Elliot Smith – Heatmiser

Elliot Smith – Heatmiser: Dead Air

Heatmiser’s Dead Air is the band’s debut album, released in 1993 on Frontier Records, and it’s a key early chapter for anyone following the Elliot Smith shelf back into Pacific Northwest alternative rock. Recorded at Sound Impressions in Milwaukie and mixed at Whitehorse Studios in Portland, it keeps the record tied closely to its Oregon setting, with production credited to Heatmiser and Thee Slayer Hippy. The appeal here is that it stands as a compact early-’90s rock record rather than a later solo-style retrospective, giving it its own place in the Smith-related catalog. This $28 new vinyl pressing comes sealed in shrink on blue wax. Because it is still sealed, the record has not been opened for inspection or play-graded, making the untouched new-copy condition and colored-vinyl presentation the main copy-specific appeal. Heatmiser: Dead Air.