Elvis Costello | ||
| Allmusic Biography : When Elvis Costellos first record was released in 1977, his bristling cynicism and anger linked him with the punk and new wave explosion. A cursory listen to My Aim Is True proves that the main connection that Costello had with the punks was his unbridled passion; he tore through rocks back pages taking whatever he wanted, as well as borrowing from country, Tin Pan Alley pop, reggae, and many other musical genres. Over his career, that musical eclecticism distinguished his records as much as his fiercely literate lyrics. Because he supported his lyrics with his richly diverse music, Costello emerged as one of the most innovative, influential, and best songwriters since Bob Dylan. The son of British bandleader Ross McManus, Costello (born Declan McManus) worked as a computer programmer during the early 70s, performing under the name D.P. Costello in various folk clubs. In 1976, he became the leader of country-rock group Flip City. During this time, he recorded several demo tapes of his original material with the intention of landing a record contract. A copy of these tapes made its way to Jake Riviera, one of the heads of the fledgling independent record label Stiff. Riviera signed Costello to Stiff as a solo artist in 1977; the singer/songwriter adopted the name Elvis Costello at this time, taking his first name from Elvis Presley and his last name from his mothers maiden name. With former Brinsley Schwarz bassist Nick Lowe producing, Costello began recording his debut album with the American band Clover providing support. "Less Than Zero," the first single released from these sessions, appeared in April of 1977. The single failed to chart, as did its follow-up, "Alison," which was released the following month. By the summer of 1977, Costellos permanent backing band had been assembled. Featuring bassist Bruce Thomas, keyboardist Steve Nieve, and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation to Bruce), the group was named the Attractions; they made their live debut in July of 1977. Costellos debut album, My Aim Is True, was released in the summer of 1977 to positive reviews; the album climbed to number 14 on the British charts but it wasnt released on his American label, Columbia, until later in the year. Along with Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, and Wreckless Eric, Costello participated in the Stiff labels Live package tour in the fall. At the end of the year, Jake Riviera split from Stiff Records to form Radar Records, taking Costello and Lowe with him. Costellos last single for Stiff, the reggae-inflected "Watching the Detectives," became his first hit, climbing to number 15 at the end of the year. This Years Model, Costellos first album recorded with the Attractions, was released in the spring of 1978. A rawer, harder-rocking record than My Aim Is True, This Years Model was also a bigger hit, reaching number four in Britain and number 30 in America. Released the following year, Armed Forces was a more ambitious and musically diverse album than either of his previous records. It was another hit, reaching number two in the U.K. and cracking the Top Ten in the U.S. "Olivers Army," the first single from the album, also peaked at number two in Britain; none of the singles from Armed Forces charted in America. In the summer of 1979, he produced the self-titled debut album by the Specials, the leaders of the ska revival movement. In February of 1980, the soul-influenced Get Happy!! was released; it was the first record on Rivieras new record label, F-Beat. Get Happy!! was another hit, peaking at number two in Britain and number 11 in America. Later that year, a collection of B-sides, singles, and outtakes called Taking Liberties was released in America; in Britain, a similar album called Ten Bloody Marys & Ten Hows Your Fathers appeared as a cassette-only release, complete with different tracks than the American version. Costello and the Attractions released Trust in early 1981; it was Costellos fifth album in a row produced by Nick Lowe. Trust debuted at number nine in the British charts and worked its way into the Top 30 in the U.S. During the spring of 1981, Costello and the Attractions began recording an album of country covers with famed Nashville producer Billy Sherrill, who recorded hit records for George Jones and Charlie Rich, among others. The resulting album, Almost Blue, was released at the end of the year to mixed reviews, although the single "A Good Year for the Roses" was a British Top Ten hit. Costellos next album, Imperial Bedroom (1982), was an ambitious set of lushly arranged pop produced by Geoff Emerick, who engineered several of the Beatles most acclaimed albums. Imperial Bedroom received some of his best reviews, yet it failed to yield a Top 40 hit in either England or America; the album did debut at number six in the U.K. For 1983s Punch the Clock, Costello worked with Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who were responsible for several of the biggest British hits in the early 80s. The collaboration proved commercially successful, as the album peaked at number three in the U.K. (number 24 in the U.S.) and the single "Everyday I Write the Book" cracked the Top 40 in both Britain and America. Costello tried to replicate the success of Punch the Clock with his next record, 1984s Goodbye Cruel World, but the album was a commercial and critical failure. After the release of Goodbye Cruel World, Costello embarked on his first solo tour in the summer of 1984. Costello was relatively inactive during 1985, releasing only one new single ("The Peoples Limousine," a collaboration with singer/songwriter T-Bone Burnett released under the name the Coward Brothers) and producing Rum Sodomy and the Lash, the second album by the punk-folk band the Pogues. Both projects were indications that he was moving toward a stripped-down, folky approach, and 1986s King of America confirmed that suspicion. Recorded without the Attractions and released under the name the Costello Show, King of America was essentially a country-folk album and it received the best reviews of any album he had recorded since Imperial Bedroom. It was followed at the end of the year by the edgy Blood and Chocolate, a reunion with the Attractions and producer Nick Lowe. Costello would not record another album with the Attractions until 1994. During 1987, Costello negotiated a new worldwide record contract with Warner Bros. and began a songwriting collaboration with Paul McCartney. Two years later, he released Spike, the most musically diverse collection he had ever recorded. Spike featured the first appearance of songs written by Costello and McCartney, including the single "Veronica." "Veronica" became his biggest American hit, peaking at number 19. Two years later, he released Mighty Like a Rose, which echoed Spike in its diversity, yet it was a darker, more challenging record. In 1993, Costello collaborated with the Brodsky Quartet on The Juliet Letters, a song cycle that was the songwriters first attempt at classical music; he also wrote an entire album for former Transvision Vamp singer Wendy James called Now Aint the Time for Your Tears. That same year, Costello licensed the rights to his pre-1987 catalog (My Aim Is True to Blood and Chocolate) to Rykodisc in America. Costello reunited with the Attractions to record the majority of 1994s Brutal Youth, the most straightforward and pop-oriented album he had recorded since Goodbye Cruel World. The Attractions backed Costello on a worldwide tour in 1994 and played concerts with him throughout 1995. In 1995, he released his long-shelved collection of covers, Kojak Variety. In the spring of 1996, Costello released All This Useless Beauty, which featured a number of original songs he had given to other artists but never recorded himself. Painted from Memory, a collaboration with the legendary Burt Bacharach, followed in 1998. The album was a success critically, but it only succeeded in foreign markets, outside of their home countries of the United States and Britain. A jazz version of the record made with Bill Frisell was put on hold when Costellos label began to freeze up due to political maneuvering. Undaunted, Costello and Bacharach hit the road and performed in the States and Europe. Then, after Bacharach left, Costello added Steve Nieve to the tour and traveled around the world on what they dubbed the Lonely World Tour. This took them into 1999, when both Notting Hill and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me featured significant contributions from Costello. In fact, he appeared with Bacharach in the latter as one of a pair of Carnaby Street musicians, albeit street musicians with a gorgeous grand piano at their disposal. Continuing his tour with Nieve, he began singing the last song without a microphone, forcing the audience to sit in complete silence as he usually performed "Couldnt Call It Unexpected, No. 4" with nothing but his dulcet baritone filling the auditorium. After the record companys various mergers ended, Costello found himself on Universal Records and tested their promotional abilities with a second greatest-hits record (The Very Best of Elvis Costello). The label promoted the album strongly, making it a hit in his native Britain. Unfortunately, they also made it clear that they had no intention of giving a new album the same promotional push, leaving him to venture into other fields as he awaited the end of his record contract. His first project was an album of pop standards performed with Anne Sofie Von Otter, which included a few songs originally written by Costello. The album was released in March 2001 on the Deutsche Grammophon label, neatly coinciding with the extensive re-release of his entire catalog up to 1996 under Rhino Records. Each disc included an extra CD of rare material and liner notes written by Costello himself, making them incredible treats for fans. In 2001, he found himself with a residency at UCLA, where he performed several concerts and was instrumental in teaching music during the year. He also began work on a self-produced album that featured Pete Thomas and Nieve -- now billed as a band called the Imposters -- entitled When I Was Cruel, and the album finally found release via Island Records in the spring of 2002; at the end of the year, he released a collection of B-sides and leftovers from the albums sessions entitled Cruel Smile. When I Was Cruel kicked off another productive era for the ever prolific Costello. In 2003, he returned with North, a collection of classically styled pop songs pitched halfway between Gershwin and Sondheim. The next year, he collaborated with his new wife, Diana Krall, on her first collection of original material, The Girl in the Other Room. That fall, Costello released two albums of his own original material: a classical work entitled Il Sogno and the concept album The Delivery Man, a rock & roll record cut with the Imposters. Issued in 2006, My Flame Burns Blue was a live album with Costello fronting the 52-piece jazz orchestra the Metropole Orkest; the release featured classic Costello songs (with new orchestral arrangements) alongside new compositions and a performance of the entire Il Sogno. The River in Reverse, a collaboration with R&B; legend Allen Toussaint, arrived in 2006, followed by Momofuku, another effort credited to Elvis Costello & the Imposters, in 2008. That same year, Costello teamed up with veteran producer T-Bone Burnett for a series of recording sessions, the results of which were compiled into Secret, Profane & Sugar Cane and readied for release in early 2009. The pair also recorded a second album, National Ransom, which appeared the following year. In 2011, Costello & the Imposters released The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!!, which was recorded live over a two-day stint at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. The next year or so was relatively quiet for Costello, but at the end of 2012 he did release a new compilation called In Motion Pictures, which rounded up songs he contributed to films. Costello devoted himself to working with hip-hop band the Roots in 2013. Originally planned as a reinterpretation of songs from his vast catalog, the album Wise Up Ghost turned into a full-fledged collaboration and was greeted by positive reviews upon its September 2013 release on Blue Note. In 2015, Costello announced that he was completing work on his memoirs, and that the book, titled Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, was scheduled for publication in October 2015. Costello also compiled a companion album, Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album, which featured a career-spanning selection of songs from his catalog, as well as two previously unreleased selections. In July 2018, Costello revealed he was recovering from a "small but very aggressive cancer." By that point he delivered the news, he not only was on the mend, but had a new album with the Imposters in the can. Look Now, the groups first record together in a decade, appeared in October 2018. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 35 Title: My Aim Is True Released: 1977-07-22 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:00:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Welcome to the Working Week (01:23) 2 Miracle Man (03:33) 3 No Dancing (02:43) 4 Blame It on Cain (02:49) 5 Alison (03:24) 6 Sneaky Feelings (02:12) 7 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (02:49) 8 Less Than Zero (03:15) 9 Mystery Dance (01:38) 10 Pay It Back (02:35) 11 I’m Not Angry (03:01) 12 Waiting for the End of the World (03:26) 13 Watching the Detectives (03:57) 14 Radio Sweetheart (02:28) 15 Stranger in the House (03:06) 16 Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver) (03:40) 17 Mystery Dance (Honky Tonk demo) (02:19) 18 Cheap Reward (Honky Tonk demo) (02:18) 19 Jump Up (Honky Tonk demo) (02:08) 20 Wave a White Flag (Honky Tonk demo) (01:55) 21 Blame It on Cain (Honky Tonk demo) (03:32) 22 Poison Moon (Honky Tonk demo) (01:55) |
| My Aim Is True : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costello was as much a pub rocker as he was a punk rocker and nowhere is that more evident than on his debut, My Aim Is True. Its not just that Clover, a San Franciscan rock outfit led by Huey Lewis (absent here), back him here, not the Attractions; its that his sensibility is borrowed from the pile-driving rock & roll and folksy introspection of pub rockers like Brinsley Schwarz, adding touches of cult singer/songwriters like Randy Newman and David Ackles. Then, theres the infusion of pure nastiness and cynical humor, which is pure Costello. That blend of classicist sensibilities and cleverness make this collection of shiny roots rock a punk record -- it informs his nervy performances and his prickly songs. Of all classic punk debuts, this remains perhaps the most idiosyncratic because its not cathartic in sound, only in spirit. Which, of course, meant that it could play to a broader audience, and Linda Ronstadt did indeed cover the standout ballad "Alison." Still, theres no mistaking this for anything other than a punk record, and its a terrific one at that, since even if he buries his singer/songwriter inclinations, they shine through as brightly as his cheerfully mean humor and immense musical skill; he sounds as comfortable with a 50s knockoff like "No Dancing" as he does on the reggae-inflected "Less Than Zero." Costello went on to more ambitious territory fairly quickly, but My Aim Is True is a phenomenal debut, capturing a songwriter and musician whose words were as rich and clever as his music. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 35 Title: This Year’s Model Released: 1978-03-17 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:15:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Action (02:01) 2 This Year’s Girl (03:22) 3 The Beat (03:48) 4 Pump It Up (03:15) 5 Little Triggers (02:42) 6 You Belong to Me (02:22) 7 Hand in Hand (02:34) 8 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:08) 9 Lip Service (02:38) 10 Living in Paradise (03:48) 11 Lipstick Vogue (03:33) 12 Night Rally (02:46) 13 Radio, Radio (03:06) 1 Big Tears (03:12) 2 Crawling to the USA (02:55) 3 Running Out of Angels (demo) (02:05) 4 Greenshirt (demo) (02:22) 5 Big Boys (demo) (03:00) 6 You Belong to Me (Capital Radio version) (01:55) 7 Radio, Radio (Capital Radio version) (03:01) 8 Neat Neat Neat (live) (03:16) 9 Roadette Song (live) (05:40) 10 This Year’s Girl (alternate Eden Studios version) (02:09) 11 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (Basing Street Studios version) (03:00) 12 Stranger in the House (BBC version) (04:14) |
| This Year’s Model : Allmusic album Review : Where My Aim Is True implied punk rock with its lyrics and stripped-down production, This Years Model sounds like punk. Not that Elvis Costellos songwriting has changed -- This Years Model is comprised largely of leftovers from My Aim Is True and songs written on the road. Its the music that changed. After releasing My Aim Is True, Costello assembled a backing band called the Attractions, which were considerably tougher and wilder than Clover, who played on his debut. The Attractions were a rock & roll band, which gives This Years Model a reckless, careening feel. Its nervous, amphetamine-fueled, nearly paranoid music -- the group sounds like theyre spinning out of control as soon as they crash in on the brief opener, "No Action," and they never get completely back on track, even on the slower numbers. Costello and the Attractions speed through This Years Model at a blinding pace, which gives his songs -- which were already meaner than the set on My Aim Is True -- a nastier edge. "Lipstick Vogue," "Pump It Up," and "(I Dont Want to Go To) Chelsea" are all underscored with sexual menace, while "Night Rally" touches on a bizarre fascination with fascism that would blossom on his next album, Armed Forces. Even the songs that sound relatively lighthearted -- "Hand in Hand," "Little Triggers," "Lip Service," "Living in Paradise" -- are all edgy, thanks to Costellos breathless vocals, Steve Nieves carnival-esque organ riffs, and Nick Lowes bare-bones production. Of course, the songs on This Years Model are typically catchy and help the vicious sentiments sink into your skin, but the most remarkable thing about the album is the sound -- Costello and the Attractions never rocked this hard, or this vengefully, ever again. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 35 Title: Taking Liberties Released: 1980-10 Tracks: 20 Duration: 51:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Clean Money (02:00) 2 Girls Talk (01:57) 3 Talking in the Dark (01:56) 4 Radio Sweetheart (02:29) 5 Black and White World (01:50) 6 Big Tears (03:10) 7 Just a Memory (02:18) 8 Night Rally (02:43) 9 Stranger in the House (03:03) 10 Clowntime Is Over (03:48) 11 Getting Mighty Crowded (02:10) 12 Hoover Factory (01:45) 13 Tiny Steps (02:42) 14 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:07) 15 Dr. Luther’s Assistant (03:29) 16 Sunday’s Best (03:24) 17 Crawling to the U.S.A. (02:54) 18 Wednesday Week (02:05) 19 My Funny Valentine (01:29) 20 Ghost Train (03:06) |
| Taking Liberties : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costellos early productivity was a bit more than most American rock fans were used to in the one-album-every-18-months 1970s; not only had Costello released four studio albums between 1977 and 1980, there were a number of compilation tracks, EPs, and non-LP B-sides that had found release in Europe but not the United States, while the U.K. editions of This Years Model and Armed Forces both featured tunes that were stripped from American releases. Soon, import distributors had built a cottage industry out of helping loyal Costello fans complete their collections, and in 1980, Columbia Records, Costellos U.S. label at the time, finally made an effort at closing the gap between his American and European catalogs with Taking Liberties. Compiling 20 songs that had never appeared on a Costello album in the States, Taking Liberties was not only a boon for completists (it tacked on a few otherwise unreleased songs so even the most avid import buyer would get something new), it gave a surprisingly clear picture of the many musical avenues Costello had traveled in his first four years -- hard-edged pop/punk ("Clean Money," "Crawling to the USA"), lean power pop ("Big Tears," "I Dont Want to Go to Chelsea"), tough R&B; ("Getting Might Crowded"), country weepers ("Radio Sweetheart," "Stranger in the House"), Tin Pan Alley favorites ("My Funny Valentine"), and a few items that defied any classification but "Elvis Costello" ("Ghost Train," "Hoover Factory"). When Costellos American back catalog was reissued by Rykodisc in the 1990s, the various tracks on Taking Liberties were added to other Costello releases as bonus tracks, and the album went out of print. However, its British counterpart, Ten Bloody Marys & Ten Hows Your Fathers (originally compiled as a cassette-only U.K. release to give folks with tape decks access to tracks unreleased in the format), which features many of the same tracks, remains in print in Europe. By the way, fans of the album A Gene Vincent Record Date might find that Gregg Gellers liner notes sound rather familiar. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 35 Title: The Man: The Best of Elvis Costello Released: 1985-04 Tracks: 18 Duration: 59:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Watching the Detectives (03:45) 2 Oliver’s Army (02:57) 3 Alison (02:53) 4 Accidents Will Happen (03:04) 5 Pump It Up (03:15) 6 High Fidelity (02:28) 7 Pills and Soap (03:43) 8 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:08) 9 New Lace Sleeves (03:46) 10 Good Year for the Roses (03:08) 11 I Can’t Stand Up (for Falling Down) (02:06) 12 Clubland (03:44) 13 Beyond Belief (02:34) 14 New Amsterdam (02:13) 15 Green Shirt (02:43) 16 Everyday I Write the Book (03:55) 17 I Wanna Be Loved (04:45) 18 Shipbuilding (04:50) |
 | Album: 5 of 35 Title: King of America Released: 1986-02-21 Tracks: 36 Duration: 2:14:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Brilliant Mistake (03:43) 2 Lovable (02:51) 3 Our Little Angel (04:06) 4 Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (03:19) 5 Glitter Gulch (03:15) 6 Indoor Fireworks (04:09) 7 Little Palaces (03:49) 8 I’ll Wear It Proudly (04:20) 9 American Without Tears (04:30) 10 Eisenhower Blues (03:46) 11 Poisoned Rose (04:07) 12 The Big Light (02:32) 13 Jack of All Parades (05:18) 14 Suit of Lights (04:05) 15 Sleep of the Just (03:49) 1 Having It All (solo demo) (03:57) 2 Suffering Face (solo demo) (03:08) 3 Deportee (solo demo) (03:35) 4 Indoor Fireworks (solo demo) (03:49) 5 I Hope You’re Happy Now (solo demo) (03:06) 6 Poisoned Rose (solo demo) (04:12) 7 I’ll Wear It Proudly (solo demo) (03:25) 8 Jack of All Parades (solo demo) (03:32) 9 The People’s Limousine (The Coward Brothers) (03:42) 10 They’ll Never Take Her Love From Me (The Coward Brothers) (02:54) 11 King of Confidence (outtake) (02:48) 12 Shoes Without Heels (04:16) 13 End of the Rainbow (solo demo) (03:27) 14 Betrayal (outtake) (02:24) 15 That’s How You Got Killed Before (live) (03:13) 16 The Big Light (live) (03:08) 17 It Tears Me Up (live) (03:26) 18 The Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line (live) (02:42) 19 Your Mind Is on Vacation / Your Funeral My Trial (live) (05:16) 20 That’s How You Got Killed Before (reprise) (live) (07:00) 21 True Love Ways (live) (03:32) |
