Figure 8

Elliott Smith | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreamworks
• ASIN: B00004S6GL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,994 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #28 in Music > Alternative Rock > Singer-Songwriters
  • #38 in Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk > Alternative Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The story of Elliott Smith is well known now: Shy and reclusive indie rocker soars to a Hollywood soundstage and major-label contract. His fans gasped in collective horror when he took a bow at the 1998 Oscars, his hand clasped by Celine Dion. He seemed far too fragile to survive among the sharks and vultures on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. But as his subsequent albums XO and now Figure 8 show, Smith has weathered the spotlight successfully and is moving ahead with self-assured grace. The beauty of Figure 8 is that it encompasses Smith's musical virtues, from the stark and wispy tunes of his lo-fi beginnings on Roman Candle to the orchestrated, Beatlesesque pomp and circumstance of later work to the intimate and sometimes painful nature of his live shows. Figure 8's opener, "Son of Sam," is as good as anything Smith has ever crafted, its soaring melody buoyed with lush instrumentation and a tin-pan-alley piano romp. "Happiness" is vintage Smith, its lyrics belying the title. But best of all are "Everything Reminds Me of Her" and "Everything Means Nothing to Me," which capture the dichotomies of Smith's music. The first is a lovely, delicate little tune--just Smith's wavering voice, a plucked guitar, and the plaintive lyrics of unabashed longing. The second is a layered soundscape, heavily produced, with washes of music covering a repeated lyrical line. One is direct, naked, and honest; the other is slippery, distant, and rational. These are the yin and yang of Smith's music, and it's the friction between the two--or, more accurately, the wreckage from one obdurate truth bashing up against the other--that makes Figure 8 resonate with such devastating power. --Tod Nelson

Product Description

Audio CD..

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Most underrated December 6, 2003

By Kevin Bourrillion

Format:Audio CD

A lot of fans like to dog this album. I have a theory for why this is.

It's not that the album is bad, at all, but that it's not the Elliott that THEY want Elliott to be. They fell in love with the man behind either/or, or the self-titled, or (gasp) the barely audible Roman Candle. They swoon for the quietness, the starkness, the nakedness, bitterness, intimacy. They think "hi-fi" is a four-letter word, not to mention "production", and dare I even say it, "pop."

They were willing to accept XO as a temporary stray from the purity of their vision for his career. In their forgiving state of mind, the music was able to seep into their brains and they saw its brilliance. Hence, XO = good. And, surely Elliott will get back on track next time.

Figure 8 comes along and dashes their hopes. Their beloved tortured soulmate actually knows his way around modern expensive studio technology - AND HE LIKES IT!!! Traitor!

Man, I love E.S. and E/O as much as anyone. Love em. Love em love em love em. But I'm one of those who believe that Elliott broke through into an altogether new plane of genius with XO. And Figure 8 is absolutely a worthy continuation of the path he was on.

Put it this way - if I'm taking ten to the desert island, XO is in the bag for sure. Figure 8 will be really, really hard to leave out. The others, I'll miss a hell of a lot.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Swirling Agony May 25, 2001

By Patrick Burnett

Format:Audio CD

"Figure 8" sounds like what would have happened if Nick Drake had been asked to join The Beatles after Paul died in that horrible car accident. Elliott Smith's voice falls into the haunted, ethereal category currently helmed by Drake during his post-VW resurgence. And this album carries any number of Sgt. Pepper-like arabesques and musical pirouettes, all of which serve to nearly disguise the raw emotional content.

This is my introduction to Elliott Smith so I have no background in his earlier, less-lush work, and maybe I'm the better for it. ... since I have no basis of comparison, I'm prefectly free to get lost in the spider web of sound spun on "Figure 8". And, perhaps because I've recently had my heart broken, all the lyrics make sense instead of being maudlin or overwrought. I will, of course, reexamine this in a year or so when I feel better, but I have a feeling that this record will stand the test of time.

