Elliott Smith Introduction to... Elliott Smith

• Ballad of Big Nothing
• Waltz #2
• Pictures of Me
• The Biggest Lie
• Alameda
• Between the Bars
• Needle in the Hay
• Last Call
• Angeles
• Twilight
• Pretty (Ugly Before)
• Angel in the Snow
• Miss Misery (early version)
• Happiness (single version)

"Why now?" you might wonder in regard to An Introduction to... Elliott Smith. Well, not only has it been seven years since the renowned singer/songwriter's passing, it's been nearly twice as long since his last non-posthumous release on Kill Rock Stars. So it seems as good a time as any for a no-nonsense, single-disc retrospective of the troubled troubadour's KRS years. This is the sound of Smith at his most minimal and, arguably, most intense, before the big recording budgets of major-label land started floating his way. And there's a damn good chance that some of the fans who only started listening during Smith's Dreamworks stint have never heard most of this stuff before.

Abstract by Jim Allen