"A Tribute To Elliott Smith" features some of the best Independent bands from all over the world honoring the late, great Elliott Smith with an outstanding collection of covers and originals inspired by Elliott Smith?s mus... more »ic. The musicians represented here are a diverse crowd hailing from across the USA, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Each was selected because of the quality of their unique and interesting music, to bring a wide range of takes on Elliott Smith's music worthy of a tribute to his legacy. This fully licensed tribute complements any Elliott Smith fan?s CD collection ? each cover is treated with the respect it deserves while at the same time exhibiting a fresh take on these classic songs. The originals on the album are all from musicians who were inspired to perform and create by Elliott Smith?s music. Unlike many tribute albums, the track listing of ?A Tribute To Elliott Smith? flows seamlessly from one song to another, really keeping the listener in an Elliott Smith state of mind and coming off as a cohesive album rather than a hastily thrown together collection of songs. Each song and artist was chosen with care to ensure a heartfelt tribute that gets everything right. With 21 tracks and over 77 minutes of music, "A Tribute To Elliott Smith" is absolutely loaded to capacity with great music. From slow and mellow songs to full on rockers, this album covers the whole musical spectrum while still retaining that special Elliott Smith flavor on each and every track. A portion of all proceeds from this release will be donated to the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund.« less
"A Tribute To Elliott Smith" features some of the best Independent bands from all over the world honoring the late, great Elliott Smith with an outstanding collection of covers and originals inspired by Elliott Smith?s music. The musicians represented here are a diverse crowd hailing from across the USA, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Each was selected because of the quality of their unique and interesting music, to bring a wide range of takes on Elliott Smith's music worthy of a tribute to his legacy. This fully licensed tribute complements any Elliott Smith fan?s CD collection ? each cover is treated with the respect it deserves while at the same time exhibiting a fresh take on these classic songs. The originals on the album are all from musicians who were inspired to perform and create by Elliott Smith?s music. Unlike many tribute albums, the track listing of ?A Tribute To Elliott Smith? flows seamlessly from one song to another, really keeping the listener in an Elliott Smith state of mind and coming off as a cohesive album rather than a hastily thrown together collection of songs. Each song and artist was chosen with care to ensure a heartfelt tribute that gets everything right. With 21 tracks and over 77 minutes of music, "A Tribute To Elliott Smith" is absolutely loaded to capacity with great music. From slow and mellow songs to full on rockers, this album covers the whole musical spectrum while still retaining that special Elliott Smith flavor on each and every track. A portion of all proceeds from this release will be donated to the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund.
CD Reviews
Lovely...
Sara Amundson | Washington State | 12/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's Christmas morning, the house is strewn with wrapping paper, and I'm sitting here listening to this CD with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. Ignore the reviewers who complain about the quality of the songs on this CD, or question the nature of the covers. This tribute CD captures the *spirit* of Elliott Smith, and that's what's important. Not every cover is perfect, not every cover is revolutionary, but I've been an Elliott fan for a huge portion of my life, and saw him play live more times than I can count, and I think this album does him justice. Elliott Smith played random cover songs at every show I ever saw him perform, and so it seems more than fitting that his music should be covered by others. Moreover, Elliott Smith was *funny*--he told jokes, he talked to the audience, he even let them choose which songs he played. Some of these covers are playful, and rightfully so. Elliott may not have led the happiest life, but he still had his moments of lightness and playfulness, and in my personal opinion, he appreciated the shared nature of music. There aren't many art forms that allow artists to pay tribute to their idols and peers by creating their own versions of pieces they have loved. Writers can't "cover" each other, and neither can painters. You may not like the way these songs are arranged, but how can any true Elliott Smith fan not appreciate the spirit in which they were made? I couldn't be happier to own this."
AWESOME CD! With a description of each song...
Jonathan Wayne | Nashville, TN | 06/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
""A Tribute To Elliott Smith" was a CD I was anxious to hear when I saw it on Amazon, as I am a long time Elliott Smith fan. I ordered it along with a Heatmiser CD I didn't have yet (Heatmiser is Elliott Smith's old band). I really liked every track on this CD so I though I would take the time to tell other Amazonians (ha!) what I know about all the songs on the CD and the bands who recorded them. Oh and to the reviewer who said that it was poor recording quality (and admitted to not even buying the CD, but listening to the sound clips on the record label site) well uh, dude, the sound clips at that site are like really tiny low-fi mp3 clips - I can assure you that every song on this CD sounds fantastic and professionally recorded. Maybe you should actually listen to the CD before reviewing it??? Okay, now that I am down from the soapbox, here's the tracklisting breakdown:
1. Oh Well, OK (Max Vague)
really cool cover, sounds great, I don't know much about Max Vague though - I want to hear more though!
2. Say Yes (Cord Stone)
Great cover! One of my faves. I actually went and got a Cord Stone cd - this guy makes some great music.
3. A Quiet Afternoon (Zen Withstanding)
really Melancholy, sad and great - good for rainy days.
4. Thirteen (Frenzy)
really interesting take on a song Elliott used to love to cover - I like it.
5. Ballad Of Big Nothing (The Foxymorons)
One of the best for sure! I went to one of this bands shows and they were awesome!
6. Become (The Mind's Eye)
nice song - good lyrics.
7. Waltz #2 (Middle States)
WOW. I love this one - definitely a five star song - the lead singer is GREAT.
8. It Takes All Kinds (8889)
cool song - I ordered 8889's cd and they are a good band.
9. Miss Misery (J. Peschiutta & N. Shelar)
this one took me a few listens to get into - but now it is one of my faves - kind of a bluegrass take on the song from a French band - cool!
10. Forcing (And In August)
really cool song - I e-mailed them and they said this song was about Elliott Smith's life, really cool sounding song.
11. Pretty Ugly Before (Fluid Ounces)
Fantastic song with piano and a great guitar solo - one of the best!
12. Isn't It Good (Cord Stone)
like I said Cord Stone is great and this is a cool song!
13. Rose Parade (Trappers Cabin)
FIVE STARS ON THIS ONE. I got the Trappers Cabin cd and these guys are great - definitely look them up.
14. Thief In The Night (Jamie Boyer)
nice song
15. A Fond Farewell (Joel Martin)
love it!
16. The Enemy Is You (Marauder)
This one battles it out for top spot - they rock this song out - and they are from Japan! Great.
17. Clear Your Tab (Union Hill Conviction)
really groovy song
18. Drive All Over Town (Zen Withstanding)
love this one, they have a great sad sound to them!
19. 4 A.M. (Joshua West)
cool little song
20. Quicksilver (Abbie Huxley)
This one left me speechless. This guy can sing and sounds like a mix between Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley.
21. Twilight (The Mind's Eye)
Great ender for the album - really interesting sound and the lyrics are so sad.
Well I hope some of you find this review interesting. I would definitely say pick this up if you are a big Elliott Smith fan - I love listening to this one all the way through! Rock on...
"
One of the few good tribute albums
elliott smith fan | Seattle, Washington | 05/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"as a longtime fan of Elliott Smith (ever since the Heatmiser days) I of course buy anything and everything he ever released, and so when I saw this tribute on Amazon I ordered it - hey it was worth a try. I am glad to say that it lived up to my high expectations and is a worthy tribute to the great Elliott Smith. great covers and great originals that fit the tone and style of ES!"
Good variety of songs
John S. | new york city | 05/16/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"i dig the variety of songs chosen for the covers. wildly different styles and tempos but all are good and some are great. i have to give it 4 stars because some of my favorite songs aren't covered but i like more of the obscure stuff anyways. overall this is pretty good."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1