Either/Or (album)

Either/Or
Studio album by
Elliott Smith
ReleasedFebruary 25, 1997 (1997-02-25)
StudioVarious (see below)
Genre
Length36:52
LabelKill Rock Stars
Producer
Elliott Smith chronology
Elliott Smith
(1995) 		Either/Or
(1997) 		XO
(1998)
Singles from Either/Or
  1. "Speed Trials"
    Released: October 1, 1996
  2. "Ballad of Big Nothing"
    Released: June 28, 1998

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 released on February 25, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Book-ended by its 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. "Miss Misery" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1998 Academy Awards, and was performed at the televised ceremony in an abridged version by Smith, backed by the house orchestra, briefly propelling him into the international spotlight. In 2020, the album was ranked at 216 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

  1. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (January 10, 2013). "Review: Luke Sweeney, 'Ether Ore'". SFGate. San Francisco. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time". Paste. May 20, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest". Pitchfork. September 6, 2016. p. 5. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "10 Essential Lo-Fi Albums". Treble. September 12, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nme was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Stylus Staff (March 22, 2004). "Top 101–200 Favourite Albums Ever". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023. This marks Smith's change from stripped-down guy-and-a-guitar to fully-fleshed pop-rock songwriter.