Author: SMITH,ELLIOTT

Format: Best of

Release Date: 01-05-2009

Details: Amazon.ca When Elliott Smith died late in 2003, he took with him one of the unique songwriting gifts of his generation: part folk grandeur, part punk fury, and virtually bottomless in eight short years of solo recordings. Thankfully for that generation, and many to come, he left behind two dozen songs that his Portland, Oregon, producer and pal Larry Crane has crafted into a retrospective celebration of Smith's contribution to music. Mostly house-recorded demos plucked from the fertile three years that followed his 1994 debut Roman Candle (including an early take of "Miss Misery"), there's an eminent clarity to these songs that makes them sound like they were recorded yesterday. A lone acoustic guitar is the general accompaniment to Smith's lamenting wail, his self-deprecating lyrics forever a contrast to the sheer beauty of the melodies. "What are you doing hanging out with me?" he asks in "Whatever (Folk Song in C)," his double-tracked harmonies mocking both Simon and Garfunkel. Along with fragile versions of "Angel in the Snow," "Looking over My Shoulder," and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen," it's as eternal as anything Smith offered when he was with us, and, as one of several shining moments, makes you forget he ever left. --Scott Holter Product Description Arguably the most gifted songwriter of his generation, Smith produced a large body of work that includes five solo albums and a collection of songs completed before his death in 2003. This double CD contains twenty-four songs recorded between 1994 and 1997, a prolific time in Elliott's career, when he recorded his self-titled album and "Either/Or". Like his other work, "New Moon" reflects the power of Smith's ability to integrate rich, melodic music with poetic, multi-layered lyrics.

UPC: 759656045520

EAN: 0759656045520

Languages: English

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood