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Seventeen years after Elliott Smith’s tragic death at the age of 34, his spare, haunting music continues to resonate. On August 28, the Kill Rock Stars label will reissue his 1995 self-titled sophomore album in a 2-CD deluxe edition to commemorate its 25th anniversary.

Elliott Smith continued in the acoustic singer-songwriter vein of its predecessor, Roman Candle, with the solo artist’s guitar backed up only by an occasional other instrument such as harmonica or drums. Darkness pervaded the album, from the cover depicting people jumping out of windows to the drug-influenced lyrical content. The LP’s lone single “Needle in the Hay” would later be used in Wes Anderson’s film The Royal Tenenbaums; it’s since been covered by artists from drone metal duo Nadja to pop singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton. Another track off the album, “Clementine,” was inspired by the traditional folk ballad “Oh My Darling, Clementine” (perhaps best known as Huckleberry Hound’s unofficial theme song). Smith had performed “Christian Brothers” with his band Heatmiser; their full-band rock arrangement appeared on the soundtrack of the 2014 documentary about Smith, Heaven Adores You.

Smith went on to record one more album for Kill Rock Stars (1997’s Either/Or, which was also expanded a few years ago) before being snapped up by the fledgling major label DreamWorks. Smith’s DreamWorks debut, XO, appeared on the heels of his Academy Award-nominated success “Miss Misery” as featured in director Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting. The 2000 DreamWorks release Figure 8 would be Smith’s final album released in his lifetime.

Kill Rock Stars’ reissue of Elliott Smith includes the newly remastered album; a coffee table book containing never-before-published photographs of the artist by J.J. Gonson as well as Smith’s handwritten lyrics, memories from his friends and collaborators, and a bonus disc presenting the earliest known recording of Smith as a solo artist. This concert from September 17, 1994 at Portland, Oregon’s Umbra Penumbra features ten songs including “Alphabet Town” which would appear on Elliott Smith.

A double-LP vinyl edition will also be available on August 28, along with streaming and digital versions. You can pre-order all iterations of Elliott Smith‘s expanded 25th anniversary edition at the links below.

Elliott Smith: 25th Anniversary Edition (Kill Rock Stars KRS-656, 2020)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada TBD

Disc 1: Original album (released as Kill Rock Stars KRS-246, 1995)

1. Needle In The Hay
2. Christian Brothers
3. Clementine
4. Southern Belle
5. Single File
6. Coming Up Roses
7. Satellite
8. Alphabet Town
9. St. Ides Heaven
10. Good To Go
11. The White Lady Loves You More
12. The Biggest Lie

Disc 2: Live at Umbra Penumbra, Portland, OR – 9/17/1994 (previously unreleased)

1. Some Song
2. Alphabet Town
3. Whatever (Folk Song In C)
4. No Name #4
5. Big Decision
6. Condor Ave
7. No Name #1
8. No Confidence Man
9. Crazy Fucker
10. Half Right