Ranked: Elliott Smith
Aug 30, 2013
Welcome to Ranked, our recurring series in which one of our writers takes an artist’s catalogue and ranks all of their official studio albums from most essential to least essential. The order is decided by the individual writer, rather than our editors. If you disagree with our ranking then please let us know in the comments section. This time Chris Drabick ranks Elliott Smith.
On the morning of October 22, 2003, I woke, made coffee, and then plodded over to my computer and started poking around the Internet. A typical morning. The news that hit my screen very shortly rendered it anything but: Elliott Smith was dead in Los Angeles. Apparent suicide. I was devastated. I heard the mail carrier arrive. I went to my box. In among whatever else had arrived was a package from Suicide Squeeze Records.
Several times I’d tried to order Elliott Smith’s single “Pretty (Ugly Before)” from the Seattle label. I was too late each time, until a week or so before. I was excited. It was Smith’s first proper release since Figure 8, an interminable three years plus for a dedicated, nerdy fan like me. Elliott Smith’s songs moved me. That’s all there is to it. They made me feel sick to my stomach. They were perfect.
Mary Lou Lord was fond of saying that Elliott was the new Kurt Cobain, and I guess she’d know as well as anyone. He was making music for “the sad kids.” Maybe. I don’t know. I can’t know. What I’m certain of is that even Elliott Smith’s saddest songs never made me feel sad. How could they? Because they were often minor chord whispers in the darkest of the dark? Because he wrote rage-filled screams at those who hurt and abuse? I didn’t, and I don’t, find that sad. I find it empowering. And I’m forever grateful that Elliott Smith empowered me.
I opened the package and brought the 7” into my living room. I switched the turntable to 45 (this is an annoyance on that old stripped-down NAD of mine, as it involves lifting off the platter to manually move the belt). Elliott Smith’s voice filled my apartment, a new song, a beautiful, sad, hopeful song. Of course, it’s just a coincidence. If I’d been luckier or more resourceful or on top of things, that single would’ve arrived far earlier. But it didn’t. It arrived October 22, 2003, the morning I’d learned of his death, the only day it could’ve empowered me.
1
Elliott Smith
XO
1998
It says a lot about the weight of Smith\‘s talents that picking this record as his best will probably get me assailed in the comments. Bring it on.
Clearly enamored with having extra money and time in the studio, Smith runs wild, multi-tracking everything until songs like \“Tomorrow Tomorrow\” and \“Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands\” barely have room to breathe. Isn\‘t that the point, though? Thematically, Smith\‘s narrators (and, to be fair and clear, most of those narrators are speaking in the first person, which says a lot—probably everything) are fucked up, lost, and drunk (in the case of \“Baby Britain,\” all three at the same time). Perhaps it\‘s too difficult for some listeners to embrace the harshness of Smith\‘s words and sentiments set against the clarity of the sonic vision and the most arresting set of melodies he\‘d put together. But it\‘s a \“beautiful confusion,\” and XO presents Smith necessarily growing past the limitations of the four-track to inhabit an impossible space between truth and beauty.
As an aside, I\‘ve never seen anyone else discuss the VS, VSOP, XO double meaning of the record\‘s title. Now I have.
2
Elliott Smith
Either/Or
1997
It would be fair to say that Either/Or presents Smith\‘s strongest collection of songs, even if its decidedly lo-fi presentation lacks the punch of its successor. It\‘s a beginning-to-end powerhouse, and it\‘s for good reason that several of its songs found their way, unadorned and unchanged, into the soundtrack for Gus Van Sant\‘s Good Will Hunting. Smith sounds confident and overwhelmed at the same time, and masters the neat trick of making rage sound pretty. It\‘s no accident that the record ends with its most hopeful moment; \“Say Yes\” was a mixtape standby for thousands of lovestruck indie kids and still retains its emotional immediacy. Also, if \“Ballad of Big Nothing\” has never brought you to tears then you must have some disorder of the tear ducts, and I\‘m sorry about that, because you\‘d probably like to cry it out as that one reaches its satisfying crescendo but it just isn\‘t the same pouring artificial tears down your face and now I\‘ve made us both feel uncomfortable.
