Elliott Smith's XO (33 1/3 series)
by Matthew LeMay
List Price:
Our Price: $6.21
You Save: $8.74 (58%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.97 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Matthew LeMayEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-06
ISBN: 0826429009
Number of pages: 142
Publisher: Continuum
Book Reviews of Elliott Smith's XO (33 1/3 series)
Book Review: Changed the way I listen to XO/Elliott Smith!
Summary: 5 Stars
XO is one of my favorite albums, and after reading this book, I am able to appreciate it in a new, deeper and more nuanced way. Lemay strategically employs Smith's own words, whether it be in an interview or in his lyrics, to steer us to an interpretation of XO that seems closer to what Smith had originally intended. (Larry Crane's review above affirms this idea.)
The book is split into two parts: Part one is a guided tour of the subtleties buried within XO (both lyrical and musical). Part two is about why we, as listeners, should free ourselves from the romanticized yet simplistic image of Smith painted by the popular press.
Both parts are extremely well researched and it shows: Lemay has amassed and analyzed quite a back catalog of Elliott Smith demos, live shows, interviews, reviews, on top of having conducted his own interviews with Smith's friends/collaborators.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to enjoy this album more, and to understand Elliott Smith as a human being who is more than just a "sad guy singing sad songs."
Summary of Elliott Smith's XO (33 1/3 series)
Many albums could be cited to support the claim that great suffering yields great art. Elliott Smith's XO should not be one of them. Smith's 1998 major label debut defies the "tortured singer-songwriter" stereotype, and takes up this defiance as a central theme. At a time when Smith was being groomed for a particular (and particularly condescending) brand of stardom, he produced a record that eviscerated one of the central assumptions of singersongwriterdom: that pain is beautiful. XO insists that romanticizing personal tragedy can only leave you "deaf and dumb and done." And it backs up this claim with some of the most artful and intelligent music of its day. Matthew LeMay writes an original take on a widely beloved album, steering clear of the sensationalist suicide angles that have dogged most analysis of Elliott Smith's extraordinary work.
History & Criticism Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in History & Criticism Books
KISS and Make-upby Gene Simmons
Crown; Published: 2001-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops:
Elvis Presley: A Life in Music : The Complete Recording Sessionsby Ernst Jorgensen
St Martins Pr; Published: 1998-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $199.99
The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Coolby Michael Segell
Picador; Published: 2006-08-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.81
Price in other shops:
Elvis: My Best Man: Radio Days, Rock 'n' Roll Nights, and My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presleyby George Klein, Chuck Crisafulli
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2011-01-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
Bill Evans: How My Heart Singsby Mr. Peter Pettinger
Yale University Press; Published: 1998-08-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $76.30
Microsoundby Curtis Roads
The MIT Press; Published: 2004-08-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.00
Price in other shops:
Hip Hop Americaby Nelson George
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2005-04-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.52
Price in other shops:
A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Albumby Ashley Kahn
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2003-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops:
Jazz Styles: History and Analysis (10th Edition)by Mark C. Gridley
Prentice Hall; Published: 2008-01-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $45.99
Price in other shops:
Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garciaby Robert Greenfield
It Books; Published: 2009-02-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.47
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Television's Marquee Moon (33 1/ 3)by Bryan Waterman
Continuum; Published: 2011-06-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.61
Price in other shops:
Big Star's Radio City (33 1/ 3)by Bruce Eaton
Continuum; Published: 2009-05-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops:
My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (33 1/ 3)by Mike McGonigal
Continuum; Published: 2007-01-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops:
Pavement's Wowee Zowee (33 1/ 3)by Bryan Charles
Continuum Pub Group; Published: 2010-05-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
Nirvana's in Utero (33 1/ 3)by Gillian G. Gaar
Continuum; Published: 2006-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops:
Radiohead's Kid A (33 1/ 3)by Marvin Lin
Continuum; Published: 2010-11-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops:
Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (33 1/ 3)by Kim Cooper, Kim Cooper
Continuum; Published: 2005-11-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.17
Price in other shops:
Elliott Smith and the Big Nothingby Benjamin Nugent
Da Capo Press; Published: 2005-10-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.87
Price in other shops:
Elliott Smith Songbookby Elliott Smith, Fred Sokolow
Hal Leonard Corporation; Published: 2009-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.15
Price in other shops:
Elliott Smithby Autumn de Wilde
Chronicle Books; Published: 2007-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.40
Price in other shops: