Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk

Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk is the only posthumous album of polished studio tracks and demos recorded by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. Buckley was dissatisfied by the material recorded during the first block session, produced by Television frontman Tom Verlaine in the summer of 1996 and early in 1997. He then continued working on demo recordings to refine his sound. The album was to be titled My Sweetheart, the Drunk, but was never finished, as the rest of the band were traveling to meet Buckley at the time of his death. The album was released posthumously on May 26, 1998. Despite its unfinished state, the album garnered many positive reviews. Musically, biographers and critics pointed that he "was reaching fruitfully in multiple directions".[4]

Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
Compilation album by
Jeff Buckley
ReleasedMay 26, 1998
RecordedSummer 1996; Spring 1997
StudioNew York; Memphis
Genre
Length
  • 91:44 (in total)
  • 100:53 (with bonus tracks)
LabelColumbia
Producer
Jeff Buckley chronology
Live from the Bataclan
(1995)		 Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
(1998)		 Mystery White Boy
(2000)
Singles from Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
  1. "Everybody Here Wants You"
    Released: May 18, 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
The Guardian[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
NME8/10[5]
Pitchfork8.0/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Slant Magazine[8]
Spin4/10[9]
USA Today[10]

Music and background

Biographers Dave Lory and Jim Irvin wrote that Buckley was inspired by the music of some of his favourite artists. "His Siouxsie and the Banshees influence is most obvious on songs like "Nightmares by the Sea" and "Witches Rave"".[11] Los Angeles Times cited as references "John Lennon’s early solo work" and "inner depth" of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Reviewer Steve Hochman compared the track "Everybody Here Wants You" to a "70s-ish soul experiment worthy of Marvin Gaye or Al Green" while "New Year's Prayer" was linked to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".[4]

"My Sweetheart the Drunk" was the working title that Buckley used while writing and recording the album. The title was intended by his mother and sole heir of his estate, Mary Guibert, to be rendered with parentheses, as Sketches for (My Sweetheart the Drunk). This was because Jeff's work was not finished, and therefore was just an outline, or "sketch", of what would have been released.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jeff Buckley; except where indicated

Disc One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Sky Is a Landfill"Jeff Buckley, Michael Tighe5:09
2."Everybody Here Wants You" 4:46
3."Opened Once" 3:30
4."Nightmares by the Sea" 3:53
5."Yard of Blonde Girls"Audrey Clark, Lori Kramer, Inger Lorre4:07
6."Witches' Rave" 4:40
7."New Year's Prayer" 4:40
8."Morning Theft" 3:39
9."Vancouver"Jeff Buckley, Mick Grøndahl, Michael Tighe3:12
10."You & I" 5:37
Total length:43:13
Disc Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nightmares by the Sea" (Original Mix) 3:50
2."New Year's Prayer" (Original Mix) 4:10
3."Haven't You Heard" 4:07
4."I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted to Be)" 4:27
5."Murder Suicide Meteor Slave" 5:55
6."Back in N.Y.C."Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford7:36
7."Demon John"Jeff Buckley, Michael Tighe5:13
8."Your Flesh Is So Nice" 3:37
9."Jewel Box" 3:37
10."Satisfied Mind" (Recorded 1992.10.11 WFMU)Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes5:59
Total length:48:31
International (non-US) / Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Gunshot Glitter"5:36
12."Thousand Fold"3:33
Total length:57:40

International (non-US) editions of Disc 2 include the bonus track "Gunshot Glitter" (Jeff Buckley) as Track 7 for a total of 21 tracks. The Japanese edition of Disc 2 also includes the bonus track "Thousand Fold" (Jeff Buckley) as Track 11 for a total of 22 tracks.

Personnel
  • Jeff Buckley – guitar, vocals
  • Michael Tighe – guitar
  • Mick Grøndahl – bass guitar
  • Eric Eidel – drums
  • Parker Kindred – drums
  • Producers: Tom Verlaine, [Nicholas Hill on "Satisfied Mind"]
  • Engineers: Jeff Buckley, Michael J. Clouse, Ray Martin, Irene Trudel
  • Assistant engineers: Jim Caruana, Joe Lizzi, David Seitz
  • Mixing: Tom Cadley, Michael J. Clouse, Mary Guibert, Tom Verlaine, Andy Wallace
  • Mixing assistant: Steve Sisco
  • Art direction: Nicky Lindeman, Gail Marowitz
  • Design: Nicky Lindeman, Gail Marowitz
  • Photography: Merri Cyr
  • Liner notes: Bill Flanagan, Mary Guibert

Charts

Album
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 13
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 62
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 93
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 7
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 7
US Billboard 200[21] 64

Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1998 "Everybody Here Wants You" Australian Top 100[22] 35
UK Singles Chart[23] 43
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References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk – Jeff Buckley". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  2. Browne, David (May 25, 1998). "Sketches of My Sweetheart the Drunk". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  3. Sullivan, Caroline (May 15, 1998). "Jeff Buckley: Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk)". The Guardian.
  4. Hochman, Steve (May 25, 1998). "Buckley's Restless Spirit, Rich Music Preserved". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. Williams, Simon (May 9, 1998). "Jeff Buckley – Sketches (For My Sweetheart The Drunk)". NME. Archived from the original on June 17, 2000. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  6. Dombal, Ryan (December 11, 2016). "Jeff Buckley: Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  7. Fricke, David (May 7, 1998). "Jeff Buckley: Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 6, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  8. Cinquemani, Sal (November 1, 2002). "Jeff Buckley: Sketches: For My Sweetheart the Drunk". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on November 6, 2002. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  9. Milner, Greg (July 1998). "Jeff Buckley: Sketches (For My Sweetheart, the Drunk)". Spin. 14 (7): 126. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  10. Gundersen, Edna (June 2, 1998). "Jeff Buckley, Sketches for My Sweetheart, the Drunk". USA Today.
  11. Dave Lory, Jim Irvin (2018). Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye. Post Hill Press. ISBN 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.
  12. "Australiancharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  17. "Charts.nz – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  19. "Swedishcharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  21. "Jeff Buckley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  22. "Australia: Singles". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  23. "UK Chartlog". zobbel.de. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
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