The Elvis Costello album-by-album thread

He was never satisfied with any live recordings. He always felt that for some reason the nights that were recorded didn't capture the band at their best. There are loads of Attractions shows that were recorded over the years.

Two shows that were recorded and filmed for an album/film that never happened were done with the Attractions and the London Philharmonic Orchestra in early 1982. There is an unofficial release "out there" which is ... interesting.

 

Speaking of the great man, here's a page about his work:

http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/?p=1296

plus another page specifically devoted to the original UK foldout "coffee table" version of Armed Forces:

http://www.johncoulthart.com/armed_forces.html

and the man himself, the late great Barney Bubbles

 

That is great news! A friend of mine had the VHS tape and it was really interesting. I loved his version of "God Only Knows" with the Brodsky Quartet.

 

This thread can't die. We have a long way to go!

If it's okay, I think I'll take the liberty of moving us on to "Armed Forces."

UK Version:



US Version:



UK track list:

Side 1
Accidents Will Happen
Senior Service
Oliver's Army
Big Boys
Green Shirt
Party Girl
Side 2
Goon Squad
Busy Bodies
Sunday's Best
Moods For Moderns
Chemistry Class
Two Little Hitlers

The US version dropped "Sunday's Best" (deemed "too English") and added "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding?". "Understanding" was penned by Nick Lowe and Elvis' version first appeared as the b-side of Nick's "American Squirm" single.

The current CDs include all 13 tracks listed above.

Rhino Bonus Disc:
Tiny Steps
Busy Bodies (Alternate Version)
Talking In The Dark
Big Boys (Alternate Version)
Clean Money
Wednesday Week
My Funny Valentine
Accidents Will Happen (Live)
Mystery Dance (Live)
Goon Squad (Live)
Party Girl (Live)
Stranger In The House (Live)
Alison (Live)
Lipstick Vogue (Live)
Watching The Detectives (Live)
You Belong To Me (Live)
Chemistry Class (Live)

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

 

No memory of when I first got this record. It was sometime after Punch The Clock came out since that's when I got on board with EC. After that I began looking for any and all EC in the used LP bins. I do recall seeing a TV ad (with "Oliver's Army" playing) for a local EC&As concert but it meant nothing to me at the time. "Good Squad" is a favorite but there's not a moment on Armed Forces I don't enjoy. I'm not used to hearing "Sunday's Best" on this album - I know it from Taking Liberties. Armed Forces is great.

 

For me, working in a dinky record shop in Charlotte, NC right after I got out of the US Air Force, this was the one. I was just splitting from my wife, free at last, but bitter and confused, the promo copy of the lp that we got <Ernies> was instantly a revelation. Played it contantly in the store <then bought an 8-track for the car> and fell head over heels in love with Elvis Costello. I then back-tracked into TYM and then MAIT. This was also the time period I started picking up import 7" singles for the b-sides, due to my new obsession with the British weeklies New Musical Express and Melody Maker. I owe SO MUCH of my religious obsession to picking every issue of these 2 "rags" up every week at a newstand in Charlotte to my knowledge of fantastic music that came out during this period. Priceless information and my absolute favourite musical period, even over the late 60's / early 70's music that I grew up with. Well, maybe a close tie...

 

It's an amazing record, ARMED FORCES.

Back when I was really getting into EC's music, early 1980s, and bought a used copy of the US LP somewhere in Berkeley, CA, I thought it was his best. Looking back, though individual tunes are up there with the absolute best of Elvis (I still think "Accidents Will Happen" is one of the greatest side one openers ever waxed), it feels somewhat transitional, and definitely unsettled. To me it now seems clear that the most fully realized of the fabulous first three Elvis records was actually THIS YEAR'S MODEL, and that it was because the Attractions were really a band. On ARMED FORCES, it feels more like Elvis with backing (though incredible and generally sympathetic) than The Attractions. There's some advantages as well as disadvantages in that, but regardless it was never quite the same after THIS YEAR'S MODEL.

Oh and this is one case where I think the US substitution of "What's So Funny..." was a fantastic move. The perfect closer, it fits very nicely on this record.

 

It seems like we didn't fully explore TYM or the ElMo, but, I guess things did slow to a crawl. Maybe I'll try to spread my pics out more and sprinkle them throughout each album. Some interesting goodies from this period. I was trying to group things thematically... I'll try to make smaller groupings with bigger pics so it's easier to see stuff.

BTW - jsayers - Not sure if you know or care, but, there were at least 2 different pressings of the 50,000,000 fans record. I believe the 2nd was a copy of the 1st. You can see the generational loss in the printing.

