Elliott Smith on David Letterman

[@dysphonica]

Watching this live band footage i'm seriously impressed by Sam Coomes. He's not only harmonising, he's harmonising falsetto all the way through the song while playing bass. His pitching is exceptional for live broadcast conditions Double tracking and harmonies are such an essential part of the records, and part of his genius for arrangement. Without Sam Coomes that would be missing from the live experience. (This isn't a response to anyone, just something i was compelled to write).

[@sfreud2079]

Totally agree...and that bass line is so sick throughout. The whole band had a stellar performance.

[@thomasvicanek-santaguida1066]

thats why he was hired! elliott wanted everything. so awesome

[@shotsareringing]

Sam is the greatest of all time, that's why!

[@drago6769]

I love that he picked stupidity tries for this, i love this song

[@TheTRUANTSlive]

Hi, this is Bill Scheft. I wrote for Dave Letterman for 24 years. Dave listened to the CD and picked this song.

[@karstenpuder3605]

@@TheTRUANTSlivedid you Watch this live?

[@TheTRUANTSlive]

I sure did@@karstenpuder3605

[@ertwyu]

@@TheTRUANTSlivewow that's such an interesting fact thanks for sharing so many years later!!

[@evanisovich]

Sam Coomes' voice compliments Elliott's so well - such similar qualities and influences.

[@TheTripBoone]

Its almost as if Sam tried to mimic Elliott on alot of the harmonies he nails it so tough

[@rickgriego2844]

Sam Comes fucking kills it here?!

[@LightingFlashify]

His chord progressions where fucking Genius....So good. Just everything though. Best songwriting in my generation.

[@shakeyperspective3981]

Brillant - pure genius. I'm a guitarist of 25 plus years and I still struggle with most of his songs. Very well written and complex chord structures. I struggle with the timing mostly.....like 6/8 on some of Figure 8. Boggles the mind - yet in a good way.

[@Jackson-ms8zs]

Oh you know you're right

[@ak40kevn]

Paul McCartney esque

[@betoperez7056]

Ryan McCartney name song? Please

[@niasbeachwood]

bro, you know it!!

[@bellyofthebeast6605]

Everything in this video is gone. Late Night with David Letterman is gone. Elliott Smith is gone. The World Trade Center (Shown at the end of the video) is gone. How sad.

[@mark1800]

Brian Rich you're here

[@norestforthewary]

Brian Rich You are incorrect the the guitars they are playing are still here. David Letterman is not dead. The members of his band Quasi I assume are not dead, and their instruments are not dead. If I had to take a guess at you nothing about you is rich brian.

[@CarsonCameronClark]

+Brian Rich Where did the world trade center go?

[@supak108]

+Brian Rich idk why your getting hate for that. It was a nice sentiment.

[@covykiller]

+Carson Clark To China.

[@dressrehearsalrags]

Love it. What a song-writer! People tell me that his music "lacks balls" but i think he's one of the ballsiest performers I've ever seen. Playing music publically that's this personal, and about such sensitive topics is one of the ballsiest things a performer can do. Those that don't think so obviously have never done it!

[@Asshat237]

Exactly. What takes more balls than putting your emotional vulnerabilities on view for the world to see? Whoever said that probably thinks e string palm mutes are balls.

[@opheliajade1986]

Exactly!!!!!

[@claudiomargheri2087]

As someone shouted to him 'get a backbone!' ahaha

[@opheliajade1986]

@@claudiomargheri2087 That was some loser at one of his later shows. Well he surely had one....and more balls than most.

[@claudiomargheri2087]

@@opheliajade1986 Yes 31/01/2003

[@QuistJam]

classic Elliott - a bit shaky and 100% excellent at the same time

[@tonyhall3365]

most underrated guitar player of his generation

[@johnarundell7951]

Jeff Buckley.

[@mattboonstraful]

Most underrated song writer of the 90s

[@NxDoyle]

When he got it right, nobody was better.

[@NxDoyle]

@@johnarundell7951 No, Jeff was rated for his abilities. Elliott wasn't, not as a guitarist. But Elliott live could be very uneven.

[@Asshat237]

Absolutely tremendous guitar player. Honestly, he really should be considered better than any shredder who didn’t also write great songs. He had guitar skills and actually used them to write amazing music, not just solos. And i love a good solo, but his music is simply more substance than the style of soloing.

[@WinstonGuitar]

The best songwriter of the 90's hands down. And as this video shows, he can get with his band and rock. You can tell by the eye contact with the band members that Elliott had firm control over every aspect of this performance. I'm sure it was an honor to be on stage with him.

[@lucassmith4524]

Winston Guitar Yeah one of the stipulations of him playing the Oscars was that only he would be able to select and write the music for the accompanying music. So those wind and string instruments you hear in the Oscar show, he sat down and -wrote- the music for. This is why Mr Smith was a superior musician : he knew music inside and out

[@opheliajade1986]

@@lucassmith4524 wow I didn't know this either...that is fucking awesome!

[@mikobizzle5880]

What I wouldn’t give to have him here and healthy

[@imnotsosuredawg]

You're absolutely right. He was headed in an amazing direction. Basement on a Hill does show so such a promise of where Elliott was heading. It was fantastic. If he could've finished it himself it might've been his best album. Still every time I explain Elliott Smith to someone I sigh because he was only getting better and better.

[@opheliajade1986]

Yes!!!

[@csilt]

Oh my, those chord progressions are ten times more complex than your typical pop song. Really nice

[@DuanePostum]

Go Sam Coomes, go! What a great bass sound, with backup singing. Super great job.

[@Cookoo4Coconutz]

It's amazing how he sounds exactly like he does in the studio. What a genuine and unique voice. RIP Elliott. It's been almost 7 years, but I still miss you.

[@maxtew6521]

Dave's hosting, Elliott Smith's alive, the WTC is in that shot before commercial -- man, we didn't know how good the times were.

[@killingthemoths]

I love that outro. Those big E chords sound so great!

[@oneinthemouth]

Such a legend. You don't get many songwriters of his calibre in a lifetime.

[@gigers2775]

''The bass player is Sam Coomes from Quasi. Quasi is a great band and everyone should listen to them.'' lol xD

[@BenOnBass]

Also the bassist from Heatmiser's Mic City Sons album

[@StephenAndrew777]

"The enemy is within Don't confuse me with him. The truth is otherwise." What a ~*brutal*~ thing to suggest.

[@reallynow1445]

StephenAndrew777 such lovely words

[@AaronEmbry]

reading these comments and so stoked up to see Thee Quasi love! Thankful this was real.

[@ammortal]

Aaron Embry I have so many questions about this video.

[@annemajor1995]

Aaron Embry I love your work

[@fieryhotwarts]

@aaron embry this is literally the first video I’ve ever seen of Smith or the band. Somehow I’ve never known his work. Coming from a dedicated metalhead, this is excellent work

[@kiki4151]

I had the privilege of seeing him live in Charlotte NC

[@rachelbaldes3453]

I'm so sorry you suffered so much, I wished you'd stayed but I hope you have peace. You brought a lot of empathy and talent the world needed.

[@factorysealed4u]

Everytime I watch and listen this just breaks my heart.

[@ButtHill420]

Wallurus Wallerby don’t let it break your heart, he’s free now

[@sithspitdanikan4725]

@@ButtHill420 Thank you. I needed that 🖤

[@strangeclimate411]

@@ButtHill420 it's weird to see people describe his death as "freedom" when it wasn't a choice that he made...

[@ohmybillnye]

he could play the guitar like no-one else's business

[@yannthecookingman389]

Such an amazingly written tune, The harmonies are absolutely pitch perfect, amazing.

[@joshuasunn007]

Good lord that was the best performance I have ever scene on The DL

[@waterhansel]

so awesome. The band does a good job with him i think the bass player who does the background vocals harmonizes good with elliott.

[@erikagrl1]

This was on his 2000 tour where I saw him play in Solana Beach CA. He wore the exact looking outfit and he opened with Son of Sam. This is so amazing!!!

[@niasbeachwood]

Erika Martinez ❤️❤️

[@TaylorKingMusic]

It's so sad that such a beautiful person could be so depressed... He is one of the most amazing musicians. And one of the best guitar players! Fuck all that Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen shit.. they have no soul. Elliot is one of the best guitar players ever.

[@Verkrustet]

that was a fucking amazing performance.

[@theholypope]

thank you so much

[@tonyhall3365]

Flawless as usual Elliott

[@mcclth]

Probably the best performance ever on the late show. So good.

