The Sebadoh frontman reveals details of the shot taken when the late songwriter opened for the band in 1996 in Tempe. Plus, watch full Smith set from that night
Earlier this year, the Kill Rock Stars label gave the deluxe reissue treatment to Elliott Smith‘s monumental third album, Either/Or. The 20th anniversary expanded edition effort involves a couple of limited vinyl pressings that were remastered from the original tapes, and includes an extra disc consisting of “five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings and one b-side gem.” The care and attention put into the double LP is impressive, as it not only effectively reaches back to a musical triumph of the past, but presents brand new material and content of actual substance for both new and longtime fans alike. Housed in a gatefold jacket, it comes with a postcard of the original master tapes and includes an insert of the original liner notes and some wonderful printed inner sleeves, which feature several “never-before seen photos” of the late songwriter. But while the new photographs are one of my favorite additions to the repress, providing yet another layer to what already feels like such an intimate record, nothing could be more iconic than the cover photo of Elliott, cigarette in hand, seated on the counter in front of a graffiti-tagged mirror under the synthetic warmth of public restroom lighting. Now, thanks to a new social media post by none other than Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, The Folk Implosion, Sebadoh, Deep Wound), we have a bit more insight and context regarding the famous image.
Posting on the official Sebadoh Facebook page earlier today, accompanied by an image of the classic Smith cover photo next to one of themselves taken in the same location, only minutes apart, for comparison’s sake, Lou explains that Elliott was opening for Sebadoh at the time and that the idea to photograph each of them with the same backdrop actually came from the band’s tour manager, Deb Pastor. Thanks to various commenters and other sources, it appears that the photograph was shot on September 16, 1996 at a now-defunct venue in Tempe, Arizona called Gibson’s, during Sebadoh‘s Harmacy tour. I’m unsure of who else was on the bill, but for the following night’s show in San Diego, which Barlow also references, Smith was one of the early openers, followed by the pre-Pinback/Blackheart Procession project, Three Mile Pilot.
Check out Barlow‘s images and text (typos and all) regarding the photograph below, followed by the full video of the actual Gibson’s show in question. The footage is pretty amazing to see, with Elliott ending his set with a cover of the Big Star classic, “Thirteen.” Somehow, this video has a surprisingly low number of views on youtube since being posted 4 years ago. Perhaps, we can all do something to remedy that.
these fotos were taken on the same day, same place, within minutes of each other a long time ago.. the top was used for the front cover of Elliott’s either/or LP.. the bottom has been in the bottom of a box for a couple of decades.. Elliott was opening for a Sebadoh tour and our tour manager/photographer-in-her-own-right Deb Pastor had the idea of capturing us in front of this graffitied mirror in th Phoenix AZ club..we are pictured with our one and only roadie Mike Flood, Elliott with his ubiquitous cigarette.. that night I drove with him in his car so he didn’t do the overnight drive to San Diego by himself.. within a few months people stopped talking while he played (as they did on this tour, he was less-known).. he said he preferred the talking t the silence because it made him less self-conscious.. – lou
Elliott Smith Gibson’s – Tempe, Arizona September 16, 1996
Setlist:
No Confidence Man
Needle In The Hay
Angeles
Coming Up Roses
Between The Bars
Condor Ave
Some Song
Biggest Lie
Thirteen (Big Star cover)