 

Is that the show mentioned at the end of the liner notes for "Almost Blue"? Sounds like an interesting idea, backing Costello and the Attractions in their prime with an orchestra.

That makes me think how much I wish I had been old enough to be into Costello at the time. I would have LOVED to see a spinning songbook show. And in more recent years, I missed out on the Costello & Nieve tour... (yeah, I know I came late to the game)

I did get to see Elvis in concert a year and a half ago, touring for "The Delivery Man." Great show!!

 

I blogged this back in 2005 when I read the 33 1/3 series book on "Armed Forces":

What's So Funny 'Bout reading rock criticism?

I mentioned a week or two back in my rant about Elvis Costello that "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" may be overlooked because it lacks irony. Some might find it interesting to note that the song originated with Costello's producer, Nick Lowe, in his band Brinsley Schwarz. The original version was a mocking commentary on the peace anthems of the '60s. Considering Costello's persona at the time - sometimes called the "avenging dork" - his own version of the tune should logically follow a similar M.O.

In a recent commentary on Costello's album, Armed Forces, Franklin Bruno suggests that audience for pop criticism may be unlikely to accept the argument that Elvis Costello and company produced an unironic and sincere take on the material. Bruno mentions two alterations from the original song. First, Costello sings complete the song's title line, whereas Lowe's original interpretation trailed off in mocking blather. Second, a heavy-handed four-line spoken interlude was removed. Adding this to the Attractions' spirited performance and Costello's soulful vocals leads us to the conclusion:

"I don't presume to know whether EC, or Lowe, or anyone else involved 'means it, man'; it's enough that the record they chose to produce and release does."

And how.


I'll put up my other "rant" later that I referenced in the start of the blog.

 

Yes that's the one.

Armed Forces was where I really came on board with Elvis. A friend of mine had it in '79 and I found myself listening to it repeatedly at his place one day, so naturally I had to go out and buy it. It was the first three songs that really grabbed me at first, often I would just play those over before listening to the rest. Eventually I put it to one side and went on the other things. Beatles and Bowie in particular. I put on Armed Forces again a year or so later and it was even better than I thought. The lyrics were really jumping out at me, and I'd been thinking that there weren't many good lyricists around! I really started to sit up and take notice of EC after that...

I'd like to post some reviews of this album. Charles Shaar Murray wrote a great one for NME, but it's not available online. Anyway, here's another review:

http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/a-c/circus.790213a.html

Barney Bubbles trivia: He redesigned the NME logo in 1978, and also rejigged the overall look of the publication.

 

I used to be in the camp that "Armed Forces" was EC's best album. Over the last few years I've strayed from that a bit. It's slightly uneven in parts to me, maybe I've just become to familar with it, but it's easily in my top 5, maybe even top 3 of EC's albums. Either way, it's a classic album, and I won't use that word too often to describe an album.

The bonus disc also includes one of my favorite b-sides; "Tiny Steps". This SHOULD have made the album IMO!

I know there's a lot of album threads going now, but we really need to keep this one going strong! There's so many great albums to be discussed here!

 

I'd say it's his best album, perhaps Get Happy comes close but I think this is as near perfect as you can get, even Sundays Best, the worst track on here is great! And Party Girl is stunning, one of his best songs ever, and Chemistry Class, another slice of genius. I still play it regularly today. A masterpiece. 6/5

 

Some questions to keep the conversations going:

Why did US Columbia change the cover? (I can guess why they didn't do the fold-outs, but I'm just talking about changing the front image.) Did this happen in other regions as well?

Why did "Peace Love and Understanding" end up as a Nick Lowe b-side in the UK in the first place?

I remember "Party Girl" getting airplay in the US. Why didn't Columbia release it as a single?

 

I didn't expect a huge response for Live At The El Mocambo, but still I think Keymaster could have been a little more patient.

I had an odd experience with El Mocambo, which I first heard when Ryko released it in 1993. I really enjoyed it initially, but my enthusiasm gradually waned for two reasons. First, as I became more familiar with Elvis bootlegs, I realized there are several other shows from that period that are as good or better. Second, while I had always noticed the yee-hoo guy, he somehow became even more annoying after I heard other people complain about him.

As for Armed Forces, I think it was his best album up to that point. But I say that as someone who first heard the US version, which I agree was an improvement. If I heard the UK version first, I'd probably complain that side 2 is a bit weak. "Two Little Hitlers" is a solid album track, but "Peace, Love & Understanding" is a much stronger closer.

