Description:
Domino records come up trumps with this combined release of the first three Elliott Smith albums in one attractive set. Originally released between 1994 and 1998, they show Smith in a darker, more sombre light than on the breakthrough releases of XO and Figure 8. Roman Candle and Smith's eponymous album finds the singer in a reflective mood backed by his own inimitable guitar playing. The subtle finger picking belies the torment expressed through his lyrics. Those among us who discovered Smith through XO, Figure 8, his Oscar nominated "Miss Misery" from Good Will Hunting or his Beatles cover for American Beauty, should
Domino records come up trumps with this combined release of the first three Elliott Smith albums in one attractive set. Originally released between 1994 and 1998, they show Smith in a darker, more sombre light than on the breakthrough releases of XO and Figure 8. Roman Candle and Smith's eponymous album finds the singer in a reflective mood backed by his own inimitable guitar playing. The subtle finger picking belies the torment expressed through his lyrics. Those among us who discovered Smith through XO, Figure 8, his Oscar nominated "Miss Misery" from Good Will Hunting or his Beatles cover for American Beauty, should consider Smith's darker side. Indeed there is plenty here to satisfy even the most sceptical of listeners. Roman Candle's title track or "Clementine" and "St Ides Heaven" from Smith's second album hint at the competence he would later achieve. The highlight of this set is without a doubt 1998's Either/Or. A more produced affair with a fuller instrumentation, here we find a confident Smith coming into his own in tracks such as "Speed Trials", "Pictures of Me" or proving in the beautiful "Between the Bars" that the waltz time signature is not dead. Although not an essential purchase, this set documents the early releases of one of the true acoustic artists of the last five years. --Rob Smoughton
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Manufacturer: Domino
Release date: 22 October 2001
Number of discs: 3
EAN: 5034202010524
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