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Grace (Jeff Buckley album)

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Grace
Studio album by
Jeff Buckley
ReleasedAugust 15, 1994 (1994-08-15)
RecordedLate 1993 – 1994
StudioBearsville, Woodstock, New York
Genre
Length51:48
LabelColumbia
ProducerAndy Wallace, Jeff Buckley ("So Real")
Jeff Buckley chronology
Live at Sin-é
(1993) 		Grace
(1994) 		Live from the Bataclan
(1995)
Singles from Grace
  1. "Grace"
    Released: August 1994
  2. "Last Goodbye"
    Released: January 1995
  3. "So Real"
    Released: June 1995
  4. "Eternal Life"
    Released: August 1995

Grace is the only studio album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released on August 15, 1994 in Europe and on August 23, 1994 in the United States by Columbia Records. The album had poor sales and received mixed reviews at the time of its release.[4] However, in recent years, it has dramatically risen in critical reputation. An extended version of the album (subtitled "Legacy Edition"), celebrating its tenth anniversary, was released on August 23, 2004, and peaked at number 44 in the UK.

Grace re-entered the albums chart in Australia at number 44 for the week of January 29 to February 5, 2007, 13 years after its original release date. It is currently certified 8× platinum in Australia. The album has been cited by critics and listeners as one of the greatest albums of all time.[5]

Background

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In the early 1990s, Buckley performed regularly at Sin-é, a cafe in the East Village, Manhattan.[6] He slowly built a following and attention from major record labels.[6] In October 1992, Buckley signed a record contract with Columbia Records.[6] In 1993, he released his debut EP, Live at Sin-é.[6]

In the weeks before the recording sessions began for Grace, Buckley assembled a band, and delayed work until he felt he had found the right musicians. He recruited the bassist Mick Grondahl following a jam session at his apartment after meeting him at a concert at Columbia University.[6] He met the drummer Matt Johnson through his girlfriend Rebecca Moore, and invited him to audition at a rehearsal, where they created the structure for "Dream Brother".[6] They began recording Grace soon after. Johnson said it was "really scary" to go quickly from meeting someone into recording an album.[6]

Recording

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Grace was produced by Andy Wallace and recorded in Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York.[6] Buckley experimented extensively with arrangements and recording techniques. He found the process of recording contrary to his improvisional performance style, and said later: "It's not like a live show where you play it and it just disappears into the air like smoke. It's like painting, sound painting. It's in a crystalized form, so it's very nerve-wracking: which brain cell do I put down here forever and ever?”[6]

The recording was disrupted when Buckley was upset by a negative review of Live at Sin-é, which likened his vocals to Michael Bolton and wrote that it was derivative of "black idioms ... awkwardly reach[ing] for a balance of emotion and technique, eventually relying on sheer voice of will, oversinging, flaking out".[6] Wallace said Buckley was "almost apoplectic" about the criticism and stopped work for two days.[6]

Finding he did had not completed enough original songs for a full album, Buckley recorded three covers: the jazz standard "Lilac Wine", the hymn "Corpus Christi Carol" and the 1984 Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah".[6] Buckley based his version of "Hallelujah" on the cover by John Cale, and was not familiar with the original.[6] He recorded more than 20 takes; the final version was edited together from several recordings.[6]

Near the end of the sessions, Buckley revealed another song, "Forget Her", and he and the band quickly recorded it. Columbia executives were thought it had commercial potential, but Buckely and the band were unsure.[6] In late 1994, Buckley enlisted a second guitarist, Moore's childhood friend Michael Tighe, who had little experience.[6] During one rehearsal, Tighe played a descending chord progression that Buckley developed into "So Real". In early 1995, while recording B-sides for the Grace singles, the band quickly recorded "So Real" and Buckley used it to replace "Forget Her". Tighe recalled: "He got really excited and was like, ‘Oh, my record is saved because I have this song 'So Real' now ... he felt that it tipped the balance of that record to the favorable side of the spectrum, aesthetically."[6] Buckley's decision concerned the executives, who felt "Forget Her" had more commercial potential, but Buckley insisted.[6]

Singles

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"Grace", "Last Goodbye", "So Real" and "Eternal Life" were released as singles.[citation needed] At Christmas 2008, "Hallelujah", a cover of the Leonard Cohen song, re-entered the UK singles chart at number 2, following the release of another cover version by series 5 of the British version of The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke which took the number 1 slot.[citation needed]

Critical reception and legacy

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Entertainment WeeklyA+[9]
The Guardian[10]
NME9/10[11]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
Select4/5[15]
The Village VoiceC[16]

Grace has been highly rated in magazines such as Q, in which readers voted Grace the 75th greatest album of all time in 1998; the same vote was taken again in 2005 and Grace then ranked 13th.[17][18] In 2003, the album was ranked number 303 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[19] and 304 in a 2012 revised list, and later 147 in the 2020 list.[20][21] In 2006, Mojo named Grace the No. 1 Modern Rock Classic of All Time.[22] It was also rated as Australia's second favourite album on My Favourite Album, a television special aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on December 3, 2006.[23] In 2003, Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" was ranked No. 259 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.[24] VH1 also rated the album No. 73 on its "100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll" show/list.[25] It was voted number 99 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[26] Larkin stated "his music achieved a perfection that was staggering for a debut album."

