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The Genius of Elliott Smith
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- čas přidán 8. 02. 2018
- Cutting it up with my man Justin Mitchell and going over the full Elliott Smith discography. So tune in for some XO-llent conversation.
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A little about me:
Sean Daniel is a man. A man of simple needs and desires. And the one desire, no, the one NEED, that stands above all is to spread the challenges, joy and intellectual stimulus of music to people of Earth and beyond.
Born on the mean streets of upper middle class suburban Chicago, Sean learned the ways of the world through the dizzying heights of success to the lonesome depths of failure and emerged with the promise of a better tomorrow reflecting in his eyes and fiery passion in his belly.
He plays and teaches guitar on his CZcams channel where he regularly releases original music and projects to the adulation of legions of fans, who often compare him to Chris Pratt and one time Ryan Reynolds. He’s currently in the market for a nice leather jacket.
"You don't realize how excellent he is until you tried to learn one of his song". That is SO TRUE.
Very true. I realised it when I tried to lean Angeles
Absolutely. I had this exact experience.
I'm just happy when I get it close.
Trying Angeles right now and damn it's hard
@@thomasbaker5848 Angeles is all right hand. Condor Ave is mostly left hand. He’s pretty solid
Theres a disturbing lack of people talking about elliott smith on youtube thank you guys for making this
So cool to see people talking about Elliott Smith. He's my favorite musician and i've tried to get my friends into his music but they all just throw it off as depressing which sucks because his music is so much more than that. Great video!!
Thanks for watching! He's definitely the most impactful musician for me.
Same. Love ya Elliott Smith. Thanks Sean Daniel for the great video and conversation.
There are a lot of Elliott groups in fb
@@dishields7808 fb i feel is primarily used by a lot of older people so that doesn't surprise me, but even then even the average person of any generation hardly knows who he is or care to listen compared to other artists.
I’ve ran into that too. I find the easiest way to get people into Elliott is to first play them the non acoustic albums like xo and figure 8. When I played those to introduce people to his music their general reaction was more warm saying things like,” this is cool it sounds like a cross between The Beatles and indie rock”. Once I got my friends into those albums they then became more receptive to the more depressing acoustic earlier albums. It’s funny because in interviews Elliott had said that his early solo stuff was only stripped down because that’s all he had at his disposal during those times. He said if he had the means at the time to make those early albums big studio albums with multiple overdubs like xo and figure 8 he would have preferred to have recorded them that way.
I was brought up on the Beatles and have always been a fan of John Lennon. Then, one day 4 years ago or so, a friend of mine said: "hey, you like the Beatles, right? You should check out Elliott Smith, dude!". Man, what a turning point in my life.
I love it. Elliott's the best.
I always say the sounds kind of like John Lennon dude is amazing but mother fucken sad Is awful almost the music dramatizes me but I love it and I can relate to it so much man as my favorite musician by far
I think that it’s almost impossible to say there is a best Elliott song
Agreed!
It is possible man, Coast to Coast
Here are the time stamps for anyone who wants them:
Introduction 0:01
Roman Candle 6:49
Elliott Smith 9:12
Either/Or 11:59
XO 15:30
Figure 8 18:12
From a Basement on the Hill 22:05
New Moon 24:46
Final Thoughts 27:57
Thank you!
His song angeles, as played in the good will hunting soundtrack changed my life, fully. The finger picking at the beginning is the reason I not only play guitar, but the reason I am so good at finger picking. Self taught, I had to learn by ear and watching him play live. Took me 2 years to play it exactly as plays it, speed for speed, note for note. It shows in all the music I now write. Absolute genius. Awesome to know how much he has influenced so many.
Such an amazing guitar part. I remember I played it wrong for like 7 years then finally realized.
my favorite thing about Elliott is how sometimes the song is like an art piece. like independence day starts off with the analogy of the butterfly and the song literally flutters and turns from a caterpillar into a butterfly and bottle up and explode sounds like fireworks going off. i truly believe that is intentional in his songwriting style,
Spot on! Very often lyrics and melody complement each other in a very exact way in Elliott's songs, "Independence Day" is one of the finest examples. Also, note how the use of intro and outro encapsulate the song and describes the short-lived life of the butterfly, "You only live a day, but's it's brilliant anyway". Use of lyrics and melody on an unparalleled level.
Roman Candle deserves more credit than what people give it.
Roman candle is my favourite album of his, it is just so raw, I love it.
I'd have to say that XO along with his self titled album are my favorite. In my opinion, Elliot smith is one of the most underrated guitar players/songwriters in history. This guy was pure fucking talent.
Totally agree.
followed closely by Either/Or.
XO is a masterpiece. I'm a big Elliott fan even though I'm 65 years old.
Amazing album.
