Grace Around The World

Jeff Buckley is one of those artists that became so well regarded following his death that I think many people reject him out of hand. I think the easy attitude to adopt is ‘No one can be *that* good’ or ‘They only heap praise on him because he died so young’. It’s very similar to what we saw last year with Heath Ledger and his performance in The Dark Knight. Many simply assumed the accolades were because he died tragically, not because it really was an outstanding performance. Unfortunately, there’s really no way prove it one way or the other, because sadly we can’t bring either Ledger or Buckley back to see what kinds of art they might have created had they lived on.

And of course, no one could possibly live up to the hype that tends to gather around Buckley. After his death, he was elevated to near-deity status. If you’re hit with a constant barrage of ‘THIS IS THE GREATEST THING TO HAVE EVER HAPPENED’, you’re bound to be disappointed when eventually confronted with the reality.

I guess I was fortunate, in that respect, to have stumbled onto Buckley before his death and subsequent deification. For me, he was just another location on my map of musical discovery. A really important one, mind you, but he hadn’t been played up as genius when I first heard him (there weren’t quite so many Buckleyites as there are now). I first heard ‘Last Goodbye’ while in high school, and it really was something of a revelation for me. His music was completely different from everything else I was being exposed to at the time (either Britpop or Grunge, take your pick), and his vocal style was certainly unique. What really struck me was the emotion he poured into every song, every verse, every word. He sounded like a man coming apart at the seams with every note. The only thing that ever came close to that kind of raw emotional release – for me -were the first few Bright Eyes albums (up until Lifted) and Elliott Smith. At that time, though, it completely redefined my musical horizons. I was even awed by his half-finished 2nd LP, My Sweetheart, The Drunk. A frustrating and incomplete work by Buckley was still better than what a lot of artists were putting out at their best.

But it was that chance encounter as a sophomore that led to Buckley earning a position so close to my heart. Whether that admiration is deserved from an objective standpoint or is simply a matter of right-place, right-time sentimentality is a question unlikely to receive a satisfactory answer any time…well, ever. Even if there was an answer, I don’t think I’d care what it was. I know how I feel when listening to Buckley, and ultimately that’s all that matters.

I think that Jeff is currently neck-and-neck with Elliott Smith for posthumous releases (though Tupac clearly is the one to beat). After all, he had only released one album in his lifetime, with another in the pipeline at the time of his death. By last count I think we’ve had at least 8 retrospectives or live albums since Buckley died in 1997. The only essentials among those would be that aforementioned Sketches and maybe Mystery White Boy. Other than that, it’s just been one repackaged release after another.

Without having seen or heard this DVD/CD combo, it’s hard to say whether it falls into essential or superfluous, but solely going by the listed features it sounds like a decent set. I’m not sure about the title, as it brings up bad memories of Oasis’ ‘All Around The World’, and no one wants to be reminded of that. And honestly, I don’t know who cares what Duncan Sheik thinks of Jeff Buckley. Still, the live footage sounds promising, and for the Buckley completist this is probably a must.

Jeff Buckley – I Know We Could Be So Happy Ba

INTERVIEW MP3S:
Interview with Jeff Buckley
Interview with Jeff’s mother
Interview with Moby

STANDARD PACKAGE INCLUDES:
1) Grace Around The World DVD featuring previously unreleased TV performances from U.S., UK, Germany, Japan – and France, where Buckley was the best-selling international catalog artist of 2008
2) Grace Around The World CD featuring audio versions of all the tracks
on the DVD plus two additional previously unreleased tracks

DELUXE PACKAGE INCLUDES:
1) Grace Around The World DVD
2) Grace Around The World CD … PLUS
3) A second DVD featuring the award-winning documentary Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley

DVD CONTENTS:
DVD: GRACE AROUND THE WORLD

Part 1: Main Program (running time 85:47) – Selections:
1. Grace (BBC Late Show, London, 1/17/95)
2. So Real (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
3. Mojo Pin (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
4. What Will You Say (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
5. Hallelujah (MTV Japan, 1/31/95)
6. Dream Brother (Howlin Wolf, New Orleans, 12/2/94)
7. Eternal Life (MTV’s Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
8. Last Goodbye (MTV’s Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
9. Lover You Should Have Come Over (JBTV Chicago, 11/8/94)
10. Lilac Wine (MTV Europe, Eurokeenes Festival, Belfort, France, 7/9/95)
(all footage previously unreleased except # 9)

Part 2: Bonus Program (running time 32:28) – Selections:
1. Grace (MTV, 120 Minutes, New York, 1/15/95)
2. So Real (MTV, 120 Minutes, New York, 1/15/95)
3. Last Goodbye (MTV, 120 Minutes, New York, 1/15/95)
4. Vancouver (MTV’s Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
5. Hallelujah (music video directed by Ernie Fritz)
6. “Star Tours” (VH1, Naked Cafe Behind The Scenes Piece, 1/9/95)
7. Merri Cyr bus interview (spring 1995)

CD CONTENTS:
CD: GRACE AROUND THE WORLD – Selections:

1. Grace (BBC Late Show, London, 1/17/95)
2. So Real (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
3. Mojo Pin (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
4. What Will You Say (Live Aus Dem Sudbahnhof tv, Frankfurt, Germany, 2/24/95)
5. Hallelujah (MTV Japan, 1/31/95)
6. Dream Brother (Howlin Wolf, New Orleans, 12/2/94)
7. Eternal Life (MTV’s Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
8. Last Goodbye (MTV’s Most Wanted, London, 3/3/95)
9. Lover You Should Have Come Over (JBTV Chicago, 11/8/94)
10. Lilac Wine (MTV Europe, Eurokeenes Festival, Belfort, France, 7/9/95)
11. Grace (MTV’s 120 Minutes, USA, 01/15/95)
12. So Real (MTV’s 120 Minutes, USA, 01/15/95)

Tags: dvd, dvd documentary, jeff buckley