Either/Or
studio
ArtistElliott Smith
CoverElliottsmitheitheror55.jpg
ReleasedFebruary 25, 1997
Recorded1995–1996
StudioVarious (see below)
Genre
LabelKill Rock Stars
ProducerElliott Smith · Tom Rothrock · Rob Schnapf
Prev year1995
Next year1998

Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Either/Or was recorded in several locations, mostly in Portland, Oregon – while Smith was still a member of Heatmiser – and was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Either/Or was recorded sometime between 1995 and 1996 and released on February 25, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Promoted with two singles, "Speed Trials" and "Ballad of Big Nothing", Either/Or did not chart in the US, but was acclaimed by critics.

Director Gus Van Sant was highly impressed with the album, incorporating three of its songs; "Between the Bars", "Angeles" and "Say Yes" along with a new song, "Miss Misery", into the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. In 2020, the album was ranked at 216 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Recording

Either/Or was recorded at several locations: Joanna Bolme's house; Smith's own house; Undercover, Inc.; Laundry Rules Recording; and the Heatmiser House – all in Portland, Oregon – as well as The Shop in Arcata, California. The album was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf.[10]

Smith wrote and recorded a song entitled "Either/Or" during the sessions for this album, but it was not included on the final release; however, the song was later included on New Moon, a posthumous compilation of previously unreleased material by Smith.

Content

The album's title derives from the Søren Kierkegaard book of the same name, in which "either/or" refers to the contrast between aesthetic/subjective experience and ethical/objective being. This existential title is reflective of Smith's interest in philosophy, which he studied at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.[11] The lyrics contain many references to Portland such as the neighborhood of Alameda, Division Street and the Portland Rose Festival.

The album's style has been described as "a bridge between the lo-fi darkness of Roman Candle and Elliott Smith and the studio sheen of XO and Figure 8."[12]

Release

The album's first single, "Speed Trials", was released on October 1, 1996.[13]

Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997.[14] It did not chart in the US.[15] The album's second and final single, "Ballad of Big Nothing", was released on June 29, 1998.[16]

Smith would briefly be cast into the international spotlight early the following year when he performed his song, the 1997 standalone single "Miss Misery", at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony, following the song's appearance in the major motion picture Good Will Hunting and its subsequent Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Following this appearance, Smith was signed to major label DreamWorks and started work on his fourth studio album, XO.

As of March 2017, Either/Or is Elliott Smith's best selling release (it still has never charted) and has sold 429,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[17]

Critical reception

Either/Or was critically acclaimed.[18] Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote that the album "marks something of a thematic transition" for Smith, noting "brightness and a pop feel" on Either/Or in contrast to the "stark, guy-with-acoustic-guitar confessionals about drug abuse and darkness" on Elliott Smith.[19] It was voted the 20th best album of 1997 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.[20] The poll's supervisor, Robert Christgau, was less enthusiastic about the album, finding Smith "tuneful if depressive"[21] and believing that, "he could too be popular—he just doesn't want to be, that's all".[22]

In its retrospective review, Tiny Mix Tapes opined: "Simply put, the songs on Either/Or are Elliott Smith's best".[12] Trouser Press called it "even more fully realized" than Elliott Smith.[23]

Legacy

The album inspired Gus Van Sant to invite Smith to contribute to the soundtrack of the film Good Will Hunting. Three Either/Or tracks were incorporated into the soundtrack, as well as a new song, "Miss Misery." Smith was briefly pushed to the forefront of popular culture after performing "Miss Misery" from Good Will Hunting at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony. Van Sant later also used "Angeles" in his 2007 film Paranoid Park. The song was again featured in the 2020 series Normal People.

Online magazine Pitchfork ranked Either/Or 59th in its list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1990s.[24] Spin ranked Either/Or at number 48 on its list of the best albums from 1987 to 2012.[25] Blender ranked it thirty-sixth in its "100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums Ever" list.[26] In 2013, NME placed Either/Or at number 149 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[9] Consequence of Sound ranked the album No. 97 on their list of best albums ever.[27] Rolling Stone ranked the album at 216 on the 2020 re-release of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[28] Pitchfork ranked the album #23 on its best albums of the decade list (2022).[29] The restaurant Either/Or, in Portland, Oregon, references the album's title.

Personnel

  • Elliott Smith – all instruments, mixing ("Alameda", "No Name No. 5", "Rose Parade", "2:45 AM")
Technical
  • Joanna Bolme – mixing ("Alameda"), back cover photography
  • Rob Schnapf – mixing ("Speed Trials", "Ballad of Big Nothing", "Between the Bars", "Pictures of Me", "Punch and Judy", "Angeles", "Cupid's Trick", "Say Yes")
  • Tom Rothrock – mixing ("Speed Trials", "Ballad of Big Nothing", "Between the Bars", "Pictures of Me", "Punch and Judy", "Angeles", "Cupid's Trick", "Say Yes")
  • Larry Crane – recording ("Pictures of Me")
  • Don C. Tyler – mastering
  • Neil Gust – sleeve layout
  • Debbie Pastor – front cover photography

References

  1. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (January 10, 2013). "Review: Luke Sweeney, 'Ether Ore'". SFGate. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  2. ^ Spicer, Nathan (May 20, 2020). "The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time". Paste. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ Sager, Brooke (June 19, 2020). "100 best albums of the '90s". Stacker. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  4. ^ "The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest". Pitchfork. September 6, 2016. p. 5. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever". Stereogum. November 14, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Shipley, Al (April 21, 2025). "Every Elliott Smith Album, Ranked". Spin. Retrieved April 24, 2025. One of the finest indie rock albums of the 1990s,...
  7. ^ "10 Essential Lo-Fi Albums". Treble. September 12, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Terich, Jeff (May 11, 2023). "Treble 100: No. 66, Elliott Smith – either/or". Treble. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  9. ^ Barker, Emily (October 25, 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 200–101". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  10. ^ Either/Or. Kill Rock Stars. 1997. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  11. ^ "UTR – Issue 4". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  12. ^ Brusie, David (February 27, 2009). "Elliott Smith – Either/Or". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  13. ^ "Speed Trials 7" | Kill Rock Stars". killrockstars.bandcamp.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "Either / Or | Kill Rock Stars". killrockstars.bandcamp.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  15. ^ "Elliott Smith – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  16. ^ "The Ballad of Big Nothing – Elliott Smith". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  17. ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 22, 2018). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: 'Trolls' Soundtrack Hits Half-Million Sales, Elliott Smith's 'Either/Or' Debuts". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  18. ^ "'He needed to get it together': The tragic story of Elliott Smith's last album, 20 years on". The Independent. 18 April 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  19. ^ Thompson, Stephen (March 29, 2002). "Elliott Smith: Either/Or". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  20. ^ "The 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. February 24, 1998. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  21. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 24, 1998). "Pazz & Jop 1997: The Year of No Next Big Thing". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 31, 2020. – via robertchristgau.com.
  22. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "S". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved July 31, 2020. – via robertchristgau.com.
  23. ^ Azerrad, Michael & Robbins, Ira. "Heatmiser". Trouser Press. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  24. ^ "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. November 17, 2003. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  25. ^ "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years". Spin. February 15, 2012. Archived August 10, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  26. ^ "Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever". Stereogum. November 14, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  27. ^ "Consequence of Sound's Top 100 Albums Ever". Consequence of Sound. September 15, 2010. Archived March 15, 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. 2022-09-28. Retrieved 2022-11-04.