My Aim Is True
This Year's Model
Armed Forces
Get Happy!!
Trust
Imperial Bedroom
Punch the Clock
Blood and Chocolate
There's no denying he's a musical genius, however. He has dabbled in many different music genres: rock, pop, new wave, country, folk, jazz, pre-rock pop, classical, you name it. Much of his material is hooky and catchy in some way, if not lyrically straightforward. And heck, back in the day he was prolific as all get out! Starting with My Aim Is True in 1977, he released an album each year until 1985. Even then, the next year he released TWO albums! Wow! But nowadays, he's slowed down and broadened his horizons. And he just got married to jazz singer Diana Krall.
So far, I've concentrated on his early stuff. Only time will tell whether I'll touch spotty efforts like Goodbye Cruel World or Mighty Like a Rose. But I have been big on EC since last summer ('03), so I'll see if I can expand. Oh, and here's the lineup for the Attractions, his backing band for a good deal of his career:
Steve Nieve- keyboards. The star of the band, arguably, seeing how you heard his distinctive parts on This Year's Model and Armed Forces.
Bruce Thomas- bass, saxophone.
Pete Thomas- drums, percussion.
Elvis Costello (of course)- guitar, various others.
1977
Although certain sources claim this is the best Elvis Costello album, I will have to take the same opinion as many of my web reviewing peers. It certainly sounded cool as my first Elvis album, but following albums superate it easily. Basically, Elvis wrote down some bitter tunes during his day job, and recruited backup band Clover. Like many others, the bar-rock sound doesn’t do too much for me. Luckily, they found a blander singer who fit their style more after Costello left them. And that man was ‘80s icon Huey Lewis. And now you know...the rest of...the story.
Back to My Aim Is True. Elvis does sound pissed off here, but the backing is often too slight. This means I don’t care too much for rockabilly numbers “Sneaky Feelings” or “Blame it on Cain.” Even though “Pay it Back” is of the same ilk, I consider it a highlight. Must be that catchy chorus. ‘One of these days I’m gonna pay it back, pay it back one of these days.’ I also dismiss the “Jailhouse Rock” clone “Mystery Dance” and the failed Spector sound of “No Dancing.” “Miracle Man” and “Waiting For the End of the World” are slightly similar tunes, both being a bit slower than mentioned tracks. That said, I like the message of the former and I appreciate the buildup of the latter, even though I don’t care for it as much as I should.
What does sound good here? The sad ballad “Alison” is what got me into Elvis for the long haul. Not sentimental like ‘those other sticky Valentines’ for sure! “(Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” is darned catchy jangle-rock, and “Less Than Zero” is ice-cool despite its lyrical imagery. And the punkish “I’m Not Angry” is a perfect sign of things to come on the next albums.
Oh, and the absolute highlights bookend the album! Elvis started a regular trend of awesome album-openers with the up-front and rocking “Welcome to the Working Week.” I don’t really care if it’s short, it says what it says in due time. On the UK release, “Waiting” was the final track, which would have been anticlimactic. Not so in US or on the CD re-release. Instead we have the sublime TV-bashing, catchy pop-reggae of “Watching the Detectives” to go out on. I guess at the time it was a non-album single? Here it could be the best song of all.
Not a bad start for Elvis, but filler and not the best backing bring down My Aim Is True. But he would get angrier, recruit the Attractions, and proceed to make some better ones.
1978
A-ha! This would be the best Elvis Costello album money can buy! See, he no longer is backed by the News, er, Clover. Instead he brings aboard the Attractions, whom I listed in the intro. What a big difference a backing band makes. The sounds shifts into keyboard-dominated and paranoid. And Elvis is angrier than ever, especially at the female gender, so it makes for a tense atmosphere. Despite the cheesy keyboards, it isn’t quite new wave. Despite Elvis’ rabid vocals, it isn’t punk. I don’t know how you’d pigeonhole the sound, but some reviewers liken it to mid ‘60s retro. Maybe.
The songs themselves on This Year's Model are all catchy and great, save a few. Unquestioned classics include the fiery opener “No Action,” that lasts only 2 minutes but includes superb harmonies and direct lyrics. The ice-cool “This Year’s Girl” follows, lambasting the media’s obsession with it-girls. Don’t forget the thumping “Pump It Up,” the coolest song on here. Yeah, sounds like it’s about jerking off, more explicitly so than the Vapors’ “Turning Japanese.” And “(I Don’t Want to go to) Chelsea” may be the catchiest thing Elvis has ever written. Even cooler than “Girl” (as in ice-cool, can’t think of a better word) and this time the film industry is the target. Wow!
