Thursday, January 25, 2024

I Remember You: Skid Row at 35


"Skid Row was slightly different from contemporary albums by Warrant and Great White because it contained less "fake-gutter narratives of sluts and bad boys", and instead leaned more towards Bon Jovi's earnest anthems." Erik Davis Spin Magazine June 1989

1989 gave us Skid Row's debut self-titled album. Personally, I can only hear some of these titles as read by MTV VJ Adam Curry or Headbanger's Ball host Rikki Rachtman as they seemed on heavy request rotation, along with Aerosmith, Queensrÿche, and Poison. It was different, heavier, and the songs weren't just about love and partying. 18 and Life told the story of Ricky who threw his life away, Youth Gone Wild was  about the questioning of authority, and that video for I Remember You - who can forget that sad story? 

For those of us who cut our teeth on Poison and Bon Jovi, Skid Row was the stepping stone to heavier music and gave us an outlet for our teen angst. While not without controversy, the band toured for the next 17 months and even played in the Moscow Music Peace Festival and would open for and play with a myriad of the 1990's super groups: Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, Pantera, and Soundgarden.








Big Guns
Sweet Little Sister
Piece of Me
18 and Life
Rattlesnake Shake
Youth Gone Wild
Here I Am
Makin' a Mess 
I Remember You
Midnight / Tornado


Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Eyes In a Moon of Blindness: Rattle and Hum at 35




...It's a musical journey

It's no secret that the critics panned this entire effort of U2. The video documentary of their tour following their blast to stardom after The Joshua Tree release amalgamated the distinct artistic eyes of Phil Joanou and Phil Corbijn. Jimy Iovine envisioned the journey that captured U2's exploration of America through the eyes of the young Irish musicians. It was not an easy sell, not even for music critics who hailed the album as  "excitement", another described it as "misguided and bombastic". Either way, this piece of rock history was captured and has had staying power. I guess it could be said that Rattle and Hum has matured well. Whether or not they were trying to create the next Scorcese-esque video documentary, we may never know, however the album and movie capture U2 at some of their best live performances. Below is the album review and sadly so many great performances were left off, such as Sunday Bloody Sunday and Exit, two performances filled with passion and captured the essence of live U2. 


Helter Skelter 
 The opening is raw and angry and perfect for a band who is about to go off amidst critics rambling about their delusions of grandeur ... ironic what comes next for the band isn't it?



Van Dieman's Land 
One of Edge's few vocal leads, this haunting song about the prison land that many Irish were sent to remains haunting. 
...I wrote a song called 'Van Diemen's Land' which touches on that on the new album. I was interested in the history of this character, John Boyle O'Reilly. I was out one day with my wife Aislinn and we came upon this monument in County Meath. At the entrance to it was this faded brown newspaper clipping which gave the history of his life. How he was a member of the British Army in Ireland. He left the British army and became a Fenian and wrote Fenian poetry. He was arrested by the British Government and was charged with writing material that was liable to undermine the government and was deported to Australia for 20 years' hard labour. He was, to me, a prisoner of conscience in a way. He was not a man of violence and he was sent away for 20 years so I wrote a song about that." - The Edge, NME 1988 

Desire
Desire' is a little classic, a little 45. Edge took the beat from The Stooges' '69, which was their take on the Bo Diddley beat. The rhythm is the sex of the music. I wanted to own up to the religiosity of rock'n'roll and the fact that you get paid for them. On one level, I'm criticizing the lunatic fringe preachers 'stealing hearts at a travelling show' but I'm also starting to realize there's a real parallel between what I am doing and what they do. - Bono, U2 By U2 2006
 
Hawkmoon 269
Bono says the song was inspired by the writings of gifted Sam Shephard and that it achieved its title because 269 was how many takes it took to get this song complete. There is a burning desire for someone in this song.


All Along the Watchtower
Bono's politics on full display as he covers the Hendrix / Dylan  tune and defaces public property. 
 

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Performed with a Harlem church choir - this version is stripped down to basics.

Freedom For My People


Silver And Gold
I was listening to a John Lee Hooker track and I asked, 'Who's playing the drums?' 'That's his foot,' Keith [Richards] said. 'He was just kicking at the floorboards.' I was blown out of it. I left with my head in a spin and I went back to my hotel room on my own and wrote 'Silver And Gold' and tried to apply what I'd just heard to the project at hand, which was an anti-apartheid record. I called Keith the next day and said, 'Can I come round, I've got a song I'd like to play for you? Maybe you'd like to play on it?' Keith said, 'Sure.' So I recorded an acoustic version of this, my first blues song, with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. - Bono, U2 By U2 2006

Pride (In The Name Of Love) 
A great live version from McNichols Arena is a song that always inspires at any U2 show.


Angel of Harlem 
We landed in JFK, and we were picked up in a limousine. We had never been in a limousine before, and with the din of punk rock not yet faded from our ears, there was sort of guilty pleasure as we stepped into the limousine. Followed by a sly grin, as you admit to yourself this is fun. We crossed Triborough Bridge and saw the Manhattan skyline. The limo driver was black and he had the radio turned to WBLS, a black music station. Billie Holiday was singing. And there it was, city of blinding lights, neon hearts. They were advertising in the skies for people like us, as London had been the year before. And it was snowing. - Bono, U2 By U2 2006


Love Rescue Me 
We played two nights in LA. I woke up one morning with a song in my head, 'Love Rescue Me.' Lots of songs arrive in a dream state. At first you think it must be somebody else's song, because it's there, verse, chorus, melody. I had been dreaming about Bob Dylan and I thought it w might be a Bob Dylan song. It's about a man people keep turning to as a saviour but his own life is getting messed up and he could use a bit of salvation himself. - Bono, U2 By U2 2006  

When Love Comes To Town 
I asked Bono if he would write a song for me and he said yes. About a year later, the group was touring in the US and asked if I would open the show, and I said gladly. Bono said, ' I have this song for you.' He brought it out and I thought it was a very deep song for him, being such a young man. But I liked it very much. The lyrics were very heavy... Blues is not prejudiced. You can be any colour to play the blues. Most people say it's a simple music, I won't argue that. I say
everybody can play it, but that doesn't mean everybody's gonna like it. I think U2 did a very good job. I thought it was great and I still do. - BB King, Uncut 

Heartland 
New Orleans had the sweetness of a rotting vine, when the grapes are just on the turn. I loved it, the noble rot as wine loves call it. There's some dark colours, violet and purple. It was raining when we arrived. Danny had this baroque château in New Orleans, a beautiful house with an amazing stairwell. It was a magical place... Danny Lanois had found a world of people as lost to the music as he was; there was this dizziness in the air. That was such a great journey and a great time spent with adam. I'll treasure it for the rest of my life. - Bono, U2 By U2 2006


God Part II
He can't reply, so I'm going to.' And that became 'God Part II,' in homage to Lennon's beautiful song 'God. - Bono, U2 By U2 2006
 

Bullet The Blue Sky
Part of the beauty of this rockumentary is that is captured the feel of a stadium rock show. The soaring guitar in Bullet is a great rock song for a large stadium. 
The subtle knock of the Hendrix Woodstock Star Spangled Banner being played before Bullet is lost on some. The song itself is the band's outspoken view of America's $$ reach into other countries through violence and regime change.

All I Want Is You 
One of Bono's sweet love songs ... it captures the stages of love and is a perfect song for the closing credits. 


Sunday, September 24, 2023

Mingle With The Gods Mingle With Divinity: Blood Sugar Sex Magik



I remember thinking that nothing could be any better than the 1989 Chili Pepper's Album Mother's Milk. I could not have been more wrong. While George Clinton's funk was still prevalent, Blood Sugar Sex Magik brought us heavier sounds and some pretty heavy topics. The album also debuted at the height of MTV and actual videos. The silvery desert debut of Give It Away thrust us into a powerful era and gave us potentially the best album The Red Hot Chili Peppers will ever produce.

