elliott smith - can't make a sound

[26ofjulymovement]

1 of the greatest songs ever recorded. Period!

[fossilfuelmusic]

its crazy how much self control his compositions have, he is putting a tremendous amount of energy into very tight intricately layered constructs. what a trip!

[fossilfuelmusic]

aw man those chords look a lil bit different than the tab i have been messing with

[sgc1234]

Fantastic

[Itai19aa]

who is the other singer ?

[evanisovich]

@Itai19aa That would be the mighty Sam Coomes, one half of the amazing Portland, Oregon band Quasi. Sam was also the last bass player for Elliott's previous band, Heatmiser.

[freshjive2002]

How can somebody dislike this? I dislike you!

[amirrorcan911]

Cool music!

[BilisNegra]

Must say I like how he sounds playing electric just at least as much as we like him playing accoustic...

[Sergio0Oo]

this song is just perfect isnt it?

[gted18]

@Sergio0Oo Yes it is.Unebelievebly beautiful.

[jmw18]

Simply the best!!! he's been 90% of what i listen to for 2 years... He wrote the story of my life... I'd kill to have been there as well

[JackkZepp]

one of the best song ever,simple yet brilliant.

s dargan

[Sergio0Oo]

why should you want any other...

[wedbetter99]

Wow, singing and playing that lead simultaneously was just too much. That, coupled with his incredible song writing, means that he was not human but some kind of alien superbeing sent here to brighten our lives and make us all feel inferior.

RIP Mr Smith.

[Chammy92243]

@wedbetter99 A very broken hearted alien indeed, someone so overcome by heartbreak and loss that you read it in the lyrics.

[tasinallb]

His wave at the end is so familiar, .he was so humble and very very gracious. . his soft 'thanks' after each song just filled us with anticipation for what he would play next. You could hear a pin drop when he played. . we loved him, cherished his songs. . Gone too soon. . wayy too soon. .

[thepaligap]

Amazing performance reminds me of George Harrison.

[viteksk8alot]

Is it just me or is a live Elliott DVD long overdue?

[ChesaDexter]

@viteksk8alot It is *long* overdue. They were working on releasing his set from the Yo-Yo A Go Go Festival, but it's been delayed :(

[hidroensayo]

amazing version, from a huge masterpiece by elliott. the last 2 minutes are epic.

increible version de esta obra de arte de elliott. los dos ultimos minutos son orgasmicos, gracias elliott por aparecer en mi vida !!!! se te extraña por argentina, elliott. :(

[frazier1983]

It's Alternative folk rock, but come on, it's Elliot Smith. Which means it's doesn't need a genre.

The word "genre" is for Junior High School kids who are wondering where in a Virgin Mega store to go to listen to music they'll like.

[pressureofdays]

A M A Z I N G! Thanks for sharing.

[dereksoundcloud]

wow. this is great. i love the tremolo picking towards the end in this one

[JimiScandal]

this is SO beautiful!

[TrevorKingKwong]

i like how he's smiling from 1:18 - 1:24 during the guitar solo.

[SaraGroban]

ahhh I love you elliott!!!!

[Devilslittleimp]

Best live version of this song in my opinion.

[panamasado]

elliott... the sixt beatle :)

[christopherthewild]

@panamasado

if billy preston is the fifth beatle then damn right

[matix45]

yes!

[IlaSkywalker]

Probably my fav, I love the lyrics.

[sjrsgrtsn]

Good recording!

[TrikkBorgnine]

He looked so healthy here.

[ElGoodo]

This is one of my favourite Elliott Smith songs! Figure 8 is a great album, Basement on A Hill is my personal favourite.

If your a fan of Elliott you should check out my new song (the title is even a little inspired by this song) it's called "Let's Make A Sound" check it out on my page.

[Transmissionwould]

Thumbs up and a thumbs down.

[midnight260]

amazing video.

[AxlsSpermy]

i acually think this is bettter than the studio version

[ezmodeon]

what i wouldn't do to be in that crowd that night. unbelievable live version. miss ya elliott.

[oranjjjggg]

doesn't get much better than this

[lulita1806]

lo amooooooooo

[chatter4500]

My goodness, when he played that lil guitar soloish material at 1:12, he smiled a little smile. You could tell he enjoyed it =)

[beaglehowl]

He is about to channel George Harrison. Love this song.....

[hellosweetheart666]

haha you really can see him smile..that was great

[coldandblank]

FUCKING AMAZING!!!!!

[pinkcigarettepf]

Anyone know what guitar he's playing?

[kw12389]

1960s Gibson ES 330

[vuvaladusi]

1:12 guitar line!! ahhhhh!

soo goood!

