Single “Speed Trials” showed his new fans-gathered in the wake of this album and minor movie fame-how he could squeak out a melody in a whisper and still make it catchy as all get-out. In an interview for Tape Op magazine from the era (and pulled by yours truly from the expanded edition vinyl liner notes), Schnapf talks about how “it was fun conquering the limitations, with the drums in the living room and guitars in the kitchen.” Side A is hit after hit, with Smith’s hushed vocals competing often with loud drums (played by Smith as well), making for a record that can be played quietly on a Sunday morning, or loudly on a Saturday night. I don’t know if Virgin knew that Smith was using stuff they paid for to record a solo album as well, but either way, this album benefited from him having quality gear at his fingertips, and the help of friends and producers Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock, who also produced Mic City Sons. The band assembled a studio in a rented house, with gear paid for by the band’s Virgin Records deal. It’s hard to fathom that at this point his solo work was a still side project-Heatmiser was recording their final album in 1995, with Mic City Sons being released in 1996.
Either/Or was a labor of love and he didn’t need to be releasing solo albums because he was already plenty busy and making some money of rock music. Either/Or was the album Gus Van Sant was so impressed by that much of this album ended up in Goodwill Hunting and put the introverted Smith onstage for an awkward Oscars performance. It’s part of a trio of perfect albums with it’s follow up, the next year’s XO. But, Either/Or will always be the closest of seconds for me, and a flawless, iconic album by any measure. There’s a reason we called her, sporting her short dyed black hair and 1” buttons, “emo chick.” Those four records in particular are entrenched in my personal history and will always be favorites, so believe me when I say that Smith’s third album, 1997’s Either/Or is my second favorite album by him.
First and foremost is that his second full-length, Elliott Smith, was one of the first CDs my wife lent to me when we first started dating way back in the early aughts, in the same handful as CDs of Pedro The Lion’s It’s Hard to Find a Friend, Jets To Brazil’s Orange Rhyming Dictionary and the Promise Ring’s Very Emergency. Elliott Smith holds a special place in my heart for many reasons.
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