Jeff Buckley: Bootlegs and Ethics

It is with some trepidation that I speak of Jeff Buckley bootlegs. For one, we know for sure that he hated them. And this isn’t a Buckley voiced by Columbia records. It is somewhat ironically that we have his own expression of his vexation at them on a bootleg itself. The recording of his performance with band members at Arlene’s Grocery (NYC) in February 1997, a very short period of time before his death, he mentions: ‘I’ve stopped getting stoned at the gigs … that’s why I’m so touchy about the bootlegs, because I’ve said some shit.’

Obviously with Columbia and Mary Guibert at the helm posthumously, they are interested in the copyright status of the material. Whilst Mary Guibert is on record repeatedly about how her dedication to providing fans with quality recordings of Buckley’s work and her desire to keep some of that unreleased due to its intimate nature, her actions speak louder – her releasing of Sketches of My Sweetheart the Drunk. Some of the recordings on that are exactly what its title suggests, sketches. As any artist will tell you, a sketch is merely a drawing board and is never made for intentional release, and should your work finally come to the stage where the resultant work is published or released in one format or another, those sketches then become irrelevant. So what makes Buckley’s case any different? Why should we hear those sketches when they were at the base, merely doodles of songs? It is an intrusiveness that I feel guilty for and that I am to this day unable to reconcile.

Are bootlegs any different in this case? Bootlegs obviously are not confined to Buckley’s case – but the legality of bootlegs is not what concerns me here. It is whether or not it is okay to listen to Buckley’s bootlegs when he has expressly said not to. To start with, stealing, or pirating music is a marketplace relationship first and foremost. Obviously this then affects the artist’s relationship with record company, and the resultant fees and royalties paid. But what happens when that artist is not around to collect said fees or royalties? Obviously that argument cannot stand when we say Mary Guibert, Buckley’s estate owner, is around to collect, as she did not earn those fees or royalties. So I think what we have left after we deal with the issues of pirating music (and even then most artists consider it harmless - check this out for more info on pirating vs. bootlegging) is a choice. Basically, do you think bootlegs are worth it, legality and ‘ethics’ aside?

Another bootleg where this arises is where Buckley is playing at Berkley and someone is bootlegging and one of Buckley’s entourage or even label representative (it is unclear) and argues with the guy recording. (This is all heard as a very dull conversation over the top of the gig – very hard to hear, but slightly amusing, and the guy recording is an absolute dick about it) Buckley was a perfectionist, this we know for sure. Are these really mediocre recordings, and this one is, worth finding and listening to?

Okay, so my conclusions are this. The bootlegs where Buckley appears to be simply pumping out the same old numbers for the Grace tour or promotional gigs really are not worth it. And I think that is what he was meaning. He didn’t want people listening to such contrived musical creations where he had no control. I have listened to a lot of them and it even sounds like he did not enjoy them. And it makes a little part of me die. However, there are one or two I would recommend simply because he appears to be relaxed and so the gig takes on a whole other realm of awesome because of it. The music is better, the jokes funnier, more interested in playing his songs well then getting them done. Those bootlegs are the ones that are amazing and are definitely worth listening to – and I think we shouldn’t be denied such an interesting experience no matter what anyone says.

Buckley states in an interview that I am sure everyone has heard by now, that he wants people to get whatever they want out of his music, and I think with the availability of bootlegs on the internet, no one is profiting or losing with these bootlegs. At the bottom of this whole thing, if anything, a healthy bootleg culture can only ever be a compliment to the artist. It means people cannot get enough of the recordings and are forced to search out live performances out of a certain hunger.

So Mary Guibert and Columbia records can go and continue releasing what they think is hidden away in their vaults on ridiculous rereleases and compilations.

Because in reality, most of it is actually already out there. And no one cares anymore. It is quite fucking obvious you are just making a shitload of money out of an investment that jumped into Wolf River.

My final statement on this is - listen to them, I personally listen to them merely to experience him live, because that is as close as it will ever come for me and for a lot of other people. But I always much prefer to listen to the actual recordings for enjoyment.

 

Bootleg sites:
Beehive Candy - Check the archived months for the different Buckley bootlegs.
T.U.B.E. - Most comprehensive collection. 

Recommended Bootlegs:
Arlene’s Grocery - NYC, Feb 2007
Liquid Room - Tokyo, 1995
Live at the Knitting Factory - NYC, Feb 2007  

By Konrad Overdrive