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ELLIOTT SMITH

Heatmiser (Elliott Smith & Neil Gust)

The Music Of Heatmiser - 2023 Reissue

    Neil Gust and Elliott Smith arrived in Portland, OR together in the summer of 1991 to start a new band with drummer/producer Tony Lash. Within a year of adding bassist Brandt Peterson on bass, they were playing across the West Coast and demoing dozens of songs for their first LP. Six of these tracks were self-released on the cassette titled “The Music of Heatmiser” which was sold at shows, local record shops, and handed out to record labels.

    The sound of the band changed a lot over 3 LP’s, but this is Heatmiser right out of the gate. New, energetic, excited, moving quickly through styles, totally broke and making it work in whatever way possible. It’s guitar rock, full-blast, through 100 watt Marshall half stacks, when grunge was ascendant in the Pacific Northwest and the Portland scene was exploding. Fast, tight, loud, fun.

    TRACK LISTING

    SIDE 1
    1. Lowlife ('92 Cassette)
    2. Bottle Rocket ('92 Cassette)
    3. Buick ('92 Cassette)
    4. Just A Little Prick ('92 Cassette)
    5. Dirt ('92 Cassette)
    6. Mightier Than You ('92 Cassette)
    7. Can't Be Touched (Cavity Search Single)
    8. Wake (Cavity Search Single)
    9. Stray (Cavity Search Single)
    SIDE 2
    1. Dead Air (Demo)
    2. Sands Hotel (Demo)
    3. Mock Up (Demo)
    4. Cannibal (Demo)
    5. Candyland (Demo)
    6. Still (Demo)
    SIDE 3
    1. Man Camp
    2. Laying Low
    3. Bloody Knuckles
    4. Father Song
    5. Glamourine
    6. Meatline
    7. Revolution
    SIDE 4
    1. Blackout (Live On KBOO)
    2. Bottle Rocket (Live On KBOO)
    3. Dirt (Live On KBOO)
    4. Still (Live On KBOO)
    5. Candyland (Live On KBOO)
    6. Don't Look Down (Live On KBOO)
    7. Lowlife (Live On KBOO)

    Paul Rees

    Shooting Star : The Definitive Story Of Elliott Smith

      'Elliott was one of the best songwriters of our day and a formidable musician.' - Beck'There's an undercurrent of real sadness in a lot of his music ... and that's just really the way he was.' - Steve Drozd, Flaming Lips'I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous.' - Elliott Smith, speaking in 1997In 2003, Steven 'Elliott' Smith died from two stab wounds to the heart. To this day, the autopsy evidence remains inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide.

      Either way, this tragic end to Elliott's short-lived though prodigiously talented life became the dark denouement of a story riddled with depression, mental illness, addiction and chronic substance abuse. Yet it is also a story of worldwide critical acclaim, of Oscar nominations and of some of the finest recorded music of the late twentieth century. Now, two decades after Elliott's death, Shooting Star seeks to encapsulate the many complexities of this shy, funny, engaging, enigmatic musician and his desperately troubled soul.

      With contributions from those closest to Elliott who have not previously spoken about their friend, this masterful biography places the singer-songwriter's vulnerabilities and decline within the broader context of all that he achieved: the sheer, stark beauty of the records he made and the resounding impact they went on to have across a whole spectrum of contemporary music. This is the definitive account of Elliott Smith - a once-in-a-generation artist.

      Elliott Smith

      Figure 8

        The fifth - and second for a major label - album from Elliott Smith is a much more kaleidoscopic affair than before. Partly recorded in Abbey Road studios, this album can be looked on as Smith's "White Album", such is the variety. Quality and quantity abounds here; "Son Of Sam" is his poppiest moment while there is also material here familiar to fans of "Either/Or" etc. In between we are treated to baroque chamber pop, honky-tonk whimsy, rockier tracks and much more. Oft-overlooked in favour of "XO", this is a modern classic.

        Elliott Smith

        XO

          After his inclusion on the "Good Will Hunting" soundtrack (with "Miss Misery") and appearance at the Oscars, Elliott Smith signed to the Dreamworks label for his fourth album. While his trademark rapid acoustic guitar picking and tremulous whispered vocals honed on the earlier indie recordings remain, he takes the opportunity to indulge his Beatles infatuation on a greater budget. Strings, horns and woodwind ornament these fourteen nuggets of melody, introspection and desolation. Includes the single "Independence Day".

          Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield

          Sing Elliott Smith

            The title is about as self-explanatory as could be: ‘Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield sing Elliott Smith.’ 12 songs originally written by the acclaimed and well-loved Smith, performed by 2 artists, currently known for their contributions to the indie folk rock landscape. The recordings are, in many cases, defined by bare instrumentation, driven by a simple yet bold vocal delivery, the depth of feeling complimenting that of the subject matter. This album is an obvious labour of love; a comment based on the genuine reverence which Avett and Mayfield clearly hold for Smith. At times, the songs feel light as a feather, while in others, thematically leaden with heartache, they are given a deep breath, a different dimension, a new colour. In modern fashion, melodies intensely whispered by Elliott Smith are sung in a harmonious way, akin to the folk aesthetic of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

            A relationship with, and a love for the songs of Elliott Smith is a feeling shared by many. Avett and Mayfield are among those who view his music as an under-celebrated body of work, reduced by some to a footnote in the canon of 1990's alternative rock. However, for any lover of music who may appraise his work in a dedicated way, the beauty and depth of it is crystal clear. For Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield, the nature of this album distinguishes itself as a labor of love, more pronounced in this respect than anything either has previously recorded. At the heart of a genuine musical interpretation, there must be an emotional connection. In this regard, the care and feeling for the music is apparent, even from the first moments of the opening track.

            Aesthetically, the record is defined by simple vocal harmonies, bare instrumentation, and an approach which takes its time. Avett and Mayfield’s voices play against each other in a natural and effortless manner, giving Smith’s darker themes a new and bright dimension. In a commercial landscape, where albums are made for the sake of selling, Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield sing Elliott Smith is an anomaly, a collection of songs recorded for the sole purpose of saying thank you; a gesture of musical gratitude for an original voice, one which so brilliantly whispered such beautiful melodies.


            Elliott Smith

            Either/Or

              Elliott's third solo album from 1997 is looked upon by many as his masterpiece. The stripped down sound and vaguely lo-fi production belies the fact it took a year to record and contains some of his most subtle and introspective songs. To pick out one track above the rest is unfair as the whole album is uniformly fantastic; suffice to say "Between The Bars" is one of his most affecting and popular ballads, ending up on the "Good Will Hunting" soundtrack (in a re-recorded form). The whole album heralded the coming of age of a breathtaking talent and instantly became a downbeat indie classic.


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