| King of America : Allmusic album Review : Stripping away much of the excess that cluttered Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World, Elvis Costello returned to his folk-rock and pub rock roots with King of America, creating one of his most affecting and personal records. Costello literally took on the album as a return to roots, billing himself by his given name Declan MacManus and replacing the Attractions with a bunch of L.A. session men (although his old band appears on one cut), who give the album a rootsy but sleek veneer that sounds remarkably charged after the polished affectations of his Langer/Winstanley productions. And not only does the music sound alive, but so do his songs, arguably his best overall set since Trust. Working inside the limits of country, folk, and blues, Costello writes literate, introspective tales of loss, heartbreak, and America that are surprisingly moving -- he rarely got better than "Brilliant Mistake," "Glitter Gulch," "American Without Tears," "Big Light," and "Indoor Fireworks." What separates King of America from the underrated Almost Blue is that Costellos country now sounds lived-in and worn, bringing a new emotional depth to the music, and that helps make it one of his masterpieces. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 35 Title: Out of Our Idiot Released: 1987-12-04 Tracks: 17 Duration: 56:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Seven Day Weekend (02:38) 2 Turning the Town Red (03:21) 3 Heathen Town (03:06) 4 The Peoples Limousine (03:40) 5 So Young (03:27) 6 American Without Tears No 2 (twilight version) (03:35) 7 Get Yourself Another Fool (04:03) 8 Walking on Thin Ice (03:43) 9 Blue Chair (03:37) 10 Baby Its You (03:14) 11 From Head to Toe (02:33) 12 Shoes Without Heels (04:16) 13 Babys Got a Brand New Hairdo (03:20) 14 The Flirting Kind (02:58) 15 Black Sails in the Sunset (03:08) 16 Imperial Bedroom (02:46) 17 The Stamping Ground (03:10) |
| Out of Our Idiot : Allmusic album Review : Following in the tradition of Taking Liberties and Ten Bloody Marys & Ten Hows Your Fathers, Out of Our Idiot compiles 21 rarities Elvis Costello released during the early and mid-80s, usually under pseudonyms. Many of these songs are collaborations -- "Seven Day Weekend" is a rollicking duet with Jimmy Cliff; Elvis sings "Baby Its You" with Nick Lowe; Costello and T-Bone Burnett form the Coward Brothers -- hence the albums billing as a "various-artists" record, which is indicative of its freewheeling, goofy humor. Even with a cover of Richard Thompsons harrowing "Withered and Died," Out of Our Idiot is pure fun, and its not just for collectors. Costellos throwaways are frequently excellent, whether its covers (Yoko Onos "Walking on Thin Ice," Smokey Robinsons "From Head to Toe," "So Young"), genre exercises, jokes, or full-fledged songs. Most of the songs on Out of Our Idiot were later included as bonus tracks in the Demon/Rykodisc reissue series, but this remains the only place "Little Goody Two Shoes" (a working version of "Inch by Inch") is available. Besides, its a great listen in its own right. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 35 Title: Spike Released: 1989-02-06 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:04:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 …This Town… (04:30) 2 Let Him Dangle (04:45) 3 Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (04:06) 4 Veronica (03:09) 5 God’s Comic (05:32) 6 Chewing Gum (03:47) 7 Tramp the Dirt Down (05:44) 8 Stalin Malone (04:09) 9 Satellite (05:44) 10 Pads, Paws and Claws (02:56) 11 Baby Plays Around (02:48) 12 Miss Macbeth (04:25) 13 Any King’s Shilling (06:06) 14 Coal‐Train Robberies (03:18) 15 Last Boat Leaving (03:31) |
| Spike : Allmusic album Review : Following a pair of near-masterpieces in 1986, Elvis Costello went into semi-seclusion, separating from the Attractions (once again) and Columbia Records, emerging three years later on Warner Brothers with Spike. Mockingly billing himself as "the Beloved Entertainer" on the albums front cover, theres nevertheless a real sense of showbiz pizzazz here, as he tries on a little bit of everything. You like Costello the soul singer? Try "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," recorded with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Costello the pop sophisticate? How about the torch song "Baby Plays Around" or "Gods Comic," a tune that mocks Andrew Lloyd Webber, while aching to eclipse him. The angry young man? Theres "Tramp the Dirt Down," perhaps the nastiest anti-Thatcher song ever waxed. Costello the witty wordsmith? Well, theres "Pads, Paws and Claws," a rockabilly tune overflowing with labored puns. Costello the gifted pure pop tunesmith? Theres plenty of that here, from "This Town" with Roger McGuinn and Paul McCartney and the lovely "Veronica," a tune co-written with McCartney that became one of his biggest hits. So, theres a lot here -- everything except focus, actually. And Costello certainly likes to indulge himself here, throwing in the awkward "Chewing Gum" and the instrumental "Stalin Malone" for good measure. There are some moments that work quite well, but theres nothing connecting them, and if anything, hes trying way too hard -- and, for all of the overarching ambition of his early-80s recordings, that criticism never applied before. Certainly, there are cuts for cultists to enjoy, but Spikes sprawl works against it, resulting in a maddeningly diffuse listen. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 35 Title: Girls Girls Girls Released: 1989-10 Tracks: 47 Duration: 2:33:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Watching the Detectives (03:45) 2 I Hope You’re Happy Now (03:07) 3 This Year’s Girl (03:22) 4 Lover’s Walk (02:18) 5 Pump It Up (03:15) 6 Strict Time (02:41) 7 Temptation (02:33) 8 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:08) 9 High Fidelity (02:28) 10 Lovable (02:51) 11 Mystery Dance (01:38) 12 Big Tears (03:10) 13 Uncomplicated (03:23) 14 Lipstick Vogue (03:33) 15 Man Out of Time (05:28) 16 Brilliant Mistake (03:43) 17 New Lace Sleeves (03:47) 18 Accidents Will Happen (02:59) 19 Beyond Belief (02:30) 20 Black and White World (01:56) 21 Green Shirt (02:40) 22 The Loved Ones (02:46) 23 New Amsterdam (02:13) 24 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (02:49) 25 King Horse (02:59) 26 Big Sister’s Clothes (02:12) 1 Alison (03:24) 2 Man Called Uncle (02:17) 3 Party Girl (03:22) 4 Shabby Doll (04:43) 5 Motel Matches (02:30) 6 Tiny Steps (02:42) 7 Almost Blue (02:46) 8 Riot Act (03:38) 9 Love Field (03:27) 10 Possession (02:04) 11 Poisoned Rose (04:07) 12 Indoor Fireworks (04:09) 13 I Want You (single version) (05:50) 14 Oliver’s Army (02:57) 15 Pills and Soap (03:43) 16 Sunday’s Best (03:22) 17 Watch Your Step (02:59) 18 Less Than Zero (03:15) 19 Clubland (03:44) 20 Tokyo Storm Warning (06:25) 21 Shipbuilding (04:50) |
| Girls Girls Girls : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costello assembled this compilation himself. It is highly idiosyncratic, not the least of its peculiarities being that the CD and cassette versions differ considerably. Costello describes a vague concept in his notes, but the collection of songs (47 on the CDs, 51 on the cassettes) seems a jumble. At least he demonstrates that songs from different periods work well together. A large part of Costellos oeuvre, including some of his best work, is represented. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 35 Title: Mighty Like a Rose Released: 1991-05-10 Tracks: 14 Duration: 54:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Other Side of Summer (03:56) 2 Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over) (04:05) 3 How to Be Dumb (05:14) 4 All Grown Up (04:17) 5 Invasion Hit Parade (05:33) 6 Harpies Bizarre (03:44) 7 After the Fall (04:36) 8 Georgie and Her Rival (03:38) 9 So Like Candy (04:36) 10 Interlude (Couldnt Call It Unexpected No. 2) (00:22) 11 Playboy to a Man (03:20) 12 Sweet Pear (03:37) 13 Broken (03:36) 14 Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No. 4 (03:48) |
| Mighty Like a Rose : Allmusic album Review : If Spike seemed frustratingly incoherent, its nothing compared to Mighty Like a Rose, a deliberately dense, difficult record that is easily the most impenetrable that Elvis Costello ever cut. With producers Mitchell Froom and Kevin Killen, Costello made a record with no easy entrances, even if the sparkling Beach Boys-esque "The Other Side of Summer" and the lovely "So Like Candy" would have been accessible with different production. And, certainly, production is the most notable thing about this record. Filled with clattering production, spongy bass, cardboard guitars, studio white noise, and layers upon layers of tracks, theres so much going on that its hard to get to the core of the songs. Not that Costello makes it any easier for the listener, either, since only a few songs (the aforementioned pair, plus "All Grown Up" and "Playboy to a Man") dont seem self-satisfied in their own construction. And his performances are nearly as affected as the songs, as he over-sings (albeit for effect) and contributes to the muddy wall of sound. Yes, this is "interesting," but it takes many plays before you realize all those "interesting" effects lead nowhere -- only to the strangest record Costello ever cut (and thats not a compliment, unfortunately). | ||
 | Album: 10 of 35 Title: The Juliet Letters Released: 1993-01-19 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:02:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Deliver Us (00:49) 2 For Other Eyes (02:55) 3 Swine (02:08) 4 Expert Rites (02:23) 5 Dead Letter (02:18) 6 I Almost Had a Weakness (03:53) 7 Why? (01:26) 8 Who Do You Think You Are? (03:28) 9 Taking My Life in Your Hands (03:20) 10 This Offer Is Unrepeatable (03:12) 11 Dear Sweet Filthy World (04:17) 12 The Letter Home (03:10) 13 Jacksons, Monk and Rowe (03:43) 14 This Sad Burlesque (02:47) 15 Romeo’s Seance (03:32) 16 I Thought I’d Write to Juliet (04:07) 17 Last Post (02:24) 18 The First to Leave (04:59) 19 Damnation’s Cellar (03:25) 20 The Birds Will Still Be Singing (04:27) |
| The Juliet Letters : Allmusic album Review : Looking back on it, its remarkable that Warner didnt sue Elvis Costello for making deliberately noncommercial, non-representative records, the way Geffen did with Neil Young in the 80s. After all, its not just that he made a record as anti-pop as Mighty Like a Rose, its that he followed it with a full-fledged classical album, The Juliet Letters -- "a song sequence for string quartet and voice," recorded with the Brodsky Quartet. Its inspired by a Verona professor who responded to letters addressed to Juliet, of Romeo and Juliet fame, too. Given this history, its little wonder that the record didnt storm the charts, but it is remarkable that Warner, even with their reputation for being an artists label, decided to release it, since this just doesnt fit anywhere -- not within pop (especially in the grunge-saturated 1993) and not within classical, either. Of course, thats precisely whats interesting about the record, and if interesting didnt signify any rewards with Mighty, it does here. This is a distinctive, unusual affair that, at its best, effectively marries chamber music with Beatlesque art pop. And there are a number of moments that work remarkably well on the record, such as "I Almost Had a Weakness" and "Jacksons, Monk and Rowe." True, these are the songs closest to straight-ahead Costello songs, yet theyre still nice, small gems, and even if the rest of the record can be a little arch and awkward, its not hard to admire what Costello and the Brodskys set out to do. And thats the problem with the record -- its easy to intellectualize, even appreciate, what it intends to be, but its never compelling enough to return to. More experiment than effective, then. [The Juliet Letters was the last of Elvis Costellos albums from 1977 to 1996 to receive an expanded double-disc treatment in Rhinos extended reissue campaign, finally appearing on its own in March 2006. Given the unusual collaborative nature of the project, there wasnt as much unreleased music and rarities as there were for other Costello albums, so this second disc winds up as a clearing-house for highlights from Costellos art projects of the 90s. Eight of the 18 tracks date from the Meltdown, there are the three non-LP songs from the 1993 promotional EP Live at New York Town Hall: Jerome Kerns "They Didnt Believe Me," Tom Waits "More Than Rain," and Brian Wilsons "God Only Knows." Also included is "She Moved Through the Fair," a Costello-sung traditional folk tune that appeared on the Brodsky Quartets 1994 album Lament, and another Costello/Brodsky collaboration on "Lost in the Stars," plucked from the 1997 tribute album September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill, plus three parts of "Fire Suite" that were recorded with the Jazz Passengers and released originally on Roy Nathansons 2000 LP Fire at Keatons Bar & Grill. Considering the variety of sources, spanning the better part of the decade, its not a big surprise that this disc isnt particularly cohesive -- particularly in comparison to its parent disc -- but theres a good batch of interesting music here. Not always good -- the version of "God Only Knows" is awkward, for instance -- but even the stumbles are worthwhile listening for those who appreciate The Juliet Letters, and the best of this, like "Fire Suite," is quietly sublime.] | ||
