Bootlegs
Jeff Buckley: Rare NYC Demos & Live Performances
My iPod was set on “shuffle” again today while I drove down the busy streets of my hometown. As I’ve said before, I love the “shuffle” feature on the iPod because it often plays songs that I wouldn’t consciously choose as listening material. We all have our “regulars” that we play while doing some sort of activity…
Well, Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” came on, and I was instantly transported to Nashville, TN., where I first started to really get into Buckley’s music. The washy-slide guitar opening of “Last Goodbye” is so distinctive, and my drive became that much more enjoyable.
The music industry lost Jeff Buckley altogether too soon. He was just 30 years old when his body was found washed up on the banks of Wolf River in Memphis, TN. Having only recorded one official studio record, Grace, Buckley left us all wondering what he could have achieved had he lived a long, fruitful life. Grace continues to show up on people’s “best of” lists and in to commemorate it’s tenth anniversary, a whopping three-disc Legacy Edition was released.
When I first heard Buckley’s music, the thing that grabbed me the most was his vocals. He possessed this angelic voice that was so penetrating and vulnerable… his version of “Corpus Christi Carol” off of Grace is a great example of his vocal talent. After the last notes of “Last Goodbye” played on my iPod, I turned off the “shuffle” feature and played Grace for the remainder of the drive.
Anyhow, being on this Jeff Buckley kick, I went home and dug up a Cd a friend had sent me a while back. All that was written on the Cd was “Rare NYC Demos,” and a short track listing of six songs. I could not find much on the collection, and when I asked my friend about it, he wasn’t able to offer much information either… he was handed the Cd by a friend of his who was a big Buckley fan as well.
There were a couple tracks on this Cd (“I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted to Be),” and “Opened Once”) that were demos of songs that ended up on his Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk album. This record was released after his death and contains some studio and four-track demos Buckley was working on after Grace.
The rest of the “Rare NYC Demos” are a treat as well, particularly the a cappella “River of Dope.” When listening to this track, you get the sense that you’re sitting right there with Buckley as he records this… his mouth right on top of the microphone, keeping time with something in the background… just getting the idea down… again, VERY cool to hear.
One track was untitled, so I left it labeled as “Untitled.” If anyone has any info on this song, I would be ever so grateful if you wouldn’t mind sharing it with us here at TheFrontloader.com.
I know I’ve posted his cover of Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” but since it came with this collection, I thought I’d just keep it all together and post it again. If you missed it the first time, make sure you don’t miss it again.
I’ve also posted live performances of his classic cover of “Hallelujah,” and the song that got all this started, “Last Goodbye.”
Maybe you’re familiar with Jeff Buckley, maybe not. Either way, I highly encourage you to take a listen here. Buckley was lost too soon, but as long as these gems keep popping up and spread around, his music will keep going on and on and on.
So check it out, dig it, and spread the word.
Buy Jeff Buckley on iTunes
Buy Jeff Buckley on iTunes
Your Dig-It Downloads: (right click on link to download)
Download: I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted To Be)
Download: Opened Once (Instrumental)
Download: River of Dope
Download: When My Love Comes Down
Download: When the Levee Breaks
Download: Untitled
Download: Hallelujah (live)
Download: Last Goodbye (acoustic in-studio performance)
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13 comments for “Jeff Buckley: Rare NYC Demos & Live Performances”
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I am not even going to pretend to know that much about Jeff Buckley, other than a few songs of his that I have heard so thank you for this article. I have listened to “Hallelujah” so many times already, it is absolutely beautiful and I loved “Last Goodbye” as well.
Thank you for the downloads.
Thank you! :) Love the River of Dope download. And vulnerable is a great way to describe his voice. Great post :)
Would you like more? I have dozens of these gems and I think everyone should have an opportunity to hear them. Live performances at festivals, radio appearances, a radio broadcast concert from Australia, and a number of live shows. I also have a collection of songs from other artists that Jeff participated in.
Because he can’t give us any more music, I believe that Jeff’s best legacy is the live stuff he left behind. We have a repertoire that is far too small, but viciously deep. Few artists alive today offer us the opportunity to hear the same songs over and over throughout the course of their development and evolution. Listening to the songs change over the years, listening to Jeff play with ideas and themes, is nothing short of fantastic.
YES I would love to hear what you have!!!! Please contact me through the “contact” page here! Thank you!
And I agree about your comment on being able to hear the development and evolution of songs. That’s one thing I love about Springsteen… you can hear him change the songs as his views and styles change, yet it’s the same song he’s singing. Artists that allow their fans to participate in that change are few and far between.
Glad you enjoyed the music!
There’s a lot more here than I thought. 10 hours of complete live shows. Probably over 20 hours total. I’ll organize them this evening and then drop you a line.
yes please do drop me a line!!!! Thanks!
Hey Benjamin, I too collect Jeff’s music and Id love to hear from you and see what you have. It would be great to see if we could expand each other’s collections.
Cheers, Danny
Hey. I don’t know what it was about today but I’ve been on the hunt for some JB rarities. Thank you so much for uploading the NYC Demos. I would very much like to get on board with some more live performances. I dig the fact of how songs change through out the years.
What a find! Thanks for uploading these gems from Jeff Buckley.
How do I reach you?
Hey Louie, I was one of the key people in spreading these particular demos a few winters back now, good to see them still doing the rounds :)
Check out my link for lots of other stuff, just do the correct search. I have a more exclusive place too if you’re interested.
ratm2007@hotmail.com
Let me know what you have and Ill let you know what I have, and we can work it out from there.
Cheers