XO [Clear Vinyl]

Elliott Smith - XO [Clear Vinyl]

XO is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, recorded from 1997 to 1998 and released Aug. 25, 1998 on DreamWorks — his first solo album for a major label. Two singles, "Waltz #2 (XO)" and "Baby Britain," were released. An early working title for the album was Grand Mal.

The title of the opening track, "Sweet Adeline," was inspired by Smith's recollections of his grandmother singing in her glee club, Sweet Adelines International. "Amity" is believed to be named after a friend who appears in photographs from Smith's 1997 tour.

XO was well received on release. Mark Richardson of Pitchfork wrote that "Smith's songwriting continues to improve, as each of [the album's] fourteen tracks displays his inarguable mastery of the pop song structure more clearly than ever." In its retrospective review, BBC Music wrote that "the budget might have gone up, but Smith's masterful way with an understated melody and melancholic lyric remained firmly intact," calling XO "perhaps the greatest long-player Smith released; if not, it's certainly the equal of the preceding Either/Or."

Limited edition pressing.

Track Listing:

Disc 1
1. Sweet Adeline
2. Tomorrow Tomorrow
3. Waltz #2 (XO)
4. Baby Britain
5. Pitseleh
6. Independence Day
7. Bled White

Disc 2
1. Waltz #1
2. Amity
3. Oh Well, Ok
4. Bottle Up and Explode!
5. A Question Mark
6. Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands
7. I Didn't Understand