Wiki
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Release Date
25 February 1997
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Length
12 tracks
Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Either/Or was recorded in several locations, mostly in Portland, Oregon – while Smith was still a member of Heatmiser – and was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock, and Rob Schnapf. It was released on February 25, 1997, through Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Book-ended by its two singles, Speed Trials and Ballad of Big Nothing, "Either/Or" did not chart in the US, but was acclaimed by critics. It has been described as "a bridge between the lo-fi darkness of Roman Candle and Elliott Smith and the studio sheen of XO and Figure 8".
The album's title derives from the Søren Kierkegaard book of the same name, in which "either/or" refers to the contrast between aesthetic/subjective experience and ethical/objective being. This existential title is reflective of Smith's interest in philosophy, which he studied at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.
Director Gus Van Sant was highly impressed with the album, incorporating three of its songs; Between the Bars, Angeles, and Say Yes along with a new song, Miss Misery, into the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. Miss Misery was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1998 Academy Awards and was performed at the televised ceremony in an abridged version by Smith, backed by the house orchestra, briefly propelling him into the international spotlight. Online magazine Pitchfork ranked Either/Or 59th in its list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1990s. Spin ranked Either/Or at number 48 on its list of the best albums from 1987 to 2012. Blender ranked it thirty-sixth in its "100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums Ever" list. In 2013, NME placed "Either/Or" at number 149 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Consequence of Sound ranked the album No. 97 on their list of best albums ever. Rolling Stone ranked the album at 216 on the 2020 re-release of their 'The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time' list.
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