thanks markers. for me twilight has a really engaging sense of balance about it -- nicely poised between despairing and optimistic, yearning and fulfilled
always found everything means nothing to me to be one of the more affecting songs on F8. he really nails songcraft on that album, but the exacting approach leaves less room for rawer and more grounded observations that really penetrate and get under your skin. that song is an exception to this.
― charlie h, Sunday, 19 June 2011 01:29 (twelve years ago) link
the one that still comes into my brain constantly is "Rose Parade." i still know all of his songs though.
being a teenager sure did suck.
― bitch u ain't british (the table is the table), Sunday, 19 June 2011 02:28 (twelve years ago) link
"when they clean the street i'll be the only shit that's left behind"
so self-deprecating it's almost funny.
― charlie h, Sunday, 19 June 2011 03:10 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.spin.com/articles/elliott-smith-paul-thomas-anderson-jon-brion-show-john-lennon-kinks-big-star-video?utm_source=spintwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spintwitter
Not sure if this is the place for this, but whatever.Second track, Independence Day is sublime.He also covers John Lennon, the Kinks and Big Star.
― scubasteve, Thursday, 17 January 2013 21:52 (eleven years ago) link
really great stuff that makes me sad to see
― too many encores (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 18 January 2013 00:48 (eleven years ago) link
what aero says...
― Le Bateau Ivre, Friday, 18 January 2013 01:04 (eleven years ago) link
I feel fortunate that I got to see him so many times, including many before the throngs caught on, which coincided with his physical decline, too. I miss having him around, but unlike a lot of acts who died too early, I feel like he gave us enough to live on in his absence.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 18 January 2013 01:32 (eleven years ago) link
The latter is definitely true. Unfortunately, I never got to see him live. Yet I am so entwined with his music, his thoughts, his very being.
I never knew ya, dear Elliott. But I miss you every day.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Friday, 18 January 2013 01:36 (eleven years ago) link
going with "between the bars" i dunno, though, i still find it kind of hard to listen to the dude, ten years later. feel like there's no way out of his songs.
― tylerw, Friday, 18 January 2013 03:24 (eleven years ago) link
This is my OPO, tho it's been hard to listen to since his death because it feels so predictive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLOMm0ntEAs
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Friday, 18 January 2013 03:25 (eleven years ago) link
st ides heaven
― dutch tl;drs (electricsound), Friday, 18 January 2013 03:34 (eleven years ago) link
good choice
― brimstead, Friday, 18 January 2013 03:37 (eleven years ago) link
that or Angeles or Alameda for me
Pictures of Me
― Darin, Friday, 18 January 2013 03:55 (eleven years ago) link
big decision or say yes
― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 18 January 2013 04:02 (eleven years ago) link
Waltz #2
― besides Sunny Real Estate (dog latin), Friday, 18 January 2013 14:32 (eleven years ago) link
Man, I'm trying to remember which movie trailer - credits? - used "Waltz #2" to really good effect. Maybe an alternate "Good Will Hunting" spot?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 18 January 2013 15:03 (eleven years ago) link
happiness
― een, Friday, 18 January 2013 17:38 (eleven years ago) link
"bottle up and explode!" is my OPO - just a tremendous song, though both "Son of Sam" and "Needle in the Hay" are in the same class
― too many encores (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 18 January 2013 17:40 (eleven years ago) link
Love "Needle in the Hay," and it may be the first ES song that really caught my ear way back when, but I always think of the song as an unrepresentative outlier in his catalog for some reason.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 18 January 2013 20:12 (eleven years ago) link
― mookieproof, Friday, 18 January 2013 21:21 (eleven years ago) link
I refuse to be moved by this guy but can say that "Happiness" is both well-constructed and well-performed
― friday goodness thank it's (flamboyant goon tie included), Friday, 18 January 2013 21:26 (eleven years ago) link
obviously listening to this guy is very tangled up in the context of his life, &c, but it's so moving to hear him, imo - like i don't think it is projecting too hard to say that his voice sounds, just based on the reading of what the tones & volumes of a regular-human-speaking-voice carry, like something that is coming pretty hard, is pretty hard-won. i like that thing somebody said about alex chilton, about how he wasn't someone who could competently use his talent, that his voice cracked in all the wrong places; there are a bunch of elliott recordings which are def shooting for an emotional affect in their phrasing & close & whispery singing, &c, but for the most part i feel like a lot of them are moving just as an extension of hearing him, like him, talk or sing (like: in addition to being just tremendously moving as songs, not solely cause of what he betrays tonally). there is that really beautiful coda in happiness that gets to such a pure hope that it would sound trite, but yeah i mean it sounds hard won cause he's all wavering. i am talking about live recordings here mainly, probably. opo: st ides heaven, rogue polemical pick would be a basement jam from the henry fonda shows or something like it, or else him playing wouldn't mama be proud acoustic, cause it's a really good song & i don't really like him in electro-beatlesy mode.
― kristof-profiting-from-a-childs-illiteracy.html (schlump), Friday, 18 January 2013 22:05 (eleven years ago) link
Thanks for that excellent link to the Jon Brion, PTA thing, scubasteve, There used to be all these great cover versions by him over here http://www.sweetadeline.net/multimedia.htm, but now the links lead to one of those generic they-forgot-to-pay-for-their-domain-name-so-now-please-forward-to-us sites. Would love to hear his version of "Chelsea Girls," "These Days" or especially "Walk Away Renee" again.
― The Teardrop ILXplodes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 19 January 2013 12:15 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNKFVKCacJ0
― The Teardrop ILXplodes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 19 January 2013 12:16 (eleven years ago) link
(Get out your handkerchiefs)
More Big Star, Kinks and John Lennon with his old bandhttp://www.rawkblog.net/2009/02/elliott-smith-the-complete-live-covers/
― The Teardrop ILXplodes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 19 January 2013 12:20 (eleven years ago) link
Wow! Thanks for that link. I thought I'd heard most of his covers, but nope, not even close.
I really like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFdHazy_4Nw
― Darin, Saturday, 19 January 2013 16:15 (eleven years ago) link
the song "either/or" is pretty great. i dunno if that would be my OPO... prolly have to go with "Christian brothers."
― billstevejim, Saturday, 19 January 2013 17:47 (eleven years ago) link
oh damn i forgot christian brothers
― kristof-profiting-from-a-childs-illiteracy.html (schlump), Saturday, 19 January 2013 18:12 (eleven years ago) link
Christian Brothers really creeps under your skin and is pretty fascinating lyrically.
― charlie h, Sunday, 20 January 2013 05:15 (eleven years ago) link
Pitseleh. i can't believe i'm the first person to say it
― i also enjoy in line skateing (spazzmatazz), Friday, 3 January 2014 15:37 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrtdazkYzSU
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 23 November 2016 06:08 (seven years ago) link
:'(
― in twelve parts (lamonti), Wednesday, 23 November 2016 12:19 (seven years ago) link
at the moment it's this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_LCi9NtqvE
― flappy bird, Friday, 12 January 2018 04:49 (six years ago) link
Dad's little hands sat in his lapLike a couple of crabs who got caught in a trapAnd he shook my hand from so far away thatHe looked like a spot on the sunAnd I guess that's where I get it from
― rip van wanko, Thursday, 6 December 2018 19:29 (five years ago) link
"You're no good, you're no good, you're no gooooood"
― brimstead, Thursday, 6 December 2018 23:44 (five years ago) link
You're everybody's second home
― flappy bird, Friday, 7 December 2018 04:48 (five years ago) link