Figure 8

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Editorial reviews

Album Description
Japanese edition of the indie rock singer/songwriter's 2000 release with two exclusive bonus tracks 'Because' & 'Figure 8'. 18 tracks in all including the single 'Son Of Sam'. Digipak.

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Amazon.com
The story of Elliott Smith is well known now: Shy and reclusive indie rocker soars to a Hollywood soundstage and major-label contract. His fans gasped in collective horror when he took a bow at the 1998 Oscars, his hand clasped by Celine Dion. He seemed far too fragile to survive among the sharks and vultures on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. But as his subsequent albums XO and now Figure 8 show, Smith has weathered the spotlight successfully and is moving ahead with self-assured grace. The beauty of Figure 8 is that it encompasses Smith's musical virtues, from the stark and wispy tunes of his lo-fi beginnings on Roman Candle to the orchestrated, Beatlesesque pomp and circumstance of later work to the intimate and sometimes painful nature of his live shows. Figure 8's opener, "Son of Sam," is as good as anything Smith has ever crafted, its soaring melody buoyed with lush instrumentation and a tin-pan-alley piano romp. "Happiness" is vintage Smith, its lyrics belying the title. But best of all are "Everything Reminds Me of Her" and "Everything Means Nothing to Me," which capture the dichotomies of Smith's music. The first is a lovely, delicate little tune--just Smith's wavering voice, a plucked guitar, and the plaintive lyrics of unabashed longing. The second is a layered soundscape, heavily produced, with washes of music covering a repeated lyrical line. One is direct, naked, and honest; the other is slippery, distant, and rational. These are the yin and yang of Smith's music, and it's the friction between the two--or, more accurately, the wreckage from one obdurate truth bashing up against the other--that makes Figure 8 resonate with such devastating power. --Tod Nelson

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-08-10 rating:
The Revolver of our time
There is no doubt in my mind that this sits at the same height as The Beatles' greatest work and should be listened to by everyone who likes them. While it is admittedly much more down in the lyrical content, the melodies are sublime and joyous in a way. I started out with Either/Or but this is much, much better, and next I'll be getting his self titled.

Regardless of whether you like his early albums, here Elliot Smith is at the peak of his compositional powers and you should definitely listen to this album.

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review by: date: 2007-12-13 rating:
Nothing much to speak of
What most people will find here, is a collection of marginally depression, hookless indy pop. After a time, the songs largely start to run together and sound the same. Not a bad album by any means, but certainly not worthy of the praise it receives in this listener's opinion.


Trust me, you can skip this one.

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review by: Slick Chris date: 2007-11-15 rating:
The Best Thing I Ever Heard
When I was about 12 or 13 years old I heard a song called Happiness by Elliott Smith, I thought it was the most unique and haunting song I had ever heard, I became obsessed with it, this was when Napster was huge and I didn't have to buy whole album when I liked a song, I never looked into who Elliott Smith was and I assumed, because I had never heard of him, that he was a one hit wonder, a couple of years later I picked this album up on a whim, it shook me up, top to bottom this album was the best thing I had ever heard, his lyrics gave me goosebumps, his music stayed fresh no matter how many times I listened, after searching all my life I had found what I was looking for, and Hapiness wasn't even the best track

Today I own all of Elliott's albums and continue to find genius no matter how deep I dig, even the songs that never made it on CD are great, here Elliott has artistic control over orchestras and every track is full of complex and beautiful music, these tracks are mixed very well and are very clean compared to his other CDs, it makes it his easiest album to get into, buy this one first.

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review by: sonicsoundchaser date: 2007-03-29 rating:
Early Lo- Fi to a More Lavish Multi-layered Release....
Steven Paul Smith was born on August 6, 1969 in Omaha. He later changed the name Steven to Elliott. He felt it sounded less "jock-like."
I do believe Elliott Smith had a really amazing if not sad and lonely kind of voice. I can feel a bit more uplifting type of mood coming from Elliott Smith's Figure 8, his best and last studio record before he died. Ever since the end of his band Heatmiser, his solo work became more personal and less abrasive. It's hard to imagine at one point he was part of just another small punk/grunge band, who not many have heard of.
Many would prefer "Either/Or." Which seems optimistic at times, but kind of sad to me. At this time few singer/songwriters could match Elliott's level of intensity through lo-fi "folk-punk" intimacy. That release sparked interest in the director of Good Will Hunting, Gus Van Sant- who used some of Elliott's songs for his picture. They met while Elliott lived in Portland. Also this exposure proppelled Elliott Smith to major-label status from Kill Rock Stars to Dreamworks. And then came XO in 1998. And Figure 8 in 2000. In my opinion this is his best. It flourishes with rich, multi-layered and more lush tracks. Not as intimate as his earlier solo works w/ the exception of "Everything Means Nothing to Me." This does seem happier though, at least compared to his other works. Definately one of the best solo albums and one of my favorites of this millenium. A wonderful timeless album from one of the better singer/songwriters after those "grunge era" days. My favorites here include: "Son of Sam"- "Junkbond Trader" -"Stupidity Tries" - "Easy Way Out" - "In the Lost & Found" -(for this song Elliott uses the same Abbey Road piano Paul McCartney played on "Penny Lane")
Elliott Smith has always been a long time Beatles fan. Even covered their song "Because"- which is on a import of Figure 8. I really do feel he approaches a kind of greatness w/ this almost perfect solo work. I just wish he was still alive creating more.
It's just really sad the way Elliott Smith died. Two stab wounds in his chest from a kitchen knife. And I believe the coroner at the time never came to a conclusion whether it was a homicide or a suicide. His death was on October 21 2003.
I give Figure 8- 5 stars. It is my favorite Elliott Smith album, if you haven't heard Elliott Smith before you really should give this a listen. Or pick up "Either/Or" if you like a softer sound, but both are essential from him.


review by: weezkidaj date: 2006-10-11 rating:
Musical masterpiece
I would agree with Patrick Burnett's comments from 5 years ago. I recently ended a relationship and Elliott has been on repeat since the summer. His music fits perfectly with those moments where you feel like there is nothing left. But in a way, the beauty behind his music lifts your spirit like nothing else. "Everything Means Nothing To Me" was the first song I ever heard from Elliott just last year and it is a small portion of the brilliance found throughout this whole album.

The acoustically amazing "Somebody I Used to Know" and "I Better Be Quiet Now", the very Beatlesque "Pretty Mary K" and "Happiness" are just a few of the standouts in my mind. "Bye" is such a haunting album-ender that gives me chills everytime I hear the echo of the piano.

"Figure 8" has such a wide variety of sound that only a musical genius like Elliott Smith could create. His soft angelic voice along with beautiful melodies make this an album that will forever be labeled "perfection" in my mind. Rest in peace Elliott, your spirit lives on.

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