Chris Cornell Discusses Jeff Buckley's Newly Unearthed Album, 'You and I'

On March 11, Columbia/Legacy Recordings released You and I, a new album containing the first studio recordings made by Jeff Buckley for Columbia Records.

These 10 tracks, most of which were cut in Steve Addabbo's Shelter Island Sound studio in February 1993, had gone virtually unheard for more than two decades.

Recently discovered in the Sony Music archives during the research for the 20th-anniversary edition of Buckley's Grace album, the performances on You and I are a revelation, an intimate portrait of Buckley performing a variety of covers and original music expressing a range of emotion channeled through his singular sensibility.

Today we present two exclusive—and brief—videos tied to the album. Both clips feature Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave, who expresses his appreciation for Buckley and the importance of You and I.

"If you're a fan of Jeff's, it's Christmas time," Cornell says. "It's a collection of performances of songs that really show a side to him—and maybe sort of really show him in the way I saw him that made me love him as an artist and as a person."

In the top clip, Cornell discusses You and I as a whole. Below that, he discusses Buckley's guitar skills and his cover of Led Zeppelin's "Night Flight" (which you can hear in the bottom clip). This song—and the rest of You and I—reveals, in part, the eclectic scope of Buckley's extraordinary musical tastes and talent. Covers include Buckley's highly personal interpretations of songs by Bob Dylan ("Just Like a Woman"); Sylvester Stewart ("Everyday People"), Joe Green ("Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'"), Bob Telson ("Calling You"), the Smiths ("The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" and "I Know It's Over") and more. You can see a full tracklist below.

Long rumored to exist, but previously unheard outside the studio, the performances on You and I have never been bootlegged or released to the public in any form. These seminal recordings are a fan's Holy Grail, a rare opportunity to hear Buckley in peak form, developing his artistry through a series of spellbinding solo performances, each one captured in pristine sonic detail.

The Columbia/Legacy release of Jeff Buckley's You and I was overseen by Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert.

You and I Tracklist:

• 01. Just Like a Woman
• 02. Everyday People
• 03. Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’
• 04. Grace
• 05. Calling You
• 06. Dream of You and I
• 07. The Boy with the Thorn in His Side
• 08. Poor Boy Long Way from Home
• 09. Night Flight
• 10. I Know It’s Over

For more about Buckley and You and I, check out the June 2016 issue of Guitar World.