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.

If you enjoy great, intelligent songwriting, you can't go wrong with any of Elliott Smith's releases, but this one captures him at the beginning of his established peak and relative popularity. Ranking as one of the best albums of the 1990s, and always (if you care for such things) mentioned within lists of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by the likes of Rolling Stone, NME etc. The constant push and pull between the dissonant and melodic, dealing with today's disappointment and loneliness knowing that things could change tomorrow.

Following the album's release, Smith would be struck to the forefront of popular culture after performing the song "Miss Misery", which appeared in the film Good Will Hunting, at the 1998 Academy Awards. The additional content features five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings and one b-side gem. The album is nonetheless a classic containing three songs that were used in the film "Good Will Hunting". It summed up Smith perfectly, as his biographer states "the music kept rising but the person kept falling". Ci sarebbe carattere e integrità artistica da vendere a livello universale e ne rimarrebbero comunque scorte in abbondanza!

Other highlights are the breezy pop of Ballad Of Big Nothing ("All spit and spite/you're up all night and down every day"), the druggy drawl of Punch and Judy ("I used to like it here/now it just bums me out to remember") and the self-loathing of Rose Parade ("I'd say it's a sight that's quite worth seeing/it's just that everyone's interest is stronger than mine/and when they clean the streets/I'll be the only shit that's left behind).Although that's a word which has been overused so much, especially in recent times that it has become almost cringe-worthy, don't cringe when you hear it said of Elliott, because he really does merit such a title. The one "new" song present is the wonderful pop/rock of “I Figured You Out,” a track that Smith gave to his friend Mary Lou Lord to record because it “sounds like the f*****n’ Eagles. Indeed, some will complain that the ramshackle charm and the little mistakes in the originals have been ironed out.