[@michaellauro7272]

He looks so.confident and in control Way different than what he is usually perceived as. I love elliott RIP

[@danacopp2479]

love the end when he says stupidity tries iiies iiiiieeeesssss.

[@chordorchard7213]

Coomes is an absolute beast 😅 Amazing guitar tones too. The playing is off the charts.

[@bacardi119]

What a great performance, love that guitar!

[@Schodboyblves]

the bass player is so rad, his playing is very paul mcartney in this

[@phish1085]

hes the most shy badass ive ever seen

[@jackhughes5230]

I loved this man I still do he is my hero RIP legend ❤

[@chadlyblomme]

On the one hand Elliot is celebrated, on the other hand I rarely read actual insightful analysis on the true nature of his achievements. He did it. Carved a place into the eternal stone where the interested will forever congregate. Elliot's work will burn in that eternal flame

[@kewandnotu]

his music lives on eternities and it still sounds as wonderful and spell binding as always forever love Elliott

[@Rob1964b]

Just the most perfect live performance of any band on the planet - ever.

[@davebosworth1778]

+Rob1964b It really was tight! And in that interlude where the temptation might be to rush the beat (just my own sense, actually) they all surely stayed on steady pace.

[@AndySalinger33]

+David Bosworth totally agree! Great comment. I, too, would likely give in to that temptation to pick it up there, but they stay rock steady. Steady rock. Steady rockin all night long.

[@DuanePostum]

Singular performance, perfect choice of song for the occasion, amazing vocal harmony, super cool guitar sound -- but does it *not* slow down during the "interlude"? That always a bit bugged me. Check with metronome? ;)

[@Dunkaroos248]

There's no end to how much I'll miss this man

[@TessellationRow]

This song and performance deserves well over a million views, a few hundred of them mine over the years.

[@blixtenmusik]

wtf? His one of the most original guitar players i've ever heard!?

[@robertmarc1]

Elliott Smith had very unique sound and he was a musical genius. "Between the Bars" was my favorite. the way he died was so senseless. RIP Elliott

[@goetia13]

one of the best live TV sets ever

[@MrSeeds-xj8lb]

fantastic!

[@Geritopia]

Frankenstein on T-Bird guitar? 'Love this song. Chords keep on giving.

[@johnbarker5009]

Nice! This just popped up out of nowhere on my stream. As far as I know I never heard it before, but it's good.

[@justacure]

Figure 8 was my first Elliott album. Love.

[@broadgomez]

one of the best Elliott songs among all his good songs

[@uptightkid]

Tight....one of my fav songs on that album and they played it so well. Great performance.

[@Spector2112]

gawd listen to that bass line!! simply great!

[@ROOKTABULA]

I listen to him and EVERY time his vocal gets stronger and more assured when he has a backing vocal. I have the same problem.

[@bopbopperono58]

+ROOKTABULA I think it's because you feel that pressure to support the other vocalist and think about yourself less.

[@seanmatthewking]

I was noticing the same thing, but I wasn't sure if was because he had a backing vocal or because those parts are just meant to be sung a bit louder and higher. We all have a range where our voices is at its best. But either way, his singing during those parts is great, and great backing vocal as well. They sound incredible together.

[@rcdowdy]

Elliott's band was bad ass. They compliment him so well.

[@Rob1964b]

He was just such a genius.

[@mmolokko]

Sam Coomes is a great bass player, he has such a good taste; they're aren't so many bass players like that, kinda sad

[@indierock49]

wow...today is the first time i've ever heard this guy, and i can tell he's gonna be one of my new favorites of all time. i'm blown away.

[@opheliajade1986]

Discovering his music is one of the best experiences one can have.

[@AlanSpod]

Great mix of tunes. You have great taste. Elliott Smith, Dan Arborise (unknown by many) John Martyn, Layne Stayley, all superb!!

[@jeremyserwer2586]

So Amazing!!! I only recognize Sam Coombs on Bass who are the drummer and other guitar player? Glad I caught him 3 times before his end. Used to drive around portland in 99 blasting heat miser and early ES tunes--the perfect soundtrack to that town!

[@1ambie]

This is one of my favorite performances of elliott. It's too bad that I never got the chance to see him live in person.

[@apfortier]

sublime

[@dennisonearth]

Aww, what a beautiful, artistic, magical performance by a pure artist.

[@TheSpookychick]

I love Elliott so much, and this performance is absolutely stellar! Great performance!

[@unluvable]

I love the raw sound of this rendition. I think this speaks volumes of his song writting. I cannot get enough of his music and the different covers of his music that I've heard on youTube.

[@Wallflower01]

Some of the lyrics are really thought provoking. A truly amazing artist.

[@fathousecat]

Genius. Brilliant chords. Brilliant I tell you!

[@yahowa57]

This is the best way to remember Elliot.

[@DavidHallermusic]

I agree about Quasi. They're awesome. This performance is incredible, we miss Elliott Smith...

[@actron]

I love this song.good to hear a live version

[@lative]

why is your statement so right???? i was raised on hip hip, funk, roots reggae, & jazz..... and i enjoy elliotts music.... its such a 180 degree turn for me...but hey like you said we all find him some how.

[@GoHoGsGo06]

This is my fav song from him. Listen to this in the car after a long day and blare it, the ending of this song rocks

[@Skoobisnack]

He was such a talent - brilliant musician... i just started finding all of this material on youtube.. makes me sad he's gone, but i'm glad to find all this great stuff.

[@saintjames00]

On the XO and Figure 8 tours Elliott had two electric guitars. A burgundy 1964 Gibson 330 and a sunburst 1965 Gibson 330. The 64 was set to a standard tuning that he would change to drop D if needed. The 65 was tuned to an Open C tuning. There are two differences between a 330 and a 335. The P90s and that 330s are completely hollow while 335 have a wood block running down the middle of the acoustic chamber separating it in 2. Don't argue with me, I know this. I was his guitar tech

[@guitarstevehobbs]

Big Hugs. What was he like to work with? His tone sounds great.

[@salmonfishandships]

cool to see Eliott with such an awesome band !

[@gregtheproduct]

Band is tight, Elliott is on. Great performance. One of the best group spots I've seen from him.

[@BaronKimball]

This song and this recording are effing awesome.

[@LENNYlanes]

isnt this tour when he found heroin? hedef looks like it here,. poor smith i wish he had all of his characteristics except the manic depression i know it helped write amazing songs but manic depression is damn near impossible to escape. all you utubers helped me find elliott smith and i will admit i barely listened to him in 05 but im a music addict myself and its strange the world you step in, it transforms you, &spits u out a new mind/body/& if your sensitive your soul. RIP SMITH u R amazing

[@lazlomattachine8334]

So beautiful-

[@Crazy4jrj]

he was so talented i miss him soooo much

[@Rolandzebub]

Gone, but never forgotten.

[@TheCHILDRENofTV]

i love this fucking song...

[@Jointanatomy]

This is the best prformance i've ever seen on Letterman, alongside with Bad Religions "sorrow"!! Letterman ROCKS!!

[@HailYoungHearts]

It makes me sad when I see thumbs down ratings for Elliott. If you don't like him, then just don't listen to it. Why are you wasting your energy? I miss you Elliott, love you.

[@DianaArmstrongZook]

this shows some great musical/copmositional skills pushing thru his intensley unique persona ... xo

[@That1Guy]

Love this version of his band

[@timmyboy1970]

That was an unbelievable performance. What a loss. Oh Ellllliotttttt!!!! come back please.

[@sapph____]

Im eating this performance

[@sapph____]

sam Killed it hello.

[@raconteurful]

Sending Elliot a wave.... Real, live, beautifully written and performed 'music!!!'

[@tycer18]

This is such a well written song.

[@ledhicks]

I miss his talent! And the fact that Aaron Embry is here.

[@quiettruth2836]

This performance just kills me I always get sad when I watch it .....love this song

[@joe44850]

Elliot's voice always sounded so fragile and shaky live, but it shines in the studio. Check out his cover of Because...or...basically anything he has ever done.

[@stadium999]

goes so hard to this day

[@rbabich]

Great album great song I only wish he was here to write more. We need it

[@Theonewhoclimbs28]

Oh good call on Neil Young. I always forget about him, but whenever I pop on a record it's just so sweet.

[@aylward48]

Miss this guys songs so much.....never be another like him,

[@dubya05]

definately amazing. great recording for a live show.