Morning Theft

''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released by Columbia Records on May 26, 1998, a year after his death. It comprises recordings Buckley made while working on his second album, ''My Sweetheart the Drunk'', with the producer Tom Verlaine in 1996 and 1997. It was released after negotiation with Buckley's mother, the owner of his estate, who feared that Sony was trying to exploit his legacy. It received positive reviews.

Recording and release

Buckley released his debut album, ''Grace'', in 1994. He began recording his second album with the working title ''My Sweetheart the Drunk'' in late 1996 with the producer Tom Verlaine. Unsatisfied with the results, Buckley discarded the recordings and went to Memphis with his band to start anew. On the evening of May 29, 1997, Buckley went swimming in the Mississippi River and drowned.

As Buckley left no will, his estate transferred to his mother, Mary Guibert. Soon after Buckley's memorial ceremonies, Guibert learned that Sony was in the process of mixing and mastering the Verlaine recordings for release. This angered Guibert and Buckley's band, as Buckley had not wanted to release them. Through her lawyer, Guibert sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sony.

Sony had not made back its investment on its record deal with Buckley and was eager to release a new album. However, Guibert would allow them to release only material that was "worth using". They compromised on a double album, with the Verlaine recordings on one disc and Buckley's later demos on the other. Guibert did not allow Sony to alter the demos, saying: "If this was his body here and we were preparing it for his funeral, we would not put him in a suit. We would put him in a flower shirt and some black jeans and his Doc Martens and leave his hair all mussed up."

Reception

''My Sweetheart the Drunk'' received positive reviews. Biographers and critics wrote that Buckley had been "reaching fruitfully in multiple directions". The biographers Dave Lory and Jim Irvin identified influences from Siouxsie and the Banshees on "Nightmares by the Sea" and "Witches Rave". The ''Los Angeles Times'' cited John Lennon and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as references. The reviewer Steve Hochman likened the track "Everybody Here Wants You" to a "70s-ish soul experiment worthy of Marvin Gaye or Al Green", and linked "New Year's Prayer" to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".

During a 2011 interview, Tony Banks of Genesis commented of Buckley's rendition of Genesis's "Back in N.Y.C.", "I was very surprised that he did the whole thing including the funny bits. If I'd been him I would have just stuck to the main thing. But it was fun and quite sweet really, it was kind of 'why not?'."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jeff Buckley, except where noted.

International (non-US) editions of disc two include the track "Gunshot Glitter" (Jeff Buckley) as track 7, moving tracks 7–10 of the US edition down a place for a total of 21 tracks.

Personnel

*Jeff Buckley – guitar, vocals
*Michael Tighe – guitar
*Mick Grøndahl – bass guitar
*Parker Kindred – drums
* Eric Eidel – drums ("The Sky Is A Landfill", "Morning Theft", and "Vancouver")

Technical
*Tom Verlaine – producer
*Nicholas Hill – producer on "Satisfied Mind"
*Jeff Buckley, Michael J. Clouse, Ray Martin, Irene Trudel – engineer
*Jim Caruana, Joe Lizzi, David Seitz – assistant engineer
*Tom Cadley, Michael J. Clouse, Mary Guibert, Tom Verlaine, Andy Wallace – mixing
*Steve Sisco – mixing assistant
*Nicky Lindeman, Gail Marowitz – art direction, design
*Merri Cyr – photography
*Bill Flanagan, Mary Guibert – liner notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control

Jeff Buckley albums
1998 compilation albums
Compilation albums published posthumously
Columbia Records compilation albums
1990s demo albums