Either/Or (album)

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 February 25, 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 Kierkegaard's philosophy in relation to the absurdist struggle between choosing an aesthetic life and an ethical life. The online magazine pitchfork.com ranked Either/or at #46 (1999) and #59 (2003) on their "Top 100 Albums of the 90s" list.^[2] Spin magazine ranked Either/or at #48 on their list of the best albums of the last 25 years.^[3] The 1997 "Pazz and Jop" poll saw this album placed at #20 on the list of best albums of the year. [5] Blender put the album at #36 on their list of the "Best Indie Albums Ever". [6]

Track listing

All songs written by Elliott Smith.

1. "Speed Trials" – 3:01
2. "Alameda" – 3:43
3. "Ballad of Big Nothing" – 2:48
4. "Between the Bars" – 2:21
5. "Pictures of Me" – 3:46
6. "No Name No. 5" – 3:43
7. "Rose Parade" – 3:28
8. "Punch and Judy" – 2:25
9. "Angeles" – 2:56
10. "Cupid's Trick" – 3:04
11. "2:45 AM" – 3:18
12. "Say Yes" – 2:19

Available on CD and LP.

Recorded at Joanna Bolme's house, Smith'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.

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." The film also featured Smith's Oscar-nominated track "Miss Misery". And again, Gus Van Sant chose to use "Angeles", accompanied by "The White Lady Loves You More" from Elliott Smith, for Van Sant's Paranoid Park.
• "Say Yes" was featured in 2009 film 'American Pie: The Book of Love'
• "Between the Bars" was covered by Madeleine Peyroux on her 2004 release Careless Love, also by Metric, Kevin Devine, Chris Garneau, Sharleen Spiteri, and From First To Last's Matt Good on several acoustic shows in early 2008.
• "Say Yes" has been covered by Ben Folds at live shows.

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:

Officially released

• "Angeles" (alternate version) - Featured on the Ballad of Big Nothing single.
• "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.
• "The Enemy is You" - Featured on the "Baby Britain" single'. According to Larry Crane, "the Jackpot! demos version was the same mix as used later on releases."
• "How to Take a Fall" - Featured on the "Waltz #2 (XO)" single.
• "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure it Out" - Featured on the "Speed Trials" single.
• "Some (Rock) Song" - A reworking and re-recording of "Some Song" with more instrumentation.
• "Thirteen" (Big Star cover) - Featured in Lucky Three and on the Thumbsucker soundtrack.
• "Division Day / No Name #6" - Released as a single in 1998.

Posthumously released

• "Last Hour" - Featured on From a Basement on the Hill
• "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 Disaster" - Featured on New Moon, a combination of two alternate versions.
• "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". (Note: An entirely different song named "Pretty Mary K" is found on Figure 8.)
• "Things Are Hard" - Featured on New Moon as "Seen How Things Are Hard".

Unofficially released

• "Abused" - Three versions; two instrumentals and one with vocals. The song is completely Either/Or era - no work done during the From a Basement On the Hill sessions as initially speculated.
• "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. According to Larry Crane, the "second version is from Waterfront Studios, March 1996 and was recorded by Greg DiGesu."
• "Burned Out, Still Glowing" - Bootlegged as "Now You Wanna Show Me How". Was recorded by Heatmiser (as a faster version with, according to Larry Crane, "drums, bass, vocals, backing vocals and guitars. Apparently a keyboard was meant to be added but never done. But it sounds finished and is good. Very fast!"). An Elliott recording of the song has circulated among fans, but is a "live to tape" one track take. Larry Crane has said a proper recording exists but that only the guitar track was completed.
• "Crushed Blind" - Early version of "Bled White". According to Larry Crane, "the second demo is from Jackpot! and is earlier (both 1997) than the other one. The second demo was recorded to 8-track."
• "New Disaster" - Acoustic take. Vocals from this version were used on the New Moon version.
• "No More" - An alternate version of "Either/Or", featuring alternate lyrics and instrumentation.
• "Thirteen" (Big Star cover) (alternate version)

Unreleased

• "Coast to Coast" - Early recording, later re-recorded for From a Basement on the Hill.
• "Easy Way Out" - Early recording with alternate lyrics, later re-recorded for Figure 8.
• "New Disaster" - Instrumental take. The instrumental from this version were used on the New Moon version.
• "Rock and Roll Suicide" - According to Larry Crane: A cover of the David Bowie song "was attempted around Either/Or tracking era (I think for Undercover Records' Crash Course for the Ravers CD) but the vocals were not finished."

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" (aka "Doing Okay, Pretty Good") - Played live twice in 1997 and a few times in 2001. Unknown if studio version exists.

References