There’s really not much of a dropoff in quality from the classics (above) and the really good tracks. Of relatively lesser status are the perfect pissy pop-rock nuggets “Hand in Hand” (‘If I’m gonna go down you’re gonna come with me’) and “Lip Service.” Any traces of reggae? Yep, both “The Beat” and “Living In Paradise” incorporate reggae. The former may or may not be another jerkoff anthem, and the latter is catchy-dorky to the max. “Lipstick Vogue” is the fastest song on here, a breakneck pop-rocker.
The three remaining songs are definitely weaker. “You Belong To Me” sounds rudimentary enough to be an Aim outtake. “Little Triggers” sees Elvis awkwardly croon a pseudo slow-dance tune, which doesn’t sound great. And the Holocaust closer “Night Rally” is too slow and lyrically dubious. Luckily, the reissue ends with the non-album single “Radio Radio.” What a perfect rocker, dealing with the vacuousness of radio airwaves. It still holds true today, I barely listen to the radio.
A 9 this gets, mostly due to the three duffers. I’d definitely recommend this as your first Costello purchase. Or else, My Aim is True will do, if you want to work your way up in the pissed-off department. Cuz let me tell you, Aim is child’s play compared to Model. And make sure you’re upset with the opposite gender first. Like me.
1979
How do you top an album like This Year’s Model? Well, in Elvis’ case, you add some pop and new wave stylings, and have a bigger production. Plus, his main topic has moved from not getting girls to politics, namely the army. Hence the album title Armed Forces. While this album has some classics like Model, there’s more filler, and some misguided diversity ending up in stinkers.
In fact, the first eight songs are a great stretch for Elvis. This includes another strong opener “Accidents Will Happen,” an amazing hook-filled pop tune. “Senior Service” follows with an odd mixture of new wave, proto-disco, and very pissed-off lyrics. “I wanna chop off your head and watch it roll into the basket?? Woah there!! But it’s still coo’. Even better is the shimmering pop tune “Oliver’s Army,” complete with dreamy vocals and bombastic piano chords in the vein of ABBA. “Big Boys” is pretty solid and thumping, as a good Elvis song should.
Of the next four of eight, only “Goon Squad” is an unquestionable classic. A pounding production and Elvis’ frantic vocals make the song, and I have to smile at the low voiced ‘goon squad’ harmony vocal during the chorus. The others are lesser but still good. “Green Shirt” is quirky and short, “Party Girl” is a slightly overrated ballad, and “Busy Bodies” sounds like “Hand in Hand” Pt. II, but has enough independent hooks to not qualify as filler.
Unfortunately, the final four tunes bring down the album in a bad way. Except “Moods for Moderns,” which is great in its own dorky new-wave way. But “Sunday’s Best” sucks, with the awful carousel oom-pah-pah beat and smarmy delivery. “Chemistry Class” has no hook at all, and Elvis could have made it better by saying ‘you've got a chemistry class I want a piece of your ass.’ But alas, it’s ‘mind’ instead of ‘ass.’ And the closing “Two Little Hitlers” has an OK reggae-soul ballad thing going. Except Elvis’ crooning here isn’t pleasant, and whenever he croons the word ‘Hitler’ my skin crawls. Yeuch!! Just not the right word in this context.
Once again, the album goes out with a whimper...except once again the reissue closes with a non-album single. And what a single this one be! Nick Lowe’s jangle-rock “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love, and Understanding” is absolutely stunning, with a totally sincere, desperate vocal by Elvis. Quite possibly my favorite on here. Armed Forces was in danger of getting a 7, with its running out of steam, but this spectacular number ensures an 8. Still has more filler than Model, so only 8.
