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Product Description
Following the success and acclaim of his two releases on the Kill Rock Stars label, as well an Oscar nomination for the use of his song Miss Misery in the film Good Will Hunting, the late Elliott Smith signed with Dreamworks for the 1998 release of XO. With a major label budget for this, his fourth full length album, Smith was able to craft a fully realized pop masterpiece, fulfilling the promise of previous releases. Though firmly in the McCartney/Lennon/Rundgren/Davies school of songwriting Smith was nothing if not an original. Possibly his best record. Deluxe 180 gram vinyl reissue.
Amazon.com's Best of 1998
Elliott Smith's fourth solo album and major-label debut, XO, brings narrative detail and a wide range of emotion to an indie meld of '60s-style rock and folk-pop. Whether in the broken stateliness of "Waltz #2 (XO)," the Sgt. Pepper tribute of "Baby Britain," or the explosions of "Amity" and "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands," Smith's melodic and arrangement senses give his vulnerable vocals and brilliant wordcraft the maximum effectiveness. XO is a watershed in singer/songwriter rock. --Rickey Wright
Amazon.com essential recording
On XO, Elliott Smith leaves the indie doldrums behind and takes wing to new, lush surroundings. By adding full instrumentation to his acoustic reveries, Smith has ascended to a new level of songwriting that shores up his gentle voice and country-tinged guitar playing with extra layers of vocal arrangements and charming piano vamps. Strains of classic rock filter into the Beatlesque "Baby Britain" and the Beach Boys-inspired "I Didn't Understand," but Smith succeeds in adapting them to his style rather than the other way around. A foot soldier in DreamWorks' war on standard-issue rock & roll, Smith joins new label mates Rufus Wainwright and Morphine as sophisticated interpreters of the new male psyche. XO is a stunning shadow print of a soul adrift in the music industry, a dark place indeed. --Lois Maffeo
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XO [180 Gram Vinyl] Reviews
XO [180 Gram Vinyl] Reviews
| 41 of 42 people found the following review helpful  Deserves every star, By R.M. (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Xo (Audio CD) The first album I ever heard of Elliot Smith was from the movie "Keeping the Faith." It was his song "pitseleh", from his album XO. This was enough to make me go out and buy the album, and I have yet to be disappointed.There are two things that make this musician stand out in a crowd. First comes his incredible music. His harmonic textures and rhythmic off-beating constantly combine to create a much needed breath of fresh air in this bubblegum pop world. I didn't realize how tired I was of the same old songs (and the same boring song form, ABA) until I listened to Elliot, and found his songs so beautiful in their difference. Second, his lyrics are extremely beautiful and very well crafted. This is not easy pop with lyrics that don't mean anything important (or are already familiar because they say the exact same thing as every other pop band). Elliot tackles hard subjects such as depression and lonliness, and yet can balance it out with a song about personal change from... Read more 20 of 20 people found the following review helpful A beautiful transition, By This review is from: Xo (Audio CD) Perhaps the best thing about "XO" is that we get to see Elliott Smith very clearly demonstrating the true range and depth of his talent. As amazing as "Roman Candle," "Elliott Smith," and "Either/or" are--and indeed, they are my favorite Elliott Smith albums--those albums require the listener to truly immerse himself in the music; special attention needs to be paid to all the quiet subtleties, or else much of the beauty and uniqueness can be lost. Smith's earlier albums require a desire on the listener's part to let the music bloom in all its glory; "XO" blossoms on first listen."XO" clearly stands out from Smith's previous work, simply based on how much production went into the album; no one could ever accuse "Roman Candle," "Elliott Smith," or "Either/or" of being over-produced. But I also think it would be a mistake to call "XO" overproduced. The rawness and urgency of Smith's music are not glossed over, which is generally what is meant when an album is accused of being... Read more 36 of 42 people found the following review helpful  A great record - but not as great as some other Elliott., By Josh Rothman (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews This review is from: Xo (Audio CD) After listening to Roman Candle I went out and bought XO, Figure 8 and Either/Or on the same day. Since I've spent the last week listening to the bunch of them non-stop, I can say this: XO is an excellent record - but not quite as excellent as the ones on either side of it.To me, this record feels like R.E.M.'s "Monster" or Archer Prewitt's "White Sky," a transition record setting the scene for something greater. There're a lot of great songs on here, and they're full of all of Smith's trademarks; even the simplest phrases ("She looks so composed/So she is, I suppose") are cleverly delivered and beautiful in their simplicity. But there're also a lot of over-production which relies too much on the arrangement and not enough on the quiet passion or feeling which makes Elliott Smith the man. People here are saying that Elliott Smith is like the new Nick Drake, but Drake would never have produced a song like "Baby Britain," which is... Read more |
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