David Browne's DREAM BROTHER is a dual biography of the musicians Tim Buckley and Jeff Buckley, Tim's son. The tale is told in alternating chapters to show the eerie resemblances and notable differences in their tragically short lives. Tim Buckley died of a drug overdose at the age of 28, Jeff Buckley drowned in the Mississippi River when he was 31. Before that, they had both left between works of great beauty and originality, but had yet to reach the mainstream towards which they both hoped.

DREAM BROTHER gives a rather depressing view of the two musicians. Listening to his music and hearing the details of his life and terrible early death, one could believe that Tim Buckley is a true tragic figure. In Browne's book, however, he comes across as a womanizing jerk who betrayed all who trusted him. Browne acknowledges the greatness of his music, even his difficult album LORCA, but spends more time detailing his deceits than talking about the music. I would have loved to find out more about the making of Tim's album STARSAILOR, which is considered his masterpiece (and remains frustratingly out of print). Unfortunately, Browne all but glosses over it.

Jeff Buckley doesn't come out of this book well either. To read Browne's account, it seems as if Jeff was a man of limited talent who, in spite of every intention to the contrary, was groomed by the record industry to put out albums that might sell because of his heritage and his Village vibe. I loved GRACE, thought it was one of the greatest albums of the 90's, and believed that Jeff had great potential for future albums even more brilliant. After reading DREAM BROTHER, I still love GRACE and Jeff's amazing vocal ability, but I can see that the world was lucky that he had people working with him who were able to keep him focused, as musically he was trying to go off in every direction as once and getting nowhere.

If one is a die-hard fan of one of both of the Buckleys, DREAM BROTHER might be worth reading. It certainly helps place the music of Jeff and Tim Buckley in context and sheds light on some more obscure songs. While it is somewhat flawed, Browne does deserve points for excellent use of sources and refraining from the desire to tabloidize a biography about two musicians.

I bought this book in hardcover when it initially came out in 2001. It has languished on my shelf ever since. I tried to read it a few times before, but always abandoned it. Normally after something has sat unread on my bookshelf for that long, I'd get rid of it, but I always felt like one day I would read it.

I was a latecomer to Jeff Buckley's music, in the sense that I didn't really start listening to him until after his death. Prior to that, I knew who he was, but that was about it. I finally heard him for the first time in 99, and I was completely blown away by his voice. I bought Grace shortly thereafter, and it's been part of the soundtrack to my life ever since.

Ultimately, I finished this book with more questions than answers. It left me with a deep feeling of sadness, which probably isn't helped by the fact that I'm currently listening to Jeff's unfinished second album.

I am glad I finally read this book. In the end, I found it more sad than insightful, but I think the author did the best he could, considering the subject matter. He chose two very enigmatic men to write about. Both of them liked to stretch the truth, and they both even went as far as making up stories when the truth of the matter was much more mundane.