Elliott Smith — Figure 8
• “What I used to be will pass away and then you'll see / that all I want now is happiness for you and me.”
• R.I.P. Elliott 1969 — 2003
Birth name: Steven Paul Smith
Born: August 6, 1969, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died: October 21, 2003, Echo Park, California, U.S.
Year Of Release: April 18, 2000
Recorded: 1999–2000 at Sunset Sound, Capitol Studios, Sonora Studios and Abbey Road Studios
Record Label: Dreamworks
Duration: 52:14
Tracks:
01. Son Of Sam 3:04
02. Somebody That I Used To Know 2:09
03. Junk Bond Trader 3:50
04. Everything Reminds Me Of Her 2:38
05. Everything Means Nothing To Me 2:24
06. LA 3:14
07. In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach) 4:33
08. Stupidity Tries 4:24
09. Easy Way Out 2:44
10. Wouldn't Momma Be Proud 3:26
11. Color Bars 2:20
12. Happiness The Gondola Man 5:04
13. Pretty Mary K 2:36
14. I Better Be Quiet Now 3:35
15. Can't Make A Sound 4:19
16. Bye 1:53
• All songs written and composed by Elliott Smith.
• Producer Tom Rothrock, Rob Schnapf, Elliott Smith
Awards
Album charts
• Australian Albums Chart #45
• UK Albums Chart #37
• US Billboard 200 #99
Personnel:
• Elliott Smith — string arrangement, production, all other instruments
Additional personnel
• Sam Coomes — bass guitar ("Everything Means Nothing to Me", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", "Stupidity Tries", "Pretty Mary K")
• Pete Thomas — drums ("Junk Bond Trader", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?", "Can't Make a Sound")
• Joey Waronker — drums ("Stupidity Tries")
• Jon Brion — backing vocals ("Happiness"/"The Gondola Man")
• Suzie Katayama — string conduction and orchestration ("Junk Bond Trader", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", "Color Bars", "Can't Make a Sound")
• Matt Dunkley — string conduction and orchestration ("Stupidity Tries")
Technical:
• Rob Schnapf — production
• Tom Rothrock — production
• Don C. Tyler — mastering
• Paul Hicks — engineering assistance (Abbey Road Studios)
• Charlie Paakkari — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Dann Thompson — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Jimmy Hoyson — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Steve Genewick — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Richard Baron — engineering assistance (Sonora Studios)
• Geoff Walcha — engineering assistance (Sunset Sound Recorders)
• Monique Mizrahi — engineering assistance (Sunset Sound Recorders)
• Autumn DeWilde — sleeve art direction, design and photography
• Dale Smith — sleeve art direction and design
Background:
• Figure 8 was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios in Hollywood and Abbey Road Studios in London.
• The title is thought to be taken from a song by Schoolhouse Rock!; Smith covered this song, but it did not make the final track listing. Regarding the album's title, Smith said this in a May 11, 2000 article in Boston Herald:
• I liked the idea of a self–contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can.
• Smith described the songs on the album as "more fragmented and dreamlike".
Cover photo:
• The wall Smith stands in front of in Autumn de Wilde's photograph on the cover of the album exists in Los Angeles, and since his death it has become a memorial to him. • It is located at 4334 W. Sunset Boulevard, which is a store by the name of Solutions Audio–Video Repair, just east of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. It has at some stages been covered with written messages containing lyrics and personal messages to Smith, as well as displaying a stencil of Smith in order to mimic the photo on the album cover. It is regularly graffiti–ed over, followed by regular restorations from fans.
REVIEW
By Ryan Schreiber; March 31, 2000; Score: 6.9
• http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7267-figure-8/
Review by Rudy K. STAFF, June 9th, 2010 | Score: 5
• http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/37318/Elliott-Smith-Figure-8/
Website: http://www.sweetadeline.net/
_____________________________________________________________
• “What I used to be will pass away and then you'll see / that all I want now is happiness for you and me.”
• R.I.P. Elliott 1969 — 2003
Birth name: Steven Paul Smith
Born: August 6, 1969, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died: October 21, 2003, Echo Park, California, U.S.
Year Of Release: April 18, 2000
Recorded: 1999–2000 at Sunset Sound, Capitol Studios, Sonora Studios and Abbey Road Studios
Record Label: Dreamworks
Duration: 52:14
Tracks:
01. Son Of Sam 3:04
02. Somebody That I Used To Know 2:09
03. Junk Bond Trader 3:50
04. Everything Reminds Me Of Her 2:38
05. Everything Means Nothing To Me 2:24
06. LA 3:14
07. In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach) 4:33
08. Stupidity Tries 4:24
09. Easy Way Out 2:44
10. Wouldn't Momma Be Proud 3:26
11. Color Bars 2:20
12. Happiness The Gondola Man 5:04
13. Pretty Mary K 2:36
14. I Better Be Quiet Now 3:35
15. Can't Make A Sound 4:19
16. Bye 1:53
• All songs written and composed by Elliott Smith.
• Producer Tom Rothrock, Rob Schnapf, Elliott Smith
Awards
Album charts
• Australian Albums Chart #45
• UK Albums Chart #37
• US Billboard 200 #99
Personnel:
• Elliott Smith — string arrangement, production, all other instruments
Additional personnel
• Sam Coomes — bass guitar ("Everything Means Nothing to Me", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", "Stupidity Tries", "Pretty Mary K")
• Pete Thomas — drums ("Junk Bond Trader", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?", "Can't Make a Sound")
• Joey Waronker — drums ("Stupidity Tries")
• Jon Brion — backing vocals ("Happiness"/"The Gondola Man")
• Suzie Katayama — string conduction and orchestration ("Junk Bond Trader", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)", "Color Bars", "Can't Make a Sound")
• Matt Dunkley — string conduction and orchestration ("Stupidity Tries")
Technical:
• Rob Schnapf — production
• Tom Rothrock — production
• Don C. Tyler — mastering
• Paul Hicks — engineering assistance (Abbey Road Studios)
• Charlie Paakkari — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Dann Thompson — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Jimmy Hoyson — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Steve Genewick — engineering assistance (Capitol Studios)
• Richard Baron — engineering assistance (Sonora Studios)
• Geoff Walcha — engineering assistance (Sunset Sound Recorders)
• Monique Mizrahi — engineering assistance (Sunset Sound Recorders)
• Autumn DeWilde — sleeve art direction, design and photography
• Dale Smith — sleeve art direction and design
Background:
• Figure 8 was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios in Hollywood and Abbey Road Studios in London.
• The title is thought to be taken from a song by Schoolhouse Rock!; Smith covered this song, but it did not make the final track listing. Regarding the album's title, Smith said this in a May 11, 2000 article in Boston Herald:
• I liked the idea of a self–contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can.
• Smith described the songs on the album as "more fragmented and dreamlike".
Cover photo:
• The wall Smith stands in front of in Autumn de Wilde's photograph on the cover of the album exists in Los Angeles, and since his death it has become a memorial to him. • It is located at 4334 W. Sunset Boulevard, which is a store by the name of Solutions Audio–Video Repair, just east of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. It has at some stages been covered with written messages containing lyrics and personal messages to Smith, as well as displaying a stencil of Smith in order to mimic the photo on the album cover. It is regularly graffiti–ed over, followed by regular restorations from fans.
REVIEW
By Ryan Schreiber; March 31, 2000; Score: 6.9
• http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7267-figure-8/
Review by Rudy K. STAFF, June 9th, 2010 | Score: 5
• http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/37318/Elliott-Smith-Figure-8/
Website: http://www.sweetadeline.net/
_____________________________________________________________