From the fragile harmonies on “Alameda Street” to the intricate fingerpicking on “Angeles” and the melancholy mix of anguish and hope on “Say Yes,” Either/Or is a nod to the folk-pop forefathers of The Zombies, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Drake, and The Left Banke. This album features the original tracks carefully remastered from the original source material under the supervision of Larry Crane, owner of JackpotStudios and archivist of the Estate of Elliott Smith. You see recurring characters in his songs.”īut with apocryphal lyrics like “Everybody’s dying just to get the disease” and “I’m so sick and tired of all these pictures of me” on “Pictures of Me,” it’s hard not to read between the lines.ĭespite its low-fi touches on the opener “Speed Trials,” “Say Yes” and throughout the record, Either/Or also displays Smith’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and the purity of his voice. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Elliott Smith’s best-selling and greatly beloved album, Either/Or, Kill Rock Stars proudly presents Either/Or: Expanded Edition. Larry Crane, has remastered the dozen songs on Either.

It’s his own life, but it’s a lot of allegory. Elliott Smith may have been a romantic, after a fashion, but it seems unlikely he would have chosen to be memorialised as a tragic hero.

The biggest mistake people make is assuming his songs are all confessional. Kill Rock Stars Either/Or is widely regarded as Elliotts best. His name alone has become shorthand for adolescent angst and while Either/Or is suffused with melancholy, it doesn’t revel in it.Īs his longtime friend and creative collaborator Larry Crane told Pitchfork, “His lyrics are parables and observations. Elliott Smith - Either/Or Expanded Edition 2LP NEW. The planned title track to Either/Or didn’t actually make the cut for the album, though it’s stronger than some of the songs that did. It’s almost impossible now to separate Smith’s tragic death and the perceptions that people project onto his music. That explains much of why the album triggers such a Proustian response, just hearing it transports you back to your emotional state when heard it for the first time. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of this masterpiece, Kill Rock Stars proudly presents Either/Or: Expanded Edition. Elliott Smith - Either / Or: Expanded Edition (2xLP, Album, Ltd, RE, RM) Label: Kill Rock Stars Cat: KRS620 Media Condition: Media: Mint (M) Sleeve Condition: Sleeve: Mint (M) Brand New and Factory Sealed - Everything is in New / Mint Condition - No Shop Wear - Includes OBI Strip - 5.00 Shipping in the U.S. His lyrics are emotionally vulnerable in a way like reading someone’s diary. Either/Or is widely regarded as Elliott Smiths best album, and remains his best-selling.

Twenty years and a few days later, the same label offers a remastered and expanded edition of the record to commemorate that initial release. Look for the expanded Either/Or March 10 via Kill Rock Stars and watch a trailer for it below.Either/Or comforts like a sonic blanket for when you want to tunnel into your own emotions with cathartic contentment. Elliott Smith released his third record, and final for Olympia, Washington-based independent label Kill Rock Stars in late February 1997. This edition still features some exciting rarities including recordings from the 1997 Yo Yo A Go Go festival in Olympia, WA, as well as a version of XO‘s ‘Bottle Up And Explode!’ with different lyrics, a new version of ‘I Don’t Think I’m Ever Going To Figure It Out’ and a short keyboard take on ‘New Monkey’. To mark the announcement, Smith’s label Kill Rock Stars has released a new studio version of ‘I Figured You Out,’ a song he originally wrote for Mary Lou Lord.Īs The New York Times points out, the reissue was originally envisioned as a 10-year anniversary edition in 2007, but the label opted to release most of that unheard material as the album New Moon instead. For its 20th anniversary, Kill Rock Stars is releasing an expanded reissue of the album, remastered under the supervision of Larry Crane, owner of Jackpot Studios and archivist of the Elliott Smith estate. Elliott Smith’s Either/Or will receive an expanded 20th anniversary reissue this year featuring unreleased music.Įither/Or: Expanded Edition features the late singer’s original 12-track album remastered, as well as never-before-heard live and studio recordings. This year, Elliott Smith‘s landmark 1997 album either/or turns 20.

Elliott smith either or remastered