Product Description

On his first record since his Oscar nomination courtesy director Gus Van Zandt's use of his music in the film "Good Will Hunting", Elliott Smith returns with another album's worthof gorgeous misery. Like Nick Drake before him, Smith has the ability to conjure beautifully poignant pathos, wrapping it in an elaborately arranged package worthy of a George Martin or Brian Wilson. Working with Beck/Foo Fighters producerRob Schnapf, Smith uses Abbey Road Studios for some of these sessions, dressing up his tortured lyrics with orchestral arrangements that avoid any hint of mawkishness.
Whether mourning a busted-up romance in "Everything Reminds Me Of Her", shying away from love on "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", or burrowing into their own isolation with "Can't Make A Sound", Smith's angelic vocals and harmonies recall CSN before their creative metre ran out. Elsewhere, this talented singer-songwriter employs the Beatles-esque "LA" as a conduit for observations about his new hometown, while sweet indignation directed at corporate fat cats is the driving emotion behind "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?"

Track Listing

1. Son Of Sam
2. Somebody That I Used To Know
3. Junk Bond Trader
4. Everything Reminds Me Of Her
5. Everything Means Nothing To Me
6. L.A.
7. In The Lost And Found (honky bach)/The Roost
8. Stupidity Tries
9. Easy Way Out
10. Wouldn't Mama Be Proud
11. Color Bars
12. Happiness/The Gondola Man
13. Pretty Mary K
14. Better Be Quiet Now
15. Can't Make A Sound
16. Bye

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1886 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 52 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The death of the singer/songwriter (someone for whom an acoustic gig was an everyday event, not some MTV-style special occasion) has been inevitable for some time, so releases like Figure 8 should be cherished. With no obvious singles, no clear fashion statement and nothing but a handful of melodies, a paper-thin voice and a piano or guitar for protection, it's clear that Elliott Smith is living on borrowed time. This is a shame, because--like Bernard Butler--Dallas, Texas born Elliott, after four solo albums, is only just finding his feet. Mixing peace loving folk ("Everything Reminds Me Of Her"), drugged up ramblings ("Everything Means Nothing To Me") and honky-tonk tales of serial killers ("Son Of Sam"), this makes for some pretty special listening. Figure 8, like his much acclaimed album XO before it, is a mess of beauty, ingenuity and slight insanity. If the days of the singer/songwriter are drawing to a close, this album is one hell of a way to remember them. --Dan Gennoe

Customer Reviews

A creative genius...
It is rare to find an artist with such talent as Elliott Smith. ‘Figure 8’ is a masterpiece in everyway. In my opinion, ‘Figure 8’ was the peak of Elliott’s career. He carefully constructs a record that reflects both a combination of ‘Either/Or’, and ‘Xo’, which creates a creative masterpiece so much so that it is hard to find faults within it. The lyrics throughout the album constantly reflect Elliott’s emotions towards life that creates a real sense of intimacy within the record. As a great fan of Elliott smith, I had never felt that connection truly establish until I heard ‘Figure 8’. The one thing that elevates this album from the rest of Elliott’s work is the collage of folk-rock-ballard that fits beautify within the whole album. If the piano to ‘In the lost and found (Honkey Bach)’ and the uplifting beat to ‘Color Bars’ does not get you head bobbing, you seriously need to consider your taste in music. This album is Elliott’s finest, and it’s a damn shame that such talent ended as it did.

Don't Buy 'Cos Of His Tragic Death...But Because It's Great
Following his recent suicide, there is bound to be an upsurge of interest in Elliot Smith's music. Some might see this as hyporcritical; I myself simply see it as the simple fact that sometimes it takes news like this to raise awareness that somebody even existed.

That taken into consideration...I have been a fan of Elliot Smith since around 1998 and, although I've not listened to him so much recently (due to it being three years since he had released an album and the fact I had recently bought several other albums) he has remained one of my favourite songwriters and I had been eagerly looking forward to his sixth album.

When I heard he had died, the first thing I did was stick this (his last and my favourite CD) on and was reminded how wonderful it is.

Despite his reputatation as a sad acoustic troubadour, this album displays a range of talents from the piano-led "In the Lost and Found" to the snarling rocker "Junk Bond Trader" while final song (bar a closing instrumental) "Can't Make A Sound" has shades of Mercury Rev or Flaming Lips in use of effects and production.

Obviously Nick Drake and the Beatles remain reference points but it must be pointed out that Smith was no copyist and I truly feel his best moments could not have been written by anyone else. "Everything means nothing to me" and "Happiness" in particular shine here although, perhaps even more so due to what has happened, it is the quiet melanchony "I'd Better Be Quiet Now" that sticks in the mind and may be used as an urgent comforter on lonely winter nights. The line "If I didn't know the difference, living alone would probably be ok, it wouldn't be lonely..." is to my mind one of the most heartbreaking lyrics ever committed to disc.

For a newcomer to Smith (and whilst some fans feel understandbly differently, I hope Elliot Smith gains a lot of new fans - he always deserved to) this album, along with XO, probably provide the most valuable introductions to his brilliant music.

To return my starting point, I don't agree with buying albums of people just because they've died. Especially when there are lots of reasons to try this superb album.

Heartbreaking
This is one of my favourite albums of all time and it is almost unbearably sad to think of how deprived we have been of all the great music he would have made in the future. The lyrics are just so real....Please buy this album and all his others and it makes you realise how shallow most of the music created today is....