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Elliott Smith's XO (Paperback)
Loot Price: R247
Discovery Miles 2 470
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(31%)
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Elliott Smith's XO (Paperback)
Series: 33 1/3
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List price R356
Loot Price R247
Discovery Miles 2 470
You Save R109 (31%)
Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days
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This book focuses on the genius of Smith's 1998 debut that remains
his defining album. 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 singer-songwriters: that pain is beautiful. Indeed, "XO" insists
that romanticizing personal tragedy can only leave you 'deaf and
dumb and done'. It backs up this claim with some of the most artful
and intelligent music of its day. While these themes permeate "XO",
the record hardly registers like a thesis statement. The album's
title cleverly reflects one of its central concerns - the
difference between how we present ourselves and the damage we do
through such self-denial. It's simple lyrical phrasing and
characteristically hesitant vocal delivery have led many to
overlook how mean, witty and incisive XO is. It is the product of
an artist who could never quite shake off the stigma of his early
work. 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.
"33 1/3" is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums,
by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched
in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is
acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.
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