Standout tracks are the opener, "Son of Sam", a deceptively-jaunty song that sounds almost like Klaatu at a high-school carnival. "Everything Reminds me of Her" and "Everything Means Nothing to Me" are fraternal twins, each with a different sound, but inseperable - they should be played hand in hand in perpetuity. "Somebody that I used to Know" is heartbreakingly simple, deceptively upbeat and captures perfectly the sound of a man on the edge of regaining himself. The rest of the album is wonderful, but these are the tracks that pierced me.

I am grateful to the friend who introduced me to Elliott Smith and I can only hope that, if you buy "Figure 8" after reading this review, you will be grateful, too.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Elliott continues to progress towards his masterwork. April 18, 2000

By Stan

Format:Audio CD

I truly believe that Elliott Smith will, in the next few years, release a record that will transcend genre and taste and be universally recognized, like "Revolver" or "Pet Sounds", as one of the greatest pop recordings ever issued. Yes, even greater than "Either/Or", which I still consider Elliott's greatest accomplishment to this point. "Figure 8" is not the future magnum opus of which I speak, but by any standard, even as a holding pattern it is a masterful record. "Figure 8" reconciles and has elements of the three stages of Elliott's career to this point: 1. the indie rock of his first band, Heatmiser; 2. the hushed, fragile, minimalist 4-track recordings that made his reputation; 3. the semi-famous pop troubadour making big-sounding records for a corporate record label. Elliott sounds much more comfortable in the big studio element than on "XO," and if "Figure 8" isn't as passionate and desperate as his earlier recordings, its comfortable feel enables the listener to simply sit back and enjoy Elliott's abilities as a songwriter, singer, and musician (he is an extremely underrated guitarist and piano player). The least compelling moments of "Figure 8" (in my opinion, "LA" and "I Better Be Quiet") still run rings around 98% of major-label rock. The best songs on "Figure 8" are jaw-dropping in their low-key excellence and sincerity. Some of the highlights: "Son of Sam": A stunner. It starts off quiet, then builds slowly on a solid backbeat and some glorious background "a-hhhhhha"s. And then the electric guitars kick in, and the song really takes off. Musically, it's truly inspiring.... It's up there with "Speed Trials" as Elliott's best album opener. "Everything Means Nothing to Me": Just a slip of a song, kind of reminds me of "Waltz #1" from "XO", but much better. Love the piano, angelic harmonies and the wonderful, sadly ascending (unusual) melody. And when the far-off drums and strings kick in...wow. Beautiful. "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)": This song shows a real growth in Elliott's songwriting and musical chops. It's based on a rolling, tack piano (think 1880s saloon) part that has a little bit of classical in it. This is a very cinematic piece of music, one of my favorites. "Happiness": Very George Harrison. In fact, this whole album seems to be the heir to G.H.'s "All Things Must Pass" in spirit, if not in sheer volume of tuneage. What can I say? "All I want now is happiness for you and me" is "Figure 8"'s version of "I'm never gonna know you now, but I'm gonna love you anyhow." More insanely good pop music, with a long, anthemic ending reminiscent of "Hey Jude" (though the song is only 5 mins. long). This is probably the most memorable (if not complex) melody on the whole album. "Can't Make a Sound": It starts off pretty low-key and downcast, but by the end, like "Stupidity Tries," has built into a gigantic, crashing, monolithic piece of music. This fills the role of "XO"'s "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands" - the BIG, dramatic song right before the quiet ending. But I think "Can't Make a Sound" is a much better song. I've gone on long enough. Buy "Figure 8", love it, and wait for Elliott's masterwork -- it's coming sometime soon. Read more ›

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything's He's Supposed to Be April 24, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

Critics are falling all over themselves to praise this album. But for some reason, many long-time Elliott fans have many less than kind things to say about Figure 8. I consider myself a relatively long time fan of Elliott (I have all five of his albums), and I think I understand why many feel that this album is below par (although I steadfastly disagree with them as you'll realize by the end of this review). The first time I heard Figure 8, I thought it was great, but a great album for Elliott would, for me, be on the bottom of a list of exemplary albums that he has previously released. I loved the production though, and I knew if I gave it a chance I would love it equally as much if not more so than his other albums. I think this production that drew me closer to it, repelled many Elliott fans. People who adore Roman Candle and the s/t (of which I am one) may think this is "overproduced" and as a result, not as passionate. I am here to tell you why that is not true and why, track by track this may be Elliott's finest album to date.

