Entertainment For Lively Minds
ATM: Costello albums for beginners
I do not own a single album of his, other than When I Was Cruel (£1 from Woolies some years ago, must give it a listen again), though I do have the cassette version of Girl Girls Girls and absolutely love it. I was wondering whether it was worth getting it on vinyl or CD, but this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_Girls_Girls_(Elvis_Costello_album)
reveals that all three formats had different track listings, and the cassette version has the biggest variety of tracks - just.
So this got me thinking: if I were to get into EC's albums, where should I start? Early punky phase? Later polymath stuff? Mid-phase weirdy beardy? (a gross oversimplification I know).
Interested to see whether there is a consensus or not on this one...
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I <3 EC
I became a fan when Spike came out, that's was my first record and I saw him live soon after without knowing any of his catalogue. He is fantastic live, and aside from what records to buy, you should go and see him on tour next May.
After Spike, I got King of America plus Blood & Chocolate together, and that'd be my recommendation. They came out within weeks of each other in 1986 and showcase the songwriter-Americany EC alongside the noisy-angry EC.
Next buy the run from This Year's Model to Imperial Bedroom.
Having said all that, I think my favourite album is Brutal Youth (1994) with last year's National Ransom being his best one since then.
No question -
"Get Happy"
His fourth (???) album with the original Attractions, just a brilliant moment in a wonderful career when he was bursting forth with songs and had the band to play them.
If you go to Elvis Costello's website you can check out samples from all his work, so check out the Get Happy album first.
Third and Fourth
It was his fourth album but the attractions third. My Aim Is True was recorded with Clover.
Anything
from Armed Forces through to Blood and Chocolate represents EC at his most productive and creative. Imperial Bedroom is one of my favourite albums, containing the mighty Man Out of Time which may be his best song. Get Happy is a good entry point, at that time he was writing quality songs at an incredible rate - so many infact that he couldn't get them all on the album. Listen to some of the tracks which missed the cut - with songs like Dr Luther's Assistant and Ghost Train it's that rare case of rejected songs sounding every bit as good as the ones which made the album. I envy you discovering these for the first time. Let us know how you get on.
As someone ...
... who's followed EC his whole career and first saw him live back in 1978 I would recommend three albums as must buys:
My Aim is True
Get Happy
Imperial Bedroom
I bought the first...
... lot of EC re-releases (in the 90's) - if I remember correctly they were released chronologically, individually and over a longish period. This, for me, was a good way to get into the records because I wasn't bombarded with too much at once. My favourites EC records are Get Happy, Trust, Imperial Bedroom, Blood and Chocolate, Brutal Youth and King of America.
If I was only allowed to listen to one artist...
...for the rest of my life...
That artist would probably be Elvis Costello.
There's a lot to be said for going down the chronological route, but for me the order would probably be:
Imperial Bedroom
This Year's Model
King of America
Blood and Chocolate
Painted From Memory
Get Happy
My Aim is True
If you can get hold of it, the Costello/Nieve box of live shows is also great.
Imperial Bedroom
I'm alone in not liking it very much. I'll keep Town Crier but after that I can't be bothered. It always sounds like an album that loves itself a little too much.
Get Happy, King Of America, Blood And Chocolate are big faves. And additionally I'll have Punch The Clock, which was actually my first Costello album, it's his 'pop' album, produced by Langer/Winstanley who were doing Madness at the time. It's a little slick, but the songs are strong, and I love the lyrics on it.
I'll also have Trust, which in it's expanded form has a lot of great songs. It's not got the identity that some of the other albums have, but it's songwriting is it's strength. Plus my favourite all time Costello song is on it, New Lace Sleeves.
Finally I'll take Brutal Youth, which is a fantastic all round album, full of melody and attitude and energy, and some lovely lyrics.
You're not alone
Im a big fan and have over a hundred albums of Mr C including re-releases and bootlegs, but Imperial Bedroom leaves me cold, I think the lyrics are over clever and smug, the production dated. I'm not a massive fan of Armed Forces either, those two records are 2nd & 3rd from the bottom of my Elvis list, obviously North props the whole lot up because I find that unlistenable.
King of America is at the very top but I'm not sure I'd recommend it as an entry point, Blood & Chocolate, Trust, Get Happy could all serve that purpose and then for a little contrast try KoA, Almost Blue and the Delivery Man.
Please don't bother with North, not even out of curiosity!
North - you are so wrong
North is exceptional and I would put it in his top 5 - the songs Still, Let me tell you about her and When Green eyes turn Blue can be compared favourably to his more complex vitriolic songs. They get dismissed however because they are conventional love songs. Neil, if you sat down in a room in quiet and listen I think you might just change your mind. They are delicate and the orchestral scores (written by EC too) afre wonderful.
Any back to the matter in hand - King of America, This Years model, Spike and Brutal Youth would be my other choices in his top 5. Bubbling under would be Delivery man and River in Reverse.
I would say avoid Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World but therein lies the problem - Punch the Clock has Shipbuilding and GCW has Love Field. Both amongst his best songs. Like Paul Waring he is the artist I would choose if I could only listen to one.
I really have tried
But I find nothing on North to hook me, nothing that engages me. It appears to be a very personal collection which I am sure was more about catharsis than anything else, I'm quite happy to leave it in the case and listen to other music that does something for me, it's all about personal taste after all. The OP was asking for an Elvis introduction and as I said my favourite is KoA but I wouldn't recommend it as a starting point, irrespective of personal taste you surely wouldn't suggest that North could act as a suitable launch pad for the Costello canon would you?
Good points about GCW and PTC - although 80s production aside I think Punch is a great record.
Hi Neil, you're right I wouldnt suggest
North as an entry point because it is not representative. However given the chameleon like nature of his work I am not sure what is.The albums that most disappointed me were The Juliet Letters which if I am honest I don't like and Momofuku which disappointed when I first heard but has since grown on me. Even that has American Gangster time which is a terrific song.
I would suggest-
in no particular order-
My Aim Is True
Imperial Bedroom
King of America
Armed Forces
Almost Blue
This Year's Model
Blood and Chocolate has its moments but tries a little bit too hard and I've never liked I Want You as much as Elvis did. Spike has some lovely moments too although it lacks a certain detachment. I'm getting old now and I've completely forgotten the title of the one with Shipbuilding and Everyday I Write the Book on it- but Side One of that album is almost perfect. Side Two less so.
I'll second Eddie's choices,
as he's suggested exactly the same culprits as me. Apart from Get Happy.
PS The Juliet Letters is shite.
The funny thing
about this post is the wide divergence of opinion. For me I want you is the best track on Blood and Chocolate. I also think The Scarlet Tide off The Delivery Man is up there as one of his top songs yet I never hear anyone else even mention it let alone rate it. With the volume of his output I guess it shouldn't be too surprising.
I'll rate it
The Scarlet Tide is a mighty song.
elvis in order
My choice would be
1 Imperial Bedroom - great lyrics - great tunes - what more could you want
2 This Year's Model - the best of his early albums although all are worth buying
3 King Of America - very strong album
4 Trust
5 All This Useless Beauty - a much underrated album but nonetheless superb
6 Brutal Youth
7 Painted From Memory
8 Armed Forces
9 Punch The Clock
10 Blood And Chocolate
If one and one alone
it would be Imperial Bedroom. Which for "Man Out Of Time" alone is worh the price of entry and as a whole represents Costello at his peak, the ear for pop melody allied to trenchant lyricism.
Perhaps the best option is to go for the compilation The Very Best of Elvis Costello* which covers the period 1977 to 1998. There has been some good stuff since including recent favourite of mine Momofuko but even the most ardent Costellovian would struggle to describe it as compelling as the earlier work.
* http://tinyurl.com/c64ssjf
Yep, I got into EC through that comp...
...then got the corresponding albums of the tracks I liked most. Be sure to get the 2CD version, though. Also, the Edsel double-discs are far better than the Universal Deluxe Editions.
The pleasure of being an Elvis fan for me
was watching his growth over time. I always felt each album built on the last up until the early 90s. Whatever you buy, listen to them in chronological order. I'd go for:
This Year's Model shows his confidence having been professional with his own band for a time when this was released.
Punch the clock is a great pop album and has been unfairly denigrated by Elvis in later years.
King of America is his masterpiece. Really well written songs and he was brave enough to dump the Attractions to use musicians who could really make the songs work. One of my all time favourite albums and deeply underated by the critics. Worth listening to the album Almost Blue prior to this because I don't think he would have written King of Americal had he not previously released Almost Blue
Blood and Chocolate is This Year's Model eight years later. A great album released the same year as King of America. Not many artists could produce two great albums so close together.
Mighty Like a Rose is his composer's album. He had started to take formal music lessons by this time and was prepared to experiment with sound and musical form. Another underated album.
All this Useless Beauty was originally promoted as an album where Elvis released songs he had written for other people. That was a distraction and it took me some time to hear the album as a collection of quality songs.
North is a song cycle about the breakup of his marriage and subsequent rediscovering of love. Described by a tin-eared critic as tune-free. The instrumentation is spare, allowing the songs to stand on their own.
National Ransom his most recent album is his best for some years and no doubt can be picked up cheaply.
The cassette version of Girls Girls Girls is probably the best of the three formats. When I was Cruel is not a particularly good album - I couldn't see what he was trying to do and some of the things he said in its promotion didn't make sense.
I envy you your journey of discovery. I hope you enjoy it.
I'd agree with the Doctor
I'd agree with the Doctor, a chronological ish approach, with special attention to:
This Year's Model (An express train of a record)
King of America (Classy melodies and musicianship that he's never really returned to. And as per the Girls Girls Girls sleeve note, think of his dad who died last week when you listen to Suit of Lights)
Blood & Chocolate (Viscously and gloriously raw, something he's returned to a lot but never quite like this first time)
Spike (First 'solo' LP, over stuffed with ideas and styles but great)
The Juliet Letters (First collaborative LP and perhaps the one that spent the longest being worked up so it all works together. Great purity in the music and superb songs)
Brutal Youth (Reunion with a lot to prove and proves it)
There's more...but your money would be best spent on a ticket for next year's UK gigs: EC's an incredibly passionate and dramatic performer as well as a witty host. Many times a song hasn't totally clicked with me until I've see him play it and sometimes talk about it. I'd suspect a gig would send you on the most rewarding and personal trawl through his catalogue you could have.
EC
He's the gift that keeps on giving.
Throw out everything else you own. Listen to everything by EC. It's all good in it's own way. Songs for every occasion.
Just start at the beginning, work you're way through, it's not hard. There's something to love in all of them and very little that you'd not want to hear again.
Personal highlights are;
Get Happy!! Elvis rip roars through 20 songs of real quality with a wonderful unified feel.
King of America - oozes class. Tremendous songs beautifully played.
National Ransom - our best songwriter at the peak of his game.
Almost Blue - Elvis, as always, as fan of music, giving us his recommendations for songs and songwriters.
Support also for Steve Turner's championing of 'North' - a collection of beautiful, honest late night music about love lost and love regained.
Suggest you get on Spotify first
there's so much to digest. And it depends which Costello you want (beat combo Elvis? romantic Elvis? experimental elvis? country Elvis? etc,etc).
Go for (and listen to in this order)
70s: My Aim Is True/This Year's Model
80s: Get Happy/Imperial Bedroom/King Of America
90s: The Juliet Letters/Brutal Youth/Painted From Memory
00s: When I Was Cruel/Momofuku
The only ones to avoid in my book are Almost Blue, Kojak Variety and Secret Profane & Sugarcane.
All others have merit, you will find at least 4 or 5 gems per album.
I envy you your discoveries. Good luck!
My 28 EC favourites, in order
For many years, when someone asked me "Who's your favourite artist?", my reply was "Elvis Costello."
Here are my 28 favourites, in rough order of preference. The top 7 or 8 are, for me, virtually perfect. The early years of EC's songwriting were ones of sustained creative brilliance - a level that no one, including him, could maintain.
The great under-praised Costello album is "Trust"; it's white-hot from start to finish.
I did my best to like "North", but in the end I just couldn't.
If you took out the weakest quarter of "National Ransom" it would be a classic Costello album, and a true 'return to form'.
Have seen the great man in concert 16 times. He's always such an incredible live performer.
Favourite Costello song of all time? Oh, if you twist my arm around many times, I'd probably go for "Couldn't Call it Unexpected #4".
1. Imperial Bedroom
2. Get Happy
3. Trust
4. King of America
5. Mighty Like a Rose
6. Armed Forces
7. This Year's Model
8. My Aim is True
9. Painted From Memory
10. Blood & Chocolate
11. National Ransom
12. All This Useless Beauty
13. Goodbye Cruel World
14. 10 Bloody Marys & 10 How's Your Fathers
15. Out of Our Idiot
16. Punch the Clock
17. The Juliet Letters
18. Sacred, Profane & Sugarcane
19. The Delivery Man
20. Spike
21. Almost Blue
22. Brutal Youth
23. Terror & Magnificence (with John Harle)
24. Momofuku
25. Il Sogno
26. North
27. The River in Reverse
28. When I was Cruel
A Parlour Game
Ranking EC's records is a different proposition to suggesting an introductory album, but I'll give it a spin. It's a credit to the man that people's lists will differ so much. I can't decide on specific rankings, they are just in groups of five.
Top 5
King of America
National Ransom
Brutal Youth
Get Happy
Imperial Bedroom
6-10
This Year's Model
Blood & Chocolate
Mighty Like a Rose
Trust
Spike
11-15
All This Useless Beauty
Punch the Clock
The Juliet Letters
Painted From Memory
10 Bloody Marys & 10 How's Your Fathers
16-20
Armed Forces
Momofuku
The Delivery Man
North
Goodbye Cruel World
Bottom 7
Almost Blue
Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
The River in Reverse
Il Sogno
When I was Cruel
Out of Our Idiot
My Aim is True
Yeah! I don't rate My Aim Is True! How's about that!
EC...
...is one of the few artists about whom I would say just start at 'My Aim Is True' and listen in order from there. It will be long time until you come up against anything in the least bit sub-standard and you'll hear him develop at the same time.
Here's the track listing for Girls Girls Girls
As mentioned in the original post. I remember the album, but I never owned it. It's hand picked by EC apparently and from it you would think Punch The Clock didn't exist. Which is a shame. Trust fares very well, suggesting he was happy with that one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_Girls_Girls_(Elvis_Costello_album)#CAS_version
The OP boggles...
Since posting this question, my broadband has been dodgy to say the least. It seems to be back now, and I discover a wealth of recommendations. Wow, thanks!
I think I will give Spotify a whirl first. I'll let you know how I get on...