Elliott Smith – Xo

Elliott Smith – XO arrives here as a 140 gram vinyl reissue via UMe and Interscope, bringing one of the most carefully crafted singer-songwriter albums of the late 1990s back to the format it deserves. Released on August 25, 1998, XO was Smith’s first album on a major label, DreamWorks, and it marked a significant shift in production scale without sacrificing the intimacy that defined his earlier work. This is the reissue to own if you’ve been waiting for a clean, properly weighted pressing to replace a worn copy or fill a gap in your collection.

About Elliott Smith – XO

XO is Elliott Smith’s fourth studio album, recorded across 1997 and 1998. Moving to DreamWorks gave Smith access to broader production resources, and the album reflects that. There are strings, layered harmonies, and a fuller sonic palette than his previous records, yet the songwriting remains close and personal throughout. The fourteen tracks here, from the opening “Sweet Adeline” through the hushed closer “I Didn’t Understand,” demonstrate a writer operating with real intentionality. Singles “Waltz #2 (XO)” and “Baby Britain” received significant attention at the time, and both hold up as strong entry points into what the record does across its full runtime. Smith’s place in the American indie and alternative canon rests significantly on what he built here and in the years surrounding this release.

Pressing and Format Details

This pressing is part of UMe’s ongoing vinyl reissue campaign and comes pressed on 140 gram vinyl, released through Interscope under catalog number 2609001. The 140 gram weight is a practical middle ground: substantial enough to provide good playback quality and durability, without the occasionally uneven results that can come with heavier pressings. UMe has been methodical about this catalog, and the campaign context matters. These are authorized, properly sourced reissues rather than budget represses cut from degraded tapes. For an album that relies on layered arrangements and quiet dynamic shifts, the pressing quality directly affects how the record sounds, and this one is built to deliver that material properly.

Why This Copy Belongs in Your Collection

Original copies of XO on vinyl have become harder to find in reliable condition. The album has maintained a devoted following for over two decades, and clean originals move quickly when they surface. This UMe reissue on Interscope gives collectors a straightforward, well-made option: a new pressing of a significant record, from the authorized rights holder, on vinyl weighted and cut for actual listening. The full fourteen-track sequence, including “Pitseleh,” “Bled White,” and “Bottle Up and Explode,” is all here, correctly sequenced across one LP. If you play your records rather than shelf them, this pressing is made for that.

Tracklist

1. SWEET ADELINE
2. TOMORROW TOMORROW
3. WALTZ #2 (XO)
4. BABY BRITAIN
5. PITSELEH
6. INDEPENDENCE DAY
7. BLED WHITE
8. WALTZ #1
9. AMITY
10. OH WELL, OKAY
11. BOTTLE UP AND EXPLODE!
12. A QUESTION MARK
13. EVERYBODY CARES, EVERYBODY UNDERSTA
14. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND