Either / Or

Product Information

Recorded in several locations mostly in Portland, Oregon while Smith was still in Heatmiser and produced by Smith, Tom Roth rock and Rob Schnapf, Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997 through record label Kill Rock Stars following the demise of Heatmiser. Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted. The album is nonetheless a classic containing three songs that were used in the film "Good Will Hunting".

Although Elliott's music was always largely on the (wonderfully) depressing scale, 'Either/Or', though only occasionally, actually has it's more upbeat pop moments, but every track, upbeat or otherwise, is a little work of art.With distinct production, instrumentation, and vocals, the recordings found on Alternate Versions offer a new perspective on one of Smith’s most highly acclaimed albums, and separate them from the original cuts found on Either/Or. All image and audio content is used by permission of the copyright holders or their agents, and/or according to fair dealing as per the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The previously unreleased 'I Figured You Out', is a great pop-rock track, and comes after 'I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out', a catchy little tune which was originally issued as a B side, and really demonstrates the man's talents at picking away at a guitar. This album features the original tracks carefully remastered from the original source material under the supervision of Larry Crane, owner of Jackpot! To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of this masterpiece, Kill Rock Stars proudly presents Either/Or: Expanded Edition.

One of our favorite Elliott Smith records in an edition of 600 copies on 'Alameda Twist' blue, pink and white colored vinyl. The gently insinuating despair of Smith's work communicates volumes about the heartbreak and alienation that is the bane of 20th century boys with too much time on their hands. It summed up Smith perfectly, as his biographer states "the music kept rising but the person kept falling".Gathering it up into one source, however, confirms Smith's genius and once again proves that the "torment saint" was utterly unique and indispensable. Blessed with the voice of a wispy angel, Elliott Smith created sad little pop songs, which, like the work of Nick Drake (to whom he's been compared) threaten to disappear into the night air. The last LP he released with independent label Kill Rock Stars, the record saw an expansion in Smith’s sound, while retaining the raw, often desolate emotional heft with which he’d become synonymous. On Either / Or, Smith observes a production ethic that retains a lo-fi looseness without sacrificing any sonic clarity.

It's the ideal bridge between the skeletal sparseness of his early work and the lush studio orchestration of his later stuff, which is a touch over-produced for me. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I thought it was a gatefold with inner sleeves including lyrics, but it came with white sleeves and no gatefold.Others worth a mention in dispatches include the bittersweet "Rose Parade" with the immortal opening lines "You asked me to come down and watch the parade/To march down the street like the Duracell bunny/With a wink and a wave from the cavalcade/Throwing out candy that looks like money". The result is this remaster of the original plus a bonus disc of unreleased live tracks, three unreleased songs and a number of curiosities.