News \

Elliott Smith’s Self-Titled Album to Be Reissued for 25th Anniversary

It will include his earliest known live performance as a solo artist

Elliott Smith’s self-titled debut is getting reissued in honor of its 25th anniversary. The collection, which will be out via Kill Rock Stars, will be remastered and feature a previously unreleased live album.

Live at Umbra Penumbra showcases a performance that took place on Sept. 17, 1994, at Umbra Penumbra, a café in Portland at the time. It’s considered the earliest known recording of Smith as a solo artist.

It comes with a 52-page coffee table book with handwritten lyrics, stories from Smith’s friends and colleagues about his life at the time he was working on the album and two dozen previously unseen photographs by JJ Gonson, who shot the image on the album’s cover.

Leading up to its release, Kill Rock Stars has teamed up with artists to cover songs from the album. First up is Califone taking on “Needle in the Hay” for Amazon Originals and which can be heard below.

“I’ve always felt like this record is underappreciated,” Kill Rock Stars founder Slim Moon said in a statement. “A lot of people overlook Elliott’s first two records—they think of them as a prelude to the bigger albums that followed—but when you go back, you discover they’re really great. This is Elliott’s most fragile and delicate music, and we wanted to honor that with a special and beautiful package.”

The reissue of Smith’s self-titled album will be out on Aug. 28. Preorder the album here.

Listen to “Big Decision” from Umbra Penumbra below.