ALBUM REVIEWS

Various Artists
DREAM BROTHER – THE SONGS OF TIM AND JEFF BUCKLEY
FULL TIME HOBBY 3.10.05
@www.vanguard-online.co.uk

 It’s a strange concept, this tribute to Tim and Jeff Buckley. When I think of the two, I think of the remarkable voice that they seemingly both shared, which united them as much as their sad early deaths. I still remember where I was when I first heard a Peel session of Dolphins by Tim Buckley. The voice transfixed me and drew me through his back catalogue. There I found plenty of West Coast AOR backings and so-so songs illuminated by that very personal voice. Sadly, it was one that was gone by the time I first heard that Peel session – Tim had died of a drug overdose. I still get chills when I listen to him ad-libbing on a live album I own; “all we are saying”, he chuckles, “is give smack a chance”. Jeff didn’t make it past one album himself, not that you’d know it from the avalanche of demos, unfinished tapes and live CDs on the market. Again, a great voice, with an amazing range.

Both managed some good songs but songs written for voices that could hold a note for hours then twist and turn with it. As good as the line up is here, none can do that so they do their own thing and try to make the song their own. Some succeed, some just sound like the Uncut magazine house band. A few try to do a Buckley voice (stand up Adem) and seve only to highlight the uniqueness of the Buckley genes. There is a dreaminess here that does what it says on the cover and a drifting lostness. Few of the songs have a strength that will see them become standards, though they will be long remembered in their original versions.

If this was a cover-mount CD on a mag, I would probably buy it, despite the little voice in my head warning me that one more CD could see the floorboards collapsing in Vanguard Towers. I’d probably only listen to it once, whereas now I’ve had to listen a few times to give it a fair chance. My advice – you can pick up an original album by Tim or Jeff for a fiver or so. Go and get one, then another.

Oh, who’s on it? – Magic Numbers, The Earlies, Adem, Stephen Fretwell, Clayhill, King Creosote, etc.

Ross McGibbon

www.fulltimehobby.co.uk