Elliot Smith - An Introduction to...
As with his music, the life and times of Elliott Smith always appeared to be tainted with a certain sadness which tragically, culminated in his sudden and untimely death occurring October 2003, at only 34 years old. If associated press is to be believed, it is clear that from a very early age he was a troubled soul, who continually struggled to cope with the scenarios that life presented him. Born 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska, Smith's parents divorced around the time of his first birthday. Although in later life it was documented that he did have a good relationship with his father, at the time of the family breakdown he moved to Texas with his mother, where he spent his formative years. He later claimed that it was here that he was subjected to both physical and sexual abuse put upon him by his stepfather, Charlie Welsh, whose namesake appears in various forms and references throughout a number of Smith's songs.
For Elliott Smith, the catastrophic effects of this torrid childhood forced him to endure a more than healthy relationship with alcohol, which then escalated to huge drug addiction (at one point reaching as much as around $1600 per day on both crack and heroine) as well as being continually plagued by depression. Not to mention a number of suicide attempts. If life experience offers inspiration, it's easy to see why such a bleak stream of melancholy can be found pacing throughout his back catalogue. Although some time was spent in Massachusetts based band, 'Heatmiser', his solo career really took off in 1994 at the height of Grunge, (a scene he felt little or no connection with - where he believed its popularity would naturally scupper his own rise) with the release of his debut album 'Roman Candle'. Between this release and his death, four other albums came out, all of which continually evolving his trademark sound and style. Another two albums have been released posthumously.
This collection, 'An Introduction to...' is made up from 14 career spanning tracks, all of which were originally recorded and released on his previous seven albums. It is hoped younger generations will be able to delve deeper into someone who's been described in many quarters as an 'immensely satisfying' songwriter.
In Elliott Smith we are talking about an artitst who truly is a demi-god amongst those who've been lucky enough to experience the pouring out of his soul on either record or through his live performances, but even so, his understated success means many will miss out on this greatness, which makes this a perfect release, both in the deserved exposure and in the timing of its availabilty - as for me his music is generally quite easy going and breezy, but it does contain a darker autumnnal undercurrent consistently running below its surface.
You will be hard pushed to find a hit single on this album, but that takes nothing away from these majestically structured songs, which are all performed with a clear love for both music and melody, making this a more than perfect 'Introduction to...Elliott Smith'.