good quality recordings of, hinting that these would have made the final cut had he lived to see it. "Vancouver", "The Sky is a Landfill", "Morning Theft", "Everybody Here Wants You", and "Nightmares by the Sea" are all among my top favourite songs of all time, but to be honest, there is no one *superior* song in this collection - they are all the most beautiful, poetic and astounding pieces, I feel that have been written in at least the last twenty years. Each song helps you with different emotions - you feel and think differently during each song - they are a snippet of genius.
Disk Two is the more "sketchier" area of the CD, but this does, in no way lessen the value of the songs. "Back in NYC" really hit home to me when watching a Jeff documentary when drummer Parker Kindred says "on a bad day, the city can take your soul": this song shows Jeff knew how that felt. "Jewel Box" is perhaps the prettiest song I have ever heard in my life - and shows how poetical and sensitive Jeff could be - in stark contrast to the humourous and hot "Your Flesh is So Nice"
Truth be told, I could go over each and every one of these songs and say why it is amazing, beautiful and the work of the most gifted singer/songwriter/performer of our time, but words can't describe what you get from "Sketches..". It's that feeling of raw emotion - sadness to know he'll never be here again; the emotion of lost love, of dreaming, and any other human feeling that ahs ever existed. "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk" is a mature album, and shows Jeff Buckley in his best light - the songs have changed my world forever, and if you buy this album, they will change you, too.
Jeff Buckley, is, in my opinion the most gifted songwriter/performer/singer of *all time*. If you don't believe me, listen to this album!

Had the marketing gluttons at Columbia held their greed in check and issued this at a single disc's length and price, it might have made a greater impression. Sadly, they have opted to milk the passing of Jeff Buckley by releasing every scrap of tape available, including a disc's worth of unnecessary demos here. "(Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk," even as an incomplete work, still sounds amazing. Buckley had the soaring voice of a tormented angel and was barely beginning to understand his potential. It shows if you contrast the alternate versions of "Nightmares By The Sea" or "New Year's Prayer." But aside from those two songs and a straightforward solo performance of "Satisfied Mind," disc two is the kind of yuck that would never be released if the responsible party had a chance to get back to it later. Unfortunately Jeff Buckley doesn't have that option.

But the first disc, oh, what a loss we have sustained! The apocalyptic imagery of "The Sky is a Landfill" fills all the promise of "Grace." There is a newly mined soulfulness to "Everybody Here Wants You" and a haunted quality to "You and I" that suggests he and producer Tom Verlaine were kindred spirits. (Indeed, some of these songs hearken, in the best way possible, to Verlaine's finest work as a solo artist and with Television.)

It's pretty darned obvious that Buckley was in the process of making a brilliant album. The final "My Sweetheart The Drunk" is something we will never hear as Jeff intended, and that's the pity.

Disc One: 5 stars
Disc Two: 1 star

This CD is one of my favourite CD's of all time. You people saying that the disc 2 is not worth listening to, you haven't got it, have you..? When disc 2 really starts with "haven't you heard" (the first two songs are remixes from disc one), it takes you to a totally unique experience all the way to the last chord is played.

I feel dragged into a spiritual world in a way I've never been before when listening to this record. It's so raw and naked that it took me a long time to like it, but when I first did, it just got better and better for each time I listened to it, and it still does. Jeff Buckley is truly one of the most gifted and talented musicians of all times, if not THE most gifted. My favourites on the disc 2 are perhaps "we could be so happy baby (if we wanted to be)", "murder suicide meteor slave", "demon john", and "Jewel Box", but all of the songs, except "your flesh is so nice" perhaps, are just unbelievable.

I do not dare to think about what this could have become if he got to finish it.. Jeff Buckley has, with all of his music, added new aspects into my life, and I am forever grateful.

But it surely takes time to like the second disc, you will probably think it's just weird and far too raw if you don't give it a real try, but if you are a Buckley fan (which you all should be), listen to it until you like it, and trust me, you won't regret it. I can't get it out of my cd-player, not even to play Grace!!

By the way, the first disc also rocks!!("Vancouver" is just soo cool!!)

Simply stated, this is a very very cool collection of songs, of sincere, heartfelt creativity, interwoven with some beautiful, angry, intense, wistful, eerie and reflective moments. Having said that, I feel a special connection to this album (all his albums really)because I've made the effort to try and understand who Jeff was, and when you personalize music, what anyone else says is a totally irrelevant. Okay, enough with the platitudes....to be critical, disc one is a bit uneven, but circumstances being what they are, what can be done about that? This isn't a John Mayer album of nice pop ditties carefully crafted to "flow well". This is the real deal, a mastermind going through the heartwrenching struggle of identification that is being an artist. It shows Jeff searching, perhaps setting aside the Zeppelin influence of "Grace" and trying to acheive a musical breakthrough of sorts. More on that in a moment. "Everybody here Wants You", "Morning Theft", "Opened Once" and the alluringly haunting "You & I" are certifiable beauties, especially the latter. Turn this one up loud, dim the lights, and stare at the back cover photo while playing this. You will be deeply moved as a result. "Sky is a Landfill" and "Vancouver" are excellent, well crafted songs, and they draw you in like no other. "Yard of Blonde Girls" is a little weaker than the other nine tracks here, but the trancelike, Arabian feel of "New Year's Prayer" more than suffices and makes up for it. "Witches Rave" is just a fun little number, kind of serving to clear the palette as it were, coming just past midway throught the first half of this...
Disc 2 offers us two alternate versions of songs from Disc 1, and another bonafide cool moment in "Haven't You Heard".....dark song, but worth the price of admission. The rest of this disc gives us that breakthrough I mentioned earlier, and for some this is where the rough going may occur. It shows Jeff exploring some of his experimental side, both in recording approach and songwriting. My recommendation here would be to go about listening to this as though Jeff is a great friend of yours (through his music, he certainly means this to me), who has just worked on his little four track machine in his rented house in Memphis, and he comes to you and says, "Hey man, check out this awesome stuff I've been creating"......these are rough "sketches" that went down not that long before Jeff left us, and the results, while certainly disjointed in parts, are pretty phenomenal. "I Know we Could be so Happy" is sheer musical mystique. "Murder Suicide...." is scary, even by my standards, but I LIKE it!! "Jewel Box" is a very coherent song, would have been suited nicely when Jeff played "Sin-e".......whether all of the 4-Track demos would have been released will always be speculative at best, but thank God we have this important musical document.....I could go on, but see for yourself....hear for yourself, and allow yourself to be taken in by this music.....then go out and explore Tim Buckley......you will not be disappointed....both were truly blessed!