The Elvis Costello album-by-album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Marry a Carrot, Mar 24, 2007.

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  1. Marry a Carrot

    Marry a Carrot Interesting blues gets a convincing reading. Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thanks to Vic for suggesting we do an Elvis Costello album-by-album thread.

    I propose we discuss these albums in this order:

    1. My Aim Is True
    2. This Year's Model
    3. Live At The El Mocambo
    4. Armed Forces
    5. Get Happy!!
    6. Taking Liberties
    7. Trust
    8. Almost Blue
    9. Imperial Bedroom
    10. Punch The Clock
    11. Goodbye Cruel World
    12. King Of America
    13. Blood And Chocolate
    14. Out Of Our Idiot
    15. Spike
    16. Mighty Like A Rose
    17. The Juliet Letters
    18. Brutal Youth
    19. Kojak Variety
    20. Deep Dead Blue
    21. All This Useless Beauty
    22. Costello & Nieve
    23. Painted From Memory
    24. For The Stars
    25. When I Was Cruel (& Cruel Smile)
    26. North
    27. The Delivery Man
    28. Il Sogno (if anyone wants to discuss EC's even lesser heard instrumental work — namely the soundtracks to The Courier, G.B.H., and Jake's Progress — I propose doing it here)
    29. Piano Jazz: Costello/McPartland
    30. My Flame Burns Blue
    31. The River In Reverse

    If there's any interest in discussing the various "best of" compilations, we can do that at the end.

    I intend to list the bonus material that appears on the various reissues of these albums. It's up to you whether you want to focus on just the original album or also bring the bonus tracks into the discussion.
     
  2. Marry a Carrot

    Marry a Carrot Interesting blues gets a convincing reading. Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    We begin of course with My Aim Is True from 1977.

    [​IMG]

    Original UK track list:

    Side 1:
    01. Welcome To The Working Week (1:23)
    02. Miracle Man (3:32)
    03. No Dancing (2:41)
    04. Blame It On Cain (2:50)
    05. Alison (3:24)
    06. Sneaky Feelings (2:11)
    Side 2:
    07. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (2:48)
    08. Less Than Zero (3:18)
    09. Mystery Dance (1:36)
    10. Pay It Back (2:33)
    11. I'm Not Angry (2:59)
    12. Waiting For The End Of The World (3:22)

    The US version adds:
    13. Watching The Detectives (3:45)

    (This was originally at the end of side 1, but it has appeared as track 13 on most releases since 1993.)

    Rhino bonus disc:

    01. No Action (Early Version) (2:15)
    02. Living In Paradise (Early Version) (3:00)
    03. Radio Sweetheart (2:31)
    04. Stranger In The House (3:04)
    05. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (Live) (2:27)
    06. Less Than Zero ("Dallas Version") (4:17)
    07. Imagination (Is A Powerful Deceiver) (3:38)
    08. Mystery Dance (Honky Tonk Demo) (2:13)
    09. Cheap Reward (Honky Tonk Demo) (2:16)
    10. Jump Up (Honky Tonk Demo) (2:06)
    11. Wave A White Flag (Honky Tonk Demo) (1:58)
    12. Blame It On Cain (Honky Tonk Demo) (3:31)
    13. Poison Moon (Honky Tonk Demo) (1:53)

    (Tracks in bold were also on the Ryko CD.)
     
  3. johnny 99

    johnny 99 Down On Main Street

    Location:
    Toronto
    One of the greatest debuts in Rock history. A strong introduction to an artist that would become an all-time favorite! I still expect to hear "Watching The Detectives" at the end of Side 1 !! ("Clover" provided a nice sound as his backing band on this classic. He'd never sound this way again and it's got a cool "groove" to it) ***** out of 5 (CLASSIC)
     
  4. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "My Aim" is a good album, but it doesn't match up with much of what came after it. On its own, I like it - I just don't think it's nearly as good as much of what follows. I'd give it 3.5/5 stars - very good, but overrated...
     
  5. linusg

    linusg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    His best? No, but an extraordinary debut, perhaps the greatest ever in rock. Like many to follow, 5/5 stars. I still recall hearing him for the first time on WBRU with "(Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," after seeing the amazing cover photo to MAIT in Rolling Stone and wondering what that could possibly sound like.

    That this album derived its energy and intensity from his assimilation of the punk stance (if not its ethos) becomes clear when one listens to the earlier demos collected on "Our Aim Is True," which includes "Imagination Is A Powerful Deceiver" as well as, more tellingly, "Radio Soul," an early version of Radio Radio -- except that it celebrates instead of condemning its subject.
     
  6. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    From this distance, it seems pretty surprising that anyone ever assigned the label "punk" or even "new wave" to My Aim Is True. It doesn't sound especially edgy now, except of course for Costello's singing. It was the attitude and the sneer in his voice that felt like something new, not the relatively tame music. Songs like "Blame It On Cain," "Pay It Back" and Sneaky Feelings" are basically a sharper version of the pub rock big in Britain before this. Presumably most fans know that his backing band on this album was a group from California called Clover, and the member of the band who didn't make the trip was their harmonica player -- Huey Lewis. This is not to say that the album doesn't have any bite, but it would take the addition of the Attractions on album no. 2 to really give Costello the attack he needed. However, you can feel it coming on tracks like "Miracle Man" and "Waiting for the End of the World."

    The American version ups the new wave content by adding the single "Watching the Detectives," but this song doesn't come from the Aim sessions -- it was recorded later, with the rhythm section from Graham Parker's band, and of course Steve Nieve on keyboards, in his first collaboration with Costello. "Detectives" and "Alison" are the two real Costello classics from this period -- he has probably played them at nearly every show he has done since.

    The album was recorded in four six hour sessions, on Costello's "sick days" from his job as a computer programmer. (He is much amused by the impression this job has given people of his technical acumen, when in fact the job basically consisted of punching cards.)

    As Linusg mentions, the acoustic demos found on the reissues of this album show that Costello was in a totally different musical place not long before the recording of this album -- luckily he saw which way the wind was blowing and changed tack, though I like some of these songs like "Jump Up" and "Wave a White Flag."
     
  7. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

    I would tend to say the same thing on this one.

    I do love the Honky Tonk Demo's which I've had since the beginning of his career. It was bootlegged and it felt so great to have that as a "bonus" most didnt have back in the day.

    It was nice to get it officially released finally. I tend to listen to this bonus disc more than the actual album.
     
  8. Marry a Carrot

    Marry a Carrot Interesting blues gets a convincing reading. Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    My Aim Is True is a tricky album for me to critique. I generally fall into the "good but not as good as what followed" camp, think it's a bit overrated, and listen to it less frequently than most of EC's other albums.

    And yet I can't find much fault with it. True, the singing seems a little tentative, and Clover is not the perfect match for EC that the Attractions would turn out to be. But EC arrives pretty much fully formed as a songwriter, and I'd say at least half the songs here rank with his very best work.

    You've managed to name what I consider the three weakest tracks on the album. They're not bad by any means, but to me they just seem ordinary compared to the rest. (Perhaps not coincidentally, two of these — "Sneaky Feelings" and "Pay It Back" — were played in concert far less frequently than the others and haven't been played at all since 1977 and 1978, respectively.)
     
  9. His Masters Vice

    His Masters Vice W.C. Fields Forever

    I first heard it about a year after it was released, courtesy of an older brother. He was (and still is) of the opinion that "Watching the Detectives" was the best track ever committed to vinyl by anyone. That song was added on to MAIT in Australia as soon as it hit the charts.

    I didn't actually buy the album until after "Armed Forces" was released. A few of my friends had gotten in Costello by this point and so it just made sense to grab MAIT as well.