Pretty cool that you made this video! I'm getting into his music currently and it really fascinates me how he comes up with such chord progressions. My personal favourite on Either/Or is Ballad of Big Nothing, that open C guitar sounds great and despite the complexity of the song, it's really catchy. Best Whishes from Germany!
I loved this conversation. One of those where it feels like I was there. God I love this man.
Elliott is the best.
either/or is my fave and I actually do have a vinyl player and wear jean jackets with patches and pins haha. Nailed it.
You are unequivocally the coolest!
I had not heard of Elliot Smith until i heard you mention him being a big influence. I’m considering this my homework for the weekend! I watched this entire video to get a little background, then will re-watch after I’ve done some listening. I’ll post an update. Thanks Sean!
I hope you dig it Dan!
New Monkey is weird? New Monkey is a pop song missile! If you appreciate song arrangements and how precise decisions can shift a song into pop music over drive, I recommend studying the arrangement of New Monkey. Its dynamic, laced with juicy hooks and might contain one of the best Elliott Smith punchy 'build ups' in arrangement, it's a firework display and precursor to Kings Crossing in that regard. Re-listen. To the well go thee once more.
I discovered Elliott Smith right after he releases “Songs From A Basement On A Hill”
I literally just liked the title and cardboard album case, so I bought it. Immediately I fell in love with that album and went out and bought everything I could find from him. I didn’t even realize he had passed away until about a year or two later. One of the greatest singer songwriters of all time. His mastery of the guitar and knack for writing melodies are honestly second to none in my humble opinion. Elliott you are missed, RIP and thanks for the amazing music.
Thanks Sean for this video. It’s awesome to hear others as passionate about Elliott Smith’s music as I am.
Thanks so much for watching Ryan! Totally agree on his writing.
This came up on recommended videos and had to leave a comment since I've recently got into Elliott Smith. I haven't heard all the albums yet but after this i want to hear everything he's done. From what I've heard up to now I'm loving XO and Either/Or. So lovely to hear you and Justin talk about him so passionately. Thank you so much for introducing me to his music. I wish I'd discovered it sooner!
Better late than never Sam!
You become a man learning his songs, and instantly feel like a boy again trying to write lyrics that hold a candle to his.
No doubt.
Figure 8 is my favorite. And i do love the beatles lmaoo. but honestly picking a favorite ES album is like picking your favorite child. you love them all equally but for different reasons.
They're all so good.
Speed trials is amazing I totally agree. The thing with Smith is that almost all of his songs become your favourite until you have completely drained them of their blood, and then the next one is still fresh and new and you just go through them all ravenously. almost each one is transformative and like its own little planet.
Sorry for the long comment. It's okay if it doesn't get read since it's just about my experience with Elliott Smith's music and not really anything else.
I got into Elliott Smith about a year after I started playing guitar. It was the summer and I had a lot of time on my hands too get into some new bands. Before that summer I was really only into old classic rock groups (think Derek and the Dominoes, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who). My main goal was to play exactly like those groups. Then somewhere along the line I heard "Go With the Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age and after a few weeks of obsessing over Queens of the Stone Age, I heard "Christian Brothers" by Elliott Smith after hearing Queens of the Stone Age cover it. Instantly after hearing that song I bought "Elliott Smith", "Either/Or", and "From a Basement On the Hill" (my three favorites still too this day although everything Elliott Smith ever made is pretty great). At that time I hadn't heard anything like Elliott Smith or Queens of the Stone Age. They both sort of threw me out of my comfort zone. After really focusing on what they were doing musically I found that the reason I had gained such a passion for their music was because of how unique they sounded. I then figured out that I hadn't been falling in love with all of those classic rock groups because of how good they were at playing their instruments, I fell in love with them because they were unique. That is when I learned instead of trying to sound like other people I need to sound like myself. This is a pretty common thing for people to figure out but it took Elliott Smith and Queens of the Stone Age to really show me the way. I wouldn't be half of what I am musically or even personally without Elliott Smith and most people who are obsessed with him and his music know what I mean.
I had such a similar experience. Those are 2 of my top influences, too!
This is a truly excellent comment.
My two favourite artists seriously 🙌🏽
Just my perspective, but instead of cheesy, when I hear him sing, "but it's alright, on some enchanted night, I'll be, with you", I hear a big sarcastic " Yeah, right ". Or like, he's kind of doing a send-up of himself as a fool-for-love for thinking that there is this magical night that will finally bring them together. Like he's delivering this classic ("Some Enchanted Evening" is a hit in the musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein, not to say that's where he got it, but just that it's a common turn of phrase.) hopeless romantic line with both a complete desire for it to be true and also total knowledge of it's hopelessness. You know what I mean? I think you guys know what I mean. EDITED for typos and the Rodgers and Hammerstein bit.)
I hear ya, I should probably be giving him the benefit of the doubt.
