Customer Reviews

So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Jeff Buckley was a man of immense talent snuffed out by his tragic early death. The only major effort he saw released during his life, 1994's Grace, is one of the greatest albums of all time and continues to sound fresh and exciting after more than a decade.

If Buckley is so great, why do I review this compilation so low? You see, ever since Buckley's death, a stream of CDs have come out that just regurgitate the same several songs from GRACE, while certain great recordings languish in obscurity. His performances at the 1991 concert in memory of his father Tim and his collaboration with Liz Fraser have been passed around between fans for years, and yet they are still denied a commercial release. LIVE AT L'OLYMPIA, a live recording from two Paris dates which Buckley considered his finest performances, is available in the U.S. only as an import. The only new material on this compilation, a live version of "So Real" and a cover of a Smiths tune, seem minor indeed compared to the material fans have long been waiting for.

And not only does this recording offer little new, but being marketed as a sort of introduction to Jeff Buckley means that people new to the artist will experience these tracks different than Buckley intended when recording GRACE. When artists like Radiohead have emphasized the importance of the album as a whole and have resisted issuing tracks separate from the full album, it is a pity that Buckley's estate issues GRACE tracks all jumbled up here.

I love Jeff Buckley, but frankly his legacy is being diminished by this endless stream of rehashes. If you have never heard his music before, get GRACE and prepare for a life-changing experience. But with this compilation, it's a good time even for completists to start giving up.

As a serious Buckley collector, I find this collection bewildering. Sure, it was released to commemorate Jeff Buckley's 10th Death Anniversary, but still, it leaves you feeling rather incomplete.

Perhaps its the collector in me, and since I've heard the songs here a million times, but I suppose this would be a good starting place for any new convert. On its' own though, its no 'Grace', and in fact, I would tell any new fan to pick up the Legacy Edition of 'Grace' instead. Its about $25 on Amazon, but you get the expanded 2-Disc Version + the DVD with the 'Making of Grace' and all the Music Videos from that era as well.

I would say - skip this, and invest in getting these three Jeff Buckley albums - "Grace (Legacy Edition), "Live at Sin E (Legacy Edition)," and "Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk" - I can't think of a better way to kick off a love affair with Buckley.

Note to Jeff's Mom : Where are all those rarities you keep promising us? And when are you going to get off the advertising and money-making bandwagon to give Jeff's legacy the TRUE respect it deserves?

One of the best things about reviewing music is that it compels the writer to listen hard and fair to everything that comes out of a speaker. If you attempt to write something based solely on your own preconceptions, then a) you aren't listening, and b) you are not qualified to inflict others with your words. Jeff Buckley was the type of artist that I knew had special qualities, but there were elements of his presentation that held me at arm's length. He singing range was extraordinary, but his dramatic tendencies often overwhelmed me. Sometimes, I even found myself recoiling as he floated freely in the ether, conveying a part of his spirit that eluded me entirely. Until I understood this aspect of his art, I knew I was unqualified to review his music, but "So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley" has taught me how to listen.
The problem I had with most all previous product by Buckley - and I've heard most of them -is that they presumed you to understand Buckley's genius. "Live at Sin-e" "and "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk" both overwhelmed me, for very different reasons. "...Sin-e" is concise, but it puts Buckley on display as a performer, and left me wondering if he was emotionally attached to the songs, or simply in love with the sound of his own voice. "...Drunk" was an embarrassment of riches, with way too much material for me to digest, especially since most of it was left unfinished in the wake of Buckley's untimely death. Only "Grace" conveyed a full picture of the man as a fully developed artist, and even that record demanded that you understand and accept his strange welding of Van Morrison's spirit with Robert Plant's histrionics.
"So Real" is by far the best place for a person to discover the beauty of Buckley's music. By culling the best bits of his recorded output and distributing them intelligently over one exceptional disk, it serves as a roadmap into the soul of an extremely gifted performer. Parts of this collection are merely brilliant; other parts are revelatory. The "Grace" selections sound every bit as good today as they did back in '94, while songs like "Forget Her" and "Eternal Life" (both from posthumous releases) are frighteningly intense and emotionally stunning. For reasons similar to those I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I recently indulged myself in the music of Leonard Cohen and I now find myself with a respect for his artistry that borders on awe. Re-hearing Buckley's version of Cohen's "Hallelujah" makes it obvious that this is a definitive performance, as if sung by a fallen angel who embraces the sanctity of this mortal coil. There are still moments of excess, but instead of histrionics, I now hear an artist utilizing every ounce of his ability to convey something that is spiritual and ethereal, but also `so real'. I know I waited too long to truly hear the elegance and raw emotion in Jeff Buckley's music. I hope you don't make the same mistake. A- Tom Ryan