 | Album: 11 of 35 Title: Brutal Youth Released: 1994-03-08 Tracks: 15 Duration: 57:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pony St. (03:25) 2 Kinder Murder (03:26) 3 13 Steps Lead Down (03:20) 4 This Is Hell (04:27) 5 Clown Strike (04:05) 6 You Tripped at Every Step (04:12) 7 Still Too Soon to Know (02:23) 8 20% Amnesia (03:26) 1 Sulky Girl (05:07) 2 London’s Brilliant Parade (04:23) 3 My Science Fiction Twin (04:10) 4 Rocking Horse Road (04:04) 5 Just About Glad (03:16) 6 All the Rage (04:01) 7 Favourite Hour (03:31) |
| Brutal Youth : Allmusic album Review : Perhaps realizing that The Juliet Letters was one step too far, especially after the willfully eclectic pair of Spike and Mighty Like a Rose, Elvis Costello set out to make a straight-ahead rock & roll record with Brutal Youth, reuniting with the Attractions (though Bruce Thomas appears on only five tracks) and Nick Lowe (who plays bass on most of the rest). Unfortunately, all this nostalgia and good intentions are cancelled by the retention of producer Mitchell Froom, whose junkyard, hazily cerebral productions stand in direct contrast to the Attractions best work. Likely, Frooms self-conscious production appealed to Costello, since it makes Brutal Youth look less like a retreat, but it severely undercuts the effectiveness of the music, since it lacks guts, no matter how smugly secure it is in its tempered "experimentation." Costello certainly had the raw elements for a dynamic little record here -- the band, when they can be heard, sound good, and many songs (highlighted by "Pony St.," "Kinder Murder," "13 Steps Lead Down," "You Tripped at Every Step," and "20% Amnesia") are fresh, effective evocations of his classic work -- but it needed to be punchier to succeed. He needed to be produced by Lowe, instead of just having him sit in on bass. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 35 Title: Kojak Variety Released: 1995-05-05 Tracks: 15 Duration: 53:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Strange (02:43) 2 Hidden Charms (03:34) 3 Remove This Doubt (03:55) 4 I Threw It All Away (03:27) 5 Leave My Kitten Alone (03:14) 6 Everybody’s Crying Mercy (04:08) 7 I’ve Been Wrong Before (03:03) 8 Bama Lama Bama Loo (02:48) 9 Must You Throw Dirt in My Face (03:51) 10 Pouring Water on a Drowning Man (03:40) 11 The Very Thought of You (03:43) 12 Payday (03:00) 13 Please Stay (04:51) 14 Running Out of Fools (03:04) 15 Days (04:55) |
| Kojak Variety : Allmusic album Review : With Almost Blue, Elvis Costello wanted to be a honky tonker. With Kojak Variety, hes a crooner, picking forgotten tunes by both minor and major artists (anyone from Screamin Jay Hawkins to Bob Dylan). From his song selections to the pseudo-avant-rock/R&B band, Costello doesnt make any obvious moves. Yet that doesnt mean that the record is difficult -- it just shows the depths of Costellos affection for music and record collecting (which is also clear from his loving, detailed liner notes). Costello and his band (featuring guitarists James Burton and Marc Ribot, drummer Jim Keltner and Attraction Pete Thomas) play with gusto, tearing through the songs with the vigor of a bar band on a Friday night. Some of the rockers sound slightly forced, although theres no denying the power of Costellos passionate vocals, even if he stretches his range a little too much (Little Richards "Bama Lama Bama Loo"). What matters here are the performances, and the majority of Kojak Variety is filled with fine interpretations. Kojak Variety does what any good covers album should do -- it makes you want to seek out the originals. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 35 Title: Extreme Honey: The Very Best of the Warner Bros. Years Released: 1997 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:17:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Bridge I Burned (05:20) 2 Veronica (03:09) 3 Sulky Girl (05:07) 4 So Like Candy (04:36) 5 13 Steps Lead Down (03:20) 6 All This Useless Beauty (04:37) 7 My Dark Life (06:20) 8 The Other Side of Summer (03:53) 9 Kinder Murder (03:26) 10 Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (04:06) 11 Hurry Down Doomsday (04:04) 12 Poor Fractured Atlas (04:01) 13 The Birds Will Still Be Singing (04:22) 14 London’s Brilliant Parade (04:23) 15 Tramp the Dirt Down (05:40) 16 Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No. 4 (03:48) 17 I Want to Vanish (03:15) 18 All the Rage (03:53) |
| Extreme Honey: The Very Best of the Warner Bros. Years : Allmusic album Review : For anyone who didnt follow the many paths Costello treaded during the 90s, Extreme Honey: The Very Best of Warner Brothers Years is a good way to become acquainted with the strangest portion of his career. Like the Warner years themselves, Extreme Honey is flawed, suffering from the same idiosyncratic compiling method as Girls! Girls! Girls! There are a number of hits and singles, to be sure ("Veronica," "So Like Candy," "Sulky Girl," "13 Steps Lead Down," "The Other Side of Summer"), but the bulk of the album consists of album tracks. This isnt necessarily bad, since many of Costellos best songs werent singles, but the problem is, Extreme Honey doesnt necessarily contain his best songs from the era. There are a number of great moments here, whether its the lilting "The Birds Will Still Be Singing" from the underrated Juliet Letters or the New Orleans-inflected "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," but the forced cacophony of "Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)" merely indicates how he was prone to excess during this era. And that leaves Extreme Honey in a weird position -- it accurately conveys the spirit of Costellos Warner recordings, but it only has a portion of his best work from those albums. Nevertheless, the fact that it captures the feeling of Costellos 90s recordings makes it a worthwhile sampler for the curious who dont want to delve into the actual albums. [In order to entice collectors and die-hard fans, Extreme Honey contains "My Dark Life," Costellos collaboration with Brian Eno originally on The X-Files soundtrack, and the new track "The Bridge I Burned," a neo-psychedelic/trip-hop number constructed from backing tapes recorded with his son and Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey once Prince denied him the permission to alter the lyrics to "Pop Life."] | ||
 | Album: 14 of 35 Title: Painted From Memory Released: 1998-09-29 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In the Darkest Place (04:19) 2 Toledo (04:36) 3 I Still Have That Other Girl (02:48) 4 This House Is Empty Now (05:10) 5 Tears at the Birthday Party (04:38) 6 Such Unlikely Lovers (03:26) 7 My Thief (04:21) 8 The Long Division (04:15) 9 Painted From Memory (04:14) 10 The Sweetest Punch (04:11) 11 What’s Her Name Today? (04:11) 12 God Give Me Strength (06:08) |
| Painted From Memory : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach first collaborated on "God Give Me Strength," a sweeping ballad that functioned as the centerpiece in Allison Anders Grace of My Heart. It was a stunning song in the tradition of Bacharachs classic 60s work and it was successful enough that the composers decided to collaborate on a full album, Painted from Memory. Wisely, they chose to work within the stylistic parameters of Bacharachs 60s material, but Painted from Memory never sounds like a stylistic exercise. Instead, its a return to form for both artists. Bacharach hasnt written such graceful, powerful melodies since his glory days, and Costello hasnt crafted such a fully realized album since King of America. Its a testament to both that even if the album is clearly in Bacharachs territory, it feels like a genuine collaboration. Often, the music not only evokes the spirit of Dionne Warwick, its reminiscent of Elvis torching ballads for Trust. Costello keeps Bacharach from his schmaltzier tendencies, and Bacharach keeps Costello from overwriting. With its lush arrangements, sighing brass and strings, gentle pianos, and backing vocals, its clearly a classicist album, yet it sounds utterly timeless. Its melodies are immediate, its emotions subtle, its impact lasting -- and, with that timeless sound, Painted from Memory illustrates that craft cannot only be its own reward, it can be genuinely moving. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 35 Title: The Very Best of Elvis Costello Released: 1999 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:20:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding? (03:32) 2 Oliver’s Army (02:58) 3 Watching the Detectives (03:45) 4 Alison (03:24) 5 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:07) 6 Accidents Will Happen (03:00) 7 Pump It Up (03:14) 8 I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down (02:06) 9 Radio Radio (03:06) 10 Clubland (03:43) 11 Good Year for the Roses (03:08) 12 Man Out of Time (05:27) 13 I Wanna Be Loved (04:47) 14 Everyday I Write the Book (03:53) 15 Indoor Fireworks (04:09) 16 Shipbuilding (04:53) 17 Tokyo Storm Warning (06:24) 18 I Want You (06:42) 19 God Give Me Strength (06:08) 20 She (03:07) |
| The Very Best of Elvis Costello : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costello seems to have an aversion to presenting his work in a logical, comprehensive fashion, if the double-disc The Very Best of Elvis Costello is any indication. Like its predecessor, Girls Girls Girls, it sprawls over two discs, with very little regard to chronology or style, baffling and enticing listeners in equal measure. Although there are certainly some terrific songs missing, its hard to argue with much of whats here (with the notable exception of the cuts here to lure in collectors -- the Charles Aznavour cover of "She," first heard in Notting Hill, and a version of "That Day Is Done," recorded with the Fairfield Four, featured on their 1997 album). So, as a reasonably thorough, albeit scattershot, overview, this works pretty well, since the music itself is good, even if it doesnt make sense when presented in this fashion (if it was intended to illustrate Costellos stylistic sweep, it winds up as counterproductive, since its confusing in this fashion, not enticing). Still, the curious will prefer the single-disc sampler, The Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, since its not only more concise, it illustrates Costellos depth and range equally well. And if you want to dig deeper after hearing that, the original albums are worth any fans time. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 35 Title: The Sweetest Punch Released: 1999-09-21 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:04:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Sweetest Punch (04:45) 2 Toledo (05:27) 3 Such Unlikely Lovers (05:44) 4 This House Is Empty Now (05:04) 5 Painted From Memory (04:10) 6 Whats Her Name Today? (04:57) 7 In the Darkest Place (05:56) 8 Vamp Dolce (03:27) 9 My Thief (04:31) 10 I Still Have That Other Girl (02:23) 11 Painted From Memory (reprise) (03:38) 12 The Long Division (03:59) 13 Tears at the Birthday Party (03:44) 14 I Still Have That Other Girl (reprise) (01:53) 15 God Give Me Strength (04:41) |
