Elliott Smith
by Elliott Smith
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Elliott Smith bestography
Elliott Smith is ranked 3rd best out of 9 albums by Elliott Smith on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Elliott Smith is Either/Or which is ranked number 131 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,835.
(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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Elliott Smith track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Elliott Smith rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 1 hour ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rm12398 | Top 35 Music Albums of 1995 | 4/35 | 5 |
| 2026 | arturo | Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | 37/40 | 9 |
| 2026 |  videoheadcleaner | Top 70 Music Albums of 1995 | 56/70 | 1 |
| 2026 | tim0505 | Top 8 Music Albums of 1995 | 5/8 | 3 |
| 2026 | OFarrio | Top 23 Music Albums of 1995 | 7/23 | 4 |
| 2026 |  RockyRaccoon | Top 53 Music Albums of 1995 | 24/53 | 3 |
| 2026 |  DommeDamian | June 26: 101-200 | 88/100 | - |
| 2026 | Exist-en-ciel | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 23/100 | 16 |
| 2026 |  Purplepash | Top 67 Music Albums of 1995 | 25/67 | 3 |
| 2026 | Moondance | Album covers: Quirky, intriguing, aesthetically pleasing | 19/100 | - |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 389 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 2,837 | |||
Elliott Smith collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 187 members
Elliott Smith ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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 548 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 25 hours ago |  identifer | 1,007 | 82/100 |
| ! | 10/03/2026 06:46 | animals0809 | 98 | 93/100 |
| ! | 08/30/2026 20:52 | ikeguy | 45 | 86/100 |
Rating metrics:
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 81.0/100, a mean average of 80.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.4.
Elliott Smith favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 93 members
Elliott Smith forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 3 days ago in Chart of the day (#5466): By animals0809View latest topic →
neilgee 01/08/2026 12:01 in What album are you listening to? (cont.) BestEverAlbums 09/05/2025 20:00 in Album of the day (#5374): Elliott Smith by Elliott SmithView latest topic →
View all forum mentions
Elliott Smith comments
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GuitarDan 12/01/2010 22:41 | #16733 | TOP COMMENT
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CONTEXT: Smith's second album is a full realization of his early sound--quiet, haunting, and powerful. MUSIC: Acoustic guitars dominate the record, with a dash of snare drum, electric guitar lines, and organ sprinkled in a few spots. Each song is captivating and well-arranged. LYRICS: Smith asserts himself as one of the best wordsmith's of his era. Characters fend off bad relationships, drug addictions, and self-doubt throughout the album. The imagery is stunning and the word choice unique. HIGHLIGHTS: Needle In The Hay, Southern Belle, The Biggest Lie (Edited)
favorite elliott smith lyrics on 'st. ides heaven' - "high on amphetamines/the moon is a light bulb breaking/it'll go around with anyone/but it won't come down for anyone/ and i'll go around with anyone/but i won't come down for anyone' amphetamines were definitely a big thing for him over his career, and were one of the only drugs still found in his blood after his death (but people don't often mention this because he had a prescription, however even prescribed amphetamines like adderall can still mess you up)
this is one of my all time favorite records and is probably tied with 'from a basement' for me. every song is amazing alone but it plays so well as a full album. (Edited)
It starts to rain during a freezing winter night, so you make your way to an underpass. You huddle up with a heroin junkie for warmth. He whips out a guitar, and plays the saddest songs about addiction and self-hatred you've ever heard. (Edited)
Definitely the most honest of Smith's work. GuitarDan's comment nails this album in a point.
Favourite Songs: Needle in the Hay, Alphabet Town, Coming up Roses, Satellite (Edited)
Slinkz 04/14/2011 01:06 | #20336 | TOP COMMENT
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Though this album has an incredibly depressing nature, I find it very motivating. I can't seem to understand why but the tracks as a whole album work really well together. Smith's layered vocals and acoustics with a minor twist radiate very moving imagery. My personal favourite is "Christian Brothers".
This is my new favourite. (Edited)
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