Recorded in Houdini's reportedly haunted Hollywood mansion, the non-studio produced album was full of originality and chances taken by the band. Hillel Slovak had passed not even five years earlier and John Frusciante would leave soon after this album hit full popularity. For those looking for songs like Higher Ground or Knock Me Down, there would be disappointment.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is full of sex and drugs. Make no mistake, this album is a purge valve of hedonism, lust, drugs, regret, loss, and more sex. In the era of PMRC stickers, I was not able to get this one in at National Record Mart ... but go it a a yard sale! Way to circumvent the system. 

I quickly understood why it got the Parental Advisory sticker as there were more references than Darling Nikki that made me blush and run to turn down the cd player. 
This became my album (along with the Metallica Black album). Well not just mine. Mine and my best friend's album. So much so that we bought the shirts and also taped RHCP's on Pirate Radio - and listened to it over and over and so on. Anthony and Flea were like gods to us ... and Anthony seemingly knew his looks and fame were powerful. So much of this is evident in the album and it was also another reason why Frusciante would leave the band.


The Power Of Equality
The first few seconds are deceiving. It sounds like Anthoy is singing into a pillow and then boom ... Swing. It's quick and gets you really moving and ready for the album. It was hit hard politically as the song is very motivated by the discussion of race, bigotry, sexism, and hatred. 

If You Have To Ask
Very poetic and sing songy and with some Clockwork Orange language worked in. New vibe in the one for the Chili's and it worked. 

Breaking The Girl
Slowing it done and showing us what they are  really made of  in terms on content. It's the quintessential "our relationship was really rocky. This video though -- full of color and Anthony's Princess Leah manbuns. Low in Flea's bass but high on percussion.

Funky Monks
They're in a band. There are no monks in their band. There are no saints in the land ... no woman is able to escape their lure...because every man has certain needs.  Moving right along.  

Suck My Kiss
Fleas bass is heavy in this one ... like a big hug wrapping those strings around you. Anthony and those ladies. 

I Could Have Lied
Rumored to be about Anthony's very brief fling with Sinead O'Connor. It's a gorgeous acoutic guitar driven question about love and loss. 
Mellowship Slinky In B Major
Lots of B Major chords mixed throughout ... and a favorite of funk and James Brown. Lots of references to famous people ... including Anthony himself (Yo Swan).

The Righteous & The Wicked
Still such a relevant song about war, peace, and the state of the world. Lots of complexity in this song and has the build of Higher Ground.
Marvin Gaye my love, where did we go wrong?

Give It Away
Seriously crank this song. It's magic and alive and inspired by materialism. 
This video is the 1990's. 
Greedy little people in a sea of distress
Keep your more to receive your less
Unimpressed by material excess
Love is free love me say hell yes

Blood Sugar Sex Magik
A personal favorite. This song is lust about every aspect of a woman. The lyrics are like spoken word. I always wanted Anthony to sing this to me.  

Under The Bridge
The song that everyone knows as soon as you hear the first few notes. Such a therapeutic song for Anthony as it tells about his trials with drug addiction. 



Naked In The Rain
A fun song about loving life. 

Apache Rose Peacock
New Orleans. Women. Drag queens. Funk. Stop.

The Greeting Song
Driving song - pun intended. More women. More sex. And fun. Driving bass but not overpowering. 

My Lovely Man
Written for their guitarist Hilel Slovak. It's a letter of loss, respect, and love. 
Well I'm cryin' 
Now my lovely man 
Yes I'm cryin' 
Now and no one can 
Ever fill the 
The hole you left my man 
I'll see you later 
My lovely man if I can
In my room 
I'm all alone 
Waiting for you 
To get home
Sir Psycho Sexy
You have to love that Anthony makes fun of himself so much. Don't listen to this outloud if you've never listened to it before. Prepared to be shocked if you have delicate ears.

They're Red Hot
Ending of a completely different note. 
Fast, jazzy, and hot. Take with caffeine. 


Saturday, September 23, 2023

Here We Are Now Entertain Us: Nevermind



If my eyes could show my soul,everyone would cry when they saw me smile ~ Kurt Cobain

The album that would  revolutionize the grunge movement was released on September 24, 1991. Not many of us rushed out to buy it ... until we say THAT video. 