| The Sweetest Punch : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costellos collaboration with Burt Bacharach produced the exquisite Painted From Memory, an unabashedly classicist pop album that recalled Bacharachs heyday with Hal David. It was such an individual album, unlike anything in Costellos catalog, that its a wonder that the same batch of songs could produce another album as equally compelling and unique, which is exactly what Bill Frisells The Sweetest Punch is. Costello sent Frisell demos of every song on Painted From Memory after they were completed. As Costello and Bacharach worked on their album, Frisell wrote his own arrangements of the songs, assembling a stellar band -- including Don Byron, Brian Blade, Billy Drewes, Curtis Fowlkes, Viktor Krauss, and Ron Miles -- to record an alternate album. Neither group of musicians heard the others work, which meant each record developed its own personality. Indeed, its fascinating to hear The Sweetest Punch after living with Painted From Memory for a year -- its like passing through the looking glass. Frisell stays true to his own music and the songs, crafting inspired, subtly challenging arrangements. Theyre a far cry from the lavish orchestrations of the Costello-Bacharach affair, but Frisells mild dissonance and elegant flow feels equally luxurious. These versions emphasize the strength of the songs. The musicians on The Sweetest Punch open the songs up, just as numerous jazz artists have with pop standards, discovering new emotional and musical layers to the melodies. And thats the key to the records success: Not only does it work as a companion piece to Painted From Memory, but its a wonderful work in its own right that can be appreciated without knowledge of its predecessor. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 35 Title: For the Stars Released: 2001-04-10 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:03:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Wonder (03:36) 2 Baby Plays Around (03:12) 3 Go Leave (02:50) 4 Rope (03:56) 5 Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (03:12) 6 Broken Bicycles / Junk (04:06) 7 The Other Woman (03:35) 8 Like an Angel Passing Through My Room (05:02) 9 Green Song (04:37) 10 April After All (02:51) 11 You Still Believe in Me (03:08) 12 I Want to Vanish (02:41) 13 For No One (02:00) 14 Shamed Into Love (03:46) 15 Just a Curio (04:18) 16 This House Is Empty Now (04:38) 17 Take It With Me (03:17) 18 For the Stars (02:45) |
| For the Stars : Allmusic album Review : For the Stars is the kind of record rock critics tend to instinctively praise because they just arent sure if they get it, and theyre afraid to lay themselves on the line. If they pan it, well, theyre just junk-addled boors. If they praise it, they risk seeming uninformed, since they dont really know if it works as a classical work or not. The thing to remember is, that these kind of rock/classical crossovers belong to neither realm. They exist outside of both worlds, which is their charm and their curse. This is what plagued The Juliet Letters, Elvis Costellos 1993 collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet, which managed to delicately walk the line between chamber music and baroque pop. For the Stars, a collaboration with opera vocalist Anne Sofie von Otter, is more accessible, yet it isnt as successful, largely because its mannerisms are front and center. This is a deliberately "classy" project, pitched squarely at the NPR audience -- the very audience that embraced Painted From Memory because it helped put Bacharach in the context of the great composers. This wont likely do the same for von Otter, because its execution is a little haphazard, even if it is exactly what the two planned. For the Stars winds through a number of pop songs, ranging from new Costello songs to pop standards, from old Elvis favorites to covers of the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, Ron Sexsmith, ABBA, and Tom Waits. Most of this is executed in a manner similar to The Juliet Letters, finding a middle ground between classicist pop and chamber music without bowing to the conventions of either. Above all, this is frequently interesting music, but thats not really the same thing as compelling. Its easy to appreciate the passion and craft behind this music, but it often feels unfulfilled, even when it feels complete. This is not the fault of either musician -- von Otters performances are always impassioned, Costellos few vocals are strong, the selection of material always makes sense, and the production is suitably understated. Still, this is a record that clicks cerebrally, not emotionally, and while it has its own character, its hard to envision fans of either artist returning to it all that often. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 35 Title: When I Was Cruel Released: 2002-04-15 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:05:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 45 (03:33) 2 Spooky Girlfriend (04:22) 3 Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution) (03:31) 4 When I Was Cruel No. 2 (07:06) 5 Soul for Hire (03:55) 6 15 Petals (04:01) 7 Tart (04:03) 8 Dust 2… (03:21) 9 Dissolve (02:23) 10 Alibi (06:42) 11 …Dust (03:04) 12 Daddy Can I Turn This? (03:41) 13 My Little Blue Window (03:10) 14 Oh Well (02:51) 15 Episode of Blonde (05:03) 16 Radio Silence (04:58) |
| When I Was Cruel : Allmusic album Review : Given the flurry of activity from Elvis Costello at the turn of the century -- concerts, guest appearances, reissues, a movie role that was barely seen outside of off-hours on BET -- its hard to believe that he spent four years without releasing an album of new compositions...and if you dont count the Bacharach collaboration, its been a full six years since his last album. Either way, it was the longest stretch of time between albums in Costellos career, capping off a decade of records where he seemed to determine to flaunt his versatility, range, and ambition, which may be the reason why the focused, stripped-down artiness and resurgent acerbic wit sounds particularly fresh on When I Was Cruel. As such, its easy to be tempted to call the record a return to form, but its not an accurate assessment, not least because its not as strong as Painted From Memory. It is accurate to call it the most Costello Costello record since probably Blood & Chocolate -- one that maintains a consistent tone, bristles with nasty humor, and is filled with carefully written lyrics (some could call them labored) and knowing, clever musicality. Since its a post-Froom, post-Ribot production, its murky and hazy, with muffled drums, shoebox guitars, obscured loops, and angled arrangements all signifying that while this is his first pop album in years, its still a serious experience (but fortunately much livelier than the Froom productions, and not nearly as mannered or affected). In other words, its exactly what it was supposed to be and its successful on those terms, but that shouldnt be mistaken as a creative rebirth along the lines of, say, Love & Theft, or a record that will play outside of the cult, since the sound and approach is pretty insular. Given all the care that was put in the production, the variety of the music, and the craft of the lyrics, its no surprise that there are memorable moments -- whether its the horns on "Episode of Blonde" or the dynamite guitar on "Tear off Your Own Head (Its a Doll Revolution)," -- but theyre moments in songs, not songs themselves. Each song is so tightly wound, only those who automatically listen to new Costello records obsessively upon release will unravel their mysteries. Those listeners will find plenty to obsess over and will be satisfied, since, outside of the Bacharach album, its his best in a long time. But in order to know that, you will have to have diligently listened to everything from Spike on -- and if you got off the bus around then, its harder than ever to get back on. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 35 Title: North Released: 2003-09-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Left Me in the Dark (03:26) 2 Someone Took the Words Away (04:35) 3 When Did I Stop Dreaming (05:22) 4 You Turned to Me (02:32) 5 Fallen (03:12) 6 When It Sings (03:58) 7 Still (02:27) 8 Let Me Tell You About Her (04:23) 9 Can You Be True? (03:45) 10 When Green Eyes Turn Blue (04:17) 11 I’m in the Mood Again (02:34) 12 Impatience (05:03) |
| North : Allmusic album Review : North, Elvis Costellos 20th album of new material, follows the deliberately classicist When I Was Cruel by a mere year, but it feels more the sequel to 1998s Burt Bacharach collaboration, Painted From Memory, or even 1993s roundly ignored classical pop experiment, The Juliet Letters. Costello has abandoned clanging guitars and drums of Cruel -- abandoned rock & roll, really -- to return to a set of classically influenced songs, all "composed, arranged and conducted" by the man himself (on The Juliet Letters, he was merely the composer and voice). The songs on North are pitched halfway between traditional torch ballads and arty contemporary Broadway writers such as Stephen Sondheim. This isnt so much a shift in direction after When I Was Cruel as much as it is an extension of the Bacharach album (in this context, Cruel seems like the aberration), but its also a reflection of Costellos new love for Canadian jazz singer Diana Krall. Its not just that North is somewhat of a song cycle, starting with the despair of a failed relationship and ending with the hope of a new love, but that its somewhat written in the style of Kralls music: self-consciously sophisticated and slightly jazzy. Ultimately, North is not jazz-pop; its classical pop, with Costello more interested in the structure, arrangement, and words of the song rather than mere catchiness. Its a very writerly album, in regards to both the music and lyrics. Consequently, it takes a bit of effort to get into the album, since it purposefully lacks hooks and songs as immediate or tuneful as those on Painted From Memory or "Jacksons, Monk and Rowe" from The Juliet Letters. This is not a flaw, per se -- its simply what the album is, a collection of subtle songs performed with an elegant understatement. Unlike The Juliet Letters, North never feels like an exercise, nor does it feel like Costello has something to prove. Its a specific, personal album with serious ambitions that it fulfills. If the album ultimately winds up being something to listen to on occasion rather than a record to spin repeatedly, that doesnt make Costellos achievement with this song cycle any less admirable. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 35 Title: Singles, Volume 2 Released: 2003-10-27 Tracks: 35 Duration: 1:43:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 High Fidelity (02:28) 2 Getting Mighty Crowded (02:10) 3 Clowntime Is Over No. 2 (03:46) 1 New Amsterdam (02:14) 2 Dr. Luther’s Assistant (03:30) 3 Ghost Train (03:06) 4 Just a Memory (02:18) 1 Clubland (03:43) 2 Clean Money (01:59) 3 Hoover Factory (01:46) 1 From a Whisper to a Scream (02:57) 2 Luxembourg (02:29) 1 Good Year for the Roses (03:11) 2 Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven (01:59) 1 Sweet Dreams (03:02) 2 Psycho (live) (03:35) 1 I’m Your Toy (live, The Royal Albert Hall) (03:47) 2 Cry Cry Cry (02:51) 3 Wondering (02:24) 4 My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You (02:03) 5 Blues Keep Calling (02:07) 6 Honky Tonk Girl (02:26) 1 You Little Fool (03:11) 2 Big Sister (02:20) 3 The Stamping Ground (03:10) 1 Man Out of Time (05:27) 2 Town Cryer (fast version) (02:15) 3 Man Out of Time (DJ edit) (04:19) 4 Imperial Bedroom (02:48) 1 From Head to Toe (02:36) 2 The World of Broken Hearts (03:03) 1 Party Party (03:12) 2 Imperial Bedroom (02:48) 1 Pills and Soap (03:42) 2 Pills and Soap (extended version) (04:12) |
 | Album: 21 of 35 Title: Singles, Volume 3 Released: 2003-10-27 Tracks: 37 Duration: 2:29:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Everyday I Write the Book (03:53) 2 Heathen Town (03:10) 3 Night Time (02:55) 4 Everyday I Write the Book (extended mix) (04:55) 5 Everyday I Write the Book (special version) (05:06) 6 Everyday I Write the Book (instrumental) (03:41) 1 Let Them All Talk (03:06) 2 The Flirting Kind (03:00) 3 Let Them All Talk (extended 12″ remix) (05:59) 1 Peace in Our Time (04:07) 2 Withered and Died (03:14) 1 I Wanna Be Loved (radio version) (04:51) 2 Turning the Town Red (03:18) 3 I Wanna Be Loved (extended Smoochy ’n’ Runny version) (05:40) 4 I Wanna Be Loved (version Discotheque) (07:05) 1 The Only Flame in Town (04:02) 2 The Comedians (02:35) 3 Baby It’s You (03:13) 4 The Only Flame in Town (version Discotheque) (04:38) 5 Pump It Up (dance mix) (03:30) 1 The People’s Limousine (The Coward Brothers) (03:42) 2 They’ll Never Take Her Love From Me (The Coward Brothers) (02:54) 1 Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (03:19) 2 Baby’s Got a Brand New Hairdo (03:25) 3 Get Yourself Another Fool (04:04) 4 Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (live) (03:17) 1 Tokyo Storm Warning (Part 1) (03:59) 2 Tokyo Storm Warning (Part 2) (03:36) 3 Black Sails in the Sunset (03:09) 1 I Want You (06:42) 2 I Hope You’re Happy Now (03:00) 1 Blue Chair (single version) (03:41) 2 American Without Tears No. 2 (Twilight version) (03:35) 3 Shoes Without Heels (04:16) 1 A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing) (05:47) 2 Return to Big Nothing (02:54) 3 A Town Called Big Nothing (The Long March) (05:45) |
 | Album: 22 of 35 Title: Singles, Volume 1 Released: 2003-11-03 Tracks: 28 Duration: 1:14:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Less Than Zero (03:18) 2 Radio Sweetheart (02:32) 1 Alison (03:26) 2 Welcome to the Working Week (01:25) 3 Alison (US remix) (03:05) 1 Red Shoes (02:30) 2 Mystery Dance (01:35) 1 Watching the Detectives (03:48) 2 Blame It on Cain (live) (02:51) 3 Mystery Dance (live) (01:56) 4 Miracle Man (live) (03:55) 1 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:06) 2 You Belong to Me (02:19) 1 Stranger in the House (03:06) 2 Neat, Neat, Neat (live at Leicester University, 22‐10‐77) (03:14) 1 Pump It Up (03:20) 2 Big Tears (03:11) 1 Radio Radio (03:09) 2 Tiny Steps (02:44) 1 Talking in the Dark (01:59) 2 Wednesday Week (02:06) 1 Oliver’s Army (03:02) 2 My Funny Valentine (01:32) 1 Accidents Will Happen (03:04) 2 Talking in the Dark (01:59) 3 Wednesday Week (02:06) 1 I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down (02:09) 2 Girls Talk (01:57) |
 | Album: 23 of 35 Title: Il Sogno Released: 2004-09-20 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:01:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Prelude (00:46) 2 Overture (01:18) 3 Puck 1 (02:20) 4 The Court (02:27) 5 The State of Affairs (04:44) 6 Hermia and Lysander (03:16) 7 The Jealousy of Helena (00:55) 8 Workers Playtime (02:16) 9 Oberon and Titania (04:14) 10 The Conspiracy of Oberon and Puck (01:08) 11 Slumber (01:25) 12 Puck 2 (01:49) 13 The Identity Parade (04:42) 14 The Face of Bottom (02:48) 15 The Spark of Love (04:23) 16 Tormentress (01:41) 17 Oberon Humbled (03:41) 18 Twisted - Entangled - Transform and Exchange (02:35) 19 The Fairy and the Ass (01:35) 20 Sleep (02:51) 21 Bottom Awakes (01:43) 22 Lovers Arise (03:18) 23 The Play (01:30) 24 The Wedding (04:22) |
 | Album: 24 of 35 Title: Marian McPartlands Piano Jazz Released: 2005-07-12 Tracks: 17 Duration: 53:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Conversation (02:47) 2 At Last (03:57) 3 Conversation (04:04) 4 My Funny Valentine (03:44) 5 Conversation (04:39) 6 Almost Blue (02:49) 7 Conversation (02:36) 8 Very Thought of You (03:50) 9 Conversation (02:38) 10 Gloomy Sunday (03:25) 11 Conversation (02:11) 12 You Dont Know What Love Is (04:59) 13 Conversation (03:33) 14 They Didnt Believe Me (03:54) 15 Conversation (01:47) 16 Im in the Mood Again (02:42) 17 Conversation (00:05) |
 | Album: 25 of 35 Title: The River in Reverse Released: 2006-05-29 Tracks: 13 Duration: 53:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 On Your Way Down (04:54) 2 Nearer to You (03:32) 3 The Sharpest Thorn (04:16) 4 Tears, Tears and More Tears (03:30) 5 Whos Gonna Help Brother Get Further? (05:04) 6 The River in Reverse (04:32) 1 Freedom for the Stallion (02:58) 2 Broken Promise Land (04:34) 3 Ascension Day (02:57) 4 International Echo (04:58) 5 All These Things (04:07) 6 Wonder Woman (03:08) 7 Six-Fingered Man (04:30) |
| The River in Reverse : Allmusic album Review : Its impossible to consider The River in Reverse without taking the devastation Hurricane Katrina wreaked upon New Orleans into account. Indeed, its quite likely that this collaboration between Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint would not even have occurred if it werent for that cataclysmic event. Theyve collaborated before -- Toussaint wrote horn charts for Costellos 1989 album Spike -- but neither had plans to work together until they appeared together at several benefit concerts for the victims of Katrina in September of 2005. That kick-started the album that became The River in Reverse. Initially, the plan was for the collaboration to be a songbook album, with Costello and Toussaint performing some highlights from Allens rich songbook, and while the record bears some remnants of that blueprint -- seven of its 13 songs were written by Toussaint in the 60s and 70s -- the finished work evolved into an elegant, eloquent protest album crafted out of old songs and new. Costello alone wrote the title track, premiering at a benefit concert at Town Hall that September, and its angry account of the flood that wrecked New Orleans provides a touchstone for the other five new songs here, all co-written with Toussaint. "Broken Promise Land," "Ascension Day," and "International Echo" explore the aftermath of Katrina, while "Six-Fingered Man" is a funny acerbic take on a sinful sloth who is "always the first to blow his horn/His achievements multiply/Pity half of them seem to be lies." Toussaints presence on these five songs tempers but doesnt dilute the churning anger that roils underneath The River in Reverse: "Broken Promise Land" drives along on a swampy funk rhythm, the spare and laid-back "Ascension Day" is a showcase for Allens piano, "International Echo" revives the rolling spirit of classic New Orleans R&B, while "Six Finger Man" has a grinding, gritty blues backbeat. All five of these new songs are genuine collaborations, bearing the unmistakable stamp of both highly distinctive musicians, but the best compliment that can be paid to them is that they blend seamlessly with the classic Toussaint songs that comprise the rest of the record. When placed next to explicit songs of protest like "Broken Promise Land," such New Orleans R&B and soul staples as "On Your Way Down," "Tears, Tears and More Tears," "Freedom for the Stallion," and especially "Whos Gonna Help Brother Get Further" with its chorus of "What happen to the Liberty Bell, I heard so much about?/Did it really ding-dong?/It must have dinged wrong/It didnt ding long" take on an entirely different, politically charged meaning. This undercurrent of protest gives The River in Reverse thematic cohesion -- and as politically minded pop goes, it trumps such other 2006 albums as Neil Youngs Living with War, if only because it isnt so heavy-handed about its intentions -- but what makes the album rather extraordinary is that its as much celebration as it is protest. There is joy and tenderness within the performances of Toussaint, Costello, his backing band the Imposters, and Toussaint mainstays the Crescent City Horns, all captured by Joe Henrys clean yet warm production. If Costello pushes his phrasing a little harder than most interpreters of Toussaint -- not only does Allen himself have an easy, casual delivery, but so did such singers as Lee Dorsey, Aaron Neville, Ernie K-Doe, and Lowell George -- it suits the spirit of when the album was recorded, and Elvis is balanced about by the earthy, natural sound of the band, and Allens graceful harmonies. As pure music, this is impossible not to enjoy, and this rich blend of R&B, blues, soul, and funk illustrates exactly how important New Orleans is to Americas culture, and that it needs to be embraced in the wake of the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. Ultimately, the greatest achievement of The River in Reverse is that it, like the music of New Orleans itself, can not be pigeonholed or reduced to one specific thing. It can seem like a party, or it can seem like a bittersweet elegy, which is only appropriate for an album borne out of tragedy but created as a celebration. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 35 Title: The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years Released: 2007 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:18:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (02:49) 2 Alison (03:24) 3 Watching the Detectives (03:45) 4 (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:08) 5 Pump It Up (03:15) 6 Radio, Radio (03:06) 7 Accidents Will Happen (03:01) 8 Olivers Army (02:59) 9 (Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (03:33) 10 I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down (02:06) 11 High Fidelity (02:28) 12 Clubland (03:44) 13 New Lace Sleeves (03:46) 14 Good Year for the Roses (03:08) 15 Beyond Belief (02:34) 16 Man Out of Time (05:28) 17 Almost Blue (02:49) 18 Everyday I Write the Book (03:52) 19 Shipbuilding (04:53) 20 Brilliant Mistake (03:43) 21 Indoor Fireworks (04:09) 22 I Want You (06:40) |
| The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years : Allmusic album Review : Six years after the commencement of a major Elvis Costello reissue campaign at Rhino, his catalog transferred over to Universal, which had been releasing new Elvis music since 1998s Painted from Memory. Like every one of his previous two big catalog shifts -- a campaign with Rykodisc/Demon in 1994, a jump to Rhino in 2001 -- the 2007 series is preceded by a new hits collection, this time The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years, a 22-track collection of highlights thats pretty much exactly what it says it is. It is quite similar to the last previous single-disc collection, the 1994 Ryko/Demon set The Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, which also ran 22 tracks, 19 of which also appear on The First 10 Years. The three omissions -- "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field" -- will not be missed by anybody looking for a new Costello comp in 2007, particularly because all three substitutions are better choices for the casual man: "New Lace Sleeves," "Almost Blue," and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," which bizarrely wasnt on the 1994 set. With these three songs rubbing shoulders with "Alison," "Watching the Detectives," "Pump It Up," "Olivers Army," "(Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding," and all the other usual suspects, The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years winds up being the best single-disc summary and introduction to Costellos prime years. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 35 Title: Rock and Roll Music Released: 2007-05-01 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:04:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lipstick Vogue (03:33) 2 No Action (02:01) 3 Big Tears (03:12) 4 (I Dont Want to Go to) Chelsea (03:12) 5 This Year’s Girl (03:22) 6 Miracle Man (03:33) 7 Pump It Up (03:15) 8 Clean Money (02:00) 9 Tiny Steps (02:44) 10 Wednesday Week (02:04) 11 Mystery Dance (live) (02:03) 12 You Belong to Me (live) (02:38) 13 (Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (03:32) 14 Girls Talk (01:57) 15 King Horse (02:59) 16 Lovers Walk (02:19) 17 Uncomplicated (03:27) 18 Honey Are You Straight or Are You Blind (alternate version) (02:12) 19 Babys Got a Brand New Hairdo (03:25) 20 I Hope Youre Happy Now (03:07) 21 Tokyo Storm Warning (06:26) 22 Welcome to the Working Week (demo version) (01:26) |
