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The late songwriter Elliott Smith

The early days of the late Elliott Smith's solo career coexisted with Heatmiser, the Portland rock quartet he formed with Neil Gust, Sam Coomes and Tony Lash. The singer-songwriter kept his material for the two projects largely divided -- or so it seemed. Lash, who served as the band's drummer and continues to work as a Portland producer, has posted a Heatmiser version of Smith's "Christian Brothers," a track released in solo form on 1995's Elliott Smith.

"This was originally arranged as a Heatmiser song," Lash commented on the song's SoundCloud page. "Recorded in 1995." Lash's version offers the song in full-band mode, Smith's chords electrified and his voice in crisp fidelity. It's not far from the arrangement Smith himself offered live on his 2000 tour for Figure 8, which saw him turning up the volume on a number of previously acoustic early songs.

Smith released three albums with Heatmiser and an EP, Yellow No. 5. Oct. 21 marks the 10th anniversary of his death; in August, a series of benefit concerts in cities including Portland, New York, Los Angeles and Austin were held to celebrate what would've been his 44th birthday. A new book documenting his life, Torment Saint, was released earlier this month.

Hear the unearthed "Christian Brothers" version below:

-- David Greenwald