Elliott Smith - Live Cover Versions, 1998-2003

I've posted a lot of acoustic music by Elliott Smith, but not much featuring him fronting a band. This is all Smith with a full band, performing cover versions in concert.

Unfortunately, there aren't that many songs compared to his acoustic stuff, so I only have one album's worth to present. I think that's because it's relatively easy for someone like Smith to play a song with just his acoustic guitar. But when there's a full band, there has to be a lot of practice to get things right. Take for instance his cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult (the song of "More cowbell!" fame). I'm amazed he did the song at all, because it has a rocking yet intricate arrangement.

Also unfortunately, the sound quality is not that great for many songs here. All the songs here are officially unreleased. Smith only played some of these songs once or twice in concert, and we're lucky to have any bootlegs of them at all. At least the sound quality is clear for all the songs. But most of them are from audience recordings, and on some of them you can clearly hear people talking through the song. "Ballad of a Thin Man" is an example of this. However, the performance is so compelling that I think it's more than worth putting up with that.

Here are who did the originals:

01 I'm So Tired - Beatles
02 Stroke It Noel - Big Star
03 Ballad of a Thin Man - Bob Dylan
04 When I Paint My Masterpiece - Bob Dylan
05 I Me Mine - Beatles
06 Care of Cell 44 - Zombies
07 Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
08 Yer Blues - Beatles
09 My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
10 Supersonic - Oasis
11 Car - Built to Spill
12 Do It Again - Kinks
13 Dead End Street - Kinks
14 Big Sky - Kinks

As you can see, Smith largely plays songs from the musical giants that came before him. It's interesting that he does an Oasis cover though. He got a lot of flack for playing that song in concert several times, even getting booed some. But I applaud him for seeing Oasis' talent, despite a certain hipster segment of his fan base thinking that's "uncool."

01 I'm So Tired (Elliott Smith)
02 Stroke It Noel (Elliott Smith)
03 Ballad of a Thin Man (Elliott Smith)
04 When I Paint My Masterpiece (Elliott Smith)
05 I Me Mine (Elliott Smith)
06 Care of Cell 44 (Elliott Smith)
07 Don't Fear the Reaper (Elliott Smith)
08 Yer Blues (Elliott Smith)
09 My Sweet Lord (Elliott Smith with Grandaddy)
10 Supersonic (Elliott Smith)
11 Car (Elliott Smith)
12 Do It Again (Elliott Smith)
13 Dead End Street (Elliott Smith)
14 Big Sky (Elliott Smith)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15835440/EllittS_1998-2003_LiveCovrVrsions_atse.zip.html

The cover art photo is of Smith playing at the Leeds Festival in 1998.