| Rock and Roll Music : Allmusic album Review : When Elvis Costellos back catalog from 1977-1986 shifted from Rhino to Hip-O in 2007, the third major EC reissue campaign was inaugurated by the just-the-basics hits set The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years and its companion, Rock and Roll Music, the first of a projected series of thematic trawls through Costellos back pages. Since it arrives hand in hand with a compilation that deliberately serves up nothing but the usual suspects, Rock and Roll Music is a welcome fresh take on Costellos catalog. Compiled by Elvis himself, the set has a few hits and standards found on most Costello comps -- "Pump It Up," "(I Dont Want to Go To) Chelsea," "(Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding," "Tokyo Storm Warning" -- but the intent isnt to serve up familiar tunes, its to showcase a particular musical side of his many-faceted musical personality, which this does very well. As the title makes plain, Rock and Roll Music focuses on his rock & roll recordings, which sometimes have been overshadowed by the musical explorations taken by Costello ever since he signed to Warner in 1989. This tremendously entertaining 22-track compilation proves that at his peak Elvis was a thrilling, hard-edged rocker, particularly when he was backed by the Attractions -- which he is on all but two cuts here, both taken from his Attraction-less debut, My Aim Is True (that is, if the collector bait of the previously unreleased solo demo version of "Welcome to the Working Week" counts). Costello does rely heavily on the two hardest Attractions records here -- there are five cuts from 1978s This Years Model and four from 1986s Blood & Chocolate, if the alternate of "Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?" is counted -- but he also sprinkles in B-sides (all also appearing on the 1980 U.S. compilation Taking Liberties) and digs deep into albums for largely unheralded gems as "King Horse" and "Lovers Walk." These are a couple of minor revelations for big fans, but this isnt quite aimed at the hardcore, who, after all, will be very familiar with these 22 songs. This is for the casual (or former) fan who wants to explore further, and for them, this will be an excellent supplement to a hits disc. But this is really for the skeptical neophyte who never believed that Elvis Costello was a punk rocker -- for them, this compilation provides ample proof that, yes, he really was. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 35 Title: iTunes Originals Released: 2007-06-19 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:06:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 It Was Recorded Almost by Accident (01:45) 2 Watching the Detectives (03:45) 3 It Was the Ballad of This Years Model (00:55) 4 Little Triggers (03:31) 5 It Has Mick Jones of the Clash Playing Guitar (00:30) 6 Big Tears (03:10) 7 It Was About People Meeting in the Night at a Hotel, Not a Complicated Story (01:22) 8 Motel Matches (02:23) 9 Its a More Regretful Song (01:22) 10 Riot Act (03:35) 11 It Was More the Expression Came to Mind (00:59) 12 Kid About It (03:21) 13 I Told a Tale, Which You Have to Listen to the Lyrics (00:59) 14 Man Out of Time (05:27) 15 An Example of One of Those Songs That Nearly Got Away (01:00) 16 Love Field (04:48) 17 The Main Body of the Song Is Very Repetitive, Its Supposed to Be Like That (01:17) 18 I Want You (06:42) 19 Im Glad to Get the Opportunity to Put the Word to the Fore (01:55) 20 Invasion Hit Parade (04:33) 21 Its Kind of a Gospel Song (01:36) 22 Bedlam (04:49) 23 Its More of the Idea That We Are in a Flow Towards a Way of Living (01:41) 24 The River in Reverse (04:29) |
 | Album: 29 of 35 Title: Secret, Profane & Sugarcane Released: 2009-06-02 Tracks: 15 Duration: 59:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Down Among the Wines and Spirits (03:11) 2 Complicated Shadows (02:53) 3 I Felt the Chill (04:00) 4 My All Time Doll (04:09) 5 Hidden Shame (04:15) 6 She Handed Me a Mirror (04:04) 7 I Dreamed of My Old Lover (02:36) 8 How Deep Is the Red? (03:48) 1 She Was No Good (03:47) 2 Sulphur to Sugarcane (06:00) 3 Red Cotton (05:43) 4 The Crooked Line (03:49) 5 Changing Partners (02:40) 6 Femme Fatale (03:49) 7 What Lewis Did Last (04:50) |
| Secret, Profane & Sugarcane : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costello has spent the back half of his career flitting from style to style, recording everything from opera to R&B, but he avoided the country-folk of 1986s King of America until 2009, when he teamed up with America producer (and fellow Coward Brother) T Bone Burnett for Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. By its very definition, country-folk seems straightforward, but the only thing simple about Secret is the speed of its recording. Costello and Burnett assembled an all-star acoustic string band -- featuring Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Dennis Crouch on bass, Stuart Duncan on fiddle and banjo, and Jim Lauderdale on vocal harmonies -- and cut the album in just three days, its swiftness similar to its knocked-out predecessor Momofuku. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane often bears its quick conception fetchingly, feeling loose-limbed and intimate, a record made simply because its fun to play, a sentiment that cant quite be said of its songs. Surely, there are times where the humor is as riotous as those old Coward Brothers singles -- Costello and Burnett have a ball on the bawdy travelogue "Sulphur to Sugarcane" and sweetly harmonize with Emmylou Harris on "The Crooked Line" -- but Secret is frequently fussy, particularly on the songs Costello has carried over from his unfinished Hans Christian Andersen opera. The very presence of these songs ("How Deep Is the Red?," "She Was No Good," "She Handed Me a Mirror," "Red Cotton") suggests just how muddled Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is conceptually: it bounces all over the place, threading these stagebound tunes between a collaboration with Loretta Lynn and his take on "Down Among the Wine and Spirits," which he originally wrote for Ms. Loretta, a rollicking leftover from The Delivery Man ("Hidden Shame"), a cover of Bing Crosbys "Changing Partners," the Burnett co-writes, a few new songs, and a reworking of Elvis old "Complicated Shadows." Despite the occasional stuffiness, theres a lot of good material here and its all executed well, but its hard not to shake the feeling that this is a collection of leftovers masquerading as a main course. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 35 Title: Pomp & Pout Released: 2010-08-23 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:16:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bedlam (04:49) 2 Stella Hurt (04:45) 3 No Hiding Place (04:01) 4 This House Is Empty Now (05:11) 5 Impatience (05:00) 6 Tart (04:05) 7 The Sweetest Punch (04:10) 8 My Mood Swings (02:10) 9 When I Was Cruel No. 2 (07:09) 10 Ascension Day (02:59) 11 Monkey To Man (04:28) 12 The River In Reverse (04:30) 13 Country Darkness (03:59) 14 45 (03:31) 15 God Give Me Strength (06:08) 16 She (03:07) 17 In Another Room (03:49) 18 Still (02:23) |
| Pomp & Pout : Allmusic album Review : When Elvis Costello signed with Universal it was under the condition that he could record for any of their various imprints, thereby giving him full license to indulge in all his interests, whether it be rock & roll, R&B, opera, or torch songs. This made for an interesting era without many hits, so compiling an overview of his stint with the label is all about personal choice -- and in the case of Pomp & Pout, it’s all about Costello’s own take on 1998-2008, a take that is typically idiosyncratic. Many of the singles from this decade -- “Toledo,” “She,” “Tear Off Your Own Head (It’s a Doll Revolution)," “Go Away” -- are left behind, as is “God Give Me Strength,” the cornerstone of his Burt Bacharach collaboration Painted from Memory, while a handful of relative oddities (“My Mood Swings” from the Big Lebowski soundtrack; the North bonus track “Impatience”; “In Another Room” from The Clarksdale Sessions, the accompanying EP to The Delivery Man) are elevated in the canon by their presence here, but Pomp & Pout winds up excavating album tracks from his primary Universal albums: the 1998 Bacharach collaboration Painted from Memory, 2002’s When I Was Cruel, 2004’s The Delivery Man, his 2006 duet The River in Reverse with Allen Toussaint, and 2008’s Momofuku. This may mean that his more adventurous moments are downplayed -- there’s nothing from The Sweetest Punch, For the Stars, Il Sogno, and My Flame Burns Blue, and even North is relegated to a footnote -- but it does give Pomp & Pout a unified vision, one that’s rooted in classic rock, pop, and R&B, one that doesn’t seem as willfully eclectic when presented as a collection as it does when heard album by album. And in that sense, Pomp & Pout winds up as a representative sampler of this decade: it may miss some signature songs, it may take a couple of detours, but the foundation is strong -- and the same can be said of the era as a whole. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 35 Title: National Ransom Released: 2010-10-25 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:06:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 National Ransom (04:05) 2 Jimmie Standing in the Rain (04:16) 3 Stations of the Cross (04:59) 4 A Slow Drag With Josephine (02:43) 5 Five Small Words (04:45) 6 Church Underground (05:02) 7 You Hung the Moon (03:55) 8 Bullets for the New-Born King (03:35) 9 I Lost You (02:56) 10 Dr. Watson, I Presume (03:41) 11 One Bell Ringing (03:38) 12 The Spell That You Cast (02:32) 13 Thats Not the Part of Him Youre Leaving (04:43) 14 My Lovely Jezebel (02:32) 15 All These Strangers (05:53) 16 A Voice in the Dark (03:34) 17 I Hope (Japanese bonus track) (03:33) |
