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 Review for songs to no one Jan 06, 2009
I love this album. I have never heard some of these sorts of songs from Jeff Buckley before. I didn't realize he had this musical experience as far as being in this band with George Lucas. They certainly were a good duo for writing songs. George had the different but awesome licks on the guitar that matched very well with Jeff's singing style. I love the lyric Jeff comes up with he is one of the best lyricists I have ever heard. I can really see he puts a lot of thought into all aspects of the music. This album is really a treat to have if your interested in Buckley's musical development.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
You Want More? Here it is! Dec 31, 2005
Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas met at the Greetings From Tim Buckley tribute concert at St. Ann's Church. The two wanted to play Sefronia, and so they were paired together for the event. A friendship and a musical partnership grew. The following are the recordings done during the union.
This CD is a curiosity, a must for those with the desire to fill their Jeff Buckley collection and a raw, strange musical experiment for others who might be unfamiliar with Buckley's other work.
Fans, do not be discouraged from buying the CD. Jeff's vocals are as amazing as always. Lucas's style is obviously different than Buckley's, but it is also interesting to see how the two worked together and shaped each other's music. However, the vocals and the guitar don't mesh nearly as well as they did when Buckley created his own band with Michael Tighe, Mick Grondahl, and Matt Johnson. Still, we get to hear the beginning stages of several songs Buckley recorded later in his career including Mojo Pin, a really nice variation of Grace both recorded in a studio and performed live, and Satisfied Mind. There are also several new songs. The live Cruel has the feel of a classic rock song mixed with a few modern elements. She is Free stands out too; you'll probably find yourself bobbing your head along to its mellow rhythm.
The CD was not meant to be released to the public; the recordings were used for personal use. We get to hear Buckley playing with his voice, using different and primitive methods to create something that works. All of the imperfections are included here like wrong notes, false starts, feedback from the microphone, and moody humming. However, this is something special to hear, something we only hear in Buckley's live recordings and something cherished by most fans for being spontaneous and real. The CD ends with a very funny but short bit with Buckley acting as if he were a preacher, yet another reminded that he was a truly gifted performer.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Gods And Monsters Jun 13, 2005
In 1991 the chief draw to these tapes would have been the acclaimed former Magic Band guitarist Gary Lucas. Now, of course, the presence of a 25-year old Jeff Buckley who was yet to make his recording debut is of overriding interest and the reason for these shelved demos, radio broadcasts, club performances and studio sessions recorded between August 1991 and April 1992 seeing the light of day. One of the major voices of his generation, he was sadly only to live another five years and to produce only one finished album in his lifetime.
No shoddy cash-in, this collection was commissioned and assembled under the watchful eyes of Mary Guibert, Jeff Buckley's mother, and Michael Dorf, from the Knitting Factory, where some of these live recordings originated. Its eleven tracks, beginning with a shattering performance of Edith Piaf's Hymne A L'Amour, document a critical moment in the formative period of Buckley's career, and include early versions of Mojo Pin and Grace, pivotal songs that Jeff Buckley wrote in collaboration with Gary Lucas while they were in the band Gods And Monsters, and which appeared on the album Grace with Gary Lucas guesting on guitar. The pair had met in April 1991 at the time of a tribute concert held at St Ann's Church in Brooklyn for Tim Buckley, Jeff's father, when both had wanted to perform the song Sefronia.
The twelve months that followed were transforming for Jeff Buckley's singing and musical direction and some of the key moments are documented here, including moments from the night at the Knitting Factory on 22 March 1992, broadcast live on the Music Faucet Show on WFMU, ten days after he had announced his decision to leave the band for a solo career, where, at the end of a tension-filled performance, he stayed on stage to perform an unaccompanied and poignant rendition of A Satisfied Mind.
This track has been embellished for this release for some reason, with additional guitar performed by Bill Frisell. This is a questionable practice but the end result does not sound unnatural or overstated. One other track has been doctored; She Is Free, which was a duet rehearsal recording made at Gary Lucas's home in January 1992, now more extravagantly features the band Sex Mob simulating the sort of direction Jeff Buckley was to develop within his music in the following year. Both Mary Guibert and the producer Hal Willner assure us that these overdubs improve the original recordings and that Jeff Buckley would have approved, though I feel slightly uneasy listening to something by him that he never heard.
Listening to the raw talent on show in these recordings, the subsequent success of Jeff Buckley, live and on record, was clearly inevitable
7 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 By The Standards Of Grace, This Is Awful Sep 14, 2004
If I was told that, for the rest of my life, I could only listen to one artist or band, I'd go with Jeff Buckley. I'm not obsessed with the guy and his music, but I just see so much to appreciate and respect.
That's why Songs To No One is so hard to stomach. It's not great.
To compare this to his other work is pointless; even Sketches, as uneven and unfinished as it was, it's lows would be considered highs for most other artists. Here, the bar for greatness is lowered a few feet.
"She Is Free" & "Song To No One" sound rough and raw, but the demo sounds suits them. Both songs, particularly the former, are solid additions to the Buckley catalogue. They don't sound like anything he went on to record, but, as a testament to Jeff's versatility, they're still great.
The rest of the CD, not so much. I'd say there's a reason that Mojo Pin and Grace are the only songs from this collection that he wanted to release. You'd think that listening to two takes of Grace would be a treat, but suprisingly, it's not. Why listen to crappy versions of an excellent song when you could just listen to it on Grace?
Aside from the songs I mentioned, there's no reason to own this CD besides compulsion.
If you really, really love Jeff Buckley's music, then be warned. Otherwise, skip it.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
This album is definitely worth your money. Jul 17, 2003
I didn't even know about this album until I was browsing around at the store, and then I saw it there. I noticed that it had a few songs from Sketches and Grace, but I bought it anyways. Little did I know how incredible it would turn out. The songs on the album showcase beautifully Jeff's voice. Nevermind trying to equalize him with the band. Also, some of the other songs are different than what I was used to hearing. "Harem Man" and "Malign Fiesta" were heavier with the rock and roll, but Jeff's voice still beats it all. I love this album.
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