AN INTRODUCTION TO … ELLIOTT SMITH (Just Music)
When the Elliott Smith compilation An Introduction to — arrived with a handful of current and, at the time, more vibrant-seeming albums a few months ago, it naturally slipped my mind. The music snob inherent in any music critic had taken hold.
Compilations are for the take-it-or-leave-it listener; for the rest of us it is all about the album, the context, the time.
I knew the work of Elliott Smith. I had listened to it for years on end, but I had not really drifted back to the music much since that day in 2003 that Smith decided to take his own life. I will spare you the gruesome details, because they are just that.
I got busy reviewing the albums musicians who are alive were making in 2011 and 2012, rather than a compilation of music that a dead one made years ago. Then one day I slipped the CD into the player while on a long drive in my car.
Fifty-two minutes later, I was still reeling from the impact of the songwriting on display.
Yes, I knew the work of Elliott Smith, but when you line up these 14 gems in a row like this, I started to see a case being made for one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever seen.
I had forgotten how devastatingly great songs such as Ballad of Big Nothing, Pictures of Me, Waltz #2 (XO), The Biggest Lie and Last Call were.
Naturally, this compilation has sent me running for older albums by Smith that had been gathering dust on my shelves, particularly the double-disc outtakes collection released in 2007. titled New Moon.
My point is that this compilation has taught me a few valuable lessons. First, you cannot afford to live your life without regular doses of Elliott Smith.
The man, alongside his hero Alex Chilton of Big Star fame, knew as much as anyone about crafting a perfect pop song.
Second, be less of a compilation hater, because this one has been -a great friend this summer.