Tracklisting:

Coast to Coast
Let's Get Lost
Pretty (Ugly Before)
Don't Go Down
Strung Out Again
A Fond Farewell
King's Crossing
Ostrich & Chirping
Twilight
A Passing Feeling
The Last Hour
Shooting Star
Memory Lane
Little One
A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to Be Free

Release Date: October 19, 2004


USA LP [Anti- 86741-1]

This is the original US pressing on vinyl for From a Basement on the Hill. It comes in a gatefold sleeve and is a double album. The credits state that the design is by Nick Pritchard for metrosea.com, cover photo by Renaud Monfourny, booklet photos by Paul Heartfield, Dominic Disaia, and Ashley Welch. Cut out type by Autumn deWilde and handwritten font by Elliott Smith. It states that final production is by Elliott's family and friends. The inner panels of the gatefold have handwritten lyrics, credits, and a few photos. There are no inserts at all. Barcode/matrix info according to Discogs:

  • Barcode (Scanned): 045778674114
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A): 86741-1A S-55526
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B): 86741-1B S-55527
  • Matrix / Runout (Side C): 86741-1C S-55528
  • Matrix / Runout (Side D): 86741-1D S-55529


USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; 180g 2010 reissue]

From a Basement on the Hill was reissued on vinyl in the US by Kill Rock Stars in 2010. This pressing is on 180g vinyl and is again a double album. There are two different listings on Discogs for Kill Rock Stars 2010 pressings, possibly just differing in matrix numbers only. 

Barcode and matrix of one version is:
  • Barcode (Text): 7 59656 05248 1
  • Barcode (Scanned): 0759656052481
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A): LP-KRS-524 A S-71698 Trutone Mastering NY Carl 2-10
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B): LP-KRS-524 B S-71699 Trutone Mastering NY Carl 2-10
  • Matrix / Runout (Side C): LP-KRS-524 C S-71700 Trutone Mastering NY Carl 2-10
  • Matrix / Runout (Side D): LP-KRS-524 D S-71701 Trutone Mastering NY Carl 2-10


Barcode and matrix of the other listing is:

​
  • Barcode (Text): 7 59656 05248 1
  • Barcode (Scanned): 0759656052481
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A): 86741-1A RJ STERLING S-55526
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B): 86741-1B RJ STERLING S-55526
  • Matrix / Runout (Side C): 86741-1C RJ STERLING S-55526
  • Matrix / Runout (Side D): 86741-1D RJ STERLING S-55526


USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; 180g black in blue vinyl 2019 reissue]

Kill Rock Stars again reissued the album in 2019 but this time on 180g black in blue colored vinyl. This pressing is a Newbury Comics exclusive and is limited to 500 copies. The outer shrinkwrap has a sticker stating that information. This pressing also includes a digital download of the album. The inner panels of the gatefold are the same as the original on Anti- and the label designs on the records are also the same as the original (although the text on the labels where it lists which side it is, "side 1" for example, are now blue instead of more of a mint green that was on the original pressing). The text on the spine is basically the same as the original but looks to be a tiny bit smaller font. Some of the letters in Elliott's name that got cut off near the top on the original spine are now complete and not cut off (see spine photo below).

Some photos taken from discogs.com.
USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; clear and purple/blue galaxy vinyl 2020 reissue from Zia Records]

This 2020 vinyl reissue of From a Basement on the Hill was available exclusively from the Zia Records website. According to their site, it was a pressing of 300 copies. They call the vinyl colors clear and purple/blue galaxy. The front of the shrink wrap comes with a round sticker that says it’s a Zia Records exclusive and mentions the vinyl colors. The back of the shrink wrap has a new barcode sticker on it that covers the barcode on the actual cover. The barcode on the shrink wrap is 7 59656 05249 8. It also comes with an mp3 code. Everything else seems to be exactly the same as previous Kill Rock Stars pressings of this album.

USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; black vinyl reissue with KRS30 hype sticker from 2021]

In 2021, Kill Rock Stars reissued From a Basement on the Hill in this black vinyl version. My copy is still sealed so I'm not positive if the vinyl itself is a true repressing (as in new matrix numbers or not). My assumption is that it is not an actual repress of the vinyl and that the sticker on the shrink wrap is the only unique thing about this pressing. Someone eventually told me the matrix numbers on theirs and they appear to be the same as the previous KRS vinyl pressing, the 2020 Zia Records exclusive. The sticker commemorates the fact that Kill Rock Stars has been a record label for 30 years. It also has a quote about the album from Stephen Thomas Erlewine from  ALL MUSIC. There is also a barcode at the bottom of this sticker.

USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; clear /blue vinyl  2021 reissue from Turntable Lab]

This 2021 reissue LP of From a Basement on the Hill was available exclusively from Turntable Lab and was limited to 1,000 copies. Almost everything is identical to past Kill Rock Stars pressings of Basement except for the vinyl colors and the obi strip that goes across the  spine. The first record is clear and the second record is blue (see photos below). The obi  lists the songs on the front and mentions that the pressing was limited to 1,000 copies. The back of the obi has some quotes from the owner of Turntable Lab. My copy also came with a Turntable Lab little zine (that did have Waxahatchee mentioning Either/Or as one of her favorite albums but I don't think this zine is really considered part of this release). Barcode (which was on the shrink wrap) according to Discogs :

  • Barcode: 759656052436


USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; pink vinyl 2021 reissue]

This 2021 reissue of From a Basement on the Hill is on pink vinyl. It was part of Kill Rock Stars' celebration of their 30th anniversary as a record label. Like many other KRS releases, it was given a very limited run on pink vinyl, just 91 copies. All copies are numbered.  Everything else about it appears to be the standard packaging.

In February 2024, Kill Rock Stars put a limited amount of additional pink vinyl copies up for sale for most of Elliott's albums. These copies were not numbered like the original pink vinyl for all the albums (from 2021). However, none of these "warehouse finds" were put up for sale for Basement in 2024. However, since additional copies existed for every other album, presumably there may be some extra, unnumbered Basement ones somewhere but it's not for sure. 

USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; blue and white cornetto vinyl  2022 reissue from Experience Vinyl]

This 2022 reissue LP of From a Basement on the Hill was available exclusively from Experience Vinyl and was limited to 500 copies. Mine is still sealed but presumably everything is identical to past Kill Rock Stars pressings of Basement except for the vinyl color and sticker on the front of the shrink wrap.  The vinyl color is called blue and white cornetto. The sticker says Experience Vinyl at the top, mentions the vinyl color, and has a quote from Stephen Thomas Erlewine from All Music about the album. The sticker also has the barcode for the release on it.

Photo showing vinyl color taken from the Experience Vinyl website

USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; 2023  black vinyl with KRS sticker]
Kill Rock Stars reissued From a Basement on the Hill with a KRS sticker on the shrink wrap in late 2022 or early 2023 (as they did with some or all of the other albums that are on KRS). The sticker is similar to the 2021 sticker used to celebrate the label's 30th anniversary. But this sticker just has the KRS logo and no mention of 30 years. They seemed to first show up on social media and in stores around mid-January of 2023. Presumably, the record itself is the exact same pressing as the 2021 pressing with the same matrix and everything but I'm not positive. It is on black vinyl. The  sticker has the same blurb about the album that the 2021 sticker had.   Please see the photos below for the hype sticker (which you can compare to the 30th anniversary one on an entry above).


USA LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; blue seafoam wave vinyl  2023 reissue from Newbury Comics]

This 2023 reissue LP of From a Basement on the Hill was available exclusively from Newbury Comics and was limited to 750 copies. Presumably everything is identical to past Kill Rock Stars pressings of Basement except for the vinyl color and sticker on the front of the shrink wrap.  The vinyl color is called blue seafoam wave. The sticker says Newbury Comics at the top, mentions the vinyl color, and that it's limited to 750 copies. The sticker also has the barcode for the release on it.

​Some photos taken from the Newbury Comics website.


USA CD [Anti- 86741-2]

This is the original US CD pressing and it comes in a digipak. It includes a twelve page booklet with lyrics, credits, and photos. The front and back artwork are basically identical the LP pressings other than the songs not being broken up by "side 1", "side 2", etc. on the back cover. Barcode/matrix (2 variants) according to Discogs:

  • Barcode: 045778674121
  • Matrix / Runout (Variant 1): 86741-2 04 DiscUSA
  • Mastering SID Code (Variant 1): IFPI L794
  • Mould SID Code (Variant 1): IFPI 2D4E
  • Matrix / Runout (Variant 2): 9/16/04 86741-2 06 DiscUSA
  • Mastering SID Code (Variant 2): IFPI L794
  • Mould SID Code (Variant 2): IFPI 2D4G

Photos taken from discogs.com (but from a different but similar pressing so wrong catalog numbers might be in the photos).

