Elliott Smith

[ghost of miles]

Been meaning to post this--it appeared a couple of weeks ago on the Sweet Adeline site:

"i wanted to let you know that  suicide squeeze will be releasing a NEW elliott smith 7" on august 19th. however, the single is available for pre-order now at www.suicidesqueeze.net and will ship august 1. this single will feature the following songs:

side a - pretty (ugly before)

side b - a distorted reality is now a necessity to be free

this single is limited to 5000 copies."

correction: side a - 'pretty (ugly before)' is the lone version of the song. side b - 'a distorted reality...' is one of two versions. this might be an alternate version but that has yet to be decided. so this 7" could be a rare one like cavity search's out of print happiness 7" with alternative versions of happiness and son of sam.

the suicide squeeze site also hinted that it looks like we will have to wait til 2004 to see elliott's new reord based on this quote: "...a good peek at what's in store for smith's upcoming 2004 full-length."

Here's the link for Suicide Squeeze, if anybody's interested in ordering the seven-inch. I've heard a live version of "Pretty" and it's a high-par, quite-catchy Elliott Smith song:

squeeze

[doubleM]

2004!!!?!!! Well, hopefully it will be worth the wait. I've heard a few of the tunes-from live recordings, (i.e.,"Don't Go Down", "Pretty Ugly Before", "Strung Out Again") and like them all very much. I've noticed a refinement in his song structures, and the lyrics are-- as always--clever, honest, and funny.

[.:.impossible]

Thanks for the info ghost.

doubleM, where do you find live Elliott Smith recordings? I've heard him covering "Yer Blues" and "Happiness is a Warm Gun" but never an entire show. That would be great!

[doubleM]

Impossible--I picked up an E.S. boot from ebay, not knowing that it was a boot until it arrived. The seller listed the cd as having a bunch of new songs from the upcoming album, w/o mentioning that they were live. No big "D". It's pretty good, really. The other place where I believe they can be found is sweet adeline, or you could do a google search for Elliott trades or downloads, etc.. My modem is too slow to download 'em, so I get them from friends. There are about 3 or 4 from LA and Stockholm that are fairly recent that shouldn't be too hard to find online. If you strike out, let me know, and we can do a trade or something.

[ghost of miles]

You can also hear a bunch of them on the Sweet Adeline website. Here's the link:

liveunreleasedElliott

[ghost of miles]

Good review of the new single (available as a 45 only, limited edition 5,000) on the Pitchfork site:

Elliott Smith: "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free"

I'd planned to write about "Pretty (Ugly Before)", the A-side to the Suicide Squeeze label's just-released seven-inch containing Elliott Smith's first new studio material since 2000's hit-or-miss Figure 8, but weirdly, its B-side is better. Sounding recorded on a shoestring budget, with an unusual "Strawberry Fields"-ish organ sidling up alongside intimately mic'd guitar accompaniment, "A Distorted Reality" heads in exactly the direction I'd hoped Smith might someday find his way to: stripped down to play up his clever arrangements, and tempered with unconventional, slightly psychedelic instrumentation as a nod to the George Harrison fakebook he seems so influenced by. This track's winding melody, replete with Elliott's Gershwin-esque chord progressions, far exceeds any of Figure 8's peaks. If his forthcoming album edges closer toward this sound than this single's rootsier A-side, and maintains this caliber of songwriting... well, I don't want to jinx anything. --Ryan Schreiber

[JBW]

I will second the vote for X/O. I was bowled over by this album and it still surprises me today.

I am glad there are others out there who dig him, as he is pretty well unknown around here (Australia) as far as I know.

[ghost of miles]

Up. And farewell.

[ghost of miles]

Here's a link I found today to a bunch of Elliott Smith shows from the past year. Sound is pretty good--a lot of songs here that will probably turn up on the new album, as well as many from the past:

Elliottlive

[AfricaBrass]

Thanks Ghost!

