Jeff Buckley - Live In Chicago DVD

I made quite a discovery when I recently came across Jeff Buckley. His debut album, Grace, earned him a great deal of respect from the music industry on its release in 1994. Here was a major new talent who looked as though he could be about to singlehandedly rewrite the rock music rule book.

Buckley was an immediate underground success. He went on the road for two years, touring the world amidst an increasing buzz about his talent and almost otherworldly sound. It looked as though Buckley would soon become a worldwide phenomenon.

Then, in 1997, Buckley went for a swim in the Mississippi river and got caught in the undertow of a boat. He drowned aged just 30.

Despite the tragedy of a life cut so drastically short, Jeff Buckley left the world of music something to be truly treasured. One can only wonder what beautiful, haunting, ethereal and unique music he might have made had he lived. Despite our loss, what we have is something truly different. Even though Buckley's back catalogue is understandably short, his work was fairly prolific whilst alive, and there is more music from him than one might have expected from other artists at the beginning of their career. There is also a legacy of superb live recordings that, some might argue, are more powerful than his studio work.

This DVD - Live In Chicago - is a set that Buckley performed at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago on May 13, 1995. I don't really feel the need to go into the performance as it is fairly stripped down. This is just a guy and his guitars, with a band of two other guitarists and a drummer on stage. But of course, the magic ingredient is Buckley. Never will you hear a voice like his!

If you're looking for something new and a bit different to what you might normally watch/listen, then I'd suggest giving Jeff Buckley a try. The Jeff Buckley Official Site has a media player section that allows you to listen to the full songs on each album so you can make your own mind up.

I tried to think what Jeff Buckley reminded me of. His singing sounded to me as though an angel had drifted down from heaven and somehow inhabited the body of a mere mortal. It was no suprise then, to hear that his fans refer to him as an angel. Just one listen to Buckley singing 'Hallelujah' ought to convince the most sceptical of this.

The basic, pared down, simple film of Live In Chicago probably only deserves an 8/10 for quality.

However, the performance in the recording from Buckley and musicianship should be rated as

10/10.

JeffBuckley.com
Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley - Official Documentary Film Website
Grace @ Wikipedia
Jeff Buckley @ Wikipedia