It has been said this CD is especially good for newbies discovering Jeff Buckley's music. That would include me, as I only discovered Buckley and his music a few months ago. I heard my first Buckley song 'Hallelujah' on a TV show, since then I have bought everything I could get my hands on that Buckley recorded. For those of you who think, it is just the same old thing, don't buy it, but thank goodness his music is still being put out there for all of us like me who have only just discovered Jeff Buckley. I thank his mom and Sony for continuing their hard work to get his music to the public. I counted the days waiting for this CD to be released. It is just as wonderful as I hoped it would be. SO REAL is worth every penny and more, especially for 'I KNOW IT'S OVER'. That song is quite a gem.

I have to admit that I'm at a bit of a loss to explain why Buckley fans wouldn't like this album.

So Real is essentially the best songs from Grace, plus a few of Buckley's best songs that never made it to a full studio album.

Its basically Grace plus a few extras, which to me is great! If you don't currently own any Buckley albums, this one's got you covered! Why buy Grace when you can get it all PLUS great songs like "Everybody Here Wants You" and "Je n'en connais pas la fin".

Here's the thing about this release that makes it essential for any true Buckley fan, it has the BEST SOUNDING versions of these songs available! These are are different masters from the original releases as well as the Legacy Editions of Grace and Live at Sine. That's the real appeal to me with this release. Sure I have 99% of these songs on other releases and formats but none sound as good as they do here. You'll hear things you've never heard before...it'll make you smile and shake your head that all the releases don't sound this good.

From Rolling Stone:

"In 2004, Jeff Buckley's mom, Mary Guibert, listened to the original three-quarter-inch tape of Grace as she was preparing the 10th-anniversary reissue. "We were hearing instruments you've never heard on that album, like finger cymbals and viola strings being plucked. "It blew me away, it was exactly what he heard in the studio." To Guibert's disappointment, the remastered 2004 version failed to capture these details. So when she assembled So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley, she insisted on an independent A&R consultant to oversee the reissue process and a mastering engineer who would reproduce the sound Buckley made in the studio."(Rolling Stone)

From "The Death of High Fidelity" by Robert Levin:

In 2004, Jeff Buckley's mom, Mary Guibert, listened to the original three-quarter-inch tape of her son's recordings as she was preparing the tenth-anniversary reissue of Grace. "We were hearing instruments you've never heard on that album, like finger cymbals and the sound of viola strings being plucked," she remembers. "It blew me away because it was exactly what he heard in the studio."

To Guibert's disappointment, the remastered 2004 version failed to capture these details. So last year, when Guibert assembled the best-of collection So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley, she insisted on an independent A&R consultant to oversee the reissue process and a mastering engineer who would reproduce the sound Buckley made in the studio. "You can hear the distinct instruments and the sound of the room," she says of the new release. "Compression smudges things together."

This is my new favorite CD! I was a Tim Buckley fan years ago and just discovered Jeff. This CD has such a wide variety of styles and he pulls them all off beautifully. His vocal range is remarkable.

This is a solid collection. Jeff only released one proper album, but he left a lot of extra material, hence this best of. As my title says, the majority of the Grace album is included here, though some tracks in an alternate form. The other songs pulled from live and unreleased sessions.

I only ever owned Grace myself, so there's songs here that made this a good purchase for me. "Forget Her" and "Everybody Here Loves You" are both very good Grace-worthy songs. Like many people it was the live cover of The Smiths song "I Know It's Over" which really made me get this, and well worth it. I'd call it his second best cover ever. We all know the first, and it's on here too.

I must admit, despite missing a track or two from Grace that isn't here, I'd call this the first stop for new Buckley fans. A must for any fan really. Good booklet and notes too.

Many people don't understand (myself included at one time)why we needed this album since most of the music had been previously released... There is good reasoning behind this release. Visiting Jeff's Website i realised this release has an interesting back-story.
When Mary (Jeff's Mother) & George Marino were re-mastering the Grace sessions for the Legacy release, they noticed the original recordings had much more depth and clarity than the previous versions. The hi-fi studio recordings were masterpieces, but were being "dumbed-down" by the use of compression. Both Grace and the Legacy Edition was released as such.
When the label approached Mary about putting out a "best of" album, she insisted complete control over the final master and used this chance to get the REAL sound of those sessions.
People who have great ears will hear it and get it(here's a tip for ya... you still won't get it at 128 kbps, get the CD)