[alkaioptic]

Such an amazing performance... not surprisingly though since everything he's written is so great. Like Devilslittleimp I also wish I was a bit older and got into him sooner so I could have had the chance to see him live or at all.

[WolfToHula]

i love almost everything hes recorded.

[no1000]

almost??

everything he has is fucking amazing.

[Devilslittleimp]

I think I like this better then the album version. Fuck I wish I was older, and got into him earlier, I just started getting into him a few months ago. XO Elliott

[hammydahamburger]

not as good as the album version. It sounds a bit rushed

[ertwyu]

Is there an orchestra playing at the end of that?!?

[TheCaptainMusic]

Nah, it's synth.

[ertwyu]

Shame it doesn't play through the repeating couplet at the end of the song like it does in the album version.

[trumpeteerTralala]

This tune makes me think of Elliott's progress as a song writer over the years. For instance contrast "Thirteen" to this little jingle. Had he been born in the fifties, when recording artists relied less on sampling and more on musical artistry and skill, Elliott Smith would have been a household name. Today's kids would crack open boxes full of old vinyls that their parents left behind in the attic and stumble upon 'Either/Or' or 'XO', spawning a desire to return to their folks' grassroots.

[pacrock123]

Elliott Smith didn't write "Thirteen" , but I do agree this was the strongest point in his career as far as songwriting goes. I know most Elliott Smith fans say that "Either/OR" or "XO" are his best albums , but to me Figure 8 is a masterpiece from start to finish and shows just how much he had grown as a musician not only a songwriter. It's a shame we will never know all the great songs he would have written in the future, but at least we can enjoy all the brilliant songs and music left behind.

[Stilltouchinyourtitt]

Why is it everyone forgets about the band Big Star?

The "problem" with the album XO is that it just sounds over produced. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of amazing jems on that album, but as a whole, it feels like a record company executive was looking over Elliott's shoulder for the entire recording process.

[downsidefx]

i'll always like from a basement the most. i think the direction his music was going in would have been very exciting. it was much more dark and dark and distorted but of course that fit elliott very well.

[Rennfahrer555]

yup its wild to think that stuff like this was being released when the backstreet boys were the biggest thing... this is an amazing live performance and probably the best video on youtube

[sucramnormark]

Awesome song.

[thelastjeremy]

i don't have anything new to add. i just think its an amazing performance. i have tears (happyish) streaming down my cheeks. X.O. elliott...

[ramadonker]

anyone else notice the second drummer at the end? hmm

oh yeah...  awesome performance!!

[Rebabaluba]

Ya I just noticed that the other day.

[ghcoffin]

i love 'spinning the world like a toy top til theres a ghost in every town'. apocalypse now, in your own head, and in reality at the end of time. the individual's mortality and the collective human race's mortality?

[Stillillgal]

this song for me is about

some one who stuck in a silent movie

like a wierd black & white twilight zone

and he can't get out or stop "playing"

the charecter

like the life may b

[ghcoffin]

for me this song is elliot relating an experience of getting high with how he feels about the rest of his life. 'hero killed the clown' is heroin he injects. then it's him still at site of shooting up, stumbling around and getting lost in his head but still self conscious about ppl watching him 'nobody knows what hes doing still hanging around' after shooting up....then 'why should you want any other when youre a world within a world' is his addction making an argument to nevr stop getting hi.

[ghcoffin]

"elliott" that is...got hasty.

[0captain0eddie0]

simply beautiful.

[c1h2e3s4t5e6r]

amazing.  his guitar playing never ceases to impress...

[methylparaben]

so nice

[brokenimages]

this performance is so fucking intense , it's ridiculously good guitar !

[schaefersmann]

whoo, cool version,like it...

[pitseleh84]

Las canciones de Elliott Smith siempre me han gustado, pero esta es fenomenal; aunque no sea la mas profunda de él, la musicalización es fenomenal. i miss you elliott RIP

[mymayapapaya]

My favorite song by Elliott! :)

[BLUESLEX]

hermosa cancion , triste , alegre soñadora , una hermoso sentimiento me recorre cuando la escucho , desgraciadamente se fue antes de empezar a vivir  , R.I.P elliott !

[zalamasalabaraza]

si ves esto dejame tu mail, no conozco a nadie que hable español que piense lo mismo que yo de elliott

[bacardi119]

He estado obsesionado con la música de elliott como por un año, la verdad yo también conozco poca gente que hable español que oiga elliott. Este tipo era bestial, spbre todo sus letras.

[Stillillgal]

you can feel hes mind

the sound of the song is remind me a silent movie alot

also "in the lost and fond"

[applepie182]

Can you idiots stop talking about the beatles?

