Elliott Smith – Miss Misery

If in doubt, post another Elliott Smith tune.

Elliott Smith / Madeleine Peyroux – Between The Bars

I couldn’t decide whose picture to include on this post – on one hand I find Madeleine Peyroux more, ahem, photogenic, but Elliott Smith is one of my favourite ever singer / songwriters. So in the end I did a google image search for “Between The Bars” and found this picture by Oliver Arms that I thought would be perfect. The Western Project gallery is in California, not all that handy for me, but their website has a lot on it. Pay them a visit.

So here are two versions of Elliott’s song, which you might recognise from the soundtrack of Good Will Hunting if you’re not too familiar with his music. I love the slightly breathless quality of his voice, I reckon he could have given any song – even The Birdie Song! – an emotional edge.

The second version is from a CD that my sister-in-law had on in the background while we were visiting one evening. My other half loved it and it was only after she’d played it half a dozen times that I realised why it sounded so familiar. The two versions aren’t all that different really, but some mental barrier prevented me associating Elliott Smith with “chick jazz”.

Elliott Smith – Between The Bars

Madeleine Peyroux – Between The Bars

Buy more Elliott Smith here and more Madeleine Peyroux here

Elliott Smith – Son of Sam

Another cheery song today – a homage to David Berkowitz, better known by the name he gave himself in his letters to newspapers and to the police: “Son of Sam”. Berkowitz confessed to a series of murders and attempted murders in New York in the late 1970s, although in the last few years the case has been reopened on suspicion that others were involved.

Elliott Smith – Son of Sam

You can buy Elliott Smith’s work here. I recently read rumours that some more of the music he wrote immediately before his death was being prepared for release. For now, if you don’t own any of his back catalogue already I’d suggest “Figure 8″ is as good a place as any to start.

More serial killer related fun soon!