I realise that this post is a little late now, but a couple of weeks ago, had he been alive, Elliott would have been 40 years old. To commemorate this I thought I’d compile a 1 CD introduction to his work, chronicling his solo career from beginning to end (although in no way in order). Hopefully I will use this little collection to introduce some friends to his work, and create a few new fans that Elliott truly deserves.

He Can’t Be Gone Unless You Let Go

1. King’s Crossing ( From a Basement on The Hill )
2. Angel In The Snow ( New Moon )
3. Junk Bond Trader ( Figure 8 )
4. Say Yes ( Either/Or )
5. Angeles ( Either/Or )
6. Pitseleh ( XO )
7. Roman Candle ( Roman Candle )
8. Coming Up Roses ( Elliott Smith )
9. Condor Ave. ( Roman Candle )
10. The White Lady Loves You More ( Elliott Smith )
11. Speed Trials ( Either/Or )
12. Independence Day ( XO )
13. Son Of Sam ( Figure 8 )
14. Bled White ( XO )
15. Going Nowhere ( New Moon )
16. The Biggest Lie ( Elliott Smith )
17. Color Bars ( Figure 8 )
18. Needle In The Hay ( Elliott Smith )
19. A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free ( From a Basement on The Hill )
20. Last Call ( Roman Candle )

King’s Crossing seemed like an obvious track choice considering it’s position as the most obvious piece to convey the end of his life, and seeing as that side of things has become almost as famous as his work itself, it actually seems like a good way to introduce someone to his song writing. Then over an evening of Elliott the rest fell into place, it doesn’t have all the most obvious tracks, but it has a few of them, and it would be impossible to try and cover all of Elliott’s themes, but I’ve covered a pretty reasonable range of them here.

Photo by optionthis