While their first album Bleach was popular in the UK, in the US, the new grunge sound was just beginning to permeate the airwaves already thick with LA's hairbands. The previous week, Guns N Roses double albums Use Your Illusion I & II were released to phenomenal sales. Who was Nirvana? Flannel, heavy guitar sounds, and angst was ushered in by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl: Nirvana. MTV and VH1 played music videos and Smells Like Teen Spirit propelled the band into the mainstream. Ironic when you set out to be against it. 

But why has the album been classified as the one to push grunge across the mainstream boundary? What about Pearl Jam's Ten or the Alice in Chain's Facelift? What about Soundgarden? To most, it sounded like noise. To a music lover, it was filled with layers of varying music styles, perfect pitch, and poetic lyrics. Nirvana's Nevermind was the gateway album to all of grunge and to those bands who inspired the grunge movement as well. (See Mother Love Bone, and Green River)

Aside from the music, this shift from LA glam to Seattle grunge was also how many of our generation felt. GENERATION. This album represents a generation and a shift in music trends.  We were in that middle and high school funk. We didn't want high bangs, we wanted docs and flannel and we were tired of everything having to be perfect. We wanted new music. Nevermind was like nothing we'd heard before. 
 

Smells Like Teen Spirit
Kurt Cobain's attempt at sounding like the Pixies and making fun of a 90's teen deodorant was the tipping point for grunge's birth into the mainstream. The video alone was novel, gone were the bikini clad models and welcomed were anarchist cheerleaders in black and dancing custodians at a dingy high school band assembly. The song is filled with chord progressions and nods to power chords of the 70's and 80's. Grohl's drumming and Novoselic's steady bass combine with Cobain's unique yet perfectly tuned voice.
 Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, hello, hello, how low?
 
In Bloom
If this song didn't convince you of the gifted mind of Kurt Cobain, nothing ever will.  The song is a message to the fans who have no clue what Nirvana were about. This song is driven by the progression of the harder chorus and softer vocals that would be a signature model for many of the band's songs.

The video is the first of many of the 90's to use the old is new again approach, making a parody of 60's music variety shows. 

 
Come As You Are
An eerie song and music video that drew inspiration from the Nevermind cover.It's lyrics are contradictory (take your time, hurry up, choice is yours, don't be late) and it is more subdued than the first two tracks.
 
Breed 
Grohl's machine gun drumming ten second into the song cement a hypnotizing beat along with Krist's bass and Kurt's repetitive lyrics. Repetitive to represent the mundane and ground hog day suburban life.

Lithium
Subdued and poetic, angry and desperate. The song is a telling look into Kurt's mind. 
 
I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends ...
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, 'cause so are you ...
We've broken our mirrors [Alt: We broke our mirrors]
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care ...
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze ...
'Cause I've found god

 The thoughts of a suicidal person and finding god to get you through it.


 
Polly 
A disturbing song that champions a woman who overcame her captor. Poetic again and not fitting fully into the grunge sound, however the soft and pop sound ironically detailed into the thoughts of the captor himself. 
 
Territorial Pissings
Talk about the perfect mosh pit song. While the lyrics seem nonsensical there is this...
Never met a wise man, if so it's a woman

Drain You
Again, gifted lyrics even though lyrics were usually second in the production for Nirvana. 

 
Lounge Act
This song builds: spoken, shouting, yelling. It's also inspired by the bass line, which Kurt felt sounded like something from a cheesy lounge act. The song is also about a messy break up.

Stay Away
The irony is painful: I'd rather be dead than cool. The stardom that this album propelled them into was the exact opposite of what Kurt wanted. 

On A Plain 
I can totally hear early Foo in the "ohh ohh" ... which is fine since Kurt was okay with Dave's side project. It's a band staple and has every one of their signature sounds. It also offers a great transition into the final song of the album.

Something In The Way
 This song is magic. It is simple. It mellows out the anger and angst. There is nothing but Kurts guitar and voice until the drums, bass, and cello are softly mixed in. 

We may never have a moment like this again in our lives. We witnessed a musical transition in our generation. A musical revolution that happened at the same time when we transitioned from cassettes to CDs. A time when we used to go buy physical copies of music and play it from start to finish. Personally, I can remember who I was with and where I was when we first played this album. It was bold, different, and emotional. Music up to this point had been pop, sap, and a pancake make-up false facade. 

