2010

SMITH ELLIOTT, SONGBOOK. TABLATURE

Series: Guitar Collection
Format: Softcover - TAB
Artist : Elliott Smith
Arranger : Fred Sokolow

A fixture on the Portland indie music scene, singer-songwriter Elliott Smith was introduced to the mainstream via his Oscar-nominated song -Miss Misery from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. This collection features that song and 17 others, from his first CD, through tracks released after his tragic and untimely death. Includes: Angeles -Clementine -Everything Means Nothing to Me -Pretty (Ugly Before) -Say Yes -Son of Sam -Waltz #2 (XO) and more, plus a discography and an intro. 80 pages

INTRODUCTION

Elliott Smith said that the Beatles' multi-faceted White Album inspired him to be a musician, so it's not surprising that the six albums he released during his short life (1969-2003) reveal an eclectic, varied musical taste. Pop, folk, classical, and punk sensibilities abound. Lyrically, the songs are full of pain, disillusionment, and despair, but also beauty, humor, and sometimes hope. Above all, the nihilism and anguish of his words are belied by the musical craftsmanship he poured into his compositions and performances, both live and recorded. He wrote every song on his albums, played most of the instruments, sang all the lead vocals, and most of the vocal harmonies. The obvious commitment he made to his art is in itself a statement of hope and value. In the early 1990s, when Smith's band Heatmiser was building a following in Portland, his girlfriend talked him into sending a demo of eight original songs he had cobbled together on borrowed equipment to Cavity Search Records; so began his career as a solo artist. Four years later, in 1998, he signed with DreamWorks. Smith came close to achieving pop stardom. His song, "Miss Misery" was nominated for a "Best Original Song" Oscar in 1998 for its use in the film Good Will Hunting. He appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Letterman Show and other TV shows, and by the time of his death in 2003, he had attained quite a large following as an indie-pop hero. Two biographies have been written and a number of tribute albums have been released by other indie artists, as well as tribute songs by Rilo Kiley, Third Eye Blind, Ben Folds, Rhett Miller, Earlimart, and others. He continues to inspire a great amount of web activity among his fans. Smith's main instrument was guitar, but he also played bass, drums, clarinet and had some classical piano chops (there's a YouTube video of him playing Rachmaninoff). He performed both as a solo acoustic act and with a full band on electric guitar. He usually played with his fingers, in a unique style that blended folk/blues fingerpicking with strumming. A Dylan "Don't Think Twice" influence is evident in songs like "Somebody That I Used to Know" and "Memory Lane," while "Condor Avenue" is reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. The a copella "1 Didn't Understand" shows his classical roots (as well as an affinity for the Beatles and the Beach Boys). Other, fullyproduced rock offerings like "Son of Sam" and "Pretty (Ugly Before)" reveal all kinds of pop influences spanning the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties. Smith also employed some unusual open guitar tunings that added to the individuality and uniqueness of his sound. Despite the indie and punk influences in Smith's music, his songs are more harmonically complex than most pop or rock. There are more chords per tune, including jazz or orchestral chords, more unique and rambling progressions, and ascending or descending bass lines. Above all, he created his own sound (which he described as "impressionistic") and presented his work with the commitment and passion of a genuine, authentic artist. This book is an offering to make his music and guitar styling accessible to his fans, to keep his songs circulating, and to spread the word about the legacy he left behind.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Discography

Arranged by fred Sokolow

Song List: - ALBUM

Angeles - Either/Or

Ballad of Big Nothing - Either/Or

Between the Bars - Either/Or

Bottle Up & Explode - XO

Clementine - Elliott Smith

Condor Avenue - Roman Candle

A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free - From a Basement on the Hill

Everything Means Nothing to Me - Figure 8

I Didn't Understand  - XO

Memory Lane - From a Basement on the Hill

Miss Misery - Good Will Hunting Original Soundtrack

Needle in the Hay - Elliott Smith

Pretty (Ugly Before) - From a Basement on the Hill

Rose Parade - Either/Or

Say Yes - Either/Or

Somebody That I Used to Know - Figure 8

Son of Sam - Figure 8

Waltz #2 (XO) - XO

GUITAR NOTATION LEGEND 80

Editorial assistance provided by Ronny Schiff

Cover photo by Autumn de Wilde

ISBN 978-1-4234-4013-0

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