Rawkblog posts his 51-track compilation of Elliott Smith‘s complete live cover recordings:

The below tracks have been culled from years of research and dozens of live shows. Not every song has the greatest recording fidelity, but as much as possible, I chose the tapes with the best combination of performance and sound for this collection. […] It should be noted that Elliott was really a fan of the bands he covered — most of these were not one-offs, but songs he performed regularly.

Lots of Beatles, Kinks, Dylan, as you might expect, but his suprisingly faithful version of Blue Oyster Cult‘s “Don’t Fear The Reaper” (mp3) is better than anybody has any right to expect. “Come on, baby. Baby, take my hand. We’ll be able to fly…” And yes, assholes, it features plenty of cowbell. If you can’t get past a silly Saturday Night Live sketch to see that this badass invitation to suicide is truly a great song, you’re not a real music fan.

The “Walk Away, Renee” cover (mp3) will break your heart. Smith shares a lot of qualities with the Left Banke. Look them up if you’re not familiar. They’re more than just a one-hit wonder.