Disco de Elliott Smith: “Introduction to Elliott Smith”

Elliott Smith was taken away too soon to get the fame that he really deserved. For the uninformed, this is an excellent compilation to acquaint the listener with the genius of the late Mr. Smith. In my opinion, this could have been a double disc set, which would have allowed for other tracks to be included, i.e. Baby Britain, Son of Sam. However, this will suffice for the initiate to maybe seek out other Elliot Smith tracks. RIP, Elliott, we miss you and your music. Thank you for the music and time you shared with us.

We that enjoy Elliott's music seem content to do so in solitude - much the way the music was created. The "Introduction to..." also seems more like an apology than a celebration - with little fanfare and with a track selection that doesn't pull out all the stops (much the same way that his career was handled).

It's an "Introduction to" then, not a "Best of" and certainly not a "Greatest Hits of". So it's hard to argue with the song selection as a result.

Maybe at his 10th anniversary, a "Best Of" will hit the market when the current top 40 is replaced by more melodic, more insightful content - like is throughout this great songwriter's legacy.

If you're looking for the "Best" songs, a set of his strongest songs would be a fantastic CD in anyone's collection:

* Son of Sam

* Happiness

* Say Yes

* Miss Misery

* Waltz #2 (XO)

* A Fond Farewell

* Pictures of Me

* How to take a Fall

* Better Be Quiet Now

* Passing Feeling

These 10 are truly his best - and they leave out many of his tracks that others are fanatical about (including some of my personal favorites). But with these, you can do no wrong and you would be proud to play them to anyone - like a proper introduction.

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Elliott Smith was a singer songwriter weened on punk and grunge, with the soul of Nick Drake and a brain filled with arrangements by The Beatles and Brian Wilson. Whcih made him about as unlikely a pop star as any man on the 90's could have been. Add a still unresolved death while he was recording "From a Basement On A Hill," and Elliott begins to find his name mentioned next to the likes of Jeff Buckley; a gifted singer songwriter whose best work could have easily still been ahead of him.

"An Introduction to Elliott Smith" does a good job at capturing what Smith was all about and where the buzz over him was generated. He had a knack for insidious, low key melodies that would blossom after multiple listenings, as well as the kind of tortured lyrics an angsty person could wallow in for days. "Miss Misery," which hauled in an Oscar Nomination after Gus Van Zandt included it in "Good Will Hunting," is a perfect example. Included here as a demo version, it still creeps under the skin as Smith's light voice whispers "I'll fake it through the day with the help of some Johnny Walker Red." As opening lines to a lousy love affair go, there are few that top it.

But Smtih could also whip up a tasty pop confection, as both "Happiness" and "Ballad of Big Nothing" show in a stately way. Despite the tormented underpinnings, both songs are catchy and melodic, the kind of songs that would stick in your ear until you realized what exactly Smith was singing about. He mastered both the art of production and ambiance (the subtle, cricket chirping of "Twilight"), yet never managed a hit single. Smith only cracked the top 20 with an album after his death, when "From a Basement" peaked at 19. Like Buckley, or perhaps Nick Drake, Smith created a legacy that now has a modest but permanent canon of work that gains in luster the longer you listen.

If you're just discovering Elliott, Congratulations! you are about to become a fan of one of the more talented and emotionally raw songwriters in the past 20 years. Though he made a number of classic indie albums that you should take the time to listen to, this isn't a bad collection to start with. It includes many of his more popular songs and classics. There are a number of other songs I would of added (especially off of Figure 8 which seems to have been completely snubbed)but like the cover states, its an "introduction" to Elliott Smith, not a greatest hits or definitive collection. So if you're intrigued by Elliott then go ahead and pick this up. I firmly believe that Elliott Smith was one of those rare talents that truly rewarded you for listening to all of his recordings but for now, there's nothing wrong with getting your teeth wet with a little "introduction".