Elliott Smith (studio album) by Elliott Smith
Condition: Very Good
Condition: Very Good
Condition: Very Good
Elliott Smith bestography
Elliott Smith is ranked 3rd best out of 10 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 12,695.
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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
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 485 ratings for this album.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
80/100 ![]() | 4 days ago | bwoodlan | ![]() | 77/100 |
100/100 ![]() | 07/30/2022 16:07 | DrewHamster | ![]() | 70/100 |
80/100 ![]() | 07/15/2022 19:34 | Timooosterink | ![]() | 73/100 |
80/100 ![]() | 07/14/2022 21:08 | ![]() | ![]() | 77/100 |
70/100 ![]() | 07/14/2022 07:31 | yinei007 | ![]() | 78/100 |
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This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.7/100, a mean average of 80.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.6.
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The forgotten Elliott Smith album? Yes and no - Yes only the ES fans could list half a dozen songs on this album , No - many of the songs are well known in their own right and are fondly regarded widely as folk at its finest in the 1990’s and I’m referring to “Needle In The Hay”, “Coming Up Roses”, “St.Ides Heaven” and “Biggest Lie”
This album is the sound of a delicate flower who’s petals will tumble at the slightest of disturbances
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.

I disliked this on first listen. It wasn't an attentive listen. Then I came back recently, and focused on it. I liked it better. Then I found myself playing it on repeat. It's fantastic, so tender and more varied dynamically than Roman Candle. These songs build and grow while Roman Candle's drone. I love both albums, but this one isn't too short the way Roman Candle is.
Are there many album openers in history better than “Needle in the Hay”? On the opposite end of the record is the similarly perfect closer “The Biggest Lie”. In between lies the definitive document of Smith's morose and romantic acoustic side as well as the first clear updates to the percussion-driven style from his Heatmiser days. Even when the songwriting isn't quite on point, this record carries a uniquely mystical quality that I can't quite put my finger on.
Favorites: “Needle in the Hay”, “St. Idles Heaven”, “The Biggest Lie”, “Christian Brothers, “Southern Belle”, “Coming Up Roses”, basically everything else really
Simply a perfect record. It's quiet and unassuming but has depth and darkness too. A highly recommended listen
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.

I haven't listened to an opener sadder and more desperate than "Needle in the Hay".
Not his best, but still another excellent collection of songs from one of the greatest songwriters of the nineties. Raw and intimate.
elliott smith was able to express his melancholy in the plucking of the strings he composed

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