Not crap. This Year's Model and Imperial Bedroom are both easily among the best records ever.

He does have some bad songs, and they tend to be really annoying because they basically involve him either ignoring all his strengths or pushing them to the point of pointlessness with endlessly complex antimelody and precious lyrics.

But the good is really fucking good, in massive quantities. Few songwriters come anywhere near him in terms of quality.

And, the Attractions? One of the best backing bands ever.

I think I have at least 15 or 16 Elvis Costello records.

I think my favourite one is Painted From Memory.

This record sounds bad at first, but it is not bad at fourteenth.

It would seem that the C part of his catalogue drastically outweighs the NC part. This doesn's necessarily make the Costello all C, but it certainly makes him less NC.

Mazec wrote:It would seem that the C part of his catalogue drastically outweighs the NC part. This doesn's necessarily make the Costello all C, but it certainly makes him less NC.

You are smoking crack rock, or have only listened to Costello albums made after 1990.

Not crap, but the grain silo does have some rat feces in it.

Divorced a Pogue to marry a smoov pop jazz pianist.
Seems to have a very high opinion of himself.
NEEDS to kiss and make up with Bruce Thomas.

But pretty damn not crap.

I have to admit, the amphetemine paced skinny tie rock is my favorite, but I do like Imperial Bedroom a lot as well.
That screamy intro/outro to Man Out Of Time, one of the most pleasant songs ever, is kind of guerilla


This one hasn't been done before??? I was expecting some serious Kerb'ling.

-A

alex maiolo wrote:That screamy intro/outro to Man Out Of Time, one of the most pleasant songs ever, is kind of guerilla

I was reading that when they first recorded the song, that's how it went all the way through. For whatever reason, they changed it up and rerecorded it in the slower, less manic mode, but then they tacked on the beginning and end from the original as an intro/outro.

This one hasn't been done before??? I was expecting some serious Kerb'ling.

It was just a bump. The thread was started almost 19 months ago.

alex maiolo wrote:NEEDS to kiss and make up with Bruce Thomas.

*frantic nodding*

Linus Van Pelt wrote:

alex maiolo wrote:That screamy intro/outro to Man Out Of Time, one of the most pleasant songs ever, is kind of guerilla

I was reading that when they first recorded the song, that's how it went all the way through. For whatever reason, they changed it up and rerecorded it in the slower, less manic mode, but then they tacked on the beginning and end from the original as an intro/outro.

This version can be found on 'disc 2' on the Rhino reissue of Imperial Bedroom. It's a great version of what is by far the best song on that album.

My Aim is True (or My Name is Tree) through Trust is one of the best prolific five-album stretches from any artist/band ever. Almost Blue is a better version of what was to come about fifteen years later; Imperial Bedroom is alright, but I don't see what the big deal is. To paraphrase Horsewhip, it sounds too "grown up". Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World! are garbage (the latter probably the nadir of his career) and King of America is pretty decent.

Blood and Chocolate, the original Attractions swan song, is an absolute masterpiece. This Year's Model may be flawless, but this one's a monster. This is not a breakup album, but a divorce album, yes? It's one of the most lyrically brutal albums I've ever heard. "I Hope You're Happy Now", "Home is Anywhere You Hang Your Head", "Blue Chair", and especially "I Want You"; that's some fucking desperation for you. I find it hard to get through.

Then, it's a few marginal albums and a return to form in Brutal Youth. I don't care much for what he's done after that.

Elvis Costello is absolutely N/C. Fifteen more torch song throwaways couldn't give my vote any kind of waffle factor.

Without Googling: What is the original title of Armed Forces?

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:Emotional Fascism

Excellent work, sir.