Everybody Here Wants You [Australia] - Jeff Buckley

The Australian CD-5 issue of "Everybody Here Wants You" is the closest to being a comprehensive collection of B-sides from the various pressings of the single. The title track is Jeff Buckley's best smoldering, soul-tinged composition, amazing when its source -- it's culled from a posthumous, unfinished collection of rejected studio takes for Buckley's never-completed second album -- is taken into consideration. A home recording of an otherwise unreleased song, "Thousand Fold" follows, and a hard rock rave-up of "Eternal Life" (from the Grace LP), listed as "Eternal Life (Road Version)" is also included. The "Road Version" introduces the dramatic, gothic overtones of the original to MC5 and Jane's Addiction, immediately prior to the two live recordings that round out the disc. The first is a serviceable rendition of "Last Goodbye" from Buckley's 1995 Australian tour, which doesn't differ radically from any of the live recordings available from any given source (save maybe for sound quality). However, it doesn't need to. Buckley was a consummate performer, and "Last Goodbye" (his biggest hit) was lovingly attended to during this performance. The second live number is a stunning cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Buckley suffers a slow start, but by the time the second chorus rolls around, the audience takes over the melody from him, while he continues to quietly pick his guitar. The singalong is enough to make the hair on the back of the neck stand up; it's a touching moment, during which the barrier between audience and performer is all but forgotten. ~ Bryan Carroll, All Music Guide