[nskunza]

it says: A 1 Limousine services, inc.

[barbar69]

Does antone know what it says on Elliott's shirt? I see him wearing it alot.

[XiomaraCarebear]

god, it's a shame that he's dead... he's a mastermind... his music is simply way a collection of masterpieces...

[brandonlau]

The fact that this song has inspired such a debate says enough about how much amazing it is.

[softstrum]

we kill off the best. people need to shut up. hey if u have a bad comment, just go fuck yourself. hope u die during your self fucking.

[timmyboy1970]

how can you resist that charming little "thanks" at the end? True genius and full of humility. Damn those mad genius' and their addictions!

[95cooks]

It's really simple to me: Elliott was the best songwriter, I believe, since the Beatles and Brian Wilson. There is nobody like him, and the number of great, not just good, songs that he wrote is mind boggling. And he was only here a short while. He also was a fantastic musician, and he put together a great band.

[IARE1031]

Since the Beatles?! The Beatles were never the greatest songwriters...they were good, but I don't think that was their thing. I think Elliott was a really good songwriter too, but there are lots of people that beat him in that category. But yeah, not to take away from Elliott, I really think he's great, but not the best at anything.

[95cooks]

What everyone thinks of as "the best" is subjective, of course. But from an objective standpoint -- accross most measures -- the Beatles were the greatest songwriters in popular music. From their melodies, lyrics, composition, the way the broke ground and changed all of music, there is no other group that can stand up to them. There are many others that are great, but the thing that all of them have in common is that they followed the Beatles -- even Dylan when he went electric followed them.

[IARE1031]

Actually, if you read a lot about the Beatles it was John who got a lot of inspiration from Bob Dylan. Saying, "Well, if Bob Dylan can get away with writing like this, then so can I." Sure the Beatles songs SOUNDED nice, their producer had a lot to do with it. Also, think just because you're inspired by someone it doesn't mean you can't be better than them. Inspiration and where you get your ideas and sound are two different things the way I see it.

[95cooks]

When eveluating songwriting you'd have to look at the body of work. Hands down the Beatles have everyone beat. And that's not just my opinion. They have more great songs than anyone. Name one who has more. And sounded nice? Any producer will tell you that production will do little for a crappy song. They sounded "nice" because the songs were fantastic. But you have to write songs and record to know this.

[IARE1031]

I do record and write songs. I think there are lots of people better than the Beatles. And you'll find that they even credit their producer (I forgot his name) with a lot of the creative ideas. They even said he was like the 5th member of the band. But anyway it doesn't matter, if you think the Beatles are the best that's fine by me. I just don't agree.

:-)

[95cooks]

I don't think this is a matter of opinion. Measure them on number of albums/cds sold; number of hits in the top-10, 20, 100, etc; greatest influence on other bands/artists; greatest influence on modern music-no one that comes close. The bands that you think are better than them would even say the Beatles influenced them the most.

Using objective measures like these, they are the best.Again, producers enhance great songs, not write them. George martin didn't write anything.

[IARE1031]

Just because they've influenced someone and sold millions of albums and had tons of hits that doesn't mean they are the best. You can be influenced by the wind or your car...anything. They were influenced by lots of people too, does that mean that their influences are better than they are? Every point you're making just goes back to their popularity, being popular and being the best are two entirely different things. Everybody has their favorite and it's totally a matter of opinion.

[95cooks]

Ah, yes they were popular, but the mistake you're making is to equate popularity with middle-of-the-road tastes, which is cliche. Justin Timberlake is terrible, yet popular, etc., but you'll find few serious music critics or musicians who are influenced by him. The Beatles influenced modern classical, jazz, country, rock, etc. Moreover, their stuff is still as popular-WITH EVERYONE-40 years later.That's unmatched. That's greatness.

[IARE1031]

Like I said, there are lots of people better than the Beatles. They just got the exposure. How many bands have there been in the history of the world? Millions upon millions. Now, how many of those got any level of exposure. How many just did it for the music and didn't care if there was tons of exposure? I think you're playing up what influence actually means. It really doesn't amount to much...trust me (unless you're plagiarizing or copying that is)

[jrbleiguy]

i think i saw a video of Paul saying something like, "We're just a band that got big". I couldn't agree with the idea more. There are thousands of bands that could have taken The Beatles place just as well.

