Release Date: 25 February, 1997
Audio CD
Tracks
- Speed Trials
- Alameda
- Ballad of Big Nothing
- Between the Bars
- Pictures of Me
- No Name No. 5
- Rose Parade
- Punch and Judy
- Angeles
- Cupid's Trick
- 2:45 AM
- Say Yes
|
Rating 5.0
Shuffling your deck of trick cardsThis is my favorite as it was my first exposure to Elliott. Notice I did not say it was his best, lord, I don't really think I could name a best album. I love all his LPs and all the heatmiser stuff as well. I Started listening to Elliott before XO came out and since first listen have been devoted since. I'm not going to say this is his best, just that there is something about this LP that tugs at me more than his other stuff. Maybe it's the fact that the title is the same as a Kierkegarrde piece, Ida know. I do think its better to start with either this or Roman Candle or his S/t lp over XO, figure8 or Basement as your first exposure. Build up the latter day lushness. So many great songs here with a beautiful minimalism, Strong beginning with a strong ending. A few great slow numbers like Between the Bars and 2:45am, a few almost out of place uptempos like Pictures of Me, and Cupid's Trick(But OH do I love both so much, especially Pictures). I've always loved Music, but Elliott was probably one of the first artists whose songs spoke to me fairly directly. His death really shook me up, more so than any other musician I can recall, I was too young to comprehend who Lennon was when he passed, and when Cobain passed, well at that time let's just say I was in rejection of the Majors(allthough now I recognize his talent). Don't get me wrong I'm not necessarily comparing, just stating. Sad songs buck me up, as kind of sick as that sounds. Check out Either/or, it's a beautiful testament rom a beautifull writer.BeautifulElliott Smith was one of the most gifted artists to ever live. His lyrics were beautiful, as was his voice. He put such emotion into his music and into his lyrics, it's as if you can feel his pain and feel his emotions coming out of the speakers. His music is mostly somber and downbeat, but amazing nonetheless.
Say Yes is by far my favorite song, but the album is full of beautifully written and beautifully preformed songs.Pretty essential.While he's often portrayed as a bit of a downer and sort of a mopey singer-songwriter type (understandable, in light of his personal life), Smith revealed himself with this record, and from this point on in his career, to be, first and foremost, a student of the pop song. These songs are really just as much about the melodies and deft chord changes as they are about the maudlin stories behind them. Every single aspect of the music is perfect -- not a single note feels wasted, and each song demonstrates remarkable life and movement. Smith was clearly being very smart and careful with these songs.
This is easily the best place to start with Smith, and maybe even the place to stop, depending upon your personal taste. "Either/Or" is much more artful and nuanced than Smith's earlier work, and really nails the Beatles/Big Star tradition in which he operates. It's also much rawer and stripped down than his later albums -- none of the production work is cringe-worthy, and the lyrics pack a gut level immediacy that began to dissolve as Smith began to focus even more on writing pop masterpieces. This is one of those rare albums that's very personal and emotionally involved but also smart enough to know that all of the feeling in the world can't save a shoddily constructed song. |
|
