Elliott Smith - better than Jeff Buckley, although unfortunately just as dead
Yesterday, on a whim, I visited the Wills-Moody Rock N’ Roll Jumble Sale in Euston, London. It struck me how, at least for people who live in the capital, jumble sales seem like a quaint oddity these days. Anyway, one of the stalls had a 9-year old issue of BBGun magazine, featuring an interview with one of my all-time faves, the late Elliott Smith. It was an interview I’d never seen before, so I snapped it up for the bargainful price of £1.
Lo and behold, today I took a look at the terrific Smith-fixated blog The Rawking Refuses To Stop, and they reminded me that yesterday marked the day when he died four years ago. If I was the superstitious sort I’d read something into that (I can’t imagine what though).
In my mind, Elliott Smith should occupy a place in the public’s musical consciousness currently taken by Jeff Buckley. While Buckley was doubtlessly a talented singer-songwriter, I always thought his histrionics were seriously over-rated. Even more so when you compare his songs to Smith’s, whose melodies sometimes tend to take one or two listens to get used to, but thereafter lodge themselves in your brain forever. His often inscrutable lyrics, which tend to hint at personal trauma while rarely explicitly saying so, only add to the fascination.
Below you can check out an electric version of “Needle In The Hay”, one of his early acoustic gems from his self-titled second album.
[video via loveishell7part2]
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Forgive me for speaking of these men in a verb tense that would imply they are alive. Their music is still active in my heart and mind and I think of them in that same way.
Both men are great singer-songwriters. I tend to go for Buckley a bit more at the moment, though, because his voice really captures me and I’m trying to develop my singing voice. I guess I already feel like I can sing with a similar skill as Smith (not comparing myself to him in any way) but Buckley represents a sort of far-reaching voice that I would love to posses, whether or not I would ever use it to such extremes as he.
However, in terms of songwriting, I think Elliot Smith has the stronger hold on the marriage of music and compelling lyric. Buckley’s music is often very etheric, which can be great, but I always like to hear something that feels familiar and new at the same time… something I don’t have to work to follow, musically, so that I can really pay attention to the lyrical content. The only time I get that from Buckley is when he’s working a cover version.
Elliot Smith’s music has that undefineable quality where you feel like you know him… like he’s the cool guy down the street whose house you visit now and then and he brews tea and plays a few of his new songs for you.
An acquaintance of mine at Dreamworks Records, named Luke, who signed Elliot Smith, was also disappointed in the lack of attention. He said he always felt like Smith was the Bob Dylan of our time. Luke said he felt bad that he couldn’t get more people to listen to Elliot Smith.
Both were greats, taken too soon, and will undoubtedly be missed and celebrated for generations to come.
I can only weep for your ears.