[street singer]

Thanks for sharing, Ghost.

Have there been any new details emerge lately regarding his death? I haven't heard much...

[ghost of miles]

Thanks for sharing, Ghost.

Have there been any new details emerge lately regarding his death? I haven't heard much...

Spending any amount of time on the Sweet Adeline board will yield mostly rumors, an odd detail here or there, and a rather bizarre case of Internet neurosis. That community is obviously still going through some pretty heavy trauma--a lot of rage/denial/grief, and will for some time. The toxicology report should come back any day now, but all that will reveal is whether or not he had used drugs recently. And that alone (if yes) will provide only a reductive answer. There are many crazy stories/theories spinning around out there (and yes, inevitably, some people think he may have been murdered). Hopefully some magazine like Mojo will do a lengthy article about him that sheds a little more light on his final days... in the meantime, here's a link to an article about him in Time Out:

Mr.Misery

[street singer]

Thanks for the link to that article, ghost. Very telling... I haven't really kept up with Elliott Smith the last few years. Ever since I got into jazz, my interest in the music I used to listen to has lessened a bit. Well, I shouldn't say lessened...because that's not really true...I guess I just find myself more absorbed in jazz than anything else, and with it still being relatively new to me (started listening seriously about 2-1/2 years ago), there are so many new discoveries being made all the time. I find that the passion I once had for "indie-rock" has been trasferred to jazz. However, I still have all those records, and there will always be a place in my heart...and on my turntable/CD player...for that stuff. Especially Elliott Smith.

I first heard him in '96 when a friend put a song of his ("Needle In the Hay") on a mix tape. As I recall, there was lots of good stuff on that tape...but that's the song that I kept playing over and over. I picked up his self-titled album not too long after that, and...it was just amazing. Still is. That's my favorite record of his to this day, with 'Roman Candle' and 'Either/Or' following close. I was so excited about the upcoming album after hearing rumors of it having a more "stripped down" feel and its being released on an independent. So ofcourse, the news of his death hit me pretty hard. Still don't know quite what to make of it...the nature of it, I mean. I visited the Sweet Adeline boards right after it happened and, well...it was all a bit too much. Haven't been back since. I figured it would be hard to separate the facts from the rumors over there, so that's why I asked if maybe you had heard anything definite. Thanks for the info you were able to share. Has there been any word on what's to come of the unreleased album? Is it in a releasable state? I'm sure it will eventually be released in some form regardless...similar to Jeff Buckley's posthumous 'Songs For My Sweetheart the Drunk'. Any kind of timeline for this release that you know of?

[ghost of miles]

The album has been turned over to the family by Dreamworks. Supposedly it will come out in 2004, either as a single or double-disc. Whenever news comes, I'll definitely post it here.

Sounds like you & I went through the exact same sort of phase. I was an extremely passionate indie-rock fan for years, and then fell in love with jazz & didn't look back much, although I continued to listen to a few things that came out. Elliott Smith, in fact, was the first & only indie obsession I ever had after getting into jazz. (Well, Nick Drake, too--I discovered them around the same time.) I'd say my jazz-to-other-music listening ratio has gone back down to about 80% jazz, 20% other, after being about 95% jazz for awhile (I'm not kidding!). There were times when Elliott Smith took up all of that 20 percent.

I'm hesitant to post the rumors/speculation because that's what it still is at this point. One thing's for sure: in his unreleased song "King's Crossing" there's a line, "Give me one good reason not to do it." At his shows this year his girlfriend would call out something in response to him. After he died she wrote it on the memorial wall at Sound Solutions in L.A.: "Because I love you."

[street singer]

How sad...

Can't say that it was a surprise to hear the news, really...but - still a shock. Especially the way he went about it. And still very, very sad...

It's strange, though. Whenever a musician like this dies, you're left thinking about all the music that you will never hear. I'm realizing how very selfish that is... I mean, this guy had family and people that loved him very, very much. And here I am, feeling disappointed about not getting to hear anymore new music from the guy.

Then again, I didn't know him. I only knew his music...

In response to the other portion of your post - I would say that my listening habits are about the same as yours. 80-85% jazz, 20-15% other. The 'other' consisting of indie rock (I never did care for that term...), classic country (Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, etc), a little tiny bit of classic rock and a few other oddities thrown in for good measure. When it comes to indie rock, though - all of my favorites are no longer around. Unwound, Bedhead, Elliott... I'm just thankful I got to see each of them live atleast once.

[ghost of miles]

He supposedly recorded about 30 songs for FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL. I'd like to hear them all, of course, but his family may decide to put out only the most finished tracks. (But word is that most of them are indeed "finished.") Plus there were a number of tracks & B-sides that he recorded for labels like Kill Rock Stars that are quite good and deserve to be more widely circulated (songs like "Angel in the Snow," which is an outtake from the ELLIOTT SMITH CD, or "The Enemy Is You," a very good B-side). I imagine that most of this material will be made more readily available, for reasons both good & bad. (Bad in that dead musicians with cult followings always get their vaults emptied... again, I'm grateful in a perverse way, because I really want to hear all of this stuff--but some may view it purely as an unseemly practice.)

Here's a picture of the memorial at Sound Solutions (a stereo shop in L.A.'s Silverlake Neighborhood, used on the front of the FIGURE 8 cover):

photo

[street singer]

Thanks for the link to the photo. I had seen a picture of that memorial, but not the closeups...

Almost like being there, isn't it?

[Bright Moments]

i learned about smith from this thread.

i've now heard xo, figure 8, elliott smith s/t, either/or and roman candle. great stuff!

i am going to check out his heatmiser albums also.

the parallels to nick drake are scary!

[.:.impossible]

I did a trade with a friend over Thanksgiving break. In exchange for some Uncle Tupelo discs (including a collaboration with Peter Buck), the Golden Smog album, and Neil Young On The Beach, I gave him Elliott Smith s/t, the two latest Califone albums, and a Yo La Tengo album.

I've been carrying the Elliott Smith s/t album around with me since then. Every time I listen to it, I'm struck by the songs just like I was the first time I heard them. This was a great songwriter people. If you have been checking out this thread, but haven't checked into Elliott Smith yet, you really ought to do yourself the favor. I can't recommend his music enough.

[.:.impossible]

p.s. I can't wait to see him over Christmas. He had never heard Elliott Smith's music before and I imagine he has bought all of the albums by now!

[ghost of miles]

Suicide Squeeze has re-issued the last Elliott Smith single, "Pretty (Ugly Before)/A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free," which came out just a couple of months before his death last year. Vinyl only, just like the last time around. You can find it here (it's the third item down from the top of the page).

[street singer]

Thanks ghost! I had about given up on ever finding this at a reasonable price. If you hadn't posted this bit of information, I'm sure I would've missed out on this one again...

Just ordered myself a copy.

THANKS!!!

Edited March 6, 2004 by street singer

[ghost of miles]

Thanks ghost! I had about given up on ever finding this at a reasonable price. If you hadn't posted this bit of information, I'm sure I would've missed out on this one again...

Just ordered myself a copy.

THANKS!!!

Hey, no problem, I'm just glad you didn't bite at a higher price... on the Sweet Adeline board somebody reported that a seller recently netted $80 for it on E-Bay.

[ghost of miles]

Some news from Elliott's father about the posthumous CD (FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL), posted to Sweet Adeline:

now, the new cd. we are beginning the final mixing and production phase in mid-may and are planning for a september or october release. we will know the name of the label by the end of the month and i'll let you know just as soon as the final decision is made."

gary smith

In the meantime, I think I've posted this link before, but be sure to check out this site.

[doubleM]

Hell Yeah! This is some good news!!!