    Not his best album, but certainly his best selling in the US. It's also one of the best debut albums, IMHO.
     
  10. Jeff Wong

    Jeff Wong Gort

    Location:
    NY
    "Sneaky Feelings" is one of my favourite tunes on the album. The line, "Now we could sit like lovers, staring in each other's eyes, but the magic of the moment might become too much for you" reinforced that men are the true romantics, not women.

    The "punk" appellation never really fit this record. I remember thinking it had more of a C&W vibe the first time I heard it.

    I always thought the Dylan allusion in "Waiting For The End Of The World" was cool.

    The bonus "No Action" makes the Rhino set worthwhile all on its own. I love the rising vocals at the end of lines. If only the track wasn't marred by the overloaded drums...

    I love Barney Bubbles' cover design, but, I wish he had patched the checkerboard pattern better on the right side... it still bothers me whenever I look at the cover.

    If you guys want pics of interesting versions of albums or singles, I've got a lot of acetates and test pressings up through the F-Beat period I can share. Just let me know.
     
  11. His Masters Vice

    His Masters Vice W.C. Fields Forever

    Or,

    "I said I'm so happy I could die
    She said 'Drop dead' then left with another guy"


    from "Red Shoes". Although there's a certain tongue-in-cheek element to these lines too. That's part of what's unique (at least for male rockers) to Elvis' early lyrics. Humour and yet also something touching at the same time. Elvis had been hurt a few times and wasn't afraid to admit that there wasn't much he could do about it, except channel it into his lyrics. That was an unusual approach (particularly then); he was often writing about being a loser, but he wasn't really after sympathy, and the songs weren't really sad-sounding. Nor was he trying to impress us with his sensitity.

    This is a terrific album, but it pales in comparison to what was to follow. I wonder what Elvis' career trajectory would have been like had he continued using backup bands like Clover rather than picking UK musicians (the Attractions).

    I had the Honky Tonk Demos pretty early on, and the "Our Aim Is True" Flip City demos too (from which "Imagination Is A Powerful Deceiver" comes).
     
  12. JayB

    JayB Senior Member

    Location:
    CT
    Thanks for starting this thread!!

    Many artists/groups would kill to have a debut album as good as "My Aim Is True"! And not to take anything away from it, but I wouldn't even put it in EC's top 5!! It just shows what a talent this man is.

    Like most I love a lot of the songs; Alison, Detectives, Working Week, Red Shoes, etc..the Rhino disc 2 is nice to have as well. The early versions of some of the next albums tracks are interesting. Speaking of Rhino, I wish ALL of the groups I loved had their catalog treated this way..Rhino did EC's catalog right IMO.

    That being said it's maybe my 5/6th favorite EC album if I had to rank them. Some classic songs, a little underdeveloped maybe, but no denying an incredible debut. The best though was yet to come. When one thinks of the albums EC would put out in the next 5-6 years, it's unbeliveable.

    I'd give it 4/5 stars.
     
  13. Marry a Carrot

    Marry a Carrot Interesting blues gets a convincing reading. Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Yes!
     
  14. Vic

    Vic New Member

    Location:
    London (UK)
    Thanks a lot to marry a corrot for starting this long overdue thread:edthumbs: :goodie: :thumbsup: .

    I agree that MAIT is probably the best debut album in rock and is an extraordinary one. It is certainly overshadowed by the mesmerising beauty of the following two and "Get happy", but I think it still deserves 5/5, although the other three should get even more
     
  15. Vic

    Vic New Member

    Location:
    London (UK)
    I never agreed with the common association of Costello with the punk movement: He certainly never tried to decontruct rock music or in any way to be revolutionary.
    I think in the initial part of his career Mr. Mc Manus blended all different aspect of the white pop rock culture, starting mostly form his British pub rock connection. He showed an incredible ability to handle all sort of pre existing pop rock sub genres and to toy with them with extreme subtelty; more and more he excelled in extremely catchy 2 minutes songs containing the most breath-tacking changes of rhytmes and moods, using any sort of instruments.

    One of the most talented and literated songcraft ever, certainly not a punk
     
  16. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    I've always thought of Costello as an expert synthesist of styles, rather than any kind of innovator. He's like a professor of applied musicology. He has a vast knowledge of what seems like every musical form, and he is able to combine multiple influences effortlessly. I have always seen him in terms of versatility, not in terms of "angry rocker." He's very good at that when he wants to be, but I think it's a boring and limited way to look at him. I came to his music late in his career -- the first album of his I had was Spike, and I was bowled over by its diversity and sophistication. So my perspective in this thread isn't going to be "The first four albums are great and everything else sucks."
     
  17. RBtl

    RBtl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    I had no idea until now that Watching the Detectives was added to the North American release - it's an integral part of the album for me.

    I've always considered this my favourite EC album - but I could see myself changing that opinion if WTD were missing.

    I for one never labelled Elvis as punk - but new wave seems to fit if only for the return to simpler-sounding tunes (not necessarily simpler musically) performed straight up with tons of energy.
     
  18. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Yeah, this is how he fits. The difference to me is that Costello's music continues to look to classic forms for inspiration -- it isn't focused on creating new sounds the way the more synth-heavy new acts were.
     
  19. BNell

    BNell Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Norwalk, CT
    Love the Demo version of Blame It On Cain - great stuff -
     
  20. johnny 99

    johnny 99 Down On Main Street

    Location:
    Toronto
    That is the way we've always been used to it here isn't it? I can't get used to "...Chelsea" and "Night Rally" on This Years Model and "Sunday's Best" is out of place to me on Armed Forces.

    Watching The Detectives puts My Aim Is True right over the top for me!!!!:righton:
     
  21. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

    yes, not to mention the great cover version of "I just dont know what to do with myself".

    I love his take on that and thought it was very cool to basically cover a ballad dusty track back in that period of time for a 'punk' eque artist.
     
  22. rednoise

    rednoise Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    The first copy of MAIT I heard belonged to a friend, and its labels were misprinted, with side two marked as side one, and one as two. I taped his album in that order, and that's how I heard it for years. I still think it sounds best leading off with "Red Shoes" and ending with "Watching the Detectives." It makes sense to me like that, with the "hit single" being the first track, and ending with the longer, looser, forward-looking song fading out in the distance. Kind of like a Beatles album sequence or something.

    I understand why the real sequence was chosen - the side openers and closers make thematic sense, but I think Working Week, Sneaky Feelings, Waiting for the End of the World are some of the weaker cuts and don't deserve those important slots.
     
  23. Jeff Wong

    Jeff Wong Gort

    Location:
    NY
    Interestingly, EC's first 3 albums opened with his vocal coming in before any instruments, but, obviously we wouldn't know this until later.
     
  24. 905

    905 Senior Member

    Location:
    Midwest USA
    This was the first Elvis Costello album I heard. I first listened to it in 1999 or 2000... I consider it very good, not great, but it's a personal favorite.
     
  25. Jeff Wong

    Jeff Wong Gort

    Location:
    NY
    I've posted a good number of pics related to MAIT in this thread. It includes how to ID various pressings of "Less Than Zero" among other discs.

    Shown below are a WLP of the Columbia MAIT with promo sticker, promo press poster (UK article oddly enough), and MAIT spinner, UK "Less Than Zero"/"Radio Sweetheart" Stiff acetate and test pressing, UK "Red Shoes"/"Mystery Dance" Stiff acetate and Dutch pic sleeve with awesome photo, UK Stiff "Watching the Detectives" commercial release with contemporary signature, and the fairly hard to find "telephone book sleeve" version.

    I never got a Columbia MAIT promo dartboard. It was a cork dartboard sealed in shrinkwrap with cheap plastic darts (six I think).
     

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