USA Promo CD [Anti- 86741-2]

This is a promo CD for From a Basement on the Hill put out by Anti- in 2004. It comes in a cardboard sleeve that is a generic Anti- sleeve probably used for many different promos but with a sticker affixed to the front that is specifically for promoting this album. The catalog number of the commercial pressing of the album, 86741-2, is printed on the sticker but I'm not sure that would really be considered the catalog number for this promo so this might not actually have its own catalog number. The sticker also has a photo of the album cover in the top left corner and a listing of the songs along the left side. The top right side of the sticker lists Elliott's name, the album title, and the street date. Under that is a bunch of contact information for Epitaph Records and Girlie Action Publicity. The CD itself is pretty interesting. Elliott's first name is misspelled and the album title says "on a hill" instead of "on the hill". Printing on the inner clear part of the CD states that it's a CD-R.

USA Tentative New Tracks Promo Advance CD [No label, no catalog number; 2002]

This promo CD has a date of 2002 on  it and states that's it an album advance promo. At the top, it says "Tentative New Tracks (Titles May Change)" and then  lists the four songs on it: Shooting Star, A Passing Feeling, See You in Heaven, Let's Get Lost. It has the info for Elliott's manager at the time, Scott Booker. My understanding is this is likely a CD that was sent out to record labels as they were looking for a label to release Basement on. I do not know what mixes of the songs are on this CD. I do notice that A Passing Feeling is listed as 3:05 while the Basement version is 3:32 so that's quite a difference (perhaps just fades out earlier?). It's also the only item that you could consider official, since it did come from his management, that has See You in Heaven  on it. Please see photo, taken from Discogs, below.

There is at least one version of a CD with more tracks that was made/sent out by Scott Booker. A 15 song version is in the entry below but there may be other similar versions with different tracklists, I'm not sure. My understanding is that the four song one was probably sent out to prospective record labels but the other versions may have just been given to friends of Elliott and/or Scott Booker.


Elliott Smith - Unreleased CD [No label, no catalog number; 2002?]

This CD was reportedly made by Elliott's management (Scott Booker). I believe this set of unreleased songs may have just been given to friends and wasn't one that was sent to record labels, but I don't know that for sure.

From my understanding, the alternate mix of Shooting Star is the only version on this CD that wasn't widely heard for many years. This mix was put on YouTube in 2023. A few of the songs are live versions. See You in Heaven is the same version that's been out there for years, no vocals on it. Song 15 isn't Stickman or True Love at all. It's actually a Chumbawumba song called Home With Me that had a sample of Say Yes as part of the song. I believe the song was officially released without this sample since it wasn't cleared for use.

I don't know exactly when this CD was made and given to people but approximately 2002/2003 time period. I originally thought this looked like a fan made bootleg of some sort but several knowledgeable sources have suggested/confirmed that it's legitimate.


USA CD [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; 2010 reissue]

In addition to the vinyl reissue that Kill Rock stars put out in 2010, they also put out this CD reissue. It comes in a digipak as the original 2004 CD did. Everything about the packaging is basically the same as the original CD pressing other than record label/catalog number/legal info.  Barcode according to Discogs is 7 59656 05242 9.

Photos taken from discogs.com.


USA Promo CD [Kill Rock Stars KRS524PROMO; 2010 reissue]

This is a promo CD released by Kill Rock Stars for their 2010 reissue of From a Basement on the Hill. It comes in a standard jewel case. It does not have any front artwork/insert. The back insert has the usual back artwork. However, in the bottom left corner of the back insert, there is a photo of the typical front art. The back also mentions the release date and gives a Kill Rock Stars website where hi-res photos, bio, etc. are available. It also says that it's for promotional use only and not for sale. The CD itself does not mention it being a promo release and has the normal catalog number of KRS524 rather than the unique promo catalog number that is listed on the spine. Some copies have been seen with a Terrorbird sticker on the front of the jewel case and a licensing contact (see photo below).

