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Background -

Elliott Smith's self-titled second album was his first for the Kill Rock Stars label and also his first major artistic statement. Its sound is fairly similar to that of Roman Candle -- it's mostly just Smith and his gently finger-picked acoustic guitar, embellished a bit more often with drums, harmony vocals, and the odd additional instrument. The main difference here is that Smith's melodies and lyrics reveal their greater strength and substance with repeated listens. And make no mistake, the songs do require repeated listens -- not just because of Smith's often whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery, but also because of his deceptively angular melodies and chord progressions, which threaten to float away until the listener hears them enough to latch on and know where they're going. Smith is often compared to Paul Simon or the Beatles in their softer moments, but perhaps the best touchstone for this early sound is Nick Drake's even more minimalistic Pink Moon; while Smith's language is rawer and tougher than Drake's haunting poetics, his songs also deal with depression and loneliness, creating an almost uncomfortable intimacy with their bare-bones arrangements. The quiet prettiness of Smith's sound can make it easy to overlook the darker, edgier side of his songs -- many of Smith's embittered characters cope with their dysfunctional relationships or breakups through substance abuse, while some of the lyrics read more like angry, defiant punk rants when separated from the music. Smith would flesh out his sound with the albums to come, but Elliott Smith contains the blueprint for his later successes, and more importantly, it's a fully realized work itself. - Steve Huey

An acclaimed singer/songwriter with a distinctively melancholic sound, Elliott Smith was a member of the thriving music scene of Portland, Oregon in the mid-'90s when he began releasing a series of highly influential solo albums. His musical palette expanded over time, from the hushed acoustic guitar demos of his 1994 solo debut, Roman Candle, to the orchestrated studio craftsmanship of his fifth album, 2000's Figure 8. Still, all were distinguished by a vulnerable demeanor conveyed by intense but wispy vocals (often double-tracked) and personal lyrics that referred candidly to subjects like addiction, depression, and alienation. His music's character was also shaped by artful chord transitions, which he called his favorite part of songs. He moved abruptly from indie cult status to mainstream success in 1997 when his contributions to the Good Will Hunting soundtrack resulted in an Academy Award nomination ("Miss Misery"). He recorded only six solo albums, releasing five before his untimely death at the age of 34 in 2003.

Born Stephen Paul Smith in Omaha, Nebraska but raised mostly in Texas, Elliott Smith's musical influences included such figures as Bob Dylan, the Kinks, Big Star, Elvis Costello, and the Beatles; he said he was inspired to become a musician after hearing The White Album. He began writing and recording his first songs around the time he moved to Portland, Oregon at the age of 14. After high school, Smith headed to Amherst, Massachusetts to study philosophy and political science at Hampshire College. It was there that he met future bandmate Neil Gust. After graduating in 1991, Smith moved back to Portland with Gust, and the co-singer/songwriter/guitarists formed the indie rock band Heatmiser with bass player Brandt Peterson and drummer Tony Lash. Mixing Smith's melancholy-pop sensibilities with Gust's more aggressive style and a notable grunge influence, they signed with Frontier Records, which released 1993's Dead Air and 1994's Cop and Speeder. Peterson then left the group and was replaced by Sam Coomes.

In the meantime, Smith's then-girlfriend convinced him to send some of his solo demos to Portland-based Cavity Search Records. The label immediately expressed interest in releasing a full album. A set of spare acoustic guitar ruminations with just a few other instruments used as accents, Roman Candle was home-recorded on a four-track tape recorder. Four of the songs didn't even have titles. It stood in sharp contrast to the scene's alternative rock that was popular upon its release in 1994. He signed with noted indie label Kill Rock Stars for the next year's Elliott Smith. It was recorded partly at his band mate Lash's house and featured Gust on additional guitar. The attention the records received soon overshadowed Heatmiser, though they helped draw the interest of Virgin Records, which signed the band for their final LP, Mic City Sons. It arrived via subsidiary Caroline Recordings in 1996. Heatmiser officially disbanded prior to its release.

As Smith continued to develop as a songwriter, his more ambitious but entirely self-recorded third solo LP, Either/Or, arrived in early 1997. With its title taken from a Søren Kierkegaard book of the same name, the album's expanded instrumentation included several songs with full-band arrangements and even keyboards. The results were still intimate, however, marked by his whispery, often despondent delivery and lyrics, even among a few livelier, uptempo tracks. The album was mixed by Smith and Heatmiser producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf.

By then, Smith had made a fan of film director Gus Van Sant, who asked for permission to use his music in an upcoming film. Counting an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" recorded with score composer Danny Elfman, four of his existing songs could be heard in the critical and box office hit Good Will Hunting later in 1997. The soundtrack also included Smith's original song for the film, "Miss Misery." When the Academy Award nominations were announced the following February, the track was a surprise entry in the Best Original Song category. Although it didn't win, Smith performed an acoustic guitar rendition live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien a few days before the Oscars, marking his network television debut. He followed it with a live performance of "Miss Misery" on the Oscars telecast accompanied by the Broadcast Orchestra.

The newfound exposure led to a record deal with DreamWorks, resulting in Smith's first album in professional studios. Though he had relocated to Brooklyn following touring for Either/Or, he headed to Los Angeles to work with musicians including Jon Brion and Joey Waronker on the notably more elaborate XO. Released in 1998, the Beatleseque production was again mixed by Smith, Rothrock, and Schnapf. His first album to appear on the Billboard 200, it reached number 104 in the U.S., also charting among the Top 50 in Australia and Sweden. Smith performed on TV's Saturday Night Live in October 1998, backed by Schnapf, Brion, Coomes, and John Moen. In 1999, he contributed a cover of the Beatles' "Because" to the soundtrack of Best Picture winner American Beauty and moved to Los Angeles, where he began work on his DreamWorks follow-up. Recorded partly at Abbey Road Studios in London, his fifth solo album, 2000's Figure 8, was co-produced by Smith, Rothrock, and Schnapf. Its more textured, orchestral arrangements drew further comparisons to the Beatles' later recordings. Figure 8 charted in several European countries and hit number 99 in the U.S.

For the next couple of years, Smith labored over what was to be his next album. He parted ways with DreamWorks, and after a falling out with Brion, he scrapped an album they had begun together. In the meantime, "Needle in the Hay" from his eponymous LP was used by Wes Anderson to accompany a suicide-attempt scene in his film The Royal Tenenbaums. Smith eventually made a fresh start at his sixth LP, combining home recordings and material from sessions with Goldenboy's Dave McConnell. Musicians including Coomes and the Flaming Lips' Steven Drodz contributed performances to parts of a planned double album. However, Smith would not live to see its completion.

Elliott Smith died on October 21, 2003, after he was found in his home with two stab wounds in his chest. The coroner was unable to determine whether he killed himself or was murdered, and the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Smith's estate asked Schnapf and former girlfriend Joanna Bolme to complete the album in progress. After mixing -- or in some cases remixing -- 15 tracks from over 30 he left behind, they completed From a Basement on the Hill. It was released as a single album by Anti- just two days shy of the first anniversary of Smith's death, to a warm critical reception. It became his only Billboard Top 20 album, reaching number 19.

In 2007, his former label Kill Rock Stars issued a two-disc set of Smith's earlier unreleased work, all of which had been recorded between 1994 and 1997. Entitled New Moon, the 24-track collection contained three songs that had been previously released on hard-to-find compilations or soundtracks, including an early version of "Miss Misery" and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen." It, too, charted in several countries, peaking at number 24 in the U.S. The career compilation An Introduction to Elliott Smith appeared in 2010, and in 2015 Smith was the subject of a documentary called Heaven Adores You. The first such documentary to receive permission to use his music, its soundtrack album followed in 2016 and landed on the Billboard soundtracks chart. A 20th anniversary expanded reissue of Either/Or returned Smith to the Billboard 200 in 2017. Three years later, Kill Rock Stars reissued his self-titled second album with the addition of Live at Umbra Penumbra, a 1994 recording of Smith's first performance as a solo artist. - Marcy Donelson
2-LP set made by KILL ROCK STARS Records, in the EU (Netherlands we believe)
Title released in 2020 - 25th Anniversary hard bound set, Remastered from the Original Source Material
Recorded in STEREO Record Catalog Number: KRS 656 (Universal Music Group # 00600753923214)
This listing is for a very rare 2-LP title - a FACTORY SEALED and assumed to be in MINT overall condition title PRESSED and ISSUED by KILL ROCK STARS Records of a highly collectible title featuring -

Elliott Smith

Title -

Elliott Smith

Track Listing -

A1 Needle In The Hay
A2 Christian Brothers
A3 Clementine
A4 Southern Belle
A5 Single File
A6 Coming Up Roses
B1 Satellite
B2 Alphabet Town
B3 St. Ides Heaven
B4 Good To Go
B5 The White Lady Loves You More
B6 The Biggest Lie
"Live @ Umbra Penumbra" Portland, OR - September 17, 1994
C1 Some Song
C2 Alphabet Town
C3 Whatever (Folk Song In C)
C4 No Name #4
C5 Big Decision
D1 Condor Ave
D2 No Name #1
D3 No Confidence Man
D4 Crazy Fucker
D5 Half Right
Performers / Credits / Other Information -
• Copyright (c) – Successors In Interest To The Estate Of Elliott Smith
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Successors In Interest To The Estate Of Elliott Smith
• Licensed To – Kill Rock Stars
• Recorded At – Umbra Penumbra
• Mastered At – Telegraph Mastering
• Pressed By – GZ Media – 207511E
• Booking [Umbra Penumbra Talent Booking] – Eric Bruggemann
• Compiled By, Recorded By [Original Umbra Penumbra Compilation And Recording] – Casey Crynes
• Layout, Design – JJ Gonson, Portia Sabin, Rob Jones
• Mastered By – Adam Gonsalves
• Supervised By, Research, Other [Archiving], Transferred By [Tape Transfers], Engineer [File Prepping], Sequenced By, Research [Credit Collating], Proofreader – Larry Crane*
• Written-By [Co-Written By] – JJ Gonson (tracks: D2), Neil Gust (tracks: D5)
• Written-By, Performer, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Elliott Smith
A hype sticker reads:
"• 25th anniversary of this classic album, remastered from the original source material
• 52 page hardbound double LP coffee table photo book of rare and previously unseen photos by JJ Gonson, with handwritten lyrics and reminiscences from Smith's friends and colleagues
• 2nd LP includes earliest known live solo recording from September 17, 1994"
D2 and C1 originally appeared on Various - Live At Umbra Penumbra on Skylash Records.
Recorded Jan/Feb '95 at Leslie Uppinghouse's house except "Needle In The Hay" and "Alphabet Town" Sept '94 at Tony Lash's house. Mixed with much help from Tony and Leslie at Tony's house. Rebecca Gates courtesy [of] Sub Pop Records.
• Barcode: 600753923214
• Label Code: LC 01846
• Matrix / Runout (A side runout, stamped): 207511E1/A LP KRS 656
• Matrix / Runout (B side runout, stamped): 207511E2/A LP KRS 656
• Matrix / Runout (C side runout, stamped): 207511E3/A LP KRS 656
• Matrix / Runout (D side runout, stamped): 207511E4/A LP KRS 656
• Matrix / Runout (A & B label): 00600753923221
• Matrix / Runout (C & D label): 00600753923238
CONDITION Details: This set comes in a hard bound book format. There are 2-LPs as well as a 52-page coffee table book. The LPs and outer sleeve are assumed to be in MINT overall condition as this item is FACTORY SEALED with NO seam splits, NO cut out marks and the outer plastic wrap is 100% intact without tears. Comes with a HYPE sticker on the front. A finer example of this item would be near impossible to find! This is your chance to get a truly mint, untouched example.
A Short Note About LP GRADING - Mint {M} = Only used for sealed items. Near Mint {NM} = Virtually flawless in every way. Near Mint Minus {NM-} = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible. Excellent {EXC} = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise. Very Good Plus {VG+} = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.

For best results, always thoroughly clean your LPs before playing them, even for brand new items.

LPs can be audiophile quality pressings (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Do not let this rarity slip by!