In the midst of such upheaval, he seemed to require significant care and reassurance.īut, as Bolme says in Autumn de Wilde’s book, Elliott Smith, she and her friends always saw Smith as a practical, capable man “A smart guy, not just some creative genius… He could do all sorts of other shit. Smith’s career was blooming, with a recent Oscar nomination for Best Song, a major label debut (XO) in the works, and a move from the hometown security of Portland, Oregon, to New York. At his side was his former girlfriend, Joanna Bolme, who had come along to London to look after him. With a similarly unexpected candour, he was swiftly talking off the record about how he’d been institutionalized a few months earlier. I first met Smith in spring 1998, as Either/Or was being belatedly released in the UK, and he was sweet, funny, solicitous, and not quite as shy as his increasingly formidable reputation suggested. “When they clean the street,” he sings on “Rose Parade”, “I’ll be the only shit that’s left behind.” “ Either/Or Reissue Shines New Light On Tormented Singer Elliott Smith,” read a headline on the New York Times website as the 2CD set was announced and, in fairness, it’s easy to accentuate the negative: the intimations of mortality on every album stretching back to his solo debut, 1994’s Roman Candle the fatalism intertwined with his beautiful melodies.
#ELLIOTT SMITH EITHER OR REMASTERED FULL#
I Dont Think Im Ever Gonna Figure It Out (remixed/remastered)Ģ1.It’s worth remembering this, nearly 14 years after Smith’s likely suicide, as a deluxe edition of his finest album looks destined to be greeted not just with acclaim, but with the full gamut of doomed poet clichés. Bonus LP features previously unreleased live recordings and rare studio outtakesġ9. Original album remastered from original tapes Art Dudley, Stereophile Magazine Record To Die For 2018 The more polished XO (1998) is also indispensable, but the raw, decidedly lo-fi Either/Or remains his most moving work - and, at times, his most harrowing. Smith went on to record two more albums during his lifetime. Among the last is 'I Figured You Out,' an acoustic-guitar-and-harmonium-driven song with an uncannily insightful lyric and a hook-laden melody: It alone is worth the price of admission. His earliest recordings were basic in the extreme, made mostly in his own living room and in low-budget studios - as it is here, on his third album, made and released in 1997 and reissued in 2017 with live performances, alternate takes, and previously unreleased material. Singer-songwriter Elliott Smith crafted memorable, sharply drawn lyrics set against chord sequences of remarkable ingenuity and beauty, and performed with a whispery, decidedly fragile-sounding voice. "Elliott Smith's third and final independently released full-length has always been the favorite." - Pitchfork This gorgeous collection is an essential listen for longtime fans and newcomers alike. The double LP is packaged in a gatefold jacket that includes an insert of the original liner notes, a postcard of the original master tapes, and several never-before seen photos. The second disc features five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings and one b-side gem. This album features the original tracks carefully remastered from original tapes under the supervision of Larry Crane, owner of Jackpot! Studios and archivist of the Estate of Elliott Smith. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Elliott Smiths best-selling and greatly beloved album, Either/Or, Kill Rock Stars proudly presents Either/Or: Expanded Edition. Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 216/500! Includes Bonus LP Of Previously Unreleased Live Material!Ģ018 Stereophile Magazine Record to Die For! Typical order times are located within the product description. It is not guaranteed.Ī Special Order item is an item that we do not stock but can order from the manufacturer. When an item is Out Of Stock and we have an estimated date when our stock should arrive, we list that date on our website in the part's description. We do not have a specific date when it will be coming.Īwaiting repress titles are in the process of being repressed by the label. The Preorder can be released anywhere between weeks, months or years from its initial announcement.Īn Out Of Stock item is an item that we normally have available to ship but we are temporarily out of. Other Preorders are set to release 'TBA.' This means that release date is yet 'To Be Announced'. If a projected release date is known, we will include this in the description in red. Typically the label will set a projected release date (that is subject to change). An In Stock item is available to ship normally within 24 business hours.Ī Preorder is an item that has not yet been released.