Last Goodbye

by

Jeff Buckley

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This record swoons and flutters its way into existence with the opening slide guitar riff, smooth and yet somehow jagged, mirroring the love Jeff speaks of in the lyrics. The bassline kicks in, simple yet effective propulsion on which the voice settles with the opening line. The wonder of this track is the simplicity and universal regret of the lyrics coupled with explosive vocals by Jeff. The incredible lift in is voice before the line "Did you say..." is the recorded equivalent of the greatest orgasm ever. Music to cry for, to die for, to live for and to try for. Once in a lifetime vocals and a beautiful, glowing arrangement makes this love song transcend the world around you and fill your heart with wonder and a head full of faded photographs, etching your own personal last goodbye, one you let get away, forever in your memory. My favourite track off the Grace album, coupled with excellent flip sides. My personal favourite is the slide guitar driven Lost Highway.

Truly brilliant.

Reason 1) "Kanga Roo", the studio version (the other ((live)) version is widely available only on the "Mystery White Boy" CD and the "Live in Chicago" concert dvd/vhs). 2) "Lost Highway", a gorgeous Hank Williams cover (although you can also get the same version of it on the "So Real" single). 3) "Mojo Pin" (live)- a beautiful song which is nearly 14 minutes long here. Jeff's vocals on this track...wow. We already knew his range was 5 octaves, but his falsettos here reach incredible heights, and his lows are buttery smooth. The intro is about 7 minutes long, and it's all improv. It's the only reason you might want this CD. 4) "Last Goodbye" (the album version), one of the best songs ever written, and most people's first encounter with Jeff Buckley. Here's why I'm giving it 3 stars: 3 stars is GOOD. 5 stars is reserved for EXCELLENT. "Grace"-his only official album, deserves 5 stars. This is only an EP, and there's really not anything on it you haven't heard from Jeff before. But it is good, like I've noted above. PS: If you want to complete your Jeff collection and are having a hard time finding the singles and EPs, the best way to get them is by going to the Zshops on this website. You'll have to pay separate shipping for everything but it's better than paying a ton for imports and driving around to stores.