Elliott Smith – Either / Or (2xLP, 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition)

Elliott Smith's Either/Or arrived in 1997 as his third album, and it still feels like the point where his intimate songwriting opened out into something bigger. Before his major-label move, Smith was still largely building these songs in bedrooms, living rooms, and at Jackpot! in Portland, yet the record already stretches beyond bare-bones folk into richer arrangements and subtle studio detail. That tension between closeness and expansion helps explain why it remains both his best-selling album and one of the most widely celebrated in his catalogue.

The songs themselves balance hushed confession with melodic craft borrowed from classic pop, whether in the fragile pull of “Between the Bars,” the intricate acoustic lines of “Angeles,” or the plainspoken lift of “Say Yes.” Contemporary reviews have often singled out the album for that unusual mix of intimacy and scale, and the expanded edition makes that evolution even clearer. The remastered original album is joined by live recordings from the 1997 Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia, plus previously unreleased studio material and a B-side that sketch out where Smith's writing and recording would go next.

For this anniversary edition, the original tracks were remastered from the original tapes under the supervision of Larry Crane, who worked closely with Smith and later became archivist for the Elliott Smith estate. It is also an edition with real archival value: the gatefold package includes the original liner notes, a postcard showing the original master tapes, and rare photos, making it a thoughtful way into one of late-90s indie rock's most enduring records.

Features

• 2xLP, 33RPM, Stereo, Expanded Edition
• Remastered from the original tapes under the supervision of Larry Crane
• Gatefold sleeve with original liner notes insert, postcard of the original master tapes, and rare photos
• Includes nine bonus tracks: five live recordings, three previously unreleased studio tracks, and one B-side

Reviews

• a magical, alchemical mix of intimacy and bombast - Pitchfork