Kurt, Krist, and Dave gave us a platform and a soundtrack for our generation. We could be ourselves, angry, frustrated, and confused. Nevermind gave us an outlet. Nirvana also opened a world of music to many that never would have heard of. Nirvana was put into our lexicon before the word grunge, so the two have become synonymous. 


Sunday, September 10, 2023

September 10th, 2001



Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?

Did you feel guilty
'Cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother
And tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street
?

Alan Jackson - Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning

Twenty-two years ago today, life was simple for us. Terrorism was in Israel, Northern Ireland and Colombia. Twenty-two years ago today, we could look at an azure sky and enjoy it for what it was – pure, deep and inviting. People rode the subways, planes and buses without cause for concern. Washington D.C., Shanksville PA and New York City would never be mentioned in the same sentence on September 10, 2001.

Twenty-two years ago today, we saw and spoke to friends and family members for the final time. We watched as firefighters parked their cars at the firehouse for the night tour, hoping to watch the Giants-Broncos game between runs. Police officers stood at roll call for a quiet September night patrolling the city. Husbands, wives and flight attendants packed for their flights the next morning.


Twenty-two years ago today, we said goodbye to our innocence as we woke to a new world. In 102 Minutes, our lives would be forever changed.

Now, blue skies remind us of that day when they were blackened by smoke, when we heard the skies become silent and saw many act courageously in their final moments. Statements like, Let’s Roll and We're Three Truck and We’re Still Heading Up exemplify moments of bravery and final acts of humanity in a day filled with so much fear. Stories of the fire safety director who wouldn’t leave the Trade Center until he accounted for all of his employees, the equities trader with the red bandanna who saved 12 people, the final fight for their lives on board a hurdling plane, the firefighter running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in full gear to do his job, the police officer last seen as she helped victims to safety -- each one of these heroes gave their lives for others...this is what September 11th should be remembered as...selfless acts of courage.
Our September 10th heroes looked up to our September 11th heroes in the following days. 

Twenty-two years ago on September 11th, our world changed, and it will never go back to the way it was. Something always reminds you of that day – a song, a fire truck, a plane, dust on the sidewalk. Although we must move on – never forget the sacrifices, the unspoken hurt that still remains, the friend’s phone number still on the cell phone after ten years or the want of a memorial for those never recovered.

Future generations won't know what life was like before this day. They will hear about it in reminisced stories by survivors, witnesses, victims' families, songs and TV. It is our job to keep the memories alive of the almost 3,000 victims who perished that day, the first responders who are dying now as a result of their rescue and recovery work and our soldiers who fight to defend our country. Our future generations need to know more than we were attacked by terrorists. They need to know that we were attacked by terrorists and brave human beings from 90 countries - civilian and military and even a bomb sniffing dog, died and many survived through brave acts by fellow human beings. They also need to know that day was hell -- it was terrifying to not know what was next, to watch humans perish in front of our eyes on live satellite television.  Life was extinguished and disappeared in an instant and we all experienced or watched it first-hand.

Twenty-two years on -- we have grieved, we are remembering, we are moving along, but we will never forget.





Saturday, August 26, 2023

So My Big Brother Was Playing Guitar And I Thought I'd Try It Too



Unknown Credit
August 26th marks the last day the world heard Stevie Ray Vaughan play Number One, his signature Fender Stratocaster, at Alpine Valley in 1990. Since Stevie Ray Vaughan's untimely and shocking passing, his influence and legendary status has only gained in momentum.

At the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, the man who is responsible for Stevie Ray Vaughan ever picking up a guitar inducted his little brother. And the moment was not lost on Jimmy Vaughan. While he did talk about Stevie Ray sneaking around to play his big brother's guitar when told not to, he credited his brother's sobriety with saving his own life.

Whether it was his raw and emotional guitar playing or his truth about addictions, much can be said about Stevie Ray Vaughan's influence on people to change their lives for the better. From Bonnie Raitt to John Mayer, Stevie Ray can be attributed to helping them become clean and also become the best guitar players that they could be. He also influenced many to simply become the best person they could be. 
 
