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Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions Image
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: 13 unreleased solo acoustic tracks recorded in 1967 by the singer-songwriter were remastered from the original analog tapes and acetate records.
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Top Track

Once I Was
Once I was a soldier And I fought on foreign sands for you Once I was a hunter And I brought home fresh meat for you Once I was a lover And I... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Nov 16, 2016
    80
    Even in these bare-bones arrangements, the songs are fully formed, particularly the likes of Pleasant Street and Once I Was: as captivating as anything Buckley put to tape.
  2. Nov 16, 2016
    80
    For now, Lady, Give Me Your Key shows us some of the steps Buckley took, during a feverishly creative year, to pursue the totality of music.
  3. Mojo
    Nov 30, 2016
    80
    Demos have emerged from 1965-66, 1968 and 1973, but these 13 are the best yet. [Jan 2017, p.110]
  4. Nov 16, 2016
    70
    Lady, Give Me Your Key contains expository notes by Thomas as well his in-depth interviews with Beckett and Yester. The sound is far better than acceptable considering the original sources, and the material is a true boon for Buckley's most devoted followers.
  5. Nov 16, 2016
    63
    Even though a release like Lady, Give Me Your Key unearths never-before-heard material, it still doesn’t reveal anything new about the mercurial man.
  6. 60
    Equally interesting are undeveloped outtakes such as the exquisite heartbreak miniature “Marigold”, and two songs deliberately written to meet Elektra’s demand for a hit single, “Once Upon A Time” and “Lady, Give Me Your Key”, on which Buckley’s genial charm and outlandish vocal gymnastics--not to mention the latter track’s clumsy drug-pun metaphor--trump any unfeasible commercial considerations.
  7. The Wire
    Dec 21, 2016
    60
    He doesn’t sound quite engaged anywhere on Lady, Give Me Your Key – more like a talented but wayward kid trying out for the school show. [Nov 2016, p.75]

See all 9 Critic Reviews