Either/Or
by Elliott Smith

Either/Or by Elliott Smith
Year: 1997
Release date: 1997-02-25
Overall rank: 127th   
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 1,165 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1997 (3rd)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1990s (26th)
Award Top 200 albums of all time (127th)

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Either/Or by Smith, Elliott (CD, 2015)
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Elliott Smith - Either / Or NEW Sealed Vinyl LP Album
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Elliott Smith Either/Or: Alternative Versions (Limited Edition, White Vinyl) (7"
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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 (127th)
Either/Or
Lower ranked (436th) »
XO

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

Upcoming concerts

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Mark Lettieri Group
Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, United States. United States
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Mar
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Night Cap
Marquis, Denver, United States. United States
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Mar
29
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Humbe: Dueño Del Cielo Tour
Paramount Theatre, Denver, United States. United States
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Either/Or track list

   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
1.
Average Rating: 87 (266 votes)Comments: View 2
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2.
Average Rating: 87 (255 votes)Comments: View 2
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3.
Average Rating: 87 (269 votes)Comments: View 0
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4.
Track pick (910 - 331 votes)
Average Rating: 91 (331 votes)Comments: View 3
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5.
Average Rating: 85 (245 votes)Comments: View 0
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6.
Average Rating: 83 (220 votes)Comments: View 1
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7.
Average Rating: 85 (231 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Average Rating: 81 (219 votes)Comments: View 0
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9.
Track pick (890 - 273 votes)
Average Rating: 89 (273 votes)Comments: View 2
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10.
Average Rating: 84 (224 votes)Comments: View 3
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11.
Average Rating: 85 (239 votes)Comments: View 1
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12.
Track pick (900 - 290 votes)
Average Rating: 90 (290 votes)Comments: View 6
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Either/Or rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 127th | 1990s rank: 26th | 1997 rank: 3rd

Either/Or collection

Either/Or ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 1,165 votes)
   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 1,165 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
45/100
 !
02/09/2026 21:42 wizardalien   79247/100
 
0/100
 !
01/24/2026 13:16 haz215   11473/100
 
90/100
 !
01/20/2026 16:38 mgreg50   18693/100
 
65/100
 !
01/20/2026 13:30 marcoserra1966   77258/100
 
100/100
 !
01/14/2026 23:38 This_is_handsome   76979/100

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 15.2.

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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) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 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) | 0 votes (0 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) | +1 votes (1 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)
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)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/20/2021 00:07 | #269927
Deveria ser mais valorizado! Puta álbum!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/12/2021 19:32 | #266232
Incredible album, surprisingly catchy with a lot of dark, thoughtful lyrics. RIP Elliott.
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
11. I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One by Yo La Tengo
12. The Fat Of The Land by The Prodigy
13. The Mollusk by Ween
14. Blur by Blur
15. Buena Vista Social Club by Buena Vista Social Club
16. Time Out Of Mind by Bob Dylan
17. Homework by Daft Punk
18. Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind
19. Mogwai Young Team by Mogwai
20. Dots And Loops by Stereolab
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