No he was authentic, he wanted to have love in his life. He was just battling with the past and things that happened to him and trying to reconcile broken things. I reckon he wanted a lifecwith love and happiness like most of us.
I feel I'v got to also say that I don't get the knock on him being a "sad sack" singer, and characterizing the music as "sad", and of course he has a lot of sad songs but the majority of his music, i've always felt was more mad and scathing than sad. Harmonies aside, his lyrics are extremely witty and littered with funny word play. It's just defintely angry music. Also, shout out to Coast to Coast; grungiest melody.
Greatest songwriter all the way around!
Angeles is the sole reason I picked up a guitar in the first place. I had a nylon stringed Yamaha that probably cost 40 dollars, that I couldn't play AT ALL. I sat on my bed and just stared at the tabs, not understanding how that was possible. I probably sat and played this song only for 2 months. But I learned it, the first song that I could play was Angeles. And it really kicked off my interest in fingerpicking and how good I was able to get the guitar to sound in such relatively short time. Still playing guitar like possessed, and I really have Elliott to thank for making me actually pick up a well needed creative hobby and now a passion.
Rest in peace.
Such an amazing song.
Accidentally stumbled on Elliott Smith one day while flipping through the channels. I saw this interesting guy digging a guitar out of the ground and shaking the dirt out of the soundhole. I thought what is this? Then he starts playing and singing and my musical life changed forever. Like you guys, he showed me the power of one guy with one guitar and a great song. He became my favorite musician and I had the good fortune to see him perform twice in Washington, DC at the 9:30 Club. Once after XO and once after Figure 8. So glad to see another generation discovering his beautiful music. He's still the best ever in my book.
oh my gosh i went into this thinking oh man, theyre gonna rip me in half for loving either/or the most... and now i feel so flattered and validated lmao it made my day. such a great video i could watch yall gush about elliott smith for hours
You're so much cooler than me! :)
My favorite albums are XO and From A Basement on a Hill 🙃 I guess I have a love for the finer things. Cool video. I love my boy Elliott.
You have excellent taste.
So do you! I really liked the discussions in the video. I hadn't heard before about the ice cream during Figure 8... That kind of blew my mind, haha.
Great video! I'm a huge Elliot fan. I would say my favorite albums are Either Or and XO. Can't choose which is number one. Cheers fellas!
whenever you introduce each songs, you start with "oh yeh" or "sigh", I totally get the feeling. I'm pleased people talk about Elliott Smith. good to remind of him. Funny song everyone likes are all different songs. I used 'Say Yes' song for my wedding music; I desperately wanted to use his song but wasn't suitable any of it so i chose the best 'happiest song' from his music. one of my fav songs is Dancing on the highway.
I love it. I got to play 'Say Yes' at a wedding a few months back and it was great.
Favorite musician of all time. It's pretty difficult to choose a favorite Elliott Smith song.. His music is so special. Anyway, fun video to watch!
* also, Thirteen is a cover from the band Big Star from the 70s.
I was introduced to elliott a couple of weeks back when i was in the depths of youtube, i came across a documentary about him, and there is just something about him that is extremely appealing and interesting as a solo acoustic composer, and guitar player.. So my first proper Elliott Smith song, was “Waltz #2” and i saw the performance from “later with jools holland” with just him, and his acoustic guitar, and shag fascinated me was the emotion in his voice... you can tell immediately that he has been through a tough time and that alone brought so much emotion to the performance... and when you said that once you try and learn a smith song, you finally understand the greatness of the guy, when he plays waltz 2, it’s almost as if he plays the chords with the lead melody creeping through on top, which is just genius... overall a great musician, definitely one of the best of all time...
Album highlights for me :
Roman Candle : No Name #3
Elliott Smith : The Biggest Lie
Either/Or : Angeles
XO : Waltz #1/Independence Day (tied because I couldn't choose... So GOOD)
Figure 8 : Everything Reminds Me Of Her
From A Basement On A Hill : Twilight
New Moon : Going Nowhere
I LOVE the deep cuts on Elliott's albums, but the openings and closers of each album are always awesome. A true, honest genius who will be sorely missed. See you in Heaven man.
Excellent choices!
Roman Candle: Roman Candle no doubt
Elliott Smith: cant say
Either: Between the Bars - its famous and sweet and simple but perfect
XO: cant say
Figure 8: cant say
Basement: argubly Kings Crossing
New Moon: here I agree with Goin Nowhere
i
Roman Candle: Roman Candle
Elliott Smith: Alphabet town
Either/Or: Anything I pick would be arbitrary. Maybe 2:45, Alameda, or Big Nothing
XO: Also a toss-up: Everybody Cares, Amity, and Tomorrow Tomorrow
Figure 8: Between Son of Sam and Everything Reminds me of Her
Basement: Kings Crossing and Twilight
elliott smith is the reason i decided to pick up the guitar in the first place. all of his work is complete brilliance, even his cut/b-roll stuff is absolutely incredible. i think my favorite songs by him are no confidence man, taking a fall, and i don't think i'm ever gonna figure it out
Thanks so much for doing this, guys! There's definitely not enough people talking about him on CZcams. Hopefully this video's introduced some people to Elliott Smith who otherwise would have never heard of him (I'm sure it already has in the year the video's been up).
By the way, my favourite is Either/Or with self-titled as a close second. XO is as brilliantly written as his other work, but the more cleaned up production feels less intimate than his previous releases (but Figure 8 suffers from this more so)
100% agree. We'll keep spreading the good word!
My list of favourite albums by him (very hard to choose)
6. Elliott Smith
5. Figure 8
4. Roman Candle
3. Either/Or
2. From a Basement On a Hill
1. XO
If I had to put new moon in there I would probably put it between Roman candle and Either or. It’s obviously debatable cause technically it isn’t an official album (there are other compilations) but I still think it deserves a spot on this list. Once again this list was very hard to make cause god damn they are all perfect.
Imagine your worst album actually still being one of the best ever.
Sean Daniel lol
I am glad you have made this about Elliott. As a guitar player myself anyone who plays I couldn't see how they wouldnt be influenced by him. I have been a fan of Elliott since Either Or. Quick story, I got to see him on the XO tour. He played with his band at the time, then he did acoustic set. It was at a club in Charlotte, NC and after the show I was drinking and almost the last one left and Elliott came to the bar and we sat there drinking Micky's bullet beer (among other bad things, wink) and talking music till 6:15am. Great video....
Such a cool story! So awesome you got to meet him. A true legend.
Tremont Music Hall performance...if I can find the link to the video somebody else posted, I'll put it here. Which bar did you go to? Fat City? LingLing Palace? just curious :)
Thank you geeking out on Elliot. What I love is that he sounds simple and beautiful but then try to learn a song on guitar and you realise holy hell this guy is a genius
No name #3 is the best track on Roman Candle, also heard on the good will hunting soundtrack. After realizing he did three songs on that soundtrack i went back and watched the movie over and it is so much better.
makes the movie so much better.
Elliott was the artist who really inspired me to pick up guitar. I still love a lot of his music and have a huge sentimental attachment/respect for him. Always nice to find people who feel similarly.
The intro to Happiness is one of his trickier pieces that I kind of managed to get down just recently.
Congrats on Happiness! Was thinking about doing a lesson on that one.
Sean Daniel you should!
Figure 8 is hands down my favorite album I've heard. I don't know if it was a loss of charm, but certainly a change of direction. Dylan going electric.
I love them all.
Yea I take back what I said. They are great, seriously. It's hard to find a talent with a body of work as large as Elliot Smith's. "most influential musician in my life." Ditto!
The first song I heard by Elliott Smith was Son of Sam via Pandora. It was probably either via The Beatles radio or The Shins, or something sort of poppy like that. It was probably at least 6 years ago or so. I didn't really explore his music more fully until much later, when I listened to Miss Misery, Angeles, Needle in the Hay, Waltz #2, Between the Bars, and a few others which I added on Spotify. In the last week, I went through his songs more thoroughly and realized how consistent the quality of his songs are. I can name at least 30 which I think are great songs. I find this pretty rare in bands. Only the best of the best achieve this.
Right!? So many great ones.
Dude's got some incredible picking skills. That's crazy !
And you realise that when you try to play his songs. I never thought much of his technique, I guess I was just listenning passively. The song definitely changes when you give it a shot.
He's the man!
Thanks for showcasing ES. He was a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and singer. He died far too young.
So sad.
Yes. I'm sitting at my desk figuring out Everything Reminds Me of Her on guitar. That's my favorite song. Thanks for highlighting his music.
You might find this interesting. Here' a cool thread with Rob Schnapf talking about engineering and mixing ES on XO. www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/73156-rob-schnapf-2.html It's a little technical on the recording side but was a great read.
Been a Beatles fan since I was 12. Absolutely right about 'Figure 8'. One of my favourite albums ever. Can't get 'Stupidity Tries' out of my head for the third day.
I love hearing two good friends just wax poetic about something they are passionate about, I have watched it twice and Elliott Smith is not really by bag...really enjoyable.
Thanks so much! you can tell we're big fans :)
SAY YES, was our first personalized plate, then KMD2020. Due to an usual set of circumstances. My first date, in 1997, before she passed away 3 years ago, was seeing him preform in 1997, in Iowa City.
