Music Elliott Smith

Elliott

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just heard his final album "from a basement on the hill". fecking amazing, extremely tragic. any of you guys into him? far and away the best songwriter of all time. what a loss.
 
Absolutley adore him. New album is excellent, but perhpas I'm biased.
 
Elliott said:
just heard his final album "from a basement on the hill". fecking amazing, extremely tragic. any of you guys into him? far and away the best songwriter of all time. what a loss.
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Can't disagree. Would four Elliott Smiths have translated to more talent than the Beatles?

I think so.
 
So what's everyone's favourite Elliott album? I used to say XO without a shadow of a doubt, then Either/Or took over because I was really into the more acoustic, low-fi sound.

Today I think From A Basement on the Hill edges it. I can't get enough!

Some brilliant stuff of the post humous New Moon as well. I think I like the early version of Miss Misery better than the one that ended up being released.
 
I like his more polished and augmented stuff on Figure 8. I like his other stuff too, but there are some of his most up-beat stuff and gorgeous arrangements on that album. I wouldn't say he was anywhere near the best songwriter of all time though.
 
Either/Or is absolute perfection. The best album of all time. As for the rest...they're all brilliant, XO probably edges it. The Heatmiser stuff is perhaps not as consistently incredible, still, all 3 albums deserve to be mentioned when talking about the best indie records of the 90s.

 
Can't believe there are so few comments about this guy. Been listening to him loads for a while now - for my money he's the best singer-songwriter of the past 20 years. Bold claim maybe, but the combination of those beautiful vocals, the harsh, incisive, often very dark lyrics, and pretty, delicate melodies are really something else.

He was a true genius and deserves a bump.

Any other fans out there?
 
Huge fan. Either/Or is my favourite album of his (have em all except the self titled album).
 
Tommy said:
Huge fan. Either/Or is my favourite album of his (have em all except the self titled album).
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Either/Or is pure gold - difficult to pick out a favourite track from that one but, if pushed, I'd go for Angeles or Between the Bars. If you're feeling brave check out Madonna's cover of 'Bars. It's weirdly compelling but I'll warn you now, you won't be able to un-see it. Not even if you try using a mind-rubber.

Got a favourite tune of his? There's a massive amount to choose from but I love Waltz#2, Alameda and Needle in the Hay.

Good to hear someone else likes him though. He was a total one-off.
 
Angeles, Miss Misery, Say Yes, and (I think) No Name #4, but it's hard to pick.
 
Miss Misery & Angel in the Snow are my favourites.

Controversial, but Figure 8 is probably my favourite album of his.
 
Unlikely lad said:
Miss Misery & Angel in the Snow are my favourites.

Controversial, but Figure 8 is probably my favourite album of his.
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That is controversial. Most would probably have it as his worst, I'd have thought.
 
Unlikely lad said:
Miss Misery & Angel in the Snow are my favourites.

Controversial, but Figure 8 is probably my favourite album of his.
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It's a really good album - more rounded than the others for definite, but I think I prefer the grit and low-fi aspect of the early albums. They have an intimacy that Figure 8, for all it's polish and ambition doesn't really have. Figure 8 sounds like a massively talented guy let loose in a big, plush studio, Either/Or sounds like a man opening up about his life in a basement.

You can make a good argument for all his albums though - they've all got great tracks.
 
Eckers99 said:
It's a really good album - more rounded than the others for definite, but I think I prefer the grit and low-fi aspect of the early albums. They have an intimacy that Figure 8, for all it's polish and ambition doesn't really have. Figure 8 sounds like a massively talented guy let loose in a big, plush studio, Either/Or sounds like a man opening up about his life in a basement.

You can make a good argument for all his albums though - they've all got great tracks.
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Agree with your point about the intimacy of the first albums. Think I like Figure 8 a tad more because it was through that album that I discovered him, so just some pseudo-romantic reason really.

Him in that white suit is still the most tragic/beautiful moment at the academy awards.
 
Unlikely lad said:
Agree with your point about the intimacy of the first albums. Think I like Figure 8 a tad more because it was through that album that I discovered him, so just some pseudo-romantic reason really.

Him in that white suit is still the most tragic/beautiful moment at the academy awards.
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Mad how certain albums become fixed with a certain point in time. It's like they become forever linked with your past. Figure 8 has 'Somebody that I used to know' on it too. I love that one.

He was so out of place. I've heard Celine Dion calmed his nerves backstage. Almost enough to forgive some of the awful music she's inflicted on us.
 
ivaldo said:
Who?
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I thought this thread was about that kid who couldn't get girls to go out with him, made a series of videos moaning about it and topped himself after going on a shooting spree.
 
Bizarrely, despite having the total wrong Elliott Smith, you've still managed to get a couple of factors right.
 
I really recommend downloading the fan compiled Grand Mal collection of rarities to anyone who hasn't heard it that's into him.

Apologies to bump without news of a new release or something, though there does seem to be an endless supply of stuff I've never heard. Until that recentish documentary I didn't know Christian Brothers was recorded back with Heatmiser:
I wish there was more stuff of his without double tracked vocals.
 
Bit of a bump but....

Fifteenth year anniversary of his death today. His best albums have only further cemented their place as classics in that time.
 
I watched Heaven Adores You a couple of weeks ago. Was very good. Seemed odd that Sam Coombes and Janet Weiss appeared in the old footage from tours but didn't give any interviews though.
 
sullydnl said:
Bit of a bump but....

Fifteenth year anniversary of his death today. His best albums have only further cemented their place as classics in that time.
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I found out about him just like a couple years after he died. Was very sad especially since his music hit hard on the feels of my teenage self. Checked his songs once again today, and they still have the same effect.
 
sullydnl said:
Bit of a bump but....

Fifteenth year anniversary of his death today. His best albums have only further cemented their place as classics in that time.
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Absolutely. The best singer-songwriter since Nick Drake & Paul Simon if we're talking a combination of evocative lyricism & beautiful melodic playing. (As a guitarist, they're my top three, anyway...)

 
Tommy said:
Absolutely. The best singer-songwriter since Nick Drake & Paul Simon if we're talking a combination of evocative lyricism & beautiful melodic playing. (As a guitarist, they're my top three, anyway...)

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I was listening to Either/Or earlier and its timelessness put me in mind of Bryter Layter. You could probably draw a direct line from Drake through Smith to someone like Sufjan Stevens now in terms of ethereal sad prettiness.
 
He’s one of my two favourite artists

Pitselah is my favourite song of his off XO but honestly there’s very little that’s bad
 
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