One has to wonder where in the musical world would Stevie Ray Vaughan be now? What other songs, such as Lenny, Riviera Paradise, or Pride and Joy would Stevie have gifted to us. He was the epitome of the blues. He hit the very bottom and rose to stardom, only to be lost so very young in such a tragic way. Sobriety found him loving life to the fullest and playing the best shows of his career.

In the time since Stevie's passing, a true testament to his staying power is how timeless his music is. His songs were not jockeyed for an era or a style of music. Stevie Ray played the blues. He lived and breathed the notes he played. Music was his passion and that was evident every time he picked up his guitar. 

Scottish singer, Sandi Thom, said that once after a gig at El Mocambo in Toronto, she was one of a handful of people left in the building. Off in the distance, she heard the unmistakable sound of Stevie Ray's guitar. She is not the first to have heard his signature heavy handed riffs when the lights are turned off. El Mocambo was a favorite venue for Stevie. She followed the sound, to see a shadowy figure in a room, hunched over playing guitar. Both he and the sound disappeared when she turned on the lights. In the end, we're all chasing the ghost of Stevie Ray Vaughan.   




It seems like to me that he’s just out on tour and he’s going to come back soon, but then I remember. I’m not going to ever get over losing him, I’m not going to get over this crazy thing.
~Jimmy Vaughan


Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Twenty-Nine Years of Grace

Grace cover photo by Merri Cyr Brooklyn 1993

Grace is basically a death prayer. Not something of sorrow but just casting away any fear of death. No relief will come, you'll really just have to stew in your life until it's time to go. But sometimes, somebody else's faith in you can do wonders. ~Jeff Buckley  


There are not many musicians that I can say "I remember the first time I heard them." In a gym on a June Thursday morning in Sydney Australia, I heard a voice that would forever change my life. As I ran on the treadmill, Hallelujah played on the TV. A voice has never affected my soul as much as Jeff Buckley's.

Within two hours, I was listening to Grace. While it was released on August 23, 1994, it was only mainstream in Australia at the time. Grace wouldn't achieve its crowning glory until, sadly, Jeff died in 1997. However, Grace was not his first album. The four song EP Live from Sin-e was the catalyst that put him into the minds of the music executives.  

But why is Grace being placed into one of the most influential and best albums of our time? Was it the music? Was it the mysterious Jeff with his storied father? Or was it simply a combination of both? His voice and intricacies of each song have been lauded by many including Bono and Jimmy Page: Technically, he was the best singer that had appeared probably in - I'm not being too liberal about this - if I say, in two decades.

So let's break down this album


Mojo Pin
It's a story about addiction - to a woman or drugs - not sure. Jeff's voice, almost at a whisper welcomes us to this song, tangled with background anonymous sounds and a silent cymbal, before we are hit with heavy guitar riffs. Possibly, this could symbolize the ups and downs of said addiction. 

Jeff once said of the song: Sometimes if somebody you feel you need... the whole universe tells you that you have to have her, you start watching her favorite TV shows all night, you start buying her the things she needs, you start drinking her drinks, you start smoking her bad cigarettes, you start picking up her nuances in her voice, you sleep in safe sometimes the most dangerous thing... this is called Mojo Pin." (Astoria, London, UK, 18/01/95).

The welts of your scorn, my love, give me more
Send whips of opinion down my back, give me more
Well it's you I've waited my life to see
It's you I've searched so hard for...


Grace
And the rain is falling and i believe
My time has come
It reminds me of the pain
I might leave
Leave behind
Someone once asked me if I had to chose one more song to hear before I leave this plain, what would it be? I answered Grace. They were assuming I would say Stairway, Brokedown Palace, or something else profound, but Grace is my song. It shows readiness and, ironically enough, Grace to face the destiny that we all have and the journey we take to reach it.