A man of class!
one thing i enjoy about elliots music is that yeah, it is sad, its very bleak, but the melodies are so infectious it produces a catchy, nodding your head feel. its very perplexing in that way. some songs i cant tell if i want to cry or dance
Elliott Smith is my all time favorite artist. He’s the main reason I started learning guitar and I own much of his discography on vinyl (unsurprisingly Either/Or’s my favorite). “St Ides Heaven” and “Condor Ave” are my favorite songs of his, but “Alameda” was truly life changing for me in how the chorus made me re evaluate a situation in my life and ultimately made me a better person. This was great to watch, thank you for making this 🙏🙏
i found him in a credits movie part,
coast to coast, loves it... still do
The legend.
I come from a background of Skateboarding. Skate videos were the main source for me to find new bands and songs to put onto my iPod to skate to.
First song I heard by Elliott was “Coast to Coast” on the Alien Workshop Mindfield video on Dylan Rieder’s part. (He was to skateboarding what Elliott was to Folk music. A genius in their craft that died too young.) The lyrics really spoke to me, as well as the rock arrangement and sound. Then I found “Angeles” on some random skate video, loved it. Was instantly hooked on his Acoustic songs.
And the rest is history.
I love it.
InTheMindOfDavid I discovered Elliott the same way!
Its funny you mentioned learning Condor Ave. I just mastered "my version" of it 2 weeks ago and it really was the hardest thing, but i feel much more confidant now!
1st. Angeles ~ the girl next door
2nd. the white lady loves you more ~Paranoid Park
decided to check out more of Elliott Smith and now i can't get enough of his music. it's unlike anything ive ever heard.
So glad you're diggin it!
Bought the self titled album on a complete whim probably because I liked the cover. Still gives me immense comfort listening to it
Between the bars strikes abstract Lyrics. Love the final saying...
Such a classic song.
That was so upbeat and fun. Giving the man his due.
Fond Farewell for a friend?? The most Harrison-esque recording. St Ides Heaven? Hit me in the feels plz
Both incredible songs.
Loving this. Kinda hard to pick a best album for me. XO was the first Elliott album i ever bought but have to say the selftitled album is my favorite. I heard about Elliott through a Ben Harper interview in which he mentions Elliott as someone who makes pure music.
He’s such a legend
Thank you gentlemen for making this video he is excellence personified and it seems ironic and actually very sad it’s when someone, not all the time, but in this case that genius comes through when someone personally experiences theirs darkest parts of life, Other examples is Mr Beethoven who did and Mr Van Gogh darkness should be embraced not hidden his music helped me during my darkest times cos it felt he was the only one who I can turn to and weird as it sounds his music was kind of my therapy through it my psychiatrist
Lol, From a Basement is my favourite. Always wondered how different it would have been if he had finished it, I recon he was only going to get better.
@@dvranizan See you in Heaven, and how would that album of looked conceptually if Elliott had his way? Real bummer that one, I recon he'd only just started to get the ball rolling in terms of his music. I think much like a Dylan, Cash or Waits, he would age very well.
If Either/Or was a woman, I'd marry her. Such a beautiful album!
The final version of Miss Misery is so much better than the early version. Better lyrics, the instrumentation, tones and vibe, vocal performance, it's just superior.
Also, the Heatmiser version of Not Half-Right is far better, tho I love both version of See You Later. I also love Elliott's solo version of Plainclothes Man and the Heatmiser version of Christian Brothers.
From a Basement for me. I love that album. Beautiful and beautifully sad. One of the greatest albums of all time. Twilight?! Fond Farewell?! Come on chaps.
I also became a man while learning how to play Condor Ave. I can play it in my sleep now.
Such a great song.
I am new to Elliott Smith, and this video was extremely helpful in giving me some background, especially from a learning-the-guitar standpoint. I am now on the hunt for his music. Thanks for this interesting video!
Kings crossing is my favorite song it really is a masterpiece just like you said the double meaning of each line is beautiful its a lyric that is strung together that has two sides and every line fits beautifully in the song truly incredible
Oh wow Justin it’s been years since Sarasota - used to love coming to the music store and talking music.
Great review - After reading Torment Saint: The Life of Elliott Smith. Elliott was a very interesting artist. He struggled with a lot of the same issues we all do. The paradox to Elliott is he was extremely gifted yet very insecure. As a person he was very needy and held on to things that really did not matter. He could not let things go. He expressed this in his music. He had a lot of people around him who really cared and constantly reminded him how talented he was. In the end it was not enough. The drugs and alcohol did him no favors. Towards his death he was a paranoid schizophrenic who saw things that were not really there. It is so sad he could not get the help he needed. He left his mark on music and we will always have that. RIP
Let's bear in mind that Torment Saint is one writer's interpretation of his life. While it's well-written, it's not necessarily the single source of truth. I would not say he was insecure - he was very confident in his abilities, in fact. But he was haunted by childhood trauma that hung over him his whole life. So he became introverted in his youth (different from insecure), he developed some questionable coping methods in young adulthood, and toward the end of his life, it unfortunately fueled his drug use and downward spiral. When someone is dealing with addiction, it often (unfortunately) does not matter what kind of support system they may have in place. Also, yes, he was experiencing paranoia and hallucinations later in life, but while there may be symptom overlap, it does not necessarily equate to "paranoid schizophrenia."
