Either/Or
by Elliott Smith

Either/Or by Elliott Smith
Year: 1997
Release date: 1997-02-25
Overall rank: 131st   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 1,176 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1997 (3rd)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1990s (26th)
Award Top 200 albums of all time (131st)

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Product Details
Availability

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Either/Or by Smith, Elliott (CD, 2015)
Condition: Brand New


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Either / or by Smith, Elliott (Record, 2017)
Condition: New


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Elliott Smith · Either / Or Vinyl LP / Record · Kill Rockstars · 2021 ·
Condition: Used


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Elliott Smith bestography

Either/Or is ranked as the best album by Elliott Smith.

Elliott Smith album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (131st)
Either/Or
Lower ranked (432nd) »
XO

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Either/Or track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 86 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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#
Track
Rating/Comments
4.
Track pick (910 - 331 votes)
Average Rating: 91 (331 votes)Comments: View 3
9.
Track pick (890 - 274 votes)
Average Rating: 89 (274 votes)Comments: View 2
12.
Track pick (900 - 291 votes)
Average Rating: 90 (291 votes)Comments: View 6

Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Either/Or rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 131st | 1990s rank: 26th | 1997 rank: 3rd
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 MercuryTop 100 Greatest Music Albums60/10041
2026 DommeDamianTop 42 Music Albums of 19972/425
2026leniadTop 100 Music Albums of the 1990s41/10012
2026leniadTop 201-300 Greatest Music Albums10/100 -
2026LittleM1971Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s5/10019
2026pinkfreud1981Best 100 albums ever. ( 1 per artist)53/100 -
2026ElauqsapidTop 100 Greatest Music Albums35/10065
2026craabTop 100 Music Albums of the 1990s99/1000
2026stareaterogni0nTop 100 Greatest Music Albums1/100100
2026lanadeleswiftTop 44 Music Albums of 199726/442
2026OFarrioTop 26 Music Albums of 19971/265
2026SUPERJEFF6100 Albums9/100 -
2026tim0505Top 100 Greatest Music Albums94/1007
2026AltsoulTop 100 Greatest Music Albums35/10065
2026 PasticheTop 100 Music Albums of the 1990s50/10010
2026 AAL2014Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s63/1008
2026gregthealienTop 101-200 Greatest Music Albums54/100 -
2026 meezusTop 95 Greatest Music Albums46/9551
2026 ApplerillTop 100 Greatest Music Albums30/10071
2026blueandthemoonTop 100 Greatest Music Albums63/10038
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 1,002
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 10,061
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Either/Or collection

Either/Or ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 1,176 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 1,176 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 
06/03/2026 02:32 vicpark_theband  Ratings distribution  2184/100
 
100/100
 
05/25/2026 02:47 pinkfreud1981  Ratings distribution  64081/100
 
100/100
 
05/22/2026 03:58 Gussy  Ratings distribution  1,25688/100
 
90/100
 
05/19/2026 00:38 golrab67  Ratings distribution  17391/100
 
85/100
 
04/13/2026 11:59 Liks_on_music  Ratings distribution  64681/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 84.1/100, a mean average of 82.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.3.

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Either/Or comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 70 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
45/100
From 02/09/2026 21:46 | #313079
Cupid's Trick and Say Yes are great songs. A few boring ones too but overall liked the mood and feel of the album. I think it will prove to be a grower for me after further listens.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/09/2026 16:34 | #312543
Is this the best Elliott Smith album? Probably, because it is the one I've come back to and resonated with the most. However, XO was such a fantastic follow up, and his whole 90s output set a tone for 2000s folk that was unparalleled. RIP, my good man.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 04/10/2023 11:31 | #295913
This is a fantastic singer songwriter album. Elliott Smith's voice is brilliant on here with his emotional style making the music feel so melancholic and sad. This helps to create a great atmosphere that is well maintained throughout the release. The guitar work is sensational as well with it feeling so personal and easily relatable. The song writing is mature and intelligent also and is well worth exploring whilst listening along. Overall, this is an elite Elliott Smith record that demonstrates his vocal and instrumental talents brilliantly.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 11/03/2022 23:45 | #291025
One of the best examples of singer-songwriting. This is an album I can consistently return to, and it only gets better.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/31/2022 03:47 | #289150
Solid album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 04/07/2022 17:38 | #283901
His voice is pitch perfect and fits so well with the musical style. A clear and rare spiritual descendant of Dylan.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/10/2022 06:28 | #282600
Great singer song-writing does always good things for your mind and body.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 03/03/2022 15:13 | #282199
Bitter, sad and beautiful.

I find this easier to listen to from start to finish than XO, though the latter might be more varied. Both great albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 02/03/2022 21:21 | #280606
One of the quintessential singer-songwriters.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/15/2021 20:12 | #276335
La verdad es que no esperaba encontrarme este pedazo de disco. Música tranquila, gran voz,... Muy buen disco
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1997
1. OK Computer by Radiohead
2. Homogenic by Björk
3. Either/Or by Elliott Smith
4. The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse
5. F♯ A♯ ∞ [F-Sharp, A-Sharp, Infinity] by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
6. Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spiritualized
7. Perfect From Now On by Built To Spill
8. Urban Hymns by The Verve
9. The Colour And The Shape by Foo Fighters
10. The Boatman's Call by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds