Six albums recorded by Elliott Smith in high school between 1985 and 1989 have surfaced online.
The albums feature Smith and the friends he was in bands with as a teenager, playing under names including Stranger Than Fiction, A Murder Of Crows, and Harum Scarum.
The six newly-surfaced records were obtained and distributed by a fan of Smithâs from Texas called Cameron McCrary. The fan contacted local record stores in Portland, where Smith spent much of his life, and hunted on Discogs to find the albums. Finally, Tony Lash, the drummer on several of the albums, sold his copies to McCrary, while other recordings were found over the span of two years.
Among the albums are Stranger Than Fictionâs âAny Kind Of Mudhenâ (1985), âStill Waters More Or Lessâ (1986), and âMenagerieâ (1987), A Murder Of Crowsâ âThe Greenhouseâ (1988), and Harum Scarumâs âTrick Of Paris Seasonâ (1989).
Some of the tracklists feature songs that would go on to appear in Smithâs solo work, like âCondor Aveâ, which featured on his 1994 record âRoman Candleâ. That track also appears on âThe Greenhouseâ with different lyrics. âTrick Of Paris Seasonâ also features the first use of Smithâs moniker Elliott Smith, as opposed to his real name, Steven Paul Smith.
Back in 2020, Smithâs self-titled second album was reissued to mark its 25th anniversary. It came backed with a new live album called âLive At Umbra Penumbraâ, which was recorded at the titular Portland cafe in September 1994.
Last year, Bright Eyes covered Smithâs âSt. Ides Heavenâ as part of a special reissue of their 1998 album âLetting Off The Happinessâ. The cover appeared on the âLetting Off The Happiness: A Companionâ release that was part of the bandâs project of reissuing all nine of their studio albums with a Companion EP.
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