All these years, I just assumed that the Elliott Smith school of songcraft was directly influenced, if not exclusively informed by, the tunesmithing of John Ono Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Jason Pementer has an interesting idea on this subject:
Just a working hypothesis, but I’m beginning to think that everything Elliott Smith learned can be traced back to Long, Long, Long from The White Album.
A cursory listen to George Harrison compositions, such as the above ‘Long, Long, Long’ and ‘I, Me, Mine’ from Let It Be, provides the necessary supporting evidence.
On a related Elliott Smith tip, check out ‘Junk Bond Trader’ from 2000′s Figure 8, featuring a cameo from the Attractions’ Pete Thomas behind the drumkit. Super solid work from Messers. Thomas and Smith.
Tags: Beatles, composers, George Harrison, music