''Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk'' is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

, released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

on May 26, 1998, a year after his death. It comprises recordings Buckley made with the producer Tom Verlaine in 1996 and 1997, along with alternative mixes and demos. It was released after negotiation with Buckley's mother, the owner of his estate. She feared that

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, owner of Columbia, was trying to exploit his legacy. It received positive reviews.

Recording and release

Buckley released his debut album, ''

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

'', 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 The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

and accidentally drowned. As Buckley left no will, his estate transferred to his mother, Mary Guibert. Soon after Buckley's memorial ceremonies, Guibert learned that

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. 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 Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

on "Nightmares by the Sea" and "Witches Rave". The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' cited

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

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 Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

", and linked "New Year's Prayer" to

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

's "

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jeff Buckley, except where noted. 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 Mick Grøndahl (often spelled Grondahl) (born 7 May 1968) is a Danish-American bass guitarist. Born in Copenhagen, he was raised in Manhattan, New York with his mother and grandmother, Vava. He is widely known for playing bass guitar and composi ...

– bass guitar * Eric Eidel – drums * Parker Kindred – drums Technical *Tom Verlaine – producer *Nicholas Hill – producer on "Satisfied Mind" *Jeff Buckley,

Michael J. Clouse Michael J. Clouse (sometimes credited as Michael J. Clouse III), an American record producer and songwriter was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Framingham North High School in Framingham, Massachusetts and received a degree from ...

, 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 Bill Flanagan (born January 14, 1955) is an American author, television executive and radio host. He was born in Rhode Island and graduated from Brown University in 1977. His books include ''Written in My Soul'' (1986), ''Last of the Moe Haircu ...

, 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 Demo albums