Either/Or
by Elliott Smith

Album
Either/Or by Elliott Smith
Year: 1997
Release date: 1997-02-25
Overall rank: 131st   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 1,182 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1997 (3rd)
Award Top 50 albums of of the 1990s (26th)
Award Top 200 albums of all time (131st)

Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY

Log in or create an account to rate this album, leave comments or join the discussion.
eBay
Sorry, no matches on eBay for "either Elliott Smith".
See full search results on eBay

  My favourite store:  

Listen & Collect

Complete your collection or upgrade your listening experience.

  • Listened Upgrade your listening setup on Amazon(headphones, turntables & speakers)
  • Find vinyl editions of this album on eBay
  • Browse Elliott Smith merchandise on Amazon (T-shirts & more)
  • Need a birthday or celebration gift? Browse unique music memorabilia on Amazon

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 (458th) »
XO

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

Listen to Either/Or on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

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).

Sort Sort by
#
Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Speed Trials
Average Rating: 87 (268 votes)Comments: View 2
2.
Alameda
Average Rating: 87 (257 votes)Comments: View 2
3.
Ballad Of Big Nothing
Average Rating: 87 (271 votes)Comments: View 0
4.
Track pick (910 - 333 votes)
Between The Bars
Average Rating: 91 (333 votes)Comments: View 3
5.
Pictures Of Me
Average Rating: 85 (247 votes)Comments: View 0
6.
No Name No. 5
Average Rating: 83 (222 votes)Comments: View 1
7.
Rose Parade
Average Rating: 85 (233 votes)Comments: View 0
8.
Punch And Judy
Average Rating: 81 (221 votes)Comments: View 0
9.
Track pick (890 - 275 votes)
Angeles
Average Rating: 89 (275 votes)Comments: View 2
10.
Cupids Trick
Average Rating: 84 (226 votes)Comments: View 3
11.
2:45 AM
Average Rating: 85 (241 votes)Comments: View 1
12.
Track pick (900 - 292 votes)
Say Yes
Average Rating: 90 (292 votes)Comments: View 6

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

Either/Or rankings

Either/Or rankings summary
Overall rank: 131st | 1990s rank: 26th | 1997 rank: 3rd  Overall chart history
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings).Help Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 3 hours ago)

Either/Or collection

Either/Or ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 1,182 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 3 ratings for this album.  | Show all 1,182 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 !		37 hours ago bwoodlan  Ratings distribution  78579/100
 
40/100
 !		4 days ago pedro1976  Ratings distribution  1,58071/100
 
85/100
 !		5 days ago pharoahstune  Ratings distribution  25180/100

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 84.0/100, a mean average of 82.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.3.


Please log in or create an account if you want to be able to leave a rating

Either/Or favourites

Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite  | Show all 272 members

ikeguy
xlucky_ratx
HorribleClaus25
tibolano
Exist-en-ciel
stareaterogni0n
Repo
elcapnsunshine
Iglou2981
HeyJune

Either/Or forum mentions

This album has been referenced 109 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From BestEverAlbums 5 days ago in Chart of the day (#5459): By Applerill
“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Applerill () 1. by (1996) 2. by (2000) 3. (1993) 4. by (2013) 5. by (2002) 6. by (1995) 7. (2005) 8. (1975) 9. by by (2007) 11. by (1971) 12. by (2002) 13. by by (2002) 15. by (2006) 16. by (2014) 17. by (2019) 18. (2004) 19. (2000) 20. by…”
View forum post →

From BestEverAlbums 10/04/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5455): By ThaCrookedSpoke
“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by ThaCrookedSpoke () 1. by (1970) 2. (1997) 3. by (2012) 4. by by by by (2015) 8. by (1973) 10. by by (1968) 14. (1994) 16. (1966) 17. (1971) 18. (2004) 20. by (1969) 21. (1998) 22. by (2007) 23. by (1959) 24. by (1973) 25. (1996) 26. by…”
View forum post →

From BestEverAlbums 09/22/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5443): By javicho07
“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s by javicho07 () 1. by (1999) 2. by (1994) 4. by (1991) 7. (1997) 8. by (1997) 9. (1996) 10. (1998) 11. (1998) 12. by (1997) 13. by (1990) 14. (1990) 15. by (1997) 17. by (1996) 18. (1990) 19. by (1993) 20. by by by (1995) 23. by (1997) 24.…”
View forum post →

View all forum mentions

Either/Or comments

Showing latest 5 comments | Show all 70 comments |
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Showing comments with any number of votes. Manage Profile)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/14/2013 03:14 | #68223 | TOP COMMENT Help Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.
Mr. Smith really had an unmatched ear for melody and harmony. This record is mostly just very quiet and subdued, but further listens reveal just some of the best written melodies. I just love it. (Edited)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 8
Reply
From 06/14/2014 22:30 | #114489 | TOP COMMENT Help Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.
Elliott Smith's music means a lot to me. From the very first time that I heard this album, I've had a deep admiration for it. The fragility and beauty on this album is staggering. Smith's voice grabbed me instantly on my first listen, because it just fits so well with the music and the lyrics. Elliott is like a butterfly and his voice is his wings. It makes him soar, but it sounds so fragile that you could touch it and it would break into a million pieces. Not only that, but this album has some very strong underlying pop melodies. This causes the songs to get stuck in my head all of the time, and I end up revisiting this album at least once a week. It's just pure magic.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 5
Reply
Rating:  
60/100
From 10/21/2016 03:37 | #177255 | TOP COMMENT Help Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.
It is a risk to judge something so sacred for many people, but I'm gonna do it.
I never paid much attention to Elliott Smith during the 90s, but I always felt that I would identify with him and like his music.
It happens that the early 20s me would like it a lot I guess, but listening nowadays I feel like it is something not meant to be timeless.
It has meaning for the people who lived it at that time, like many bands from our youth.
But listening it solely as music I feel that there are good moments like Ballad of Big Nothing and Between the Bars and average and not good songs.

Don't mean to offend anyone, it is only my honest opinion.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 3
Reply
Rating:  
85/100
From 06/19/2018 19:59 | #217024 | TOP COMMENT Help Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.
I would love this record to get into the top 100 eventually. It certainly deserves it. (Edited)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 5
Reply
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/23/2009 14:15 | #5915 | TOP COMMENT Help Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.
R.I.P. Elliott. You are missed. (Edited)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) · 6
Reply
Anonymous
What do you think of this album? Join the conversation!.
The top-voted comments get featured on our charts, Album of the Day, and the site newsletter.

Log in or create an account to rate this album, leave comments or join the discussion.
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