Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk explained

Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
Type:compilation
Artist:Jeff Buckley
Cover:Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk.jpg
Released:May 11, 1998
Recorded:1996–1997
Studio:New York; Memphis
Genre:Alternative rock
Length:91:44
Label:Columbia
Producer:
Prev Title:Live from the Bataclan
Prev Year:1995
Next Title:Live in Chicago
Next Year:2000

Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released by Columbia Records on May 11, 1998,[1] a year after his death. It comprises recordings Buckley made with the producer Tom Verlaine in 1996 and 1997 remixed by producer Andy Wallace, along with some of Verlaine's original mixes and demos. It was released after negotiation with Buckley's mother, the owner of his estate, who feared that Sony was trying to exploit his legacy. It received positive reviews.

Recording and release

Buckley released his debut album, Grace, in 1994. He began recording his second album with the working title My Sweetheart the Drunk in late 1996 with the producer Tom Verlaine. Unsatisfied with the results, Buckley discarded the recordings and went to Memphis with his band to start anew.[2] On the evening of May 29, 1997, Buckley went swimming in the Mississippi River and drowned.[3]

As Buckley left no will, his estate transferred to his mother, Mary Guibert. Soon after Buckley's memorial ceremonies, Guibert learned that Sony was in the process of mixing and mastering the Verlaine recordings for release. This angered Guibert and Buckley's band, as Buckley had not wanted to release them. Through her lawyer, Guibert sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sony.

Sony had not made back its investment on its record deal with Buckley and was eager to release a new album. However, Guibert would allow them to release only material that was "worth using". They compromised on a double album, with the Verlaine recordings on one disc and Buckley's later demos on the other. Guibert did not allow Sony to alter the demos, saying: "If this was his body here and we were preparing it for his funeral, we would not put him in a suit. We would put him in a flower shirt and some black jeans and his Doc Martens and leave his hair all mussed up."

Reception

My Sweetheart the Drunk received positive reviews. Biographers and critics wrote that Buckley had been "reaching fruitfully in multiple directions". The biographers Dave Lory and Jim Irvin identified influences from Siouxsie and the Banshees on "Nightmares by the Sea" and "Witches Rave".[4] The Los Angeles Times cited John Lennon and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as references. The reviewer Steve Hochman likened the track "Everybody Here Wants You" to a "70s-ish soul experiment worthy of Marvin Gaye or Al Green", and linked "New Year's Prayer" to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jeff Buckley, except where noted.

International (non-US) editions of disc two include the track "Gunshot Glitter" (Jeff Buckley) as track 7, moving tracks 7–10 of the US edition down a place for a total of 21 tracks.[5]

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)! scope="col"
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 52
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] 96

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BPI.
  2. Web site: Forde. Eamonn. August 31, 2021. 'These are his true remains': the fight over Jeff Buckley's final recordings. November 7, 2021. The Guardian. en.
  3. Schruers. Fred. August 7, 1997. Jeff Buckley: Remembering the late 'Grace' singer-songwriter. Rolling Stone. August 18, 2020.
  4. Book: Dave Lory, Jim Irvin. Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye. Post Hill Press. 2018. 978-1682615744.
    Jeff loved British music. [...] the wired consciousness of The Clash, the way Siouxsie and the Banshees went from gun-metal moodiness to skies of fireworks. He adored the Cocteau Twins, of course. He loved how the Smiths called to outsiders and nerds.
    His Siouxsie and the Banshees influence is most obvious on songs like "Nightmares by the Sea" and "Witches Rave" from the Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk album.
    He adored Siouxsie Sioux; her metallic tone and punky energy are somewhere in Jeff. Then there was Elizabeth Fraser, her "unique, impossible voice", as he described it..
  5. Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. 1998. liner notes. 488661-2. Columbia Records.
  6. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1998. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 5, 2021.
  7. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1998. Ultratop. October 5, 2021.