3
Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
1995
Although still recording as a sidelight to his main gig in Heatmiser, here Smith sets the template for his future full-lengths: carefully picked and strummed acoustic guitars, fragile melodies that seem lifted from the alternate universe where Elliott replaced Michael Brown in the Left Banke and they never skipped a beat, and downtrodden, sometimes profane lyrical concerns that find the unexpected glamour in bouncing around your neighborhood drinking malt liquor from a paper bag. It lacks the variations in tone and tempo that would make his later records easier to digest in a single sitting, but \“Clementine,\” \“Coming Up Roses,\” and \“The Biggest Lie\” stand among his finest compositions.
4
Elliott Smith
Figure 8
2000
The last record actually completed by Smith, Figure 8 stands as a logical follow-up to XO; it\‘s bigger but not better, louder but not prettier, and sometimes substitutes bluster for songcraft. That\‘s not to say it isn\‘t still often breathtaking; opener \“Son of Sam\” may be the perfect distillation of Smith\‘s strengths, \“Stupidity Tries\” could\‘ve easily been his biggest hit had DreamWorks ever known what the fuck to do with him, and \“Happiness\” reveals surprises on even the hundredth spin.
Even the record\‘s weakest moments can be satisfying. \“Color Bars\” is pretty and creepy, \“Wouldn\‘t Mama Be Proud\” rocks as hard as anything in his catalogue, and \“I Better Be Quiet Now\” is one of his finest Paul McCartney imitation exercises. But there are too many moments in which the \“because-I-can\” decisions don\‘t serve the song; witness the unnecessary harpsichord of \“Junk Bond Trader\” or the proggy delivery of the otherwise lovely \“Pretty Mary K.\” You can call it a flawed masterpiece, which is pretty great for a record I\‘m claiming as his fourth-best.
Also, it\‘s too bad there was ever another song called \“Somebody That I Used To Know.\” Elliott\‘s is the only one you\‘ll ever need.
5
Elliott Smith
Roman Candle
1994
Short but not slight, Smith\‘s solo debut may have found him in the throes of some bad musical habits (just name all those \“No Names,\” for crying out loud), and is often a tenuous step forward, but remains an essential document of his progression. It\‘s hard not to hear how some of the best songs here could have been improved upon by the more confident performances he\‘d deliver later in his career, but \“No Name #3\” (see what I mean?) and the title track arrived fully-formed and did more than hint at the brilliance to follow.
6
Elliott Smith
New Moon
2007
The second of the posthumous releases, New Moon collects two dozen tracks recorded during Smith\‘s 1994-97 peak, and it often shows. These are essentially Smith\‘s throwaways, but they\‘re often better than many artists\’ proper releases. The best songs—\“Angel in the Snow,\” \“Seen How Things Are Hard,\” and \“Looking Over My Shoulder\” among them—are indispensable, but there are several outtakes and early versions that are for completists only (although the stripped-down \“Pretty Mary K\” does show that the more-is-better approach of Figure 8 was sometimes the wrong one). New Moon is a worthy addition to the catalogue.
7
Elliott Smith
From a Basement on a Hill
2004
Cultists will argue forever about this record\‘s true state of completion, about whether it should stand as a true release and therefore Smith\‘s final statement of intent, or if it\‘s a piecemeal, best-guess summation of what he was working on at the time of his death. I suppose I\‘m aligned with the latter camp. What\‘s presented on Basement is too often Figure 8\‘s worst tendencies writ large: bellowing low end and spooky noise bury \“Coast to Coast,\” \“Don\‘t Go Down\” plods where it could/should swing, and the metallic delivery overwhelms the pretty melody of \“Shooting Star.\” It\‘s still got its charms, of course; \“Twilight\” is gorgeous if perhaps a touch too long, \“Strung Out Again\” works as a White Album outtake, and the previously-released \“Pretty (Ugly Before)\” is simply one of my favorite Elliott Smith songs. There\‘s plenty to recommend Basement, just not at the expense of his earlier records.
NOTE: It\‘s too bad no label has been able to compile Smith\‘s B-sides and soundtrack contributions at this point; many of his singles contain songs that are essential (\“Division Day,\” \“Alphabet Town,\” \“I Don\‘t Think I\‘m Ever Gonna Figure it Out,\” the alternate version of \“A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free\”). Seek \‘em out and compile them yourself, I guess.
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September 2nd 2013
12:30pm
1) Either/Or
2) XO
3) From a basement on the Hill
4) Figure 8
5) New Moon
6) Elliott Smith
7) Roman Candle
September 2nd 2013
2:38pm
IMO, #1) Either/Or, #2) XO. Other than that you’re spot on! I went to the No Name #1 tribute show last month in Austin and was floored to revisit the songs from Figure 8 live. I saw him for the 2nd time on that tour. That Lp is a beast live. What do you mean by the VS, VSOP, XO double-meaning?
September 4th 2013
12:35pm
Regarding that note about all of Elliott’s amazing songs that didn’t make it on the albums, you can find the vast majority of Elliott’s rarities collected on the eight-disc bootleg Grand Mal: Studio Rarities (Expanded 2012 Edition), available here… http://alphabettown.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=210
September 4th 2013
12:38pm
Regarding that note about all of Elliott’s amazing songs that didn’t make it on the albums, you can find the vast majority of Elliott’s rarities collected on the eight-disc bootleg Grand Mal: Studio Rarities (Expanded 2012 Edition), available for free on the Alphabet Town message board.
September 14th 2013
12:27am
I’d slot Either/Or ahead of XO, but they’re basically neck and neck, and my only justification is that Either/Or came first for me. I also don’t think New Moon should be counted, since it’s not an intended studio release.
September 20th 2013
9:49am
Great list and can tell you are a huge fan. I agree with your #1 and #2 spots, even though songs on ‘Either/Or’ are better. But I think ‘Basement’ should be #4. It smokes ‘Figure 8’ in my opinion. ‘Figure 8’ sounds so polished it’s boring to me, songs aren’t great except for a few standouts.
Even though I totally get what you’re saying that people other than Smith messed with ‘Basement,’ he was going in a bold new direction. Completely opposite from ‘Figure 8.’ It was his ‘White Album’ but the songs are also killer. Love the boldness and creativity throughout. You can ‘what-if’ it to death, but I think that record would have been his his biggest record to date had he been around to see it.
Sidenote, anyone know where you can buy a digital version of of the Suicide Squeeze Seven Inch “A Distorted Reality..” record? It’s a better version than is on ‘Basement’ but my mp3 has hiss and sounds like it was recorded from the record.
September 22nd 2013
10:43pm
No mention of Kings crossing
:(
October 9th 2013
1:55am
The “stripped down” ‘Pretty Mary K’ on New Moon is literally an entirely different song than the one on Figure 8. Comparing them is disingenuous, since the two only share a title.
How on earth can someone qualified to comment on the quality of Smith’s albums not notice that these are different songs?
Equally, listing ‘Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud’ among the “weakest moments” on Figure 8 is just bizarre—the song includes some of Smith’s finest moments as a lyricist, made all the more powerful by his rejection of fame and his eventual, sad demise. This was Smith’s finest examination of his distaste for celebrity while the world congratulated him for it, and it’s a heartbreaking look at a man who felt trapped by fame. “Weakest moments”? Come on.
October 20th 2013
1:21pm
I’ve been into Elliott Smith since the mid-90’s. From the start, the music, the tone, the melancholic beauty always resonated with me. As a musician myself, a guitarist into alternative/shoegaze and acoustic, he blows everything else out of the water… It was the self-titled “blue album” that introduced me to him…along with that, “Either/Or”, and “XO” ( I could write a book on how “XO” impacted me). I remember being in California, and was listening to an indie radio station, and I first heard “Miss Misery”, I literally pulled my car over ON THE FREEWAY, I was so blown away. I know all of his songs, I know “Figure 8” very well. I think that album was just a building upon what he was already doing, and it works…it worked very well. I think it’s cool that Elliott wanted to expand, and create albums later with more production and “orchestration”. It worked…I didn’t focus on his “Beatles” influence, or found that significant, because at the end of the day, it’s still Elliott. “Basement On A Hill” album is amazing, and all of the tracks on “Blue Moon” I already have in compilation on a CD that I put together. Now, “Roman Candle” is fucking amazing, and in aligning with the low-fi indie 4 track thing that was going on (Like Lou Barlow of Sebaoh’s “Freed Weed” and all of that), one could debate if some of those songs stand as strong as his later ones. In my opinion they all stand together. They all resonate with a brilliance and truth that draw the fans that still listen today. I have no problem whatsoever with this ranking…I get it.
October 28th 2013
12:55pm
I get the temptation to “rank” a favorite artist’s catalogue, but believe it’s a pretty irrelevant exercise in the end. People will find their own favorite tracks. The best thing about an article like this one is that it will hopefully have more folks checking out Elliott’s music. His brilliant, beautiful gift continues to illuminate and enrich my journey through this life.
November 6th 2013
12:59pm
The article misidentifies “Alphabet Town” as a b-side. It’s on the self-titled album.
April 22nd 2015
3:47pm
Ranked? So interesting article to be read. Glad that there are updates every now and then.
May 25th 2015
10:04am
Interesting list you have there. Plenty of good stuff to be read. Guessing that you will continue with creating similar lists in the other posts.
June 26th 2015
6:03am
Some of the really wonderful books you have given here out of this I have already few will read all once in future
September 5th 2015
11:29am
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October 20th 2015
6:38am
nice choice…
October 20th 2015
6:41am
Good choice , and well ordered
November 11th 2015
7:13pm
Very interesting categorizing at all of those lists.
November 11th 2015
7:14pm
Very interesting categorizing at all of those lists there.
September 7th 2016
12:02pm
Sorry label failed to collect Smith’s B-sides and soundtrack contributions at this stage; many of his singles contain songs that are needed (“Division Day”, “Alphabet City”, Russian Teen “I do not think I’m ever gonna figure it out,” the alternative “distorted reality is now there was a need to be free”). Seek them out and compile them yourself, I think.
September 11th 2016
8:07am
.....Figure 8 is, without question (and yes, it’s TRUE we’ll never know if a Elliott-completed basement would’ve topped it) Smith’s most accomplished, out-and-out POWERFUL album, most of all “Can’t Make A Sound”, which is just, as they used to say in the Pacific Northwest at times…..GODHEAD, unlike ANYthing else ever recorded (closest thing would be some of the Who’s work) and, a VERY confident first result of his experimenting with noisier arrangements, while the cited “Happiness”, “Son Of Sam”, “Stupidity Tries”, “Pretty Mary K”, “Color Bars” and “Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud” are among Elliott’s FINEST compositions, though NOT by much, nevertheless BESTS both Either / Or and XO…..
September 25th 2016
2:06am
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September 25th 2016
2:09am
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December 4th 2016
9:42pm
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1:10am
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3:44am
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March 28th 2017
11:37pm
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April 4th 2017
10:31pm
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April 13th 2017
10:43pm
Congratulations.
April 21st 2017
3:36am
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April 28th 2017
12:47am
So where is Kings crossing? :/
June 17th 2017
1:25am
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June 28th 2017
10:57pm
Just a smile and the rain is gone Can hardly believe it, yeah. There’s an angel standing next to me. Reaching for my heart Just a smile and there’s no way back .Can hardly believe it, yeah But there’s an angel calling me. Reaching for my heart I know that I’ll be okay now. This time, it’s real I lay my love on you It’s all I wanna do Every time I breathe I feel brand new You open up my heart Show me all your love and walk right through As I lay my love on you
August 14th 2017
1:28pm
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August 25th 2017
7:31am
Smith’s most expert, absolute Powerful collection, most all can’t make a sound. They all reverberate with a splendor and truth that draw the fans that still listen today.
November 19th 2017
9:51pm
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December 8th 2017
1:11am
Thanks for sharing nice one.
January 22nd 2018
1:57am
Thank you for your work on the blog! You’re doing a good job!
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August 23rd 2018
1:14pm
I love Elliott Smith :)
May 19th 2019
10:36am
Elliott Smith From a Basement on a Hill.
June 9th 2019
5:54pm
ketapang
June 10th 2019
10:55am
XO and New Moon are the best
July 6th 2019
4:23am
ascdavdavadvasd
July 10th 2019
6:54am
Your CommentsI really enjoyed reading your article. I found this as an informative and interesting post, so I think it is very useful and knowledgeable. I would like to thank you for the effort you have made in writing this article.
September 25th 2020
12:54pm
AnkitBlog believe that women can embark on most travels solo, but not at Hong Kong. I like going there with my Husband. I’ve been to Barcelona, Spain and Vancouver, Canada alone and they were very friendly.
October 9th 2020
1:01pm
i agree with jim moses - figure 8 is elliot’s finest