[DUBtheTIGER]

nooooooooo. no band changed music the way they did and unless a whole new style of music is created they will never be touched. a lot of great bands have changed music dramatically (Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth...) but they'll never be remembered like the Fab Four

[JohnWLennon1980]

You're right and wrong. It was a question ``How did you get so big`` That Lennon ansered ``We're just a band you know, and we made it, very, very big.``

[peterdelatorre]

Who cares about their popularity. It is amazing that people in my generation are actively listening to and being influenced by the Beatles today, but their real genius does not concern their popularity. Rather, they were some of the best pop/rock songwriters ever who pushed the envelope of their craft and reintroduced sophistication of song into popular music. They carry the torch for Classical greats like Stravinsky and have been credited by many critics as saving Western melody.

[IARE1031]

Critics schmidics.

[Stilltouchinyourtitt]

I going to have to say that IARE1031, you're being a bit of a bonehead. Your argument that the Beatles were/are so famous due to their level of exposure... Well, that's borderline moronic. Their level of exposure came from the fact that everyone who heard their first LP ran out and purchased the LP, and playing in for all their friends, and in turn those friends purchased the LP and played it for their friends... And so on.

[Stilltouchinyourtitt]

And the fact is, at the time of the Beatles, no one was making music like that. The Beatles helped create the modern pop song. And then, they took the mold they had made and threw it out the window, and in doing so they completely reinvented pop music. Sure, there have been many great bands since the Beatles, all with many of their own milestones as testaments to their greatness, but there has never been, or ever will there be, another band like the Beatles.

[johnnyskanky]

I sort of agree with IARE1031 on this conversation, the Beatles were mildly overrated. Music has been slowly progressing to what it is today. I think eventually the sound that the Beatles "invented" would have or had already been created with or without the Beatles. The Beatles were simply a combination of sounds. Also it's not fair to compare Elliott with a band of brilliant musicians...pick one. Paul McCartney didn't do much on his own, neither did Lennon.

[heretherenothing]

I think the Beatles are little bit overrated like Elvis. But it's not just the Beatles if this is even realvent that Elliot tries to sound like but it's the other people that he really liked as well. Don't forget Roy Oribson. But there wasn't as much music being released as there is now when the Beatles started out. Like the Stones for sure wouldn't have made it.

[Stilltouchinyourtitt]

Um... Perhaps you may have heard of the album "Imagine" or "Double Fantasy." In fact, a lot of The Beatles songs were written by a single member, such as "Let It Be" (McCartney) and "Strawberry Fields Forever" (Lennon), yet credited to Lennon/McCartney, a deal those two made when the band first begun. Most of the "White Album" are song written by one Beatle and credited to the entire band.

I did the best I could, holding out for 6 months, but you're an idiot. Please go away.

[Stilltouchinyourtitt]

This is a message to johnnyskanky, by the way.

[johnnyskanky]

How can you argue that one song is better than another? Chord progression? Melody? Instrumentation? This is an opinion my friend. You are obviously either a senile old man biased by your pathetic past or a kid that just recently started listening to music. Take your 1 inch boner elsewhere

[Stilltouchinyourtitt]

Why are you dragging up an argument from a year ago? Let it go. Also, no one was stating that any song was better than another, we were "discussing" how you thought(incorrectly) The Beatles were over rated.

And yes, I am a senile old man, that touches little kids, whom no longer enjoy listening to music. I won't even tell you how small my penis actually is. Have a nice evening.

[johnnyskanky]

Haha I actually had just read your comment and I thought that yours was half a year late so why is the tardiness of mine an issue? Anyway the greatness of the Beatles can definitely be disputed.

[sucramnormark]

Uhm? It's quite amusing how you enter a discussion saying: "PEOPLE SHOULDNT SAY WHICH MUSIC IS GOOD OR BAD, ITS ALL OPINIONS", and later write what you wrote about the beatles.

[purpledrohaze777]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oshirothehero]

hahahaha

[ramadonker]

WOW!!!! this concert footage should be released on DVD!!

[Stillillgal]

its even better live!

[musicalchains]

"thanks...i'm glad you think so"

ahahaha.

the perfect answer, coming from him.

[mrHarty]

So so so great song !

[liprincessprincess]

My favorite song EVER. Great live rendition.  Thanx for posting!

[brokenimages]

thats was so cool to see how he enjoyed playing that little solo !

[hserokdivad]

it kills me that I never got to see Elliott when he played at a venue that I go to regularly. This is most definitely one of my favs from him.

[redquill]

my favorite song. AWESOME!

[Khanman]

Does anyone know the date for this?

[jennnnnie]

I have needed to see this video for so long

[mogloh]

why great musician all kill themself

[brandomness]

anyone know the chords to this song?

[chipdevourer]

that was the greatest thing ive ever seen!

[Tayl0NP]

Elliott was such a bad-ass!