I will let Jeff explain:
It's about not fearing death, or fearing any of those countless slings and arrows that you suffer sometimes on this earth, because somebody loves you. You're not afraid to go, you're not afraid to withstand what you need to withstand because there's a tremendous fuel that you feel regenerating inside because of someone else's love for you. That's what Grace is about. And it's just about life sometimes being so long. At the time I was anticipating leaving Los Angeles for New York. So I was waiting to go. I'm not afraid to go, I'm not afraid to die, I'm not afraid to go away from this place or from any place but it just goes so slow. And I had somebody who loved me in New York. A lot. And it was amazing. It still is.  

This song has so many layers, clocks, rhythms, acoustic guitars. It is also very eerie how Jeff seemingly accepts his mortality in this song.    


Last Goodbye
A sadly sweet breakup song. It's the negotiation and pleading just before the final goodbye kiss.

Sad, desperate breakup song
This is our last embrace
Must I dream and always see your face?
Why can't we overcome this wall?
Baby, maybe its just because you didn't know you at all



Lilac Wine
Jeff loved Nina Simone. His cover of this song demonstrates his ability to transcend the rock genre. He would also cover her songs I Loves You Porgy, and Be Your Husband.
So Real
This song has that eerie foreshadowing of water. It also gave us a goofy Jeff video that includes gorilla suits, a pre-hipster bike ride through Brooklyn, and a diner scene.

And I couldn't awake from the nightmare that sucked me in and pulled me under
Pulled me under
Oh... that was so real
I love you, but I'm afraid to love you




Hallelujah
No doubt, Jeff's biggest hit. I have explained my sentiment on the song previously here (see link)




Lover, You Should've Come Over
Incredible accordion, harpiscordish beginning, a guilty afterthought to a love lost, possibly due to his own doing.

Lonely is the room, the bed is made, the open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns for a sleep that will never come



Corpus Christi Carol
Jeff's beautiful take on a medieval song about Christ and his Knight.


Eternal Life
This song is definitely one of the few "political" songs that shows Jeff's passion for peace and love and his rebuttal of traditional religion.

There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal


Dream Brother
Very haunting and you can feel the influence of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jeff's spiritual sufi singer influence. It is a song to Jeff's friend, his dream brother, about leaving his pregnant girlfriend. It is one of the first songs where Jeff seemingly references his absent father, singer Tim Buckley.


Don't be like the one who made me so old
Don't be like the one who left behind his name
'Cause they're waiting for you like I waited for mine
And nobody ever came



Songs added in re-release
Forget Her
Such a heartbreaking song, even more so the story behind it. Jeff never wanted this song released. It is about his relationship with another singer. Sadly, she heard it. It is one of my favorites (although it could use some more organ and Hammond B3).

Well my tears falling down as I try to forget,
Her love was a joke from the day that we met.
All of the words, all of her men,
All of my pain when I think back to when.
 


Lost Highway
Cover of Leon Payne song done simply with Jeff and guitar ... and a twang.

I was just a lad, nearly twenty two
Neither good nor bad, just a kid like you
But now I'm lost, too late to pray
Lord, I paid the cost, on the lost highway

Parchman Farm
A Bukka White American blues song about doing time in the Mississippi State Penitentiary


 In a way, Jeff's short life and music career is exactly what he wanted. I believe the music industry would have destroyed his fragile shell. At one point, after Grace became popular, Jeff would play under other names at small venues.


There was a time in my life not too long ago when I could show up in a cafe and simply do what I do, make music, learn from performing my music, explore what it means to me, i.e., have fun while I irritate and/or entertain an audience who don't know me or what I am about. In this situation I have that precious and irreplaceable luxury of failure, of risk, of surrender. I worked very hard to get this kind of thing together, this work forum. I loved it and then I missed it when it disappeared. All I am doing is reclaiming it

Jeff was once asked how he wanted to be remembered. Besides being a good friend, his only wish was that his music was remembered. Jeff, your wish is our command.





He was Plant and Page in one, on a technical level. ~Brad
Pitt on Jeff Buckley


Please check out Jeff's friend and photographer, Merri Cyr in her book A Wished for Song: A Portrait of Jeff Buckley http://www.amazon.com/Wished--Song-Portrait-Jeff-Buckley-ebook/dp/B005LA9LSG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407629488&sr=8-1&keywords=merri+cyr