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Liked It “I read this book several years ago and loved it then but appreciated it much more this second time after listening to more of Jeff Buckley's music. He made a great contribution to the music world and David Browne gives a detailed account of his short life.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“I read this book several years ago and loved it then but appreciated it much more this second time after listening to more of Jeff Buckley's music. He made a great contribution to the music world and David Browne gives a detailed account of his short life.”
Chala R wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Lover, You Should Have Come Over to
mundivagant wrote this review Tuesday, April 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
hear about Beale street's bastardized,
ethereal Ophelia and his slippery do-all
pa, conceding somber Eternal Life to
Columbia, Siné and 233 E 12th”
“ghost of a rose said: 4 stars
Play Book Tag Shelf wrote this review Saturday, January 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I first picked up this book for the interesting story - the tragic short lives and eerie parallels between Jeff Buckley and his absentee father Tim. I was so interested in the story that the names didn't ring a bell until I was halfway through it. And then I felt really foolish for not having realized who Jeff Buckley was, since I have his CD. He did the best cover ever of the beautiful and eerie Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah". After reading this book, I bought the rest of Jeff Buckley's CD's.
(There are several Jeff Buckley CD's out, but Grace is his only solo studio album. He had begun work on another when he drowned at the age of 30. The other albums were released after his death, and consist of unreleased outtakes, demos, unfinished songs, tapes from live performances, etc. But even in these unpolished tracks, many of the songs are unique and beautiful. One realizes how amazing they would have been if he could have finished them and fleshed them out.)
I had never heard of Jeff's father Tim Buckley before, and the book inspired me to listen to his songs and I ended up buying his first 3 albums. Their voices, looks, musical styles, and life stories are startlingly similar. It is even more surprising in view of the fact that Jeff was bitter about his father's abandonment of him and his mother before Jeff was born. All his life, he resented any comparison to his father or even any mention of him. One of the things you realize from reading this book is how great an impact abandonment by a parent has on a child. It was a major influence on Jeff's life and affected virtually everything he did and felt.
Dream Brother stood out in sharp contrast to the book I read about Led Zeppelin (Hammer of the Gods.) The two books have a similar theme and structure, but both the research and the writing in Dream Brother are vastly better. I was glad that I had read Hammer of the Gods first. Otherwise I probably would have taken the excellence of this book for granted, but instead I was very much aware of how well-done it is.
As well as learning about the music and the lives of the Buckleys, the reader also learns about the music business: how recordings are made, how bands evolve - and how individual songs develop; and the influence that the business has on the music that is produced and how it sounds.
The book provides some black and white photographs - not a great many, but they are good ones, and provide a good overall picture of the two men and their lives.
"I prepared my entire life to face the future unprepared to face the future. I hope I explode from the lesson . . . I hope my eyes are open when I die so they can see you for the final breath. I hope that I never come back alive."
- Jeff Buckley, journal entry
”
“I first picked up this book for the interesting story - the tragic short lives and eerie parallels between Jeff Buckley and his absentee father Tim. I was so interested in the story that the names didn't ring a bell until I was halfway through it. And then I felt really foolish for not having realized who Jeff Buckley was, since I have his CD. He did the best cover ever of the beautiful and eerie Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah". After reading this book, I bought the rest of Jeff Buckley's CD's.
ghost of a rose wrote this review Saturday, January 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
(There are several Jeff Buckley CD's out, but Grace is his only solo studio album. He had begun work on another when he drowned at the age of 30. The other albums were released after his death, and consist of unreleased outtakes, demos, unfinished songs, tapes from live performances, etc. But even in these unpolished tracks, many of the songs are unique and beautiful. One realizes how amazing they would have been if he could have finished them and fleshed them out.)
I had never heard of Jeff's father Tim Buckley before, and the book inspired me to listen to his songs and I ended up buying his first 3 albums. Their voices, looks, musical styles, and life stories are startlingly similar. It is even more surprising in view of the fact that Jeff was bitter about his father's abandonment of him and his mother before Jeff was born. All his life, he resented any comparison to his father or even any mention of him. One of the things you realize from reading this book is how great an impact abandonment by a parent has on a child. It was a major influence on Jeff's life and affected virtually everything he did and felt.
Dream Brother stood out in sharp contrast to the book I read about Led Zeppelin (Hammer of the Gods.) The two books have a similar theme and structure, but both the research and the writing in Dream Brother are vastly better. I was glad that I had read Hammer of the Gods first. Otherwise I probably would have taken the excellence of this book for granted, but instead I was very much aware of how well-done it is.
As well as learning about the music and the lives of the Buckleys, the reader also learns about the music business: how recordings are made, how bands evolve - and how individual songs develop; and the influence that the business has on the music that is produced and how it sounds.
The book provides some black and white photographs - not a great many, but they are good ones, and provide a good overall picture of the two men and their lives.
(349 pages)
"I prepared my entire life to face the future unprepared to face the future. I hope I explode from the lesson . . . I hope my eyes are open when I die so they can see you for the final breath. I hope that I never come back alive."
- Jeff Buckley, journal entry”
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Pretty much all rock biographies are extended journalism and Dream Brother is no different. Regardless, its a must-read for those interested in either of the subjects, if not both. As a huge Jeff Buckley fan, it genuinely made me feel like I know Jeff (albiet deceased) better for having read it.”
Bhupash wrote this review Friday, November 30 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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