Customer Reviews

A Tribute To Elliott Smith

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

This is a good cd with lots of great versions. It's a unique mix of different sounds which just shows the influence Elliott had over different genres of bands.

The earlier review about poor quality and unsigned artists should help prove my point exactly. First off anytime you stream sound "samples" everyone knows the quality is poor; however, when you listen to it first hand (from the cd) the quality is fine.

Second many of the songs utilize lo-fi recording which is a preferred style by many and may not sound like your typical overproduced radio friendly albums which have verse/verse/chorus/guitar solo/chorus/end. It's funny too because lo-fi is where most of Elliott's best stuff lives.

Next - if Elliott would want anyone to do a tribute of his music he would want it to be people who truly care and understand the world he lived and I think a lot of these bands have that. I personally couldn't handle a tribute featuring Gwen Stefani, Coldplay and so on and so forth. This is the way a tribute should be.

It's a good album and should be celebrated for showcasing more interpretations of Elliott's music and not condemmed by hipster folks that don't like it simply because they saw him in concert and "think" they discovered him first.

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!

"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...

I am a very, very big Elliott Smith fan and have been for years, the kind who has every recording, live, bootleg, videos of him playing, saw him live, read his biography, etc. I am selling my copy of this album without even ripping it because there isn't a single song on it that does anything new with the music or is in any way better than the originals. In short, they all suck. Waste of time, waste of money. But hey, maybe it's just me.....

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.

I got this cd on a whim, as I was replacing some Elliott Smith albums that my friends have borrowed and never returned (don't you hate that!!) and I have listened to this a bunch of times since I got it! I really like the covers, as I have never heard anyone cover Elliott Smith songs before - I am sure people have but I have only been a fan about 3 years. 5 stars for this nice surprise!

As a huge Elliott fan, I bought this cd with the hopes of finding new bands that shared my love of everything Elliott. What I got, however, was little more than a collection of songs I already had with several bands doing their best to destroy my enjoyment of them.

For the most part this 20 track cd is rather repulsive, and the beauty of the songs is lost in bad vocals striving for artistic angst and inexperienced guitars. These songs are not for beginners, and even if these bands aren't they sure didn't show it in these tracks. The major fallback for so many of them was the complete lack of originality; groups attempted to mimic Elliott's nuances and tones, and nothing comes close to the original. They had to know it would be old fans who were listening; did they think we wouldn't notice?

Especially shameful was Cord Stone's cover of Say Yes. I felt like I was listening to an Elliott Smith impersonator, and one that wouldn't fool anyone. There was no twist or change or hook, only blatant, monkey-see-monkey-do copying of the original. Just as bad was the Foxymoron's cover of the Ballad of Big Nothing, which sounded as if they were listening to the "Cheers" themesong and decided it would be a great idea to combine the two. Many groups try to copy Elliott's wispy and dualtone vocals, but it comes off as bad harmonies and lackluster performances.

So why two stars and not one?

The answer lies in the few saving graces on the album which, while outnumbered 4:1, still made me smile. Frenzy's cover of Thirteen was quite good; maybe it's just the idea of a song about first love with classic rock references put down with a techno beat that makes me smile. It's better than I make it sound, though. But more than that it's innovative, it's creative, and it's taking a very classic Elliott song and making in over a new. And In August's cover of Forcing was a fun punkish version (I really like that it's not the expected genre), and Marauder's The Enemy Is You has a great strong bass line. Finally Abbie Huxley's cover of Quicksilver is a great display of guitar skill with some nice vocals.

In the end my dissappointment in this album stems from the high hopes I had held for it. Elliott's music was his message to the world, and it has touched millions. A fitting tribute, then, would be to show how his music has shaped and inspired a new generation of indie bands, expanding their creativity and giving them hope of finding their own voice and an audience to listen to it. Instead many of these bands churn out what they hoped was something close to the original and failed. Immitation is not the sincerest form of flattery; showing how someone has touched your life is.

A passable collection of covers; some are excellent, a few totally mutilate the originals, and the remainder are mediocre imitations of Elliott.

To be honest, I've heard work that's as good or better from unsigned artists. If your interested, you can find Elliott covers aplenty <a href="http://www.trashtreasury.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?referrerid=10000269&f=31">here</a>

I am a big fan of tribute albums and "covers" anyway, but some are great and some are horrible. I took a chance on this Elliott Smith tribute and I am glad I did - I love all the covers! Very unique takes, especially "The Enemy Is You" by a band from Japan - that is my favorite right now but they are all good!