--------------------------------------------------


Europe LP [Universal International Music 602547529633; 180g 2017 reissue]

This is a reissue released in Europe in 2017. It's part of Universal Music's Back to Black vinyl series and is on 180g vinyl. Not a lot of info on Discogs about this pressing but based on the photos, it appears to not have any major differences from other LP pressings other than the sticker on the front that states that it's part of the Back to Black series and that a download code is included. Barcode according to Discogs is 602547529633.

Photo taken from discogs.com.


Europe CD [Domino WIGCD147]

This European pressing of the CD seems to be the same packaging-wise as the original US CD other than the standard changes for record label/copyright info. Photos from this pressing were used for the US entry above. It contains the standard twelve page booklet and is released in a digipak. There are two other Europe CD's with the same catalog number (one listed as 2004 and one as year unknown) that only seem to differ from this pressing in matrix info so they are lumped into this entry. Barcode/matrix info according to Discogs:

  • Barcode (Text): 5 034202 114727
  • Barcode (Scan): 5034202114727
  • Matrix / Runout: SOUND PERFORMANCE 020 8691 2121 WIGCD147
  • Mastering SID Code: IFPI LP76
  • Mould SID Code (Variant 1): IFPI AAHP1
  • Mould SID Code (Variant 2): IFPI 7321
  • Label Code: LC10192


Europe CD [Universal Music 602547529596]

Discogs lists this pressing as being from 2004 but since it's on Universal, it's most likely something that was put out in the 2015 -2017 time period.  The packaging is mainly the same as most other From a Basement on the Hill CD's  other than the typical record label/catalog number differences Barcode according to Discogs is 6 02547 52959 6.

-------------------------------------------------


Japan CD [Domino WIGCD147J]

This Japanese pressing on CD of From a Basement on the Hill from 2004 comes in what looks to be just a regular European digipak but with a Japanese obi around the spine. The digipak spine and the CD itself have the European CD catalog number of WIGCD147 while the spine of the obi has the Japanese specific catalog number of WIGCD147J. It comes with the standard booklet but also another insert that folds out. This insert has the song lyrics in Japanese on one side and what appears to be a bio of Elliott with a photo on the other (see photos below). The obi and the Japanese insert both mention something called Hostess Entertainment Unlimited, not sure if it's some sort of label that co-released this with Domino in Japan.


​Japan CD [P-Vine/Kill Rock Stars PCD-22339]

This Japanese CD reissue of From a Basement on the Hill was released in 2010 according to an entry on the P-Vine website (see photo below). Kill Rock Stars licensed P-Vine, a Japanese record label, to release a lot of Elliott's albums around 2007-2010 or so. 


----------------------------------------------------------


South Korea CD [Pastel Music PMCD 3004]

This Korean CD pressing comes with the normal booklet. But then it also has a 40 page booklet that is unique to this pressing. It's got lyrics in both English and Korean for From a Basement on the Hill but also Korean lyrics for every song from Elliott's first three albums.  The booklet says that the Korean translation was done by Moon Young Sung. It also has more writing about Elliott in Korean and a few drawings of Elliott. The rest of the packaging (normal booklet, actual CD, etc.) appear to be the same as the US pressing other than having catalog number PMCD 3004. The photo on discogs shows a sticker on the front cover. This was probably on the shrink wrap and is not on the copy I own. The Discogs listing also says it came with two buttons. I got a copy from someone who got it directly from a  person at Pastel Music and their copy did not come with these buttons so I'm not sure if commercially sold copies came with the buttons or not. Barcode according to Discogs is 828600300425.

Some photos taken from discogs.com.

