Either/Or (album)
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| Either/Or | |||||
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| Studio album by Elliott Smith | |||||
| Released | 25 February 1997 | ||||
| Recorded | Various houses The Shop Undercover, Inc. Laundry Rules Recording |
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| Genre | folk rock | ||||
| Length | 37:00 | ||||
| Label | Kill Rock Stars KRS269 |
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| Producer | Elliott Smith Tom Rothrock Rob Schnapf |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
| Elliott Smith chronology | |||||
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Either/Or is the name of the third album recorded by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. The album was released on Kill Rock Stars on 25 February 1997 on compact disc and vinyl LP.
The title is derived from the Søren Kierkegaard book of the same name, reflecting Smith's interest in philosophy, something he studied (among other subjects) at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.[1] Smith stated in a few interviews that the album follows the Kierkegaard philosophy in relation with the absurdist struggle between choosing an aesthetic life and an ethical life.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Elliott Smith.
- "Speed Trials" – 3:01
- "Alameda" – 3:43
- "Ballad of Big Nothing" – 2:48
- "Between the Bars" – 2:21
- "Pictures of Me" – 3:46
- "No Name No. 5" – 3:43
- "Rose Parade" – 3:28
- "Punch and Judy" – 2:25
- "Angeles" – 2:56
- "Cupid's Trick" – 3:04
- "2:45 AM" – 3:18
- "Say Yes" – 2:19
Elliott's second and final full-length release on the Kill Rock Stars label. This was the first solo Elliott Smith release to be mixed by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf.
Rob and Tom have also worked on two more of Smith's albums (XO and Figure 8) and worked on Heatmiser's last album (Mic City Sons) as producers.
Available on CD and LP.
Recorded at Joanna Bolme's house, Elliott's house, The Shop, Undercover, Inc., Heatmiser House and Laundry Rules Recording.
Mixed at The Shop by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf except "No Name #5", "Rose Parade", "2:45 A.M." mixed by Elliott at Undercover, Inc. "Alameda" mixed at Undercover, Inc. by Joanna Bolme and Elliott Smith.
Cover photo by Debbie Pastor. Back photo by Joanna Bolme. Layout by Neil Gust.
[edit] Notes
- All instruments on this recording were played by Smith.
- "The Enemy is You" appears as the final track on Japanese pressings.
- "Angeles", "Between the Bars", and "Say Yes" were used in the soundtrack for Gus Van Sant's film Good Will Hunting, along with "No Name #3" from Roman Candle and an orchestral version of "Between the Bars." And again, Gus Van Sant choose to use "Angeles", accompanied by "The White Lady Loves You More" from Elliott Smith, for Van Sant's Paranoid Park.
- "Between the Bars" was covered by Madeleine Peyroux on her 2004 release Careless Love, also by Metric, Chris Garneau, and From First To Last's Matt Good on several acoustic shows in early 2008.
- "Angeles" was covered by Kevin Devine on live shows.
- The Emperor X song "Raytrancer" includes the line "Did you ever get sad on your bed late at night, crying, listening to Either/Or?"
- In "Alligator. Alligators." on their 2006 release Alphabet. Alphabets. post-hardcore band Trophy Scars refers to "Alameda" with the lines "Elliott Smith was right when he said/ "Nobody broke 'my' heart"/ Yeah, I broke my own.../ 'cause I can't finish what I start."
[edit] Outtakes, B-sides, non-album tracks
The following tracks were recorded and at least partially completed during the same sessions as Either/Or but ultimately did not make the album:
[edit] Officially released
- "Angeles" (alternate version) - Featured on the Ballad of Big Nothing EP.
- "Between the Bars" (orchestral version) - Featured in Good Will Hunting.
- "Bottle Up and Explode!" - One early version from the Either/Or sessions was featured on the "Baby Britain" single. This song was later re-recorded and released on Smith's followup album, XO..
- "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure it Out" - Featured on the "Speed Trials" single.
- "Some (Rock) Song" - "Some Song" from the Elliott Smith sessions with more instrumentation.
- "Thirteen" (Big Star cover) - Featured in Lucky Three and on the Thumbsucker soundtrack.
[edit] Posthumously released
- "Either/Or" - Featured on New Moon.
- "Fear City" - Featured on New Moon.
- "Georgia Georgia" - Featured on New Moon.
- "Go By" - Featured on New Moon.
- "Going Nowhere" (Featured on New Moon.
- "New Monkey" - Featured on New Moon.
- "Looking Over My Shoulder" - Featured on New Moon
- "Placeholder" - Featured on New Moon.
- "Pretty Mary K" (other version) (Featured on New Moon, later re-recorded as "Everything's Okay")(an entirely different song named "Pretty Mary K" is found on Figure 8
- "Seen How Things Are Hard" - Featured on New Moon.
[edit] Unofficially released
- "Abused" - Later thought to have been worked on during the From a Basement on the Hill sessions.
- "Angeles" (alternate version) - Featured in Lucky Three.
- "Between the Bars" (alternate version) - Featured in Lucky Three.
- "Bottle Up and Explode!" - Either/Or sessions version, more like the XO version than the other early version found on the "Baby Britain" single.
- "No More" - An alternate version of "Either/Or", featuring alternate lyrics and instrumentation.
- "Now You Wanna Show Me How" - This song may actually be named "Burned Out, Still Glowing", unconfirmed which title was Elliott's final title for the song.
- "Thirteen" (Big Star cover) (alternate version)
[edit] Unreleased
- "Coast to Coast" - Early recording, later re-recorded for From a Basement on the Hill.
[edit] Other Either/Or-era tracks
- "You Make it Seem Like Nothing" - Played live once in 1996 and once again in 2003. Unknown if studio version exists.
- "My New Freedom/Doing Okay, Pretty Good" - Played live once in 1996 and once again in 2003. Unknown if studio version exists.
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