1980
I really don’t want to go too far into the story of this album. Elvis Costello had a few too many, made some racist remarks regarding Ray Charles in front of fellow rockers, and got loads of negative P.R. as a result. I really think those remarks were merely the result of too much alkeehol, and don’t reflect Elvis’ views. Whether they do or not, Elvis responded with his most soul-influenced album yet in Get Happy!!, with some reggae and ska thrown in as well. I say "soul-influenced" because it's not quite soul, just the typical Attraactions sound with some new elements thrown in.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t completely work. There are a whoppin’ 20 hyper tracks on here, most of them only around the 2 minute mark. Taking this all at once is not recommended, as when I did, I didn’t remember a thing afterwards. Rather, I broke it down, concentrating on the two halves by themselves. And the math geek in me found symmetry: the first half contains 5 good-to-great tunes, 3 nothing tunes, and 2 good tunes, all in order! And the second half starts with 2 goodies, 3 nothings, and 5 greaties! Nifty nifty nifty!
The first five tunes are all top-notch. The spry “Love For Tender” makes good mileage of the “You Can’t Hurry Love” bassline, even though the Jam made it even better on “Town Called Malice.” The first (and best) of the ska-type tracks “The Imposter” is even faster than “Tender.” The sleek ballads “Opportunity” and “Secondary Modern” provide breathing room. But the best of the five, and my personal favorite of Happy!!, has to be the overblown “King Horse.” Besides having a heart-wrenching piano line, the vocal trackings are quite unusual. See, Elvis recorded one vocal track as normal, and it sounds like he ran to the back of the studio and SHOUTED the overdubbing vocal track. It makes for an unsettling listening experience, in a good way.
Now the final five are more inferior, but still cool. “Human Touch” and “Temptation” are basically the same good song, but I like the guitar happenings on the latter. The soul cover “I Stand Accused” is good stomping fun, and “Beaten to the Punch” sounds like it was recorded back in the Stax-Volt studios in the ‘60s, it’s that raw! The plodding closer “Riot Act” is the longest on here, and I like it fine.
The middle of the album is highlighted by the acoustic “New Amsterdam” with some great wordplay and another stomping cover, this time of Sam & Dave’s weepy “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down.” “High Fidelity” is usually cited as a highlight too, but Elvis’ vocals sound surprisingly hoarse. Maybe it was recorded after his vocal shouting on “King Horse”? And “Black and White World” is a cool little reggae deal.
OK, I usually comment on every track, but the six remaining tracks leave me cold to this day. They can’t help but bring down the album a point. Still, Get Happy!! is probably the funnest album Elvis recorded, with a nice retro sound. Try listening to it while on a huge coffee buzz, it might make it even better. I wouldn’t know, I don’t drink the stuff.
1981
With this release, Elvis and his Attractions began to show some seams coming apart. It’s hard to pinpoint the overriding sound throughout the album. My Aim was rockabilly, Model was punk, Forces was New Wave, Get Happy!! was soul, what is Trust? Just your average pop-rock with Costello’s twists, and a few songs continuing in the Happy!! vein. The Attractions are great, as usual. But what knocks the album down for me is Costello’s overemoting bugs me at times. It’s weird, Trust. is the only album thus far where this happens.
Oh wait, I know why. There’s a TON of filler on here, more so than usual. With that sort of songwriting, you tend to notice Elvis’ histrionics more. That would include the Bo Diddley-aping “Lover’s Walk,” the sloppy “Luxembourg,” and the country snoozer “Different Finger.” Even some typical Elvis pop songs don’t do much for me. “Pretty Words” sounds too much like ‘been-there-done-that’ territory for Elvis, and no matter how long the poppy “Fish’n’Chip Paper” gets stuck in my head (which it has quite a bit for a while), I don’t think it’s that great of a song.
Some tracks are saved from filler status by minor touches. “Strict Time” is much better than “Lover’s Walk,” mostly due to that cool recurring piano line. “White Knuckles” sort of goes all over the map, but a few good hooks save it from despair. And the ballad “New Lace Sleeves” makes up for its clumsy verses with an epic chorus, including a ridiculously sublime falsetto.
Even better tracks ahead. I like the smooth Happy!! outtake “Watch Your Step” and the ballad “You’ll Never Be a Man,” which does the multi-section bit better than its brother “White Knuckles.” Both of them are about physical posturing, which Elvis continued with “The Loved Ones.” I used to dismiss the closer “Big Sister’s Clothes,” but now I dig its uneasiness and how different it is. Just Elvis and his guitar, and some weird sound effects throughout.