One of my favorite musicians of all time. Thanks for this video!
Omg thanks for your time on this.
Lie Likes Music "They took your life apsty, they called your failures art, they were wrong though,/...- Elliott Smith. ... in a few years after XO cake out, he would be dead, I would be bought out of my nascent contract with another label and I have a nice evening to remember when we played across the street from each other in Cleveland before he was famous, we had a quick sound check (1 person, vocals and instrument. The club I played had a piano there, and he had minimal gear& opening 4 Mary Lou Lord. I remember hearing that same song from XO around 6 year years and a couple months after his death (near Xmas) and the lyrics were eerie, but the meaning had reversed. The art in him, and the rest of the simplicity of the silliness, and the whole.... I have a great time in making peace with that. I will refer people who are certain that he is an open and shut case of suicide to the Justice For Elliott Smith page by Alyson Camus. The website I have seen which has more compelling insights into the world of the man especially near the end of his short life. . I am not going to be able to make a call from Chicago and 16 years ago. .. I just have a few feelings of "off" when I am thinking of evidence that I have read along with the music he was working on, and the other part, the way that I can not get outside of my own experiences with the life I am bringing in with me. . I met smith within weeks of my brother's suicide. I am not going to bullshit you by saying that I talked to him about it, I was just getting to the place where I was able to make a few hours pass without thinking of him, and obsessing over the past few weeks, but I don't think I was just going to be able to do talk with the guy who was bumming smokes with me, I remember liking his name. I had a cat called Elliott. But, I ramble...my life on Earth is now a year longer than with my brother dead than it was here with an older brother. I am older than he was, than he will ever be. If you have any experience with this, I am sorry for this, and I am not going to get over the weirdness, and that is OK. I am just sad to see the light attached or detached from the last few moments of a person's life. You can be so much for the world or so little, but I have met some of the most important people who have played an integral part in this person I know that I am, and am becoming. The only thing I can show them of Bobby is a few photos and a lot of stories, but I think the last few years it has been a little bit more like a myth to ME. I'M the same one on the same motorcycle in my early memories. If you have a suicide as the last act of a life, that's going to be a little bit more. ....of all the ways that you can have a last word, there's nothing quite as effective as a shell casing hitting the ground after a burst of cordite. You can not recant it. I have a great doubt that smith took his life. But I know that there is a good amount of erroneous info out on the Internet and I have had 5 FIVE yes 5 people who were well versed in his discography yet misinformed that Elliott died in the same way as Kurt Cobain did. ..self inflicted gunshot. Regardless, I am indebted to the man and his music for pulling me back from the same path as my own brother... I have images from the lyrics to Bottle Up & Explode tattooed on my arms and I am grateful to have shared a planet simultaneously with this guy. And the conversation and my cigarettes. RIP, Steven Paul from Nebraska.
Personally my highlights are Roman Candle - Condor Ave (fucking hell Last Call gives me chills though)Elliott Smith - Southern BelleEither/Or - honestly probably my favourite album of all time but I'd pick AlamedaXO - Independence Day Figure 8 - In The Lost And FoundFABOTH - Memory Lane New Moon - New DisasterMy parents saw him twice but I'll always regret that he died just after I was born. I fell in love completely and totally with Either/Or three years ago and I don't think I'll ever love and respect a music as much as I do Elliott.
Totally agree. Best ever in my opinion :)
My first experience wirh Elliott Smith was a cassette tape made by a dad's friend, which I had started listening to in october of 2018, when I heard the song "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out" as the fourth track on the A-Side. It aas a compilation of a bunch of music, and it had that song and Independence Day on it.
I rewinded that tape to listen to that song repeatedly. I then found the song online and went through different songs. He is one of my favorite artists.
Also HELL YES MODEST MOUSE AND RADIOHEAD
YOU GUYS HAVW AWESOME TASTE
I always played Angeles using a capo.. for 12 years or so.. until I saw him playing it live without one and it blew my mind.
figure 8 is my favorite album. I'm not much of a Beatles fan, like elliott said "I think everybody likes the beatles". besides elliott smith my next favorite is minutemen/mike watt/l.a. artpunk. i appreciate that album as the natural progression of Elliott's genius. he could play rachmaninov on the piano. I think his piano playing informed his guitar playing. I cant pick a favorite on that album but I love LA, stupidity tries, son of sam and happiness. the lyrics, most of all, are what get me on this album. he's telling stories with just perfect word choice. I wore out everything before xo, my second favorite. I listened to nothing but elliott smith for about 4 years trying to figure it out. not just the guitar but everything...the essence. I really appreciate the video "how to write songs like elliott smith" I wish I had that back then.
Don't sleep on Plainclothes Man for the Heatmiser era.
Roman Candle: No Name #1 is an incredibly beautiful song, and it didn't even get a mention
No Name #2 and #4 are also solid.
Roman Candle also deserves a little more respect. That second guitar part and the general rage of the song are noteworthy.
Even Kiwi Maddog 20/20 is pretty cool.
Not saying Roman Candle is my favorite album of his, but it's definitely got some great understated songs.
Great call!
It's noteworthy how you can talk about him for so long and still not even cover all the great movements in his music
@@Ruby-eq1qg AGREED sir!
I discovered Elliott Smith when I was about 16 browsing through youtube looking for good songs and voila, Say Yes was recommended to me and I fell in love instantly. It took me a while to discover another one of his songs through a spotify playlist. This song was Angel in The Snow and again I was mesmerized. And I thought the artist's name sounded familiar and oh my god he was the same guy who wrote Say Yes. After that I knew I had to check out the rest of his music. Turns out all his albums are pure gold. He had made sadness sound so... beautiful?
I then later discovered that he had tragically died more than a decade ago and it shook me to my core. It was like I couldn't function for a few days. It was like losing a friend who had been with me through tough times even though he had died a long time ago already.
Such a legend.
Elliott Smith has also been my biggest influence. First song I heard was Say Yes. Loved listening to the discussion, I don't know many Elliott Smith fans. From a Basement on the Hill has been my favorite of his for a while, but before that it was probably his self titled. I do enjoy the low production acoustic style of his earlier work, but the haunting and cacophonous production on songs like Coast to Coast, King's Crossing, A Distorted Reality, juxtaposed with softer beauties like Twilight and The Last Hour, which I think is his saddest song, it just comes together to me as an absolute magnum opus. I covered King's Crossing last year, I think Twilight is next up for me, simple and beautiful.
Greatest of all time!
Have to disagree gents. S/T is Elliotts best album. Only known Elliott's work over the past 5 years and actually bought S/T last as I'd heard Needle and wasn't immediatley blown away. I just think the songs and composition are amazing and his strongest from start to finish. I do love and appreciate all his work though.
I absolutely love either/or......thank you for making this!! I appreciated hearing both of your opinions!!!
Amazing video! I laughed at what you said about Roman Candle being somebody's album, it's my favourite personally but I know it isn't the best all round. Condor Ave and No Name #3 are top 5 elliott songs for me. No Name #3 I think is my favourite song in the world, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard and could probably make me cry on command haha! Something so endearing about the way it was produced etc. too.
XO is also my favorite album. I really like the compositions on there. Waltz #1 and #2 are so good. #1 though is my favorite composition wise. I also love 'Pitseleh', 'Bottle up and explode', 'A question mark', and 'I didn't understand'. Love the whole album though.
from a basement on a hill is my favorite album. can confirm, am sad
But you’re sad with excellent taste!
I love him. His music probably saved my life after a tramatic brain injury
I guess they weren't official albums but the grand mal rarities have some absolute gems, Brand New Game is my highlight.
Xo hands down my fave and the one that holds the most significant personal meaning to and throughout my life. I bought it for my first childhood love for valentines day after said lover had introduced E.Smith to me while we just so happened to be balls deep in a milky wave of an (amazing) ecstasy rut. I was 14 he, 16.
Waltz #2 still builds a lump in my throat when I think back to the day I found out my dad was going to be having a baby with my own absent mothers sociopathic cousin who played an everlasting evil part in our family's life. I learned that the baby would be born with special needs, specifically he had downsydrome and autism, he ended up being non verbal as well.
He has turned out to be the most special highlight to my life. I probably won't ever have children of my own, so with the absence of his own crazy mother, iam somewhat of my brothers keeper, and im more then okay with that. Time and time again as a theme throughout my life, more then a few Elliott albums have helped guide me through unsure times.
Damn in my own selfish fit of rage, I wish we got more time with him.
But thats just me being selfish.
Also, new monkey isn't weird, youre weird!
Man... I feel a bit bad that I first started the effort to find out more about Elliott Smith from Rick and Morty - on that episode where "Between the Bars" was played. Before I started watching the series, though, I only ever heard of his name about once or twice, but never hear of his songs. Oh, how an animation series made me discover such a great artist!
Man I never saw that Rick and Morty, I'm on it!
Sean Daniel Yess! Go and watch it Sean! By the way, the part where Between the Bars is played is on the 7th episode of season 2 - in case you're looking for it :)
I’ve only recently started listening to Elliot Smith. If I had to describe him in one sentence, I’d say he’s like an American post-grunge version of Nick Drake, even down to the whispery voice.