| National Ransom : Allmusic album Review : Elvis Costello has worn willful eclecticism as a badge of honor for so long that his decision to retain the same essential support and sound for 2010’s National Ransom as he did for its 2009 predecessor Secret, Profane & Sugarcane means something. Building upon a foundation instead of beginning another journey suggests that he knows he has a fruitful collaboration with producer T-Bone Burnett and a good band with the Sugarcanes, who are now melded with the Imposters to give this Americana -- equal parts roots-rock, country, and pre-war balladry -- some serious kick. Secret, Profane and National Ransom share some superficial sonic characteristics, but the former played as a clearinghouse of odds and ends, while National Ransom is a purposeful album, its themes elegantly meshing together and carrying considerable momentum. Costello deliberately stays in familiar territory, often recalling his first Burnett-produced record, King of America, but he’s not churning out familiar songs -- complacency is anathema to him, of course -- he’s using the familiar sounds to provide context for the present. In a conceit that’s a shade too clever, he’s presented a year where each song takes place, but that’s a bit of misdirection, too, because modern-day tales sound ancient and vice-versa, not unlike Dylans latter-day albums. Costello shares a similar love of Tin Pan Alley songcraft as Dylan, but he favors bluegrass to blues and betrays a little bit of artful affectation when he writes a ‘20s shuffle like “A Slow Drag with Josephine” or a ballad like “You Hung the Moon,” but that’s part of his charm: a Costello album without such punning tricks is a bit of a drag. And while National Ransom doesn’t rage like This Years Model, it does tap into that same sense of rage on its title track, and Costello gives guitarist Marc Ribot plenty of room to strangle out notes, giving this a far less stuffy feel than Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. Ribot’s manic fretwork ties this to Costello’s dense turn-of-the-‘90s albums for Warner, so the album winds up with trace echoes of all eras of Costello, but that’s only a reflection of how National Ransom is a masterwork in the traditional sense: he’s summoned all his skills to deliver an album that summarizes his world view. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 35 Title: Original Album Series Released: 2012-06-19 Tracks: 71 Duration: 4:38:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 …This Town… (04:30) 2 Let Him Dangle (04:45) 3 Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (04:06) 4 Veronica (03:09) 5 God’s Comic (05:32) 6 Chewing Gum (03:47) 7 Tramp the Dirt Down (05:44) 8 Stalin Malone (04:09) 9 Satellite (05:44) 10 Pads, Paws and Claws (02:56) 11 Baby Plays Around (02:48) 12 Miss Macbeth (04:25) 13 Any King’s Shilling (06:06) 14 Coal‐Train Robberies (03:18) 15 Last Boat Leaving (03:31) 1 The Other Side of Summer (03:56) 2 Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over) (04:05) 3 How to Be Dumb (05:14) 4 All Grown Up (04:17) 5 Invasion Hit Parade (05:33) 6 Harpies Bizarre (03:44) 7 After the Fall (04:36) 8 Georgie and Her Rival (03:38) 9 So Like Candy (04:36) 10 Interlude: Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No. 2 (00:22) 11 Playboy to a Man (03:20) 12 Sweet Pear (03:37) 13 Broken (03:36) 14 Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No. 4 (03:48) 1 Pony St. (03:25) 2 Kinder Murder (03:26) 3 13 Steps Lead Down (03:20) 4 This Is Hell (04:27) 5 Clown Strike (04:05) 6 You Tripped at Every Step (04:12) 7 Still Too Soon to Know (02:23) 8 20% Amnesia (03:26) 9 Sulky Girl (05:07) 10 London’s Brilliant Parade (04:23) 11 My Science Fiction Twin (04:10) 12 Rocking Horse Road (04:04) 13 Just About Glad (03:16) 14 All the Rage (04:01) 15 Favourite Hour (03:31) 1 Strange (02:43) 2 Hidden Charms (03:34) 3 Remove This Doubt (03:55) 4 I Threw It All Away (03:27) 5 Leave My Kitten Alone (03:14) 6 Everybody’s Crying Mercy (04:08) 7 I’ve Been Wrong Before (03:03) 8 Bama Lama Bama Loo (02:48) 9 Must You Throw Dirt in My Face (03:51) 10 Pouring Water on a Drowning Man (03:40) 11 The Very Thought of You (03:43) 12 Payday (03:00) 13 Please Stay (04:51) 14 Running Out of Fools (03:04) 15 Days (04:55) 1 The Other End of the Telescope (04:06) 2 Little Atoms (03:58) 3 All This Useless Beauty (04:40) 4 Complicated Shadows (04:44) 5 Why Can’t a Man Stand Alone (03:15) 6 Distorted Angel (04:31) 7 Shallow Grave (02:07) 8 Poor Fractured Atlas (04:03) 9 Starting to Come to Me (02:44) 10 You Bowed Down (04:56) 11 It’s Time (06:00) 12 I Want to Vanish (03:16) |
 | Album: 33 of 35 Title: In Motion Pictures Released: 2012-11-23 Tracks: 15 Duration: 57:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Accidents Will Happen (03:00) 2 Lover’s Walk (02:17) 3 Miracle Man (03:27) 4 Life Shrinks (03:30) 5 Crawling to the USA (02:54) 6 Seven Day Weekend (02:36) 7 Days (04:53) 8 I Want You (06:40) 9 You Stole My Bell (03:19) 10 My Mood Swings (02:10) 11 Oh Well (02:52) 12 God Give Me Strength (06:08) 13 Sparkling Day (04:46) 14 She (03:07) 15 A Town Called a Big Nothing (05:46) |
| In Motion Pictures : Allmusic album Review : Despite cameos in Spice World, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and 200 Cigarettes, very few would consider Elvis Costello a star of the silver screen, but the singer/songwriter has soundtracked many a film since he stormed onto the scene in the late 70s. The 2012 compilation In Motion Pictures doesnt contain all of the songs that have popped up in movies over the years but it has 15 of them, making a shift from songs licensed to films toward songs written for films about halfway through. Apart from "Oh Well," a song cut for the little-seen hip-hop opera Prison Song, "Sparkling Day" from One Day, and "You Stole My Bell" from The Family Man, most of these songs arent particularly hard to find on other Costello compilations, but this does provide a service in rounding up a bunch of stray songs of varying shades of quality. Although this is certainly inconsistent -- its momentum stalls on the stately relatively recent songs -- in an odd way, whats most interesting about In Motion Pictures is that its the only compilation to touch upon nearly every phase of Costellos career. Here, you can hear the man evolve from nervy punk rocker to sophisticated balladeer, trading personas like an actor finds new roles. And while that might not make for the sturdiest of compilations, it is one that is quietly -- and inadvertently -- revealing. | ||
 | Album: 34 of 35 Title: Wise Up Ghost Released: 2013-09-16 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Walk Us Uptown (03:22) 2 Sugar Won’t Work (03:31) 3 Refuse to Be Saved (04:23) 4 Wake Me Up (05:52) 5 Tripwire (04:28) 6 Stick Out Your Tongue (05:28) 7 Come the Meantimes (03:53) 8 (She Might Be a) Grenade (04:36) 9 Cinco minutos con vos (05:01) 10 Viceroy’s Row (05:01) 11 Wise Up Ghost (06:27) 12 If I Could Believe (03:58) |
| Wise Up Ghost : Allmusic album Review : Musicians separated by age, style, and demographic, Elvis Costello and the Roots are nevertheless natural collaborators bound by wide taste, insatiable appetite, and fathomless record collections. This is particularly true of Roots drummer/de facto bandleader ?uestlove, the musical omnivore who is the bands most recognizable member and perhaps the only popular musician outside of Costello who values the music press. This is not incidental to Wise Up Ghost, the unexpected 2013 collaboration between Costello and the Roots. As recognizable as both parties are -- the Roots are Jimmy Fallons house band, soon to inherit the throne from Doc Severinsen on The Tonight Show; Elvis Costello seizes any opportunity to ham it up on camera -- neither are exactly popular popular artists. Between the two of them, they have a grand total of four Billboard Top 40 hits -- two apiece -- which suggests that their instincts run against the grain, something ?uestlove admits in his 2013 memoir, Mo Meta Blues, when he confesses he always preferred deep cuts to hit singles. This sensibility thrives on Wise Up Ghost, which quickly dismisses its two potential crossover singles -- the ominous "Walk Us Uptown," which is the greatest indication of the albums vibe, then the slyly funky slow groove "Sugar Wont Work" -- before getting down to the hard work of recontextualizing forgotten music from Costellos Warner years while offering barbed social commentary in the vein of Whats Going On or Theres a Riot Goin On. Here, the projects origin as a wildly imaginative reinterpretation of Costellos back catalog is evident, but it also speaks to how Elvis rose to the challenge of working with a live hip-hop band. Lacking the context of heavy samples, he nevertheless embraced hip-hops postmodernism by jamming together the lyrics of "Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)" and "Pills and Soap" for "Stick Out Your Tongue," while "Refuse to Be Saved" evokes the ghost of the Dirty Dozen Brass Bands appearance on "Chewing Gum" and "Tripwire" suggests "Satellite." These two songs were on Spike -- which wouldve been the Costello album on the charts while ?uestlove was in high school, also not entirely a coincidence -- and much of the sensibility of Wise Up Ghost derives from those sometimes underappreciated early Warner albums Spike and Mighty Like a Rose, two albums overly dense in sonic and lyrical detail. So too is Wise Up Ghost, a record that flaunts its cerebellum as it progresses, but the Roots emphasis on smart, textured grooves grounds the album even if it hardly widens the albums potential audience. This is an exquisitely detailed, imaginative record that pays back dividends according to how much knowledge, either of Costello or the Roots or their idols, a listener brings to the album. Its not exactly alienating but Wise Up Ghost does require work from its audience, and the more you know -- and the more you listen -- the better it seems. | ||
 | Album: 35 of 35 Title: Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album Released: 2015 Tracks: 39 Duration: 2:39:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Accidents Will Happen (live) (03:27) 2 Poison Moon (01:54) 3 Watching the Detectives (03:45) 4 Oliver’s Army (02:59) 5 Riot Act (03:35) 6 New Lace Sleeves (03:46) 7 Man Out of Time (05:27) 8 I Want You (06:41) 9 When I Was Cruel No. 2 (07:07) 10 Stranger in the House (03:38) 11 Beyond Belief (02:34) 12 Home Truth (03:13) 13 Indoor Fireworks (04:10) 14 Shipbuilding (04:54) 15 Cinco Minutos Con Vos (05:01) 16 Bedlam (04:49) 17 Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (04:04) 18 Ascension Day (02:58) 19 Red Cotton (05:41) 1 Veronica (demo) (02:59) 2 In the Darkest Place (04:19) 3 I Want to Vanish (03:14) 4 My Dark Life (06:21) 5 The Other Side of Summer (03:56) 6 London’s Brilliant Parade (04:24) 7 Ghost Train (03:07) 8 Suit of Lights (04:06) 9 Jimmie Standing in the Rain (04:15) 10 The Birds Will Still Be Singing (04:24) 11 Wise Up Ghost (06:27) 12 Almost Blue (02:51) 13 All the Rage (03:51) 14 Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No. 4 (03:47) 15 Alison (03:24) 16 My Three Sons (03:05) 17 I’m in the Mood Again (02:34) 18 April 5th (04:31) 19 I Can’t Turn It Off (03:41) 20 Sketches From Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink (04:21) |
| Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album : Allmusic album Review : Do not take the "Soundtrack" portion to the title of Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album lightly. This companion album to Elvis Costellos 2015 memoir Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink is indeed a soundtrack, its 38 songs all playing pivotal parts in his nearly 700-page book and the sequencing mirroring the non-chronological flow of the autobiography, a book where Costello takes pains to draw connections between people, places, and scraps in notebooks. Costello doesnt dwell on specific scandals or hits in Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, nor does he treat its soundtrack as an opportunity to march through the hits once again. Certainly, there are hits here -- "Alison," "Watching the Detectives," "Olivers Army," all present in their studio versions, while "Accidents Will Happen" is represented by a live version and "Veronica" a demo -- but just as many are missing, including anything from This Years Model and "(Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," a Nick Lowe song many listeners assume belongs to Elvis. In their place are deep cuts and duets, an unreleased demo from 1975, an unheard collaboration with Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson, B-sides, and one-offs -- a collection of songs that certainly suggest Costellos breadth but also are unified in their musical ambition, lyricism, and, if the tome is to be trusted, confession. So, Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album winds up being as much an autobiography as its printed companion: it is not the place to turn if youre looking for hits or even certain sounds, but rather a sense of what kind of musician Elvis Costello believes himself to be. | ||