An expansive reissue of the seminal Elliot Smith self-titled 1995 record is set to be released in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
The reissue arrives with Live at Umbra Penumbra – a live performance recorded at a Portland café that is slated as the earliest known live recording of Smith as a solo artist. The audio is pulled from a high-quality cassette, refined by Smith family archivist Larry Crane.
“There are fan-traded MP3s out there of this show,” Crane shared in a statement. “But when people hear what I was able to extract from this original tape, they’ll be shocked.”
You can listen to the performance of ‘Big Decision’ from Umbra Penumbra below.
Elliott Smith will arrive with a 52-page coffee table book comprised of handwritten lyrics, unseen photographs by JJ Gonson, and musing from Smith’s peers and collaborators. It will arrive on August 28th via Kill Rock Stars.
“I’ve always felt like this record is underappreciated,” Kill Rock Stars founder Slim Moon said in a statement. “A lot of people overlook Elliott’s first two records—they think of them as a prelude to the bigger albums that followed—but when you go back, you discover they’re really great. This is Elliott’s most fragile and delicate music, and we wanted to honor that with a special and beautiful package.”
Additionally, Gonson will be releasing a series of photo prints of Smith throughout August, available for purchase through Morrison Hotel Gallery.
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Kill Rock Stars have enlisted a roster of musicians including Bonny Light Horseman, Califone, Marisa Anderson, MAITA, Prateek Kuhad and more to cover cuts from Elliott Smith. The Califone cover of album opener ‘Needle in the Hay’ is available to listen to now via Amazon Music.
“Singing other people’s songs can sometimes feel like acting,” shared Califone’s Tim Rutili. “This is a song I never could have written but I can feel where it comes from. It felt natural to play this character. Elliott Smith was definitely one of the best songwriters of our generation. His voice and his songs always hit me solidly in the heart from the first time I heard his music and saw him play all those years ago.”
Check out ‘Big Decision’ (Live) by Elliott Smith:
