Post by Bink on Aug 16, 2023 8:15:30 GMT
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (6 August 1969 - 21 October 2003)
Associated Acts: Heatmiser
Voice Type: Sadboi Tenor
Vocal Range: D2 - E5
{Vocal Summary}Elliott Smith, the ultimate folk sadboi. Man what a fucking morose songwriter this guy was wasn't he, dude has gained a reputation for being one of the saddest songwriters on the whole planet from his solo career that has become rather eclectic as of late. All jokes aside, there aren't many people that can viscerally tear your soul apart like Elliott Smith could. Dude had a knack for writing songs that just made people get in touch with their emotions, and that is both good and bad to be honest. While a lot of his songs can be described for a rather miserable mood (take even his most popular songs "Between The Bars", "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Somebody That I Used to Know"), some get down to more hopeful and happier sides of things at least from ("Angeles", "Rose Parade" even fucking "Say Yes" to some extent) these are at least some of my favourite examples from him.
All backed up with a rather whisper-y and light voice, and while he tried to apply rasp in his earlier days with Heatmiser, he pretty much dropped it entirely by his solo career. Now don't get me wrong, there are definitely points where Elliott's voice can get annoying, in some songs where he decides to get more powerful in his vocal delivery, he starts to sound like a 10 year old boy in his room who's on the verge of yelling because his mother just took away his Xbox, but can't yell because of the fact that his mother is right there. Even in some of his better vocal performances he sounds like this ("Ballad of Big Nothing", "Pictures of Me", "Antonio Carlos Jobim").
Personally my favorite vocal performances from him is when he likes to sit in his mid to low range around the higher second to third octaves (think "Rose Parade" again, "True Love", "No Name #1" and "No Name No. 5") it's where in my personal opinion, it's where he sounds most comfortable and warm in his tone, and I wished he used it more.
Oh well, hey it's not like his high range is all terrible. "King's Crossing" and "Bottle Up and Explode!" are classic examples of him actually putting his high range to good use, or at least to his extent because even though he is a tenor he would rarely go above G4, making for a sometimes rather skewed approach since at points it's even clear that he's pushing at D4.
But who cares really, he wasn't a terrible singer by any means and he was an absolutely amazing songwriter by almost all means, dude has gotten me through some tough shit in life. So give him a go, listen to Elliott Smith folks!
Oh yeah and also thanks to PerhapsXarb for helping me out with the thread, helping me find a bunch of live notes and various album shit,
Written by Bink
All backed up with a rather whisper-y and light voice, and while he tried to apply rasp in his earlier days with Heatmiser, he pretty much dropped it entirely by his solo career. Now don't get me wrong, there are definitely points where Elliott's voice can get annoying, in some songs where he decides to get more powerful in his vocal delivery, he starts to sound like a 10 year old boy in his room who's on the verge of yelling because his mother just took away his Xbox, but can't yell because of the fact that his mother is right there. Even in some of his better vocal performances he sounds like this ("Ballad of Big Nothing", "Pictures of Me", "Antonio Carlos Jobim").
Personally my favorite vocal performances from him is when he likes to sit in his mid to low range around the higher second to third octaves (think "Rose Parade" again, "True Love", "No Name #1" and "No Name No. 5") it's where in my personal opinion, it's where he sounds most comfortable and warm in his tone, and I wished he used it more.
Oh well, hey it's not like his high range is all terrible. "King's Crossing" and "Bottle Up and Explode!" are classic examples of him actually putting his high range to good use, or at least to his extent because even though he is a tenor he would rarely go above G4, making for a sometimes rather skewed approach since at points it's even clear that he's pushing at D4.
But who cares really, he wasn't a terrible singer by any means and he was an absolutely amazing songwriter by almost all means, dude has gotten me through some tough shit in life. So give him a go, listen to Elliott Smith folks!
Oh yeah and also thanks to PerhapsXarb for helping me out with the thread, helping me find a bunch of live notes and various album shit,
Written by Bink
Significant High Notes:
E5 ("Happiness/The Gondola Man", "Yer Blues" live Roseland Theater 2000)
E♭5 ("A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free")
D5 ("Can't Make a Sound", "Dancing on The Highway", "Shooting Star", "Yer Blues" live Roseland Theater 2000)
C♯5 ("A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free")
C5 ("Almost Over", "Brand New Game", "Cupid's Trick", "Dancing on The Highway", "I Love My Room", "I'm So Tired" live Dingwall's, London 1998, "Independence Day", "Let's Get Lost", "A Living Will", "No Life", "Son of Sam", "Stupidity Tries", "Waltz #1", "Waltz #2 (XO)" live interview 1998, "You Gotta Move")
B4 ("Because", "Can't Make a Sound", "Coast to Coast", "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free", "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands", "Happiness/The Gondola Man", "I Can't Answer You Anymore", "New Monkey", "Shooting Star", "Stickman", "The Vatican Rock", "Tore Up and Broke")
B♭4 ("Abused", "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free", "Everything Means Nothing to Me", "A Fond Farewell", "Going Nowhere", "High Times", "I Didn't Understand", "In The Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost", "King's Crossing", "Junk Bond Trader", "The Last Hour", "New Monkey", "Oh Well, OK" live L'Elysee Montmarte, Paris 1999, "Pictures of Me", "Summertime", "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Wind Through My Life", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud")
A4 ("Amity", "Because", "Bottle Up and Explode!" alternative version, "Brand New Game", "Busted Lip", "Care of Cell 44" live at the Crystal Ballroom 2000, 2:50, "Collect to NYC", "Dirt", "Freedom of Expression", "I Can't Answer You Anymore", "I Didn't Understand", "L.A.", "A Living Will", "Little One", "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Miss Misery", "Needle in The Hay" live Avalon, Boston 2000, "Nightcap", "A Passing Feeling", "Pictures of Me", "Pretty Mary Kay", "Revolution" unknown demo, "Something to Lose", "Son of Sam", "Sorry My Mistake" live Annandale Hotel, Sydney 1999, "Stickman", "Waltz #2 (XO)" live interview 1998 / live Charlottesville 2000, "Waterloo Sunset" live on the Jon Brion Show 2000, "Yer Blues" live Roseland Theater 2000)
G♯4 ("Abused", "Almost Over", "Bottle Up and Explode!", "Christian Brothers", "Disappearing Ink", "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free", "Don't Go Down", "Everything's Okay", "Flame!", "Golden Street" live Maxwell's, Hoboken 2003, "Happiness/The Gondola Man", "High Times", "Oh Well, OK", "Memory Lane", "Mr. Goodmorning" live at Irving Plaza 2000, "No Name #6", "Southern Belle", "Stupidity Tries", "True Love")
G4 ("Alameda", "Amity", "Baby Britain", "Ballad of Big Nothing", "Because", "Better Be Quiet Now", "Big Decision", "Blackout", "Bled White", "Brand New Game", "Can't Make a Sound", "Collect to NYC", "Concrete Jungle" demo, "Dirt", "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands", "Fear City", "Flowers for Charlie" live DV8, Salt Lake City 1999, "From a Poisoned Well", "Grand Mal", "Hooray For Tuesday" live The Derby, 2003, "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out", "I Love My Room", "Independence Day", "In The Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost", "Joy to The World", "Junk Bond Trader", "L.A.", "Let's Get Lost", "A Living Will", "Lowlife", "The Machine", "Miss Misery", "A Passing Feeling", "Placeholder", "Pretty Mary Kay", "Pull Me Through", "A Question Mark", "Revolution" unknown demo, "Riot Coming", "Rose Parade", "Say Yes" live Bumbershoot Festival 2000, "Single File", "So Long", "Son of Sam", "Sorry My Mistake" live Annandale Hotel, Sydney 1999, "Stickman", "St. Ides Heaven", "Stray", "Stupidity Tries", "Suicide Machine", "Sweet Adeline", "Waltz #1", "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Waterloo Sunset" live on the Jon Brion Show 2000, "Who's Behind The Door", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud", "Yer Blues" live Roseland Theater 2000)
F♯4 ("Abused", "Bastard John", "Bled White", "Coast to Coast", "Colorbars", "The Crystal Ball", "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free", "Easy Way Out", "Either/Or", "Everything Means Nothing to Me", "A Fond Farewell", Golden Street" live Maxwell's, Hoboken 2003, "Harvest Moon" live at the Roxy, Boston 1999, "I Can't Answer You Anymore", "King's Crossing", "L.A.", "The Last Hour", "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Mock-Up", "Moonshiner" live at Club Quattro, Osaka 2000, "Mr. Goodmorning", "Pitseleh", "Pretty Mary Kay", "The Real Estate", "Seen How Things Are Hard", "Sound to Me", "Still", "Strung Out Again", "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Trouble", "True Love", "Wake", "Whispering Pines" live Other Music, New York 1998)
F4 ("Alameda", "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" live at Largo 1998, "Angeles" various live versions, "Amity", "Ballad of Big Nothing", "Between The Bars" various live versions, "Big Sky" live The Derby, 2003, "Bottle Rocket", "Cannibal", "Cecilia/Amanda", "Christian Brothers", "Collect to NYC", "Colorbars", "Coming Up Roses", "Concrete Jungle" demo, "Dancing on The Highway", "Easy Way Out", "First Timer", "Flame!", "Go By", "Going Nowhere", "Good to Go", "How to Take a Fall", "I Didn't Understand", "I Me Mine" live Irving Plaza 2000, "In The Light (Bridge)", "In The Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost", "Junk Bond Trader", "King's Crossing", "Little One", "Needle in The Hay" live Avalon, Boston 2000, "No Life", "No Name #6", "Oh Well, OK", "Miss Misery", "New Monkey", "Pictures of Me", "Plainclothes Man", "Pretty Mary Kay", "Punch and Judy", "Riot Coming", "Say Yes", "Shooting Star", "Somebody That I Used to Know", "Stickman", "True Love", "Twilight", "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Waterloo Sunset" live on the Jon Brion Show 2000, "Wind Through My Life", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud", "You Gotta Move")
E4 ("Angeles", "Antonio Carlos Jobim", "Baby Britain", "Ballad of Big Nothing", "Because", "Better Be Quiet Now", "Big Decision", "Bottle Up and Explode!", "Burned Out, Still Glowing", "Busted Lip", "Chemistry", "Clementine", "Coast to Coast", "The Corner Seat", "Cupid's Trick", "Dancing on The Highway", "Dead Air", "Dirt", "Division Day", "Don't Go Down", "Either/Or", "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands", "Everything Means Nothing to Me", "The Fix Is In", "Give Me Love, Give Me Peace On Earth" live at Crystal Ballroom, Portland 2001, "Happiness/The Gondola Man", "Have You Seen Her?" live at Supper Club, NY 1997, "I'll Be Back" demo, "I Me Mine" live Irving Plaza 2000, "Independence Day", "In The Light (Bridge)", "Joy to The World", "L.A.", "Last Call", "Laughter", "Let's Turn The Record Over", "Looking at My Watch", "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Long, Long, Long" live Redfest 2003, "The Machine", "Memory Lane", "Moonshiner" live at Club Quattro, Osaka 2000, "Nightcap", "No Name #1", "No Name #4", "A Passing Feeling", "Pitseleh", "Pretty (Ugly Before)", "Pull Me Through", "Punch and Judy", "Revolution" unknown demo, "A Question Mark", "See You Later", "Son of Sam", "Speed Trials", "Shooting Star", "Strung Out Again", "Stupidity Tries", "Suicide Machine", "Sweet Adeline", "Talking to Mary", "Trouble", "Tunnel Vision", "Twilight", "The Vatican Rock", "Wandering", "Whatever (Folk Song In C)", "Who's Behind The Door")
Significant Low Notes:
E3 ("Alphabet Town", "Angeles", "Baby Britain", "Ballad of Big Nothing", "Because", "Bottle Up and Explode!", "Can't Make a Sound", "Clementine", "The Corner Seat", "Dead Air", "Division Day", "Either/Or", "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands", "Everything Means Nothing to Me", "Go By", "Grand Mal", "Happiness/The Gondola Man", "Idler", "I'll Be Back" demo, "I Love My Room", "Joy to The World", "Jump Across The Mountain", "L.A.", "Last Call", "A Living Will", "Memory Lane", "Mr. Goodmorning", "Nightcap", "No Name #2", "Placeholder", "A Question Mark", "Revolution" unknown demo, "Rougher", "Ryba", "Seen How Things Are Hard", "See You Later", "Son of Sam", "Speed Trials", "Stupidity Tries", "Temper", "Trouble", "Twilight", "The Vatican Rock", "Wind Through My Life", "Yer Blues" live Roseland Theater 2001)
E♭3 ("Alameda", "Collect to NYC", "Colorbars", "Concrete Jungle" demo, "Easy Way Out", "Figure 8", "First Timer", "A Fond Farewell", "Freedom of Expression", "Give Me Love, Give Me Peace On Earth" live at Knitting Factory, New Year’s 2000, "High Times", "Hooray For Tuesday" live The Derby, 2003, "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out", "Junk Bond Trader", "Single File", "You Gotta Move")
D3 ("2:45 AM", "Alphabet Town", "Angel In The Snow", "Antonio Carlos Jobim", "Baby Britain", "Better Be Quiet Now", "Between The Bars", "The Biggest Lie", "Blackbird" live unknown venue, "Burned Out, Still Glowing", "Busted Lip", "Can't Make a Sound", "Chemistry", "Clementine", "Don't Go Down", "Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands", "Fear City", "Freedom of Expression", "From a Poisoned Well", "Get Lucky", "Go By", "Going Nowhere", "Good to Go", "Grand Mal", "Half Right", "Harvest Moon" live at the Roxy, Boston 1999, "I Didn't Understand", "Idler", "Intellectual Disjunction", "Joy to The World", "Jump Across The Mountain", "Laughter", "Looking at My Watch", "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Miss Misery", "Nightcap", "No Life", "Pictures of Me", "Pitseleh", "Pretty Mary Kay", "Punch and Judy", "The Real Estate", "Roman Candle", "Rose Parade", "Satellite", "Say Yes", "Seen How Things Are Hard", "Something to Lose", "St. Ides Heaven", "Stray", "Suicide Machine", "Taking a Fall", "Talking to Mary", "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Wandering", "The White Lady Loves You More", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud")
C♯3 ("Abused", "Better Be Quiet Now", "Bottle Up and Explode!", "Colorbars", "Coming Up Roses", "Condor Ave", "Confidence Artist" live at Satyricon 1999, Golden Street" live Maxwell's, Hoboken 2003, "Happiness/The Gondola Man", "Last Call", "Memory Lane", "New Monkey", "Somebody That I Used to Know", "Sound to Me", "Stained Glass Eyes", "Temper", "You Gotta Move")
C3 ("All Cleaned Out", "Almost Over", "Antonio Carlos Jobim", "The Biggest Lie", "Bled White", "Cecilia/Amanda", "Clementine", "Coast to Coast", "The Crystal Ball", "Dancing on The Highway", "Drive All Over Town", "Figure 8", "Georgia, Georgia", "Grand Mal", "Half Right", "I Didn't Understand", "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out", "I Love My Room", "Independence Day", "Intellectual Disjunction", "In The Light (Bridge)", "Junk Bond Trader", "L.A.", "Let's Get Lost", "Little One", "Madding", "Miss Misery", "Needle in The Hay", "No Name #1", "No Name No. 5", "Oh Well, OK", "Pretty Mary Kay", "Rougher", "Southern Belle", "St. Ides Heaven", "To Build a Home", "Tunnel Vision", "Wandering", "Waterloo Sunset" live on the Jon Brion Show 2000, "Whatever (Folk Song In C)", "The White Lady Loves You More", "Wind Through My Life", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud")
B2 ("Chemistry", "Dancing on The Highway", "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free", "Drive All Over Town", "Figure 8", "I Love My Room", "Long, Long, Long" live Redfest 2003, "Moonshiner" live at Club Quattro, Osaka 2000, "No Name #2", "No Name #4", "Our Thing" 1997 rehearsal, "Pitseleh", "Place Pigalle", "Pretty Mary Kay" New Moon version, "Pull Me Through", "Roman Candle", "Rose Parade", "Satellite", "Sound to Me", "Taking a Fall")
B♭2 ("Abused", "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" live at Great American Music Hall, 2001, "Cecilia/Amanda", "Coast to Coast", "Everything Reminds Me of Her", "Georgia, Georgia", "Good to Go", "Hooray For Tuesday" live The Derby, 2003, "I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out", "Junk Bond Trader", "Laughter", "New Disaster", "New Monkey", "No Name #6", "Oh Well, OK", "Pictures of Me", "Stained Glass Eyes", "Waltz #2 (XO)", "Wind Through My Life")
A2 ("Coast to Coast", "Confidence Artist" live at Satyricon 1999, "The Crystal Ball", "Dancing on The Highway", "Either/Or", "I Didn't Understand", "In The Light (Bridge)", "Jump Across The Mountain", "King's Crossing", "Looking at My Watch", "Miss Misery", "No Name #2", "No Name #3", "No Name No. 5", "The Real Estate", "Rose Parade", "Satellite", "Say Yes", "Taking a Fall", "They’ll Never Take Her Love From Me" live at Brownies, New York 1997, "True Love", "Tunnel Vision", "Whatever (Folk Song In C)", "The White Lady Loves You More")
G♯2 ("A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity To Be Free", "I Love My Room", "Place Pigalle")
G2 ("Chemistry", "Good to Go", "Laughter", "Madding", "Needle in The Hay", "Our Thing" 1997 rehearsal, "Whatever (Folk Song In C)")
F♯2 ("A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free" live Maxwell’s, Hoboken 2003, "Either/Or")
F2 ("Good to Go", "Our Thing" 1997 rehearsal)
E2 ("Either/Or")
D2 ("Small Talk")
.......................................................
Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
Big thanks to PerhapsXarb for helping me out on this one, it is really much appreciated
Best Vocal Performances:
1. Bottle Up and Explode!
2. King's Crossing
3. I Can't Answer You Anymore
4. Abused
5. True Love
6. Pictures of Me
7. Almost Over
8. Independence Day
9. Can't Make a Sound
10. L.A.
11. I Didn't Understand
12. A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free
13. Good to Go
14. Waltz #2 (XO)
15. Tomorrow Tomorrow
16. Rose Parade
17. Ballad of Big Nothing
18. Antonio Carlos Jobim
19. Dancing On The Highway
20. Brand New Game
{Album Ranges}Heatmiser:
Dead Air (1993): E3 - A4 Bink
Yellow No. 5 (1993): D3 - F♯4 Bink
Cop and Speeder (1994): C3 - A4 PerhapsXarb
Mic City Sons (1996): C3 - F4 - C5 Bink
Solo:
Roman Candle (1994): A2 - E4 Bink
Elliott Smith (1995): F2 - G♯4 Bink
Either/Or (1997): A2 - A4 - C5 Bink
XO (1998): A2 - G♯4 - C5 Bink
Figure 8 (2000): B♭2 - B4 - E5 Bink
From a Basement on the Hill (2004): A2 - B♭4 - E♭5 Bink
New Moon (2007): E2 - C5 Bink
Stranger Than Fiction:
Any Kind of Mudhen (1985): G2 - B♭4 PerhapsXarb
Still Waters More or Less (1986): G2 - A4 - B4 PerhapsXarb
Dead Air (1993): E3 - A4 Bink
Yellow No. 5 (1993): D3 - F♯4 Bink
Cop and Speeder (1994): C3 - A4 PerhapsXarb
Mic City Sons (1996): C3 - F4 - C5 Bink
Solo:
Roman Candle (1994): A2 - E4 Bink
Elliott Smith (1995): F2 - G♯4 Bink
Either/Or (1997): A2 - A4 - C5 Bink
XO (1998): A2 - G♯4 - C5 Bink
Figure 8 (2000): B♭2 - B4 - E5 Bink
From a Basement on the Hill (2004): A2 - B♭4 - E♭5 Bink
New Moon (2007): E2 - C5 Bink
Stranger Than Fiction:
Any Kind of Mudhen (1985): G2 - B♭4 PerhapsXarb
Still Waters More or Less (1986): G2 - A4 - B4 PerhapsXarb
{Questionable Notes}
B♭4 ("Something to Lose"[2][3])
B2 ("Antonio Carlos Jobim"[1], "Bled White"[1])
G2 ("Georgia, Georgia"[1])
E2 ("Chemistry"[5])
B1 ("Small Talk"[5])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
B♭4 ("Something to Lose"[2][3])
B2 ("Antonio Carlos Jobim"[1], "Bled White"[1])
G2 ("Georgia, Georgia"[1])
E2 ("Chemistry"[5])
B1 ("Small Talk"[5])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.