Excactly my thoughts!
Kings crossing is my favorite song. My favorite album is figure 8.
BIG STAR!! if you like elliott smith listen to big star. way different but in the same ballpark.
i love this video
Elliott 4ever
My wife has tried off and on for 15 years to get me to love Elliott Smith. I know he's talented and got all the ingredients of something I should love. It's just never been the right time for me. I will go try again now. Of course if I end up loving him after this video it will just be one big "I told you so" from her. On another note Justin's +/- number was off the charts in this video.
AlfieAA7 czcams.com/video/-XtfcjYaT6A/video.html
Justin leads the channel in adjusted +/-
Sean Daniel it'll steal your soul exactly when you need it
From a basement is my favorite. I've been clean since 2018. Lol.
congratulations on getting clean!
Saying that Roman Candle is one's favorite album isn't pretentious, it's just taste. I like the songwriting more, the overall mood and the stripped to the bone production, so what? Geez, what a stupid assumption.
I just very recently discovered the genius of Mr. Smith and, as a singer/songwriter (though not necessarily a good one lol) myself I am honestly disappointed I wasnt exposed to this before now. I have yet to delve super deep into his stuff but the song "waltz no.2" is my favorite....love the guitar work on it and lyrically it just gets to me in a good way. I will most certainly continue to dive much deeper into his music!
Brian Jonestown Massacre turned me onto Elliott,... Got "DIG" dvd from best buy when it came out,.. there was a bonus disc of Anton interview and he was talking about a friend that just passed away,.. I never heard of him and ran out to my local record store and bought everything by Elliott at once and proceeded to have my mind blown. It was like the first time hearing "OK Computer" by Radiohead or The Beatles Anthology (In my opinion).
Your opinion is fact.
Angeles was actually in Good Will Hunting as well, it didn’t appear in Garden State. Wonderful video!
Elliott Smith is my favorite artist of all time, but i will never forgive him for tricking me into thinking a kiwi maddog 20/20 would be a cool and enjoyable thing to ask the 21 year old guy at the kickback i was at a decade ago to get for me on his 7/11 run.
it tastes like being kicked out of your house.
Im 14 and i found elliott smith on rick and morty because rick was 13 in that episode end morty made him listne to elliott smith and i was like what the fuck is that now hes my favorite musician
Isn’t that awesome how just hearing something offhand can lead to that? It was destiny!
I'll always remember, I found Elliott Smith through Bright Eyes' "I Will Be Grateful For This Day" -- I looked up the lyrics on songmeanings . com and, in the comments, somebody said they thought it's about Elliott (which checks out imo). It definitely felt like some sort of divine intervention. Anyways, my takes on the best song of each album:
Roman Candle: probably Last Call, but I also want to note that No Name #2 is really underrated. So fun to play, so catchy.
Self titled: Tough, but I have to go with St. Ides Heaven. First Elliott song I ever learned, so it has a special spot in my heart. But -- Coming Up Roses is probably my current favorite. Just learned it, lots of fun.
Either/Or: My *favorite* album. Probably my favorite album of all time -- when I was young, always grounded, I listened to the record so much I had to get a new one. Lmao. Favorite song? BALLAD OF BIG NOTHING. Favorite Elliott song of all time. It's just ... unreal, evocatively dull, and expressed everything I needed at the time.
XO: Sweet Adeline. Brilliant, some of my favorite lyrics of his: "It's a picture-perfect evening and I'm staring down the sun / Fully loaded, deaf and dumb and done..." &&& Waltz #2 & Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands are tied for second.
Figure 8: Took the longest to grow on me, I guess ... Favorite song is, by a longshot, Happiness. Tied for second favorite song of his. It hurts.
From a Basement on the Hill: Probably an easy pick, but A Fond Farewell. This is the song tied for second favorite of all time. "I can deal with some physic pain / If it'll slow down my higher brain / Veins full of disappearing ink / Vomiting in the kitchen sink" ... ouch.
Finally, New Moon: New Monkey -- one of his best, "happier" songs. So catchy, fun. Thirteen is a great cover, too. New Moon is one of my favorite albums of his; he does folk so goddamned well.
Sorry for the long comment -- I loved hearing you guys talk about him, so nice to hear somebody fangirl over him. Wish I could gush with you guys.
There are songs that immediately draw you in. Once you’re into an album you realise how foolish and slow you were to not recognise how incredible this artist was in such a short period. I can’t help but love 2:45am, pitseleh, Roman candle, last call. That earnest sadness just hooks me.
. I respect he has musically more sophisticated songs. There’s obviously some Beatles, but definitely folk. Big star is an obvious influence for me, and even that Townes Van Zandt cutting lyrics around addiction and hinting abuse, but with subtlety and clever arrangement with some major chords and no twang.