Grace won appreciation from a host of revered musicians and artists, including members of Buckley's biggest influence, Led Zeppelin.[27] Jimmy Page considered Grace close to being his "favorite album of the decade".[28] Robert Plant was also complimentary,[29] as was Brad Pitt, saying of Buckley's work, "There's an undercurrent to his music, there's something you can't pinpoint. Like the best of films, or the best of art, there's something going on underneath, and there's a truth there. And I find his stuff absolutely haunting. It just... it's under my skin."[30] Others who had influenced Buckley's music lauded him:[31] Bob Dylan named Buckley "one of the great songwriters of this decade",[29] and David Bowie considered Grace to be the best album ever made, and had said it would be one of his ten "Desert Island Records."[32]

In 2006, British Hit Singles & Albums and NME organised a poll of which, 40,000 people worldwide voted for the 100 best albums ever and Grace was placed at No. 23 on the list.[33]

On 2 April 2014, it was announced that Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" would be inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry; the entire album has yet to be inducted.[34]

In July 2014, Guitar World ranked Grace at number 26 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[35]

Accolades

[edit]
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Entertainment Weekly United States Best 10 Albums of the Year[36] 1994 6
Eye Weekly Canada Best 30 Albums of the Year[37] 1994 4
Juice Australia 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s[38] 1999 10
Les Inrockuptibles France Best 25 Albums of the Year[39] 1994 14
Melody Maker United Kingdom Best 50 Albums of the Year[40] 1994 9
Mojo United Kingdom Best 25 Albums of the Year[41] 1994 1
NME United Kingdom Best 50 Albums of the Year[42] 1994 21
The Wire United Kingdom 50 Records of the Year (1994)[43] 1995 32
Pitchfork United States Top 100 Albums of the 90's 2003 69
Platendraaier The Netherlands Top 30 Albums of the 90s[44] 2015 7
Q United Kingdom Best Albums of the Year[45] 1994 *
Reissues of the Year[46] 2004 *
Rocksound United Kingdom Best 50 Albums of the Year[47] 1994 2
Rolling Stone United States The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[48][49][50][51] 2003 303
2012 304
2020 147
2023 147
The Essential Alternative Recordings of the 90s[52] — *
Select United Kingdom Best 50 Albums of the Year[53] 1994 41
Technikart France Best 5 Albums of the Year[54] 1994 2
The Face United Kingdom Best 30 Albums of the Year[55] 1994 18
The Guardian United Kingdom Alternative Top 100 Albums Ever[56] 1999 15
1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die[56] 2007 *
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die United States 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[57] 2010 *

* denotes an unranked list.

Track listing

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Original track listing[58]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mojo Pin"
5:42
2."Grace"
  • Jeff Buckley
  • Gary Lucas
5:22
3."Last Goodbye"Jeff Buckley4:35
4."Lilac Wine"James Shelton4:32
5."So Real"
  • Jeff Buckley
  • Michael Tighe
4:43
6."Hallelujah"Leonard Cohen6:53
7."Lover, You Should've Come Over"Jeff Buckley6:43
8."Corpus Christi Carol"
2:56
9."Eternal Life"Jeff Buckley4:52
10."Dream Brother"
5:26

Personnel

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Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[73] 8× Platinum 560,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[74] Gold 50,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[75] Gold 10,000‡
France (SNEP)[76] 2× Gold 200,000*
Italy (FIMI)[77] Platinum 50,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[78] 2× Platinum 600,000*
United States (RIAA)[80] Platinum 1,060,000[79]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[81] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Release date Format Label
United Kingdom, Europe[82] August 15, 1994
Columbia Records (Sony)
United States[82] August 23, 1994 CD
Compact cassette
Vinyl
MiniDisc
Promo cassette
Japan[82] September 1, 1994 CD
Australia[82] September 19, 1994 CD
Worldwide[83][84] August 23, 2004 Legacy Edition (2×CD+DVD)

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gallucci, Michael (August 23, 2019). "25 Years Ago: Jeff Buckley Releases Majestic Debut LP, 'Grace'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Sager, Brooke (June 19, 2020). "100 best albums of the '90s". Stacker. p. 9. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  3. ^ "40 Best Records From 1994". Rolling Stone. April 17, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Leone, Dominique (September 22, 2004). "Jeff Buckley: Grace: Legacy Edition". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  5. ^ The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time -Rolling Stone
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Runtagh, Jordan (August 23, 2019). "Jeff Buckley's Grace: 10 things you didn't know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Grace – Jeff Buckley". AllMusic. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  8. ^ Kot, Greg (September 22, 1994). "Emotional Impact". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Ehrlich, Dimitri (August 26, 1994). "Grace". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  10. ^ Simpson, Dave (May 1, 1998). "Cuts like a knife". The Guardian. London.
  11. ^ Mulvey, John (August 13, 1994). "Jeff Buckley: Grace". NME. p. 44.
  12. ^ Cranna, Ian (September 1994). "Jeff Buckley: Grace". Q. No. 96. p. 98.
  13. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (November 3, 1994). "Grace". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  14. ^ Moon, Tom (2004). "Jeff Buckley". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 115–16. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  15. ^ Morris, Gina (September 1994). "Jeff Buckley: Grace". Select. No. 51. p. 91.
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1994). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  17. ^ "Q Readers All Time Top 100 Albums – February 1998 Issue". Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  18. ^ "Q Readers Best Albums Ever 2006". Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  19. ^ "News". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  20. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  21. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  22. ^ "15-year Anniversary of Jeff Buckleys GRACE". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  23. ^ "My Favourite Album". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. December 3, 2006. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2006.
  24. ^ "News". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  25. ^ "VH1 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll". VH1. July 3, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  26. ^ Colin Larkin (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 75. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  27. ^ Browne (2001), p. 10
  28. ^ Cross, Serena (Director) (2002). Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You (Documentary). British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
  29. ^ a b Hughes, Kim. "Mother preserving Jeff Buckley's legacy". Transcribed from NOW Magazine to jeffbuckley.com (May 28 – June 3, 1998). Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  30. ^ "Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You (TV Movie 2002)". IMDb.
  31. ^ Kane, Rebecca (August 1, 1998). "Who were some of Jeff's influences?". jeffbuckley.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  32. ^ Moon, Tom (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List. Workman Publishing Company. p. 126. ISBN 9780761139638.
  33. ^ "Oasis album voted greatest of all time". The Times. June 1, 2006
  34. ^ "Hallelujah, the 2013 National Recording Registry Reaches 400". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  35. ^ "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". GuitarWorld.com. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  36. ^ "Entertainment Weekly Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  37. ^ "Eye Weekly Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  38. ^ "Juice, 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  39. ^ "Les Inrockuptibles Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  40. ^ "Melody Maker Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  41. ^ "Mojo Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  42. ^ "NME Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  43. ^ "Critics Choice: Record of the Year". The Wire. No. 131. London. January 1995. p. 29 – via Exact Editions. (subscription required)
  44. ^ "Platendraaier, Top 30 albums van de jaren 90". platendraaier. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  45. ^ "Q Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  46. ^ "Q Reissues of the Year, 2004". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  47. ^ "Rocksound Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  48. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2004. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  49. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  50. ^ "Rolling Stone – the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)".
  51. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 31, 2023. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  52. ^ "The Essential Recordings of the 90s". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  53. ^ "Select Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  54. ^ "Technikart Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  55. ^ "The Face Albums of the Year, 1994". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  56. ^ a b "The Guardian Alternative Top 100 Albums Ever". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  57. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (March 23, 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  58. ^ "Grace – Jeff Buckley". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  59. ^ Grace (Media notes). Jeff Buckley. 1994.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  60. ^ Guibert, M.; Browne, D. (2019). Jeff Buckley: His Own Voice. Hachette Books. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-306-92167-4. Retrieved October 10, 2023. After he signed with Columbia in the fall of 1992, Jeff treated himself to a few pieces of gear—a new acoustic guitar, a small amp, and, seen here, a used harmonium. A portable keyboard operated by way of a pump that pushes air into it, the harmonium is prevalent in Qawwali, the South Asian devotional music that made such an impression on Jeff when he first came to New York. Part of Jeff's devotion to Qawwali involved learning how to play the instrument, which can be heard on the introduction of "Lover, You Should've Come Over (as well as on a cover of Van Morrison's "Madame George" cut during his 1993 session with producer Steve Addabbo). He also purchased language tapes to properly learn Urdu. Jeff could be seen walking around New York with this harmonium under his arm, wrapped in a blanket.
  61. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  62. ^ "Ultratop.be – Jeff Buckley – Grace" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  63. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jeff Buckley – Grace" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  64. ^ "Lescharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  65. ^ "Irish Music Charts Archive – Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending August 26, 2004". Chart-track.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  66. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  67. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  68. ^ "Chart Stats – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  69. ^ "Jeff Buckley Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  70. ^ "Jeff Buckley Album & Song Chart History – Catalog Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  71. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1995 (page 2)". imgur.com. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  72. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  73. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  74. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Music Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  75. ^ "Danish album certifications – Jeff Buckley – Grace". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  76. ^ "French album certifications – Jeff Buckley – Grace" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  77. ^ "Italian album certifications – Buckley Jeff – Grace" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 29, 2015. Select "2015" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Grace" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  78. ^ "British album certifications – Jeff Buckley – Grace". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  79. ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 24, 2006). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Chris Stapleton's 'Traveller' Hits a Million Sold, Jeff Buckley Reaches New High". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  80. ^ "American album certifications – Jeff Buckley – Grace". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  81. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2003". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  82. ^ a b c d "The Jeff Buckley Discography: Albums". www.jeffbuckley.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  83. ^ Barrow, Stephanie (August 25, 2004). "Review: Jeff Buckley Grace (Legacy Edition)". BBC. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  84. ^ "Grace (Bonus DVD) – Jeff Buckley". AllMusic. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
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