XO

by Elliott Smith

Overview

A year before his major-label debut, XO, was released, it seemed unlikely that Elliott Smith would even be on a major, let alone having his record be one of the more anticipated releases of 1998. He had certainly earned a great deal of critical respect with his low-key, acoustic indie records and was emerging as a respected songwriter, but he hadn't made much of an impression outside of journalists, record collectors, and indie rockers. An Oscar nomination can change things, however. "Miss Misery," one of Smith's elegantly elegiac songs for Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting, unexpectedly earned an Academy Award nomination, and he was immediately thrust into the spotlight. He was reluctant to embrace instant celebrity, yet he didn't refuse a contract with DreamWorks, and he didn't shy away from turning XO into a glorious fruition of his talents. Smith's songs remain intensely introspective, yet the lush, Beatlesque production provides a terrifically charming counterpoint. His sweetly dark melodies are vividly brought to life with the detailed arrangements, and they sell Smith's tormented songs -- it's easy to get caught up in the tunes and the sound of the record, then realize later what the songs are actually about. That's a sign of a good craftsman, and XO proves that not only can Elliott Smith craft a song, but he knows how to make an alluring pop record as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2017
Label:	Geffen
UPC:	0602557283518
Rank:	2160

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Sweet Adeline
2. Tomorrow Tomorrow
3. Waltz No. 2 (XO)
4. Baby Britain
5. Pitseleh
6. Independence Day
7. Bled White

Disc 2

8. Waltz No. 1
9. Amity
10. Oh Well, OK
11. Bottle Up and Explode!
12. A Question Mark
13. Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands
14. I Didn't Understand

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Elliott Smith   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals
Joey Waronker   Guest Artist,Drums
Jon Brion   Guest Artist,Keyboards,Chamberlin,Vibraphone
Rob Schnapf   Guitar
Paulie Pulvirenti   Drums
Bruce Eskovitz   Bass,Flute,Sax (Baritone)
Tom Rothrock   Drum Loop,Drum Machine
Roy Poper   Trumpet
Pamela Dealmeida   Strings
Peter Hatch   Strings
Henry Ferber   Strings
Farhad Behroozi   Strings
Jerrod Goodman   Strings
James Atkinson   French Horn

Technical Credits

Shelly Berg   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Larry Crane   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Elliott Smith   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Performer,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Rob Schnapf   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Richard Barron   Assistant Engineer
Tom Rothrock   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Henry W. Armstrong   Composer
Doug Boehm   Assistant Engineer
Tom Halm   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Eric Matthies   Photography
Monique Rozendaal   Production Coordination
Alan Sanderson   Assistant Engineer
Luke Wood   A&R