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Right off the bat, Elvis Costello comes out firing, a spit fire reminiscent of his early days combined with more modern rock touches. This gives the album both the sense of being a prime Attractions/Imposters release while giving the sense it was all done in a single live take. The energy is just undeniable here. No Hiding Place, American Gangster Time, Turpentine, Harry Worth, Stella Hurt, Mr. Feathers, and Go Away in particular flow with that heightened energy and are my favorites here on first listen. That’s not to take away from Drum and Bone and Pardon Me Madam… which are also highlights. It’s the energy and immediacy here that brings this one all the way to the top.
Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate All This Useless Beauty The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike North Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
The Delivery Man rocks -- there are places where the Southern rock flavors feel a little forced, but all in all its a really strong collection of songs (totally agree about "Bedlam" -- it's kind of the "Episode of Blonde" of this album, only better). I saw Costello live for the first time in early 2004, on the North tour (with only Steve Nieve on piano supporting), and that ended up being the first time I heard about a half dozen of the Delivery Man songs. The show had to be rescheduled because of the Academy Awards, where EC had been nominated for "The Scarlet Tide" (which was originally given to Alison Krauss and used in the film Cold Mountain). Setlist below -- incredible show, one of my favorite concertgoing memories:
Venue Chicago, IL, Ford Center For The Performing Arts
Musicians Elvis Costello Steve Nieve
Setlist 01. 45 02. I Hope You're Happy Now 03. Talking In The Dark 04. Shot With His Own Gun 05. This House Is Empty Now 06. You Left Me In The Dark 07. Someone Took The Words Away 08. Home Truth 09. Motel Matches 10. Veronica 11. You Turned To Me 12. Fallen 13. God's Comic 14. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? Encore 1 15. Alibi 16. Black Sails In The Sunset 17. Suit Of Lights 18. All The Rage Encore 2 19. When It Sings 20. Still 21. Inch By Inch / Fever 22. Watching The Detectives Encore 3 23. The Delivery Man 24. Country Darkness 25. Monkey To Man 26. Needle Time 27. Either Side Of The Same Town Encore 4 28. Almost Blue 29. Let Me Tell You About Her 30. Nothing Clings Like Ivy 31. The Scarlet Tide 32. Pump It Up 33. The Dark End Of The Street
I like River in Reverse, and especially after watching the making-of DVD that came with the album, it's impossible not to be captivated by the spirit of it -- a love letter to the city of New Orleans and its music in the wake of a horrific disaster. I have to admit to not being moved to reach for it very often, though. My favorite tunes are "Ascension Day" (which I think is an EC vocal melody and lyrics over a Professor Longhair instrumental) and "Six Fingered Man." I need to revisit it.
Momofuku -- the Imposters rocking out, with Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Richman on backing vocals? What's not to like? "Stella Hurt" is a monster.
These albums that I experienced in real time as they were released are a lot harder for me to rank, for some reason -- I'm probably underrating them a bit, but at this point I can't quite bring myself to slot any of them any higher in the pecking order...
North This Year's Model Brutal Youth Get Happy King of America Blood and Chocolate Imperial Bedroom All This Useless Beauty Painted From Memory Mighty Like a Rose Trust The Delivery Man When I Was Cruel Momofuku My Aim Is True Spike Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Punch the Clock The River In Reverse Almost Blue Goodbye Cruel World Kojak Variety
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:35 pm Posts: 32236 Location: Buenos Aires
1. North 2. This Year's Model 3. Painted From Memory 4. Blood & Chocolate 5. All This Useless Beauty 6. Imperial Bedroom 7. Brutal Youth 8. King of America 9. The Delivery Man 10