remphish1 Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Anyone else a fan of Elliott Smith? Albiet Elliott's solo career was on the short side he consistantly released some of the best singer/songwritter songs I can think of. I constantly go back and find new nuances in his songs after repeated listens. I was fortunate enough to see Elliott a few times in concert and even met him and oftent wonder where he was going next. In my mind a copy of: XO, Either/OR and Figure 8 are essential to any music fan who likes singer/songwritters... Anyone a fan or have a story to share? Here is my goofy looking picture from when I met Elliott outside of Maxwells in June 2003 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I don't have any stories, but I do enjoy quite a bit of his music. I'm fond of the track "Say Yes." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
opsopcopolis Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I wasn't fortunate enough to be a fan of his music while he was alive, but in the past 5ish years he has become one of my all time favorites. I was just listening to Figure 8 yesterday and thinking about how some of the guitar parts were just so incredibly genius. The chorus of LA for example. The electric guitars are so awesomely Beatles-esq Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marino13 Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I started with Figure 8 when it came out. As a result, I am more attracted to it and especially XO than I am to his earlier stuff. "Pretty (Ugly Before)" and "Tomorrow Tomorrow" are probably my two favorite songs of his, but there are so many great ones to choose from. XO didn't hit me right at first after my intro through Figure 8, but it is now easily one of my top 10 favorite albums. Wish I could have seen him in concert before he died. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I wasn't fortunate enough to be a fan of his music while he was alive, but in the past 5ish years he has become one of my all time favorites. I was just listening to Figure 8 yesterday and thinking about how some of the guitar parts were just so incredibly genius. The chorus of LA for example. The electric guitars are so awesomely Beatles-esq He covered The Beatles well too. I'll Be Back, Something, I Me Mine... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 He covered The Beatles well too. I'll Be Back, Something, I Me Mine... Elliott was a huge Harrison fan..I heard his live version of I Me Mine at one of the shows I attended..it was great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Huge fan. Still remember reading on the WOXY boards about his death while I supposed to be working in high school French class in the computer lab. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Magnetized Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 At my fun little part time job at a video store, one of my co-workers is, I think, the biggest Elliott Smith fan around. (I don't know who's more obsessive--him about ES or me about JT!) He's very active on some fansite and has put together a huge archival collection of unreleased demos and stuff. His name is Patrick and if anyone here is a big fan they may know him already. If not, you could PM me and I would be glad to pass your info along to Patrick if you want some of this. I like many of his songs but to be honest I haven't found time to give too much of it a fair chance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
opsopcopolis Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 He covered The Beatles well too. I'll Be Back, Something, I Me Mine... Yeah, I have a good deal of shows, so I think I have all those covers, but covering a Beatles song and writing guitar parts like that are two completely different entities. He really had the sound down. Right down to the tone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Yeah, I have a good deal of shows, so I think I have all those covers, but covering a Beatles song and writing guitar parts like that are two completely different entities. He really had the sound down. Right down to the tone I'm a musician. I get it. Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
opsopcopolis Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 ^ I wasn't trying to be a dick or condescending, so sorry if it came out that way. I've been re-noticing his rhythm guitar work recently, so that was more a statement of amazement than explanation. Just appreciating a truly incredible musician! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ih8music Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 His version of Big Star's Thirteen is, dare I say it, better than the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBHGfJqcSGU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-seven Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I'm a fan and I agree with you about XO and Either/Or. Both incredible records. A co-worker introduced me to his music in the late 90's. I still enjoy listening to the songs today.They have a timeless quality to them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-seven Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 His version of Big Star's Thirteen is, dare I say it, better than the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBHGfJqcSGU Fantastic! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The High Heat Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olhcraz992c&feature=plcp&context=C4c671edVDvjVQa1PpcFONbJ9KduBmgXQVOzoYjTJ3zQch9lbvZ6Q%3D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
howdjadoo Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Lots of live stuff here: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=elliot%20smith Quote Link to post Share on other sites
junkiesmile Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 He was incredible. I went through a pretty serious phase years ago. I listened for what seemed like a year straight. So much of his music reveals itself after repeated listening. I would rank him up there as one of my favorite artists. From a Basement on a Hill, Figure 8, Either Or, hell all of his albums are fantastic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 All of his records are great, but the one I connect with the most is From A Basement On The Hill (odd as it came together differently than he intended had he lived.). It's a great "dark night of the soul" album. I first became aware of him through the use of Needle in the Hay in the famous attempted suicide scene in Royal Tenenbaums. Elliott was also supposed to cover Hey Jude for the beginning of the film, but was not in the best shape while it was being made and they had to use a Mark Mothersbaugh version. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
big bob Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 i really love Elliott Smith. I think it is some of the most beautiful stuff ever, and has many-a-time gotten me through dark spells. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I love Elliott Smith. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigideas Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Has anyone heard lately if they plan to do a New Moon type thing for the later period that NM doesn't cover? Larry Crane archived all his recordings, but I don't know if he has talked about it the last few years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Huge fan. Still remember reading on the WOXY boards about his death while I supposed to be working in high school French class in the computer lab. I was in my Spanish class when I read about his death, and I thought it was a joke at first. It was a Monday or a Tuesday (can't remember now) but what I do remember is the Sunday before I had listened to "XO" and wondered what was going on with Elliott, if he was gonna put out more records. Then hearing he had died I was so freaked out. One of the 1st musicians I truly loved as a kid that passed. (Besides George Harrison). At the time "XO" was the only record of his I had. Bought it based on the recommendation of a French pen pal I had at the time. That Christmas I got every single record he had released. His melodies are unreal. So good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Artifice Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 In the mid to late 90s and early '00s (pronounced "aughts"), my musical deities were Elliott and Jeff Buckley. Others came and went, but they were the backbone of my music fandom. Elliott was not only one of the best songwriters of my generation, he was also a highly underrated musician, especially his guitar work. His vocals were harder to reproduce than most would expect. Yes, he doubletracked his vocals, but he also had a soft delivery style with a certain cadence that a lot of well known singers have tried to emulate, only to fail pretty badly. Of his musicianship, he played what a song needed and not any more. Especially on drums. I loved that about him. His songs had deep and sometimes suprisingly complex subtlety, built on very simple strcutures, that gave them all a very timeless quality that still resonates with a lot of people. I don't listen to him as much these days. It makes me sad, and I tend to gravitate to less somber subjects to escape the drudgery of working dad-dom. But he's still awesome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.