---------------------------------------------------


UK LP [Domino WIGLP147]

This original UK LP pressing came out upon the original release in 2004. Only a few photos on Discogs but everything looks to be basically the same as the US pressing other than record label/copyright info (such as Domino logos instead of Anti-). Barcode/matrix info according to Discogs:

  • Barcode: 5 034202 114710
  • Label Code: LC10192
  • Rights Society: BIEM/MCPS
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A runout stamped): WIGLP 147 A-1
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B runout stamped): WIGLP 147 B-1
  • Matrix / Runout (Side C runout stamped): WIGLP 147 C-1
  • Matrix / Runout (Side D runout stamped): WIGLP 147 D-1


UK/Europe LP [Domino WIGLP147; 2015 reissue]

Domino reissued From a Basement on the Hill in 2015. Very little unique about this pressing, it even shares the catalog number with the original pressing. Discogs even states that it's identical to the 2004 Domino pressing other than matrix info. Barcode/matrix info according to Discogs:

  • Barcode: 5 034202 114710
  • Label Code: LC10192
  • Rights Society: BIEM/MCPS
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched): WIGLP147 BF86927-01 A2
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B, etched): WIGLP147 BF86927-01 B1
  • Matrix / Runout (Side C, etched): WIGLP147 BF86927-02 C2
  • Matrix / Runout (Side D, etched): WIGLP147 IS BF86927-02 D1


UK LP [Kill Rock Stars KRS524; smokey basement grey vinyl  2023 reissue from Rough Trade UK]

This 2023 reissue LP of From a Basement on the Hill looks to have been specifically a UK pressing of the album. I don't see any legal info on it mentioning the UK but Discogs says it's a UK release and I had ordered mine from the Rough Trade UK website. It's part of the Rough Trade Essential Edition series. It is on smokey basement grey vinyl and was limited to 500 copies.  Other than the vinyl color, the main difference from other pressings of this album is the obi type item over the spine, see photos.

One person on Discogs mentioned that they received a copy that had the side 2 songs on both side 2 and side 4, some sort of mispressing. So it didn't have the side 4 songs on it at all. But I'm not sure if there was just one copy like that or if multiple of them ended up that way. If you have more details, please let me know.

​Some photos taken from discogs.com


UK Promo CD [Domino WIGCD147P; slimline case]

Domino appears to have released two different promo CD's for this album in the UK. One is with plain artwork (see entry below) and the other is this pressing. It has the full front artwork and comes in a slimline jewel case. The back side of the CD insert shows the back artwork of the album. The packaging and the CD both state that it's for promotional use only and not for sale.  This information is actually written on the front cover/artwork (see photo below) Matrix info according to Discogs:

  • Matrix / Runout: WIGCD147P SP 57252 01
  • Mastering SID Code: IFPI LV81
  • Label Code: LC10192
  • Rights Society: BIEM / MCPS

Photos taken from discogs.com.


UK Promo CD [Domino no catalog number; plastic sleeve packaging]

Domino appears to have released two different promo CD's for this album in the UK. One is with regular artwork (see entry above) and the other is this pressing. This one comes in a plastic sleeve and is just the CD and a paper insert. The insert doesn't have the album artwork, just Elliott's name, album title, song names, and the Domino logo. There is no catalog number printed anywhere. The CD itself does mention it being for promotional use and has the Domino logo, Elliott's name, and album title.

Photos taken from discogs.com.


UK/Europe Album Sampler Promo CD [Domino DOMELLIOTT1CDP; slimline jewel case with artwork]

In addition to the full album promos released by Domino in 2004, two album samplers were also released in the UK. One does not have the album artwork (see entry below) and this pressing that does have the usual front art work. The phrase "album sampler" is added to the front artwork and it comes in a slimline jewel case. It states that it's for promotional use and not for sale on the packaging. The back side of the insert doesn't have the back cover photo. Instead, it has text only and lists the songs on the CD. They are Coast to Coast, Pretty (Ugly Before), A Fond Farewell, Don't Go Down, and Little One. The CD itself has artwork similar to commercially released CD's but with the drawing now at the top area of the CD.  Matrix info according to Discogs:

  • Matrix / Runout: SP 60430 01
  • Label Code: LC10192
  • Rights Society: BIEM/MCPS

Photos taken from discogs.com.


UK Album Sampler Promo CD [Domino no catalog number; no artwork]

In addition to the full album promos released by Domino in 2004, two album samplers were also released in the UK. One does have the album artwork (see entry above) and this pressing that does not have the usual front art work. It comes in a plastic sleeve and just has an insert and the CD. The insert does not have any art, just text with details about the CD and the Domino logo. The CD itself just has the basic information about the release and states that it's for promotional use only. There is no catalog numbr listed anywhere. The songs are Coast to Coast, Pretty (Ugly Before), and A Fond Farewell.

Photos taken from discogs.com
About this Page/Contact