Elliott Smith – Elliott Smith
1995 – Kill Rock Stars
Elliott plays all instruments except for electric guitar on "Single File" and vocal harmonies on "St Ides Heaven".
This is Elliott’s second release, and it was recorded in spare time at his girlfriend’s and friend’s house in spare time away from Heatmiser. It is a very stripped back record, but not as straight-forward acoustic as many people seem to think it is. This album comes off as being almost entirely about drugs (namely heroin) and drug addiction. Elliott has been quoted as saying that it is not simply about drugs, but he used drugs as a metaphor for many other feelings, and he did this because drugs were what he knew at the time. There are layers upon layers, percussion, electric guitar solos, some kind of organ, harmonica … etc. The thing about Elliott Smith is that he created brilliant melodies which, without your knowledge, would be stuck in your head. Sometimes you don’t realize, and they seem so unconventional, but they do. That is why he called himself a pop musician. Anyway, onto the tracks.
01 Needle in the Hay This song is perfect. Minimal guitar work, with power chords and some strange variations. There is a brilliant, backhandedly witty line in this song: "You oughtta be proud that I’m getting good marks". It is one of those songs that makes you want to play acoustic guitar for 10 days straight. The vocals are very loudly mixed in the verses, which brings the rawness to the forefront. This may not have been intentional, but what the hey. 5/5
02 Christian Brothers The song has a beautiful intro, and the first time you hear it, it sounds like it awkwardly moves into the first verse, but as it continues, it all melds well. The first appearance of drumming on the album, and the chorus to this is absolutely stunning. When the song peaks, and Elliott strains: "Come here by me, I want you here", it floors me. 5/5
03 Clementine Another weirdly funky sounding slow chord intro, and the vocal line comes in moving with the high notes on the guitar. It is true Elliott style, and it flows very very well. Again, the guitar skill of our man is showcased here. No drums here, and it is a very calm song. Great flow. 4.5/5
04 Southern Belle Fast picked intro, followed by a brilliant guitar part. The vocal line is very unexpected, and very very delicate and angry at the same time. I love the guitar in this song. The chorus is very catchy when it comes in fully, and rather heavy (not technically). Aww gee, it’s too good. 5/5
05 Single File Here is the first electric guitar on the album, and it is basically just the melody of the chorus in the intro. The verses of this track are especially great, and the chorus is catchy. Standout line "You idiot kid, you’re arm’s got a death in it". 4.7/5
06 Coming Up Roses The most memorably catchy song on the album, with a cool as chorus. The first time I listened to the album I couldn’t stop singing the chorus all day. This track has the most instrumentation, with an organ, guitar, electric guitar and percussion. Great great great song. The electric guitar part after the chorus is very very Beatles-esque. 5/5
07 Satelite Yet another cool acoustic intro, and some more subdued singing. Again Elliott uses double vocal tracking for the verses, which seems to happen often. This song acts to cool down the flow, but keep it going, much like Clementine. It is still a very good song, but not one of my favourites. 4/5
08 Alphabet Town Dylan sounding intro. Harmonica! I really don’t know why he didn’t use more harmonica, because it works so well with his voice. This song is pure cool. The best part is how the notes stretch and stumble over the end of where they should be. It feels so good to listen to his voice like that. No drums, but it gets rather lively towards the end. When he starts to say "Hand on your arm … " the song reaches greatness. 5/5
09 St Ides Heaven Power chord intro, much like Needle, and the vocals come in, dancing around the guitar. There is the female vocal harmony throughout pretty much the whole song, which adds to the feel of it. The drums come in, and the song makes you tap your foot. I love the vocal melody in the verses of this track, and I really dig it when he swears for some reason. He straight up mentions amphetamines too. 5/5
10 Good To Go A really innocent sounding beginning, with some cowboy sounding guitar. He is telling a story about a fellow junky to begin with. Then the great line "I wouldn’t need a hero if I wasn’t such a zero" is repeated, and the song gets even better. The lyrics for the whole song are just absolutely perfect. It seems to be about one of his friends wanting to try drugs, and him saying it’s his choice. 4.5/5
11 The White Lady Loves You More This sounds sort of like another Smith song, but I can’t figure it. The song is practically about one reason why people would do drugs. It is such an honestly written song, like all of the album. You can’t rely on people, but you can rely on drugs. I love the forst chorus, which leads into a verse with strings over the top of it. I’m a sucker for strings, and they work so well here. 5/5<
12 The Biggest Lie There is a line in this that really gets me. "And now I’m a crushed credit card registered to Smith, not the name you call me by." It is a plain acoustic song, and the length of the lines in the verses is really well done. The chorus is very very good too. It seems like he intentionally wrote an overly dramatic line, and then followed it by the title. Great end to the album. 5/5
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I know I rated every song above 4, and a lot I gave 5’s, but this album is without flaw. It is one of my favourite albums ever, and it is just so well written, and showcases how talent the man himself was. The stripped back recording allows his guitar work and raw voice shine through, and carry itself.