The remaining tracks make the album for me. The opener “Clubland” is even better than the similar “King Horse” off Happy!!. Yet another stellar opener, dramatic and moody, with an awesome minor key verses/major key chorus thing. Elvis really goes theatrical in his vocals, but they fit the song here. “Shot With His Own Gun” is a stunning piano-ballad, one of Elvis’ very best. And I dig the rocking “From a Whisper to a Scream,” even if the main riff sounds like an off-tune “Judy in Disguise.” Elvis brought in Squeeze vocalist Glenn Tillbrook to help him out on vocals, since apparently Elvis’ voice wasn’t up to snuff that particular night. Seeing how I like Squeeze right now, hearing Elvis and Glenn is a real treat. A bit too brief, though.
Trust is definitely not a good introduction to Elvis, as the songwriting is often subpar and Elvis’ vocals can grate even the most tolerant fan. Only one or two songs on here suck (“Luxembourg”), and the high points warrant a 7. Still, you can feel Elvis and the group was in limbo and needed a new direction That he would get on the next album.
1982
Wow, this one’s hard to assimilate. After Trust proved a career dead-end for Elvis he brought aboard Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick for changes. Not sure what Geoff did, but this album is definitely different than the previous. Elvis still has the bite, but he tones it down here. The Attractions are still aboard, but the sound turns to complex pop. This is Elvis at his most ambitious to date, without a doubt. For that reason, it take several listens to get into, as Elvis is more obscure than ever. But gems lie therein.
We kick off Imperial Bedroom with “Beyond Belief,” which is a candidate for my favorite EC song ever. It vaguely sounds like the punk of old, only even more tight and paranoid. Tensions builds as Elvis mumbles in several octaves until breaking off into ‘I MIGHT MAKE IT CALIFORNIA’S FAULT BE LOCKED IN GENEVA’S DEEPEST VAULT JUST LIKE THE CANALS OF MARS AND THE GREAT BARRIER REEF, I COME TO YOU BEYOND BELIEF!’ And it goes back to normal until fading out with the ‘chorus.’ Just an unbelievable performance, followed by the dorky Paul Carrack-soul “Tears Before Bedtime” that makes me smile. Maybe it's just hearing EC say 'boo hoo hoo.' Anyway, quite an odd 1-2 punch if I heard of one.
The next four are even more ambitious. I’m not a big fan of the overlong mid-tempo “Shabby Doll,” but I adore that sprawling pop epic “Man Out of Time.” Almost like “Clubland,” except more graceful and more obscure. I also don’t care for the soft-tango “The Long Honeymoon,” but I can dig “Almost Blue” if I’m in the right mood. I was in jazz choir in high school, and could have done that for a solo on jazz night. I just never got into that scene.
The remaining nine tracks are all somewhat complex, mid-tempo pop tunes. No one can agree on which ones are standouts, from reviews I’ve read. My personal favorite list is comprised of the tuneful “Human Hands” and “Little Savage,” even though the latter has an intro suspiciously similar to ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” (‘Just one look and I can hear a bell ring’). I do like “...And In Every Home” even if no one else does. It has a tasteful horn section. And the slow, waltz-y “Kid About It” is cool, with emotional EC vocals.
Other tracks, like “The Loved Ones” and “You Little Fool,” are usually people’s favorites. But I find them both kind of annoying, be it the former’s “London Calling” ripoff or the latter’s teenybopper lyrics (as in lyrics about a teenybopper, that is). “Pidgin English” has no hook and drowns in its lyrical murkiness. “Boy With a Problem” is a forgettable ballad, and the closing “Town Cryer” is somewhat better, if overorchestrated.
Overall, the album is a bit bogged down by its complexity and not much diversity towards the end. When it’s on, it cooks. But Elvis’ ambitions got the better of him and Imperial Bedroom ends up with a 7. I almost gave this a 6, but that would be slighting “Beyond Belief” and a few others.
1983
Don’t we all wanna be a pop star? Apparently Elvis Costello did. Imperial Bedroom may have been critically acclaimed, but it didn’t really do much in the charts. For Punch the Clock, Costello brought aboard producers Langer and Winstanley (who produced Madness albums) to sweeten the sound. As a result, it’s Elvis Costello’s most pop-friendly album to date. Is that a good thing? Not as such. Elvis was hitting a slump in melodies, while his lyrics became more conventional. Not that I get much lyrics, the loud production often overwhelms.
