A seething, storming, angry and emotionally charged awesome version of his eponymous debut album track. Jeff arrived an unknown music wannabee in London in 1994 and embarked on finding and winning an audience one coffee shop crowd at a time. He played at what is now the 12 Bar club in Denmark Street and here angered by listening to local radio station GLR's shameless plugging of his late but imminent arrival as tragic Tim Buckley's son he proceeded to turn synical radio station staff present into spellbound disciples with his intensely moving soaring vocals and visceral guitar playing.
Here's an excerpt from Dave Lory's book, this story is told by Steve Abbott. "We were listening to GLR while we waited in traffic and the presenter kept saying 'We're supposed to have this artist, Tim Buckley's son, turning up, but he's late..... Will he or won't he turn up?' This went on and on. She must have said 'Tim Buckley's son' about four times and didn't mention Jeff once. Suddenly, he just kicked my radio in with his big DMs [Doc Martens], just smashed the fascia and then sat back sulking all the way there. I could get another radio, of course, but I was mostly worried he wasn't going to do the performance. We finally arrived about forty minutes late and they were all so rude to us, and yet they knew what the problem was, as they were broadcasting traffic updates and warnings of delays themselves. If I were him, I'd have walked out. The female presenter was a typical local radio DJ, a bit gushy and knew nothing about him and his music. I had a word with the station manager to ask her to stop mentioning Tim Buckley, and he handed her a note to that effect. Jeff just sat there silently and she said 'What are you going to play?' And Jeff said, 'A song.' I'm thinking, 'Oh god, here we go.' And he started to play "Grace." He did this long guitar introduction, went on for about a minute, like he needed to calm himself down before he got to the actual start of the song, and then he launched into the most electrifying performance. The best I ever heard him do it. There were about six phones in the control room, and they all started lighting up. 'Who is this? Who is this? It's amazing!' And all the time Jeff's getting more and more into it. The presenter went from being this standoffish woman to...I swear she would have thrown herself on him given half a chance, the second he finished singing. You could see she was totally enthralled. Presenter: You looked quite exhausted at the end of the song. Jeff: I was getting a lot of anger out. Something happened on the way here... The phones didn't stop throughout the next song. The station manager said that in all his twelve years at the station, he'd never seen a reaction like it."
When he change the lyrics at the "...and i feel them drown my name" to "...and i feel HIM drown my name" you just got to feel, at very least, mildly shivered.
My good friend , he knew for a very long time he would drown , his body was found along a creek on Beale street , the home of the blues ! God rest rest his soul and bless yours
Holy mother fucking mother of god. That final sighing release at the end spoke volumes. An exclamation point to what is now the best performance of "Grace" I've heard.
I came looking for this after hearing a documentary on radio 4 called 'The Grace of Jeff Buckley' you can still hear it on iplayer. If I ever want to explain to someone what I say when I want to hear artists play and sing with real passion, skill, technique and emotion I play them this. It just makes me so sad thy there is so little of this coming through in today's music...
People always talk about this recording like it was emotional and raw because Jeff was seething, pissed off, and just about ready to stand up and leave because of the host and other personal stuff going on with him at the time, but idk if that’s quite the vibe I get. I mean no doubt he wasn’t having a good time with the radio host, but to me this music wasn’t emboldened by rage, it was powerful because in this moment he decided to choose the music over his anger and put everything into it. To me this song is like a big release after being all pent up for a day, it’s a breath of fresh air, it’s letting go, not an anger fuelled fuck you. I can’t say what he was actually feeling, but I just don’t get the feeling that he was going off in his head throughout the song about all the reasons he was pissed off, he was just letting it go.
@@themajesticstick5262 I can play the song as played on the studio recording. It’s getting the strumming close or identical to this version I struggle with
A seething, storming, angry and emotionally charged awesome version of his eponymous debut album track. Jeff arrived an unknown music wannabee in London in 1994 and embarked on finding and winning an audience one coffee shop crowd at a time. He played at what is now the 12 Bar club in Denmark Street and here angered by listening to local radio station GLR's shameless plugging of his late but imminent arrival as tragic Tim Buckley's son he proceeded to turn synical radio station staff present into spellbound disciples with his intensely moving soaring vocals and visceral guitar playing.
Here's an excerpt from Dave Lory's book, this story is told by Steve Abbott.
"We were listening to GLR while we waited in traffic and the presenter kept saying 'We're supposed to have this artist, Tim Buckley's son, turning up, but he's late..... Will he or won't he turn up?' This went on and on. She must have said 'Tim Buckley's son' about four times and didn't mention Jeff once. Suddenly, he just kicked my radio in with his big DMs [Doc Martens], just smashed the fascia and then sat back sulking all the way there. I could get another radio, of course, but I was mostly worried he wasn't going to do the performance.
We finally arrived about forty minutes late and they were all so rude to us, and yet they knew what the problem was, as they were broadcasting traffic updates and warnings of delays themselves. If I were him, I'd have walked out. The female presenter was a typical local radio DJ, a bit gushy and knew nothing about him and his music. I had a word with the station manager to ask her to stop mentioning Tim Buckley, and he handed her a note to that effect. Jeff just sat there silently and she said 'What are you going to play?' And Jeff said, 'A song.' I'm thinking, 'Oh god, here we go.' And he started to play "Grace." He did this long guitar introduction, went on for about a minute, like he needed to calm himself down before he got to the actual start of the song, and then he launched into the most electrifying performance. The best I ever heard him do it.
There were about six phones in the control room, and they all started lighting up. 'Who is this? Who is this? It's amazing!' And all the time Jeff's getting more and more into it. The presenter went from being this standoffish woman to...I swear she would have thrown herself on him given half a chance, the second he finished singing. You could see she was totally enthralled.
Presenter: You looked quite exhausted at the end of the song.
Jeff: I was getting a lot of anger out. Something happened on the way here...
The phones didn't stop throughout the next song. The station manager said that in all his twelve years at the station, he'd never seen a reaction like it."
I think i heard this in a clip
Reading the book right now. It's amazing to see behind the scenes like you're there with Jeff... and then hear some of the performances mentioned.
You can totally hear the simmering rage.
When he change the lyrics at the "...and i feel them drown my name" to "...and i feel HIM drown my name" you just got to feel, at very least, mildly shivered.
My good friend , he knew for a very long time he would drown , his body was found along a creek on Beale street , the home of the blues ! God rest rest his soul and bless yours
He was probably talking about his pops
The vibrato on this guys voice was absolutely unbelievable.
Holy mother fucking mother of god. That final sighing release at the end spoke volumes. An exclamation point to what is now the best performance of "Grace" I've heard.
I came looking for this after hearing a documentary on radio 4 called 'The Grace of Jeff Buckley' you can still hear it on iplayer. If I ever want to explain to someone what I say when I want to hear artists play and sing with real passion, skill, technique and emotion I play them this. It just makes me so sad thy there is so little of this coming through in today's music...
Tom Patterson its been uploaded
The best acoustic version of Grace
come back. everybody here needs you.
Sheesh. Will never get enough of him - & he was pissed before he did this radio show. It's like CHURCH.
A religious experience. “Born again from the rhythm 🎶 🎵,screaming down from Heaven 🎶 “🙏 🙌
Imagine being able to hear this again for the 1st time. You lucky buggers.
Omg yes. I search out those types of comments trying to get that feeling again 👂🪄 ✨
@@Oyuki-Mayonesa lol. Ikr
gone but not forgotten that's for sure!
I listen to this with my phone right by my ear like it's a private show just for me ..... I wish.
Wow.....spine-tingling.
People always talk about this recording like it was emotional and raw because Jeff was seething, pissed off, and just about ready to stand up and leave because of the host and other personal stuff going on with him at the time, but idk if that’s quite the vibe I get. I mean no doubt he wasn’t having a good time with the radio host, but to me this music wasn’t emboldened by rage, it was powerful because in this moment he decided to choose the music over his anger and put everything into it. To me this song is like a big release after being all pent up for a day, it’s a breath of fresh air, it’s letting go, not an anger fuelled fuck you. I can’t say what he was actually feeling, but I just don’t get the feeling that he was going off in his head throughout the song about all the reasons he was pissed off, he was just letting it go.
Omg yes 🙌
Holy bloody hell Jeff!. Why do the most talented leave so soon! R.I.P To one heck of a talent!
I really feel like it is a privilege and a shame at the the same time that we are only a few to know this divine piece of music.
realest comment
Still breathtaking all these years later. Nothing else quite like him.
Mind blowing‼️ The best performance of this song❣️💥☄️🔥🔝
4:50 man!
Estrella B. I love how he controls his voice so well
How the hell does that sound come out of a human being?!?
I think he was tapping into/channeling something otherworldly.
Grace is a warriors song
holy sh*t
Wow.
'from hallelujah to last goodbye' bmh!
wow
Jesus man
Impossible...
I wonder what guitar he was playing in this performance. Doesn't it sound like a 12 string?
Heather Sundean probably.
It’s his guild 6 string. Not sure of the model. So good.
The sound you're referring to is probably a result of an alternate tuning (also maybe fresh jangly strings).
@@monoyamonoI think he used drop D tuning for Grace.
Was that "Dive" by Nirvana at the beginning?
Am I the only one wondering how he did the strumming here?
iiZnApii it’s not hard at all... just use your ears.
@@themajesticstick5262 Easy to say, but it doesn't sound all that easy
@@iiznapii747 I’ve played the song. On guitar lol the hardest part is the recurring lick.
@@themajesticstick5262 I can play the song as played on the studio recording. It’s getting the strumming close or identical to this version I struggle with