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Has Jeff ever talked about Elliott Smith in interviews etc


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I think Elliott did thirteen better. I even like it more than the orignal by big star. Elliott and Wilco are my two favorite artist/band so its a close one.

 

Please Be Patient With Me has very Elliott Smith style chords I think

 

I agree and there are a couple other songs that have a Elliottesque feel.

 

After his passing there are all kinds of musicians coming out saying they are fans. Trey Anastasio of Phish is one and QOTSA is another. Actually QUOTSA covered Christan Brothers on their latest release.

 

Thanks for the responses. I don't know a whole lot of inside facts on wilco/jeff tweedy so thats why I asked.

 

Very Elliott Smith style chords = very Beatle style chords.

 

 

ps that is true, but if you were to take all the bands that have took something from the beatles or were influenced by them there wouldn't be a whole lot of bands left...

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ps that is true, but if you were to take all the bands that have took something from the beatles or were influenced by them there wouldn't be a whole lot of bands left...

Yes, I am not denying that, but Elliott Smith was very influenced by The Beatles, especially in the chords he played. I'm not saying that any particular Elliott Smith songs sound like any particular Beatle songs, all I'm saying is that, if you're going to say the chords in Please Be Patient With Me are Elliott Smithesque then you have to acknowledge that the chords Elliott Smith played are very Beatleesque.

 

Do you play many Elliott Smith song son guitar? They aren't the same things, trust me.

I have no clue what you just said.

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Do you play many Elliott Smith song son guitar? They aren't the same things, trust me.

 

There are alot that are defitnately similiar.

 

Flowers for Charlie sounds like Happy xmas war is over by lennon(not actually beatles but still)

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Obviously the Beatles influence most things and I'd probably wouldn't be wrong if I said that The Beatles were one of Elliott Smith's favourite bands - he did about 10 covers of their songs. I should correct myself -

 

What I said about Elliott Smith chords, maybe I should've said guitar playing. A folkish finger picking pattern with the melody played through a picking pattern and slightly unusual (though not absurd) chord changes and especially a chord sequence often dictated by (or producing) a rising or falling chromatic or scale sequence through the chords themselves, e.g. the chorus of Please Be Patient With Me, and the middle 8 of Say Yes, the chorus of Happiness. If you want to imagine that Elliott Smith had no style except "Beatlesque", go ahead. I think you're wrong.

 

Also, Elliott Smith never released Flowers for Charlie, most likely because he realised the melody was far too similar to Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. I still like Elliott's song but you can't escape that fact everytime you hear it.

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Obviously the Beatles influence most things and I'd probably wouldn't be wrong if I said that The Beatles were one of Elliott Smith's favourite bands - he did about 10 covers of their songs. I should correct myself -

 

What I said about Elliott Smith chords, maybe I should've said guitar playing. A folkish finger picking pattern with the melody played through a picking pattern and slightly unusual (though not absurd) chord changes and especially a chord sequence often dictated by (or producing) a rising or falling chromatic or scale sequence through the chords themselves, e.g. the chorus of Please Be Patient With Me, and the middle 8 of Say Yes, the chorus of Happiness. If you want to imagine that Elliott Smith had no style except "Beatlesque", go ahead. I think you're wrong.

 

Also, Elliott Smith never released Flowers for Charlie, most likely because he realised the melody was far too similar to Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. I still like Elliott's song but you can't escape that fact everytime you hear it.

 

Im a huge Elliott fan so I agree with you.

 

I was just saying some of his songs do sound beatlesque but who cares. I think he was an amazing songwriter and one of the best of his generation.

 

I remember a couple years back having a disagreement with a nirvana fan. He said Kurt Cobain was the best song writer. I am all for opinions but I was like wtf...

 

coast to coast-What do you think of "All Cleaned Out" off of New Moon? Its the only song I hadn't heard prior to the release and I think its amazing. Its simple yet I love his voice in that song.

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Im a huge Elliott fan so I agree with you.

 

I was just saying some of his songs do sound beatlesque but who cares. I think he was an amazing songwriter and one of the best of his generation.

 

I remember a couple years back having a disagreement with a nirvana fan. He said Kurt Cobain was the best song writer. I am all for opinions but I was like wtf...

 

coast to coast-What do you think of "All Cleaned Out" off of New Moon? Its the only song I hadn't heard prior to the release and I think its amazing. Its simple yet I love his voice in that song.

 

I really like it... I mean like all of his songs, so that's not suprising! But I still think its slightly weird for him. Doesn't sound like anything else on the record, does it? Its uptempo and the chords are simply stummed all the way through. I wonder what it would've sounded like on XO. But I mean, sometimes you lose context listening to Elliott Smith songs, because they're off such a high standard.

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Yeah its defitnately different then anything he has ever done. I think it would've fit nicely on XO, but we will never know unless of course we change the tracklist.

 

Good to see another ES fan on this board.

 

Yeah its ridiculous how many songs he didn't like and didn't think they were album material. Most of his unreleased songs that he didn't feel were up to par are better than what most artist can do.

 

Do you ever post on sweetaddy?

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Excluding Smith's picking pattern many of his songs not only have Beatlesesque melodies but there are parallels in the chord progressions as well.

 

We already established the fact that some of his songs are beatlesque. He even said that. Uncle Tupelo took alot from basic chord progressions popularized by classic country artist.

 

It doesn't matter. All through RnR there are bands that have taken,stolen,copied, etc..intentionally and unintenally material from other different artist.

 

The Beatles took from Motown and early rock(Perkins, Berry, etc, the later years took from Dylan), then every other band that came out after them were influenced by the beatles or some other band..Everything comes full circle.

 

When your influenced by someone it sometimes comes through your music un consciously.

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Yeah its defitnately different then anything he has ever done. I think it would've fit nicely on XO, but we will never know unless of course we change the tracklist.

 

Good to see another ES fan on this board.

 

Yeah its ridiculous how many songs he didn't like and didn't think they were album material. Most of his unreleased songs that he didn't feel were up to par are better than what most artist can do.

 

Do you ever post on sweetaddy?

 

Occasionally post but there's not a lot to discuss anymore... well at the moment there is with New Moon but for long periods nothing that interests me come up much on it, unfortunately. But its still great in its own way, and Charlie is a great guy.

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The one time I got to see Elliott Smith live was opening for Wilco at the Riviera. He wasn't in the best shape, but I'm glad I got to see him.

 

Wow, you are one lucky person! That must have been an amazing show. I sadly got into Elliott Smith after he died. :ohwell

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