Elliott Smith - The Complete Live Covers, Day 1: The Beatles

Photo by Onwardintoforever

Any fan of Elliott Smith knows he wasn't shy about his influences, recording and playing dozens of covers over the course of his career. From his beloved Beatles to his pals the Minders, Smith frequently payed homage to both his predecessors and his contemporaries. Now, Smith's concert career is a well-documented one. Many of his concerts were recorded, showcasing both his incredible abilities (Stockholm, 6.02.98) and his infamous flame-outs. Smith was a troubled guy. But he treated the works of others with care, frequently refusing to play covers requests because he respected the song too much to play it without practice. Over the next week, I'll be posting 47 songs (and several additional versions) -- what I believe is a complete compilation of Smith's live covers. Quality varies, of course, but with a few exceptions, listenable versions of each of these tracks exist. With the help of the Sweet Adeline forums and Smith concert site Trash Treasury, as well as Archive.org, I've acquired the best versions of each of these tracks, which I'm now sharing with you.

So where better to start than with the Beatles? "I'm Only Sleeping" is a rousing sing-a-long. "Something" is a tender full-band rendition. George Harrison's "Long Long Long" is my favorite out of these, but of course they're all worth hearing -- one of the most staggering artists of his generation taking on the works of the best band ever. Also included are his covers of Beatles solo material, such as John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" and Harrison's "My Sweet Lord." Guess Smith wasn't much of a Ringo fan.

The Beatles:

Elliott Smith - "I'm So Tired": mp3
Elliott Smith - "Something": mp3
Elliott Smith - "I'm Only Sleeping": mp3
Elliott Smith - "I Me Mine": mp3
Elliott Smith - "Yer Blues": mp3
Elliott Smith - "Long Long Long": mp3
Elliott Smith - "Blackbird": mp3
Elliott Smith - "For No One": mp3

Solo Material:

Elliott Smith - "Jealous Guy" (John Lennon): mp3
Elliott Smith - "Isn't It A Pity" (George Harrison): mp3
Elliott Smith - "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" (George Harrison): mp3
Elliott Smith - "My Sweet Lord" (George Harrison): mp3

Check back tomorrow for Elliott playing The Kinks, including his stunning acoustic "Waterloo Sunset."

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For more live Elliott Smith, check out my definitive guide to Smith concert recordings.

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For more Live Recordings and So-and-So Sings! covers collections, click below.