This approach did result in Elvis’ very first Top 40 hit, “Everyday I Write the Book.” As a pop single, it’s pretty darn catchy and good, good enough to be the best song on here. It’s rather sweet for Elvis, but if you listen real hard, you can hear some of his typical cynicisms in the lyrics. Other highlights include the piano ballad “Shipbuilding,” as good as another in the epoch, and the sparse half-spoken “Pills and Soap.” I don’t consider it rap like others do, but it is bizarre.
All the rest? Pure pop, with horns, a synth and two, and just an overall in-your-face sound. Since there’s not much difference between songs, I’ll just place them in the ‘catchy’ and ‘non-catchy’ categories. “Love Went Mad,” “The World And His Wife,” “The Invisible Man,” and “The Element Within Her” are all in the first category. “Let Them All Talk” and “The Greatest Thing” are pretty catchy as well, but too repetitive. The other four songs are in that unfortunate second category, while “TKO (Boxing Day)” stands out by being really annoying.
Despite “Everyday I Write The Book” and the sheer catchiness of some of the material, Punch the Clock is just unsatisfying in the end. It’s nice to point out little parts: the ‘I wish you luck with a capital F’ line in “Love Went Mad” rules, “Element Within Her” has prominent ‘la-la-la’s, etc. But Elvis let down his guard here and went too far in his pop-star quest. Apparently problems got worse on Punch the Clock, to the point where Daryl Hall was dragged in on the hit single. But hey, at least he ain’t on Punch!
1986
Back to the Attractions with you, Elvis! See, 1984’s Goodbye Cruel World was a dead-end for Elvis, so he ditched the Attractions to join with T-Bone Burnett. I haven’t heard 1986’s King of America, the result, yet. After America he called up the Attractions again and rushed out Blood and Chocolate. I say rush because this album came out the same year, not because it sounds so much like it. In fact, despite the muddy production, Blood and Chocolate is Elvis’s best album since Armed Forces. He’s still angry, but it’s more about I’ve-seen-it-all cynicism, as he had recently gotten over a divorce. Some say he’s at his most bitter. They got a point .
The best songs on here happen to be the ones that divide fans the most. The opening “Uncomplicated” is very ugly, and a lot of people despise it. Yeah, the drumming is primitive, it’s based around one note for the most part, and the opening line ‘blood and chocolate!!!’ can make one uncomfortable. But I love it. After all, if you complained to Elvis that it was too ugly, he’d just grin and say that it’s how it’s supposed to be. Even better is the bizarre “Tokyo Storm Warning,” which owes more to the Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” than Dylan. OK, the lyrical structure is similar to “Stuck Inside of Mobile,” with the endless verses and despair, but “Mobile” was about one place, whereas “Tokyo” is more of a travelogue. Both songs are great and polarizing, you love ‘em or hate ‘em .
But if you hate ugliness, you’ll be cool with the “Blue Chair,” another one of Elvis’ twisted pop perfection pieces. Same goes for “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” with a good-time summer melody that sounds suited for a Beach Boys fun-sun-cars-song. Instead, it has malicious lyrics like ‘I know that this will hurt you more than it hurts me.’ Youch. I guess “Next Time Round” is more pop, with an obvious melody. But it does have great lines like ‘you’ll be someone else’s baby, but I’ll be in the ground next time round.’
Also stunning are the ballads. But not “I Want You,” a tune that I just cannot get into unlike everyone else. Yeah, it is disturbing in a stalker way, but it’s overlong and I get uncomfortable with Elvis’ delivery. I much prefer “Home is Anywhere You Hang Your Head,” which is just depressing in a good way. And “Battered Old Bird” is even better, as it could be Elvis’ best ballad ever. I just love the moodiness of the tune, which turns real angry all of a sudden in the middle. And that chorus is great too. Don’t know what its about, I hear it has something to do with some neighbors .
The two songs that have something to with Napoleon Dynamite (no, not the mouth-breathing nerd of the same name from the 2004 cult movie with the same name. Get your own tater tots! IDIOT!) are all right, but I get a feeling there’s something I’m missing out on. Those songs are the folk-pop “Crimes of Paris” and sludgy “Poor Napoleon,” both with vocals from Elvis wife #2, Cait O’Riordan from the Pogues. But there isn’t any filler on Blood and Chocolate. Oh wait, “Honey Are You Straight or Are You Blind” is nothing but filler. Otherwise, it’s a great album once you get past the production and ugliness of some songs. After this, Elvis ditched the Attractions again and jumped over to the Warner label.