Regarding the cover, one theory is that Columbia didn't want the elephants because they were concerned they would be interpreted as a reference to the Republican party. I don't know if there's any truth to that. (For anyone outside the US who may not know, the elephant is the party's symbol.)

 

Costello had a funny quote in the 90s about Armed Forces (in the liner notes for the reissues? An interview? Can't remember). He said at the time he thought it was too slick, but "you play it now and it sounds like Howlin' Wolf."

 

I thought it was too slick (compared with the first two and his blistering early live shows) at the time, and maybe never gave it quite the chance it deserved. But this is where I stopped buying his records new upon release, and waited a few weeks until used copies started showing up in the record stores, which they always did.

 

Paul - Thanks for the great Barney Bubbles link. He's a much under appreciated designer who deserves a monograph. What that site failed to show by excluding the postcards and records from the LP cover is the brilliance of the complete vision and the simplicity with which it was executed. The entire cover and postcards are cut from a single square, nothing is wasted, yet, the packaging almost seems complex because of the clever cuts in the flaps and the way they fold (see Paul's link). Note the thematic colour tie-in of the labels with the inner sleeve. The grenade FREE EP sticker even ties in with the Mondrian style tour poster -- this is the back of the program for the tour where Richard Hell opened (see other pic). If you look closely at the press release, you'll see the release date for the album and the mention of the 31 date tour.

chilab17 - I think you're on the right track with your thinking -- the original UK cover would be far too expensive to produce. We're talking die cuts and printing on both sides of the card stock.

The US version (strangely, this WLP with timing strip, which was also promo stamped on the back was shrinkwrapped and stickered) simply used the inside UK art as the front and put the elephant painting on the back. The Swedish Smash version is a gatefold cover using a variation on the UK graphics. The Brazilian LP used the inside art as the back cover, and most oddly, the Argentinian used Side 1 of the UK inner sleeve as the back cover.

 

Armed Forces is a great pop record. The fact that EC even quoted ABBA's "Dancing Queen" is telling. The album is loaded with hooks and fun puns (I even like the "tidal" line EC blushes over.) The relationships portrayed in tracks like "Busy Bodies", "Two Little Hitlers", and "Big Boys" are fascinating stuff.

While not exactly EC items, below are some Senior Service cigarette items that might give insight to the lyrics of the song, "Senior Service, junior dissatisfaction". EC was playing with the popular UK brand and some of its slogans.

Below that are some US promo items (I never got the whistle.)

 

I'm enjoying looking at your memorabilia Jeff. Thanks for posting the photos. I forgot about the Senior Service cigarette brand. Never made the link before. Seems obvious now.

 

Jeff your stuff is amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

"Armed Forces": very good album, but it falls short of greatness for me, partially because the albums that surround it are better. I didn't buy EC's stuff at the time of release until 1984, so I took in everything through "Punch" pretty much in one fell swoop. I like "Forces" a lot but don't find myself visiting it as much as its peers...

 

Quick note about "Model": while browsing at the book store yesterday, I found a tome called "100 Albums That Changed Music" (http://www.amazon.com/100-Albums-Th...7682340?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175799678&sr=1-3) I flipped through it and found a chart of good songs from mediocre to awful albums. This listing actually referred to "Model" as mediocre to awful! My eyes about bugged out of my head when I saw that. When has anyone EVER considered "Model" to be blah to bad?

 

This is my feeling overall.

Armed Forces was my first Costello record, and also the first non-classic rock record that I bought. So, in that sense, it changed my musical tastes forever. But compared to This Year's Model (which has aged incredibly well) and Get Happy!! (which was, for years, my favorite and most-played Costello disc), Armed Forces sounds less inspired in places. That said, there are some amazing tracks on the album:

"Accidents Will Happen"
"Senior Service"
"Party Girls"
"Two Little Hitlers"
"Peace, Love and Understanding" (the #1 best Costello all-time Costello single)

 

The first single from this period was "Talking in the Dark" b/w "Wednesday Week". It was a freebie single (RG 1) that was given out at the Dominion Christmas shows and in New York. Most people would associate the two songs almost as one, as presented on the "Accidents Will Happen" 7" single -- there's no denying they flow together flawlessly... but, that disc wouldn't appear for another 5 months or so.

I love the songs and this is one of my favourite sleeves. The shocking pink is, er, shocking. I love that Pete and Bruce are caught noshing. The graphics give a hint of what would come with the LP in couple of months. Below is a 7" acetate for this giveaway single with labels in Porky's hand, along with the sleeve and labels, designed by Barney Bubbles.

Soon to come: ADA 31, ADA 35, and a few odds and ends.