1. Son of Sam - Fabulous, the piano gets me going every time (boy can Elliott play that thing). The melody is great (as usual) and have you ever enjoyed hearing about a serial killer so much?

2. Somebody That I Used to Know - Very early Elliott, and the one that people who don't like this album generally name this track as their favorite. Terrific, Elliott and a guitar and a great vertical melody.

3. Junk Bond Trader - OK, it took me a while to get into this one, I don't know why, it's a great track. I love the keyboard at the intro, and the bells throughout the track. Very Elliott lyrics (even though I don't know them all yet). I love the guitar as well.

4.... Everything Reminds Me of Her - very Passionate song with passionate vocals, great shimmering guitar work. Terrific lyrics. You can almost see the sun on the steeple. Beautiful.

5. Everything Means Nothing To Me - Perhaps my favorite on the album, perhaps my favorite Elliott song period. Imagine Brian Wilson during Surf's Up, and there's the opening melody. Absolutely gorgeous piano and vivid, heart-breaking words. I cannot say enough good things about this song to do it justice so I will move on.

6. L.A. - Perhaps the first Elliott song ever that can be described as "fun". This song has lots of musical ideas in it. Very very catchy, great harmonies, great words. Another one of my favorites. And he saves it all with "last night I was about to throw it all away."

7. In the Lost and Found (Honkey Bach) - another candidate for favorite track on the album. Very McCartney-esqu piano lick, with soaring harmonies. Mind-numbing (in a great way) bridge. Makes you want to repeat it, but you want to go on to the next tracks even worse.

8. Stupidity Tries - OK, so I had heard the live version of this about a million times before getting it on Figure 8, but it still rocks. Great chromatic melody, great lyrics, and I love the changes in dynamics. Fab.

9. Easy Way Out - Possibly the most gorgeous melody on figure 8. Soaring melody, absolutely biting lyrics, and a great arrangement with an instument I can't quite identify.

10. Wouldn't Mama Be Proud - Another one that took me a while to get into. But well worth the wait, fan-freakin'-tastic harmonies. Great lyrics. The instrumental reminds me a little of With a Little Luck (in a good way).

11. Color Bars - Great, great, great, fabulous piano, great words, and strig section that really adds.

12. Happiness - Have to admit, that I'm still getting into this one. I think it's because I had heard it a couple times before the album came out (broke my own rule) and that kind of ruined it for me. Still, I know it's a great song, I sure thought so before Figure 8 came out.

13. Pretty Mary K - another contender for favorite. Probably the best harmonies on the album. Great production. I love the lyrics too. Great track.

14. I Better Be Quiet Now - Great Melody, I just like this one a ton. A song you can really relate to.

15. Can't Make a Sound - Reminds me a little of Oh Well Okay, turned into a mini pop symphony. Love it. Another one of the best. Great semi - album closer. Takes the place of Everybody Cares Everybody Understands (which I also love).

16. Bye - I can't even listen to this track without feeling a little uneasy. I mean that in a good way. I really wish I could play piano that well. Fabulous way to end an album.

Well, there you have it. My very long winded review of Figure 8. I leave the album in a sense of awe (that may just be my fascination with "bye" but I don't think so). Please, please check this album out if you haven't already. If you have it and have already taken it off your rotation list, please put it back on and give it another chance. It is al miraculous album, truly Elliott is a work of art in progress and I hope he continues to be that way. If he does, every album he every puts out will be well worth owning. Read more ›