Aural Fixations

JEFF BUCKLEY
Grace (Legacy Edition)
(Columbia/Legacy)
It's hard to believe that it's been a decade since Jeff Buckley's debut album Grace came out. To me, it seems like it hasn't been that long. For me, even though this album was never intended to be a definitive statement, certainly not a final testament, it still sounds as magnificently timeless as ever. The beautiful melancholy of "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" and "Last Goodbye," the stately elegance of Nina Simone's "Lilac Wine," the snarling power of "Eternal Life," the mystical arrangements of "Mojo Pin" and "Dream Brother" and the grand sweep of the title track hold up as well now as the day they came out, Buckley's masterful mix of melody, melodrama and pure magic as undeniably effective as ever. Even his version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," which has since seen beautiful covers by John Cale and Rufus Wainwright, still stands as definitive. (On the other side of the coin, I still don't much care for his take on Benjamin Britten's "Corpus Christi Carol"—it sounds too much like a vocal exercise designed to show off his pipes.) Andy Wallace's lush production still suits Buckley's widescreen emotional visions perfectly, and the man's voice, of course, is still a wonder to hear. Frankly, I don't have the ears to tell if this remastered version of Grace is a sonic improvement over the original or not, but hell, I'll take any excuse to write about one of my all-time favorite records.

As for those that already own Grace, they should know that this edition comes with more that just a couple of bonus tracks—it comes with two more disks. The second CD contains a slew of previously released and unreleased tracks. Some of these Buckley diehards have heard before; the live takes of "Eternal Life" and the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" have been floating around on DVD and on bootlegs, while the "Nag Champa Mix" of "Dream Brother" and the 14-minute version of Big Star's "Kanga Roo" appear on The Grace EPs. "I Want Someone Badly" is Buckley's contribution to the Shudder to Think soundtrack for the film First Love, Last Rites, and while it's not strictly a Buckley tune (having been written by Shudder's Nathan Larson), it was recorded around the same time as Grace. Besides, it's a fine song that makes a strong case for Buckley as a blue-eyed soul singer.

But there's more. Besides an alternate version of "Dream Brother" with different lyrics, there are a handful of Buckley solo performances recorded during the Grace sessions that showcase the young musician as a blues troubadour. Takes on tunes by Simone ("The Other Woman"), Bukka White ("Parchman Farm Blues"), Hank Williams (a shimmering, slide guitar-driven "Lost Highway"), Bob Dylan ("Mama, You've Been On My Mind") and even Screamin' Jay Hawkins (a deliriously silly "Alligator Wine," done with the band) demonstrate the surprising depth of Buckley's musical knowledge and respect for tradition. As good as these songs are, though, the true jewel in this crown is "Forget Her," the song Buckley cut from Grace for reasons of his own, replacing it with "So Real." It's a magnificent piece, a beautiful minor-to-major melody given a dramatic arrangement that takes full advantage of the power of its author's soaring throat. If the lyrics seem a bit on the simple side (the reason he took it off the album, perhaps?), they're hardly anything to be ashamed of, erring on the side of direct communication over the impressionistic flair in which Buckley usually engaged. Finally officially available on something other than a subpar bootleg, "Forget Her" alone is worth the price for Buckley fanatics.

The third disk is a DVD that collects the music videos for Grace, including fancy performance clips for "Grace" and "Last Goodbye," a ridiculous concept video for "So Real" (it's not any worse than most mid-90s music videos, but still…) and a live "Eternal Life" from the performance documented on the Live in Chicago DVD. Previously unseen footage of Buckley in the studio and on tour is also brought together for a clip for "Forget Her." Even better, though, is "The Making of Grace," an unbearably short documentary that was originally produced for Grace's electronic press kit, now updated with recent interviews with producer Andy Wallace and Buckley's former bandmates. Fans will cherish the interviews with the singer and the footage of him and his band in the studio tracking Grace. It's a nice bonus for those of us accurately labeled fanatics as well as an intriguing glimpse into a unique creative mind for newcomers. It's also a fine way to top off a loving reissue of one of the best albums of the past 20 years. Michael Toland [buy it]