Pitchfork: Elliott Smith DVD Due in November

Elliott Smith's formidable legacy lies not just in his beautifully written and performed records, but in his intensely intimate yet often erratic live performances. The upcoming DVD release of Elliott Smith: Olympia, Washington captures a 1999 solo set on the closing night of the five-day YoYo a Go Go music festival, and will be available November 30th via Music Video Distributors and HIQI Media. Though apparently devoid of any special features, the DVD does contain the 40-minute concert in its entirety.

The concert took place less than a year before the release of Smith's second Dreamworks release, Figure 8, and is of particular historical note as it's one of the final shows to feature him performing without the assistance of a backing band. As the years passed, Smith's live shows became increasingly unpredictable, with the troubled troubadour mumbling incoherently between songs, flubbing notes and chords, and sometimes canceling shows altogether. However, at his best, Smith delivered his songs with an affecting conviction rarely captured on record. Tracklist:

01 Son of Sam
02 Angeles
03 Rose Parade
04 Happiness
05 Easy Way Out
06 Southern Belle
07 Wouldn't Mama Be Proud
08 Division Day
09 The White Lady Loves You More
10 Stupidity Tries
11 See You Later
12 Independence Day

Meanwhile, it appears that radio stations in Britain and France have already begun playing tracks from Smith's upcoming swan song, From a Basement on the Hill. Those of you interested in getting a sneak peak at the material should be interested to hear that the BBC has archived one recent show on which some of the music was played. (Check the link below.) As previously reported, the album is slated for an October 19th release, and the tracklist, should you have somehow previously missed it, is as follows:

01 Coast to Coast
02 Let's Get Lost
03 Pretty (Ugly Before)
04 Don't Go Down
05 Strung Out Again
06 Fond Farewell
07 King's Crossing
08 Ostriches & Chirping
09 Twilight
10 A Passing Feeling
11 Last Hour
12 Shooting Star
13 Memory Lane
14 Little One
15 A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free