This could be good or bad, but Smith had great faster paced songs, and Pictures Of Me is a perfect example. When looking for a bad point on the album, this would be it, however it is still a solid track, although not as good as the rest of the album.Įlliott Smith seems to get more attention for his slower ballads then his faster songs. This does seem to happen in Between The Bars, the song tends to drag on, and with little structure at that. Some of Elliott’s songs sometime lacked focus when he is the only one playing, this doesn’t happen a lot mind you, but listening to him you tend to find spots where he needed a push in the right direction. Drums add tremendously to this track, giving Smith seemingly more rhythm and he gets to show it off. With Smith’s gentle voice rambling off some of the most impressive lyrics on the album, over a simple but very catchy guitar performance. Speed Trials is a favorite of many fans, and listening to it, you can hear why.
The album starts off with a song that sums up Smith and what he tried to convey with his song writing. What better case for this, is 1997's Either/Or? An already respected musician, and had so much indie cred that it was probably seeping through records, Smith came out with his best work yet, and to date.
However when a person sells more after death then when he was alive, you have to take notice of his or her importance to music. It is only a few years after the mans death, so of course it is hard to tell how his message will be perceived in ten or so years. No, all Smith did was make classic pop songs and create a die hard fan base of gloomy teenagers and intellectual twenty some things. Smith did not change the music scene, he did not sell millions of records, and of course he did not win many awards. How could you blame them, this isn’t Nirvana after all. Many fans at the time wondered how his music would live on, when he wasn’t. You know the story, at the young age of thirty-three, Smith stabbed himself to death after a fight with his then girlfriend.
Review Summary: Smith makes a case for himself on this album as being one of the most important artists of the late 90's, and maybe, simply, the best single artist of this generation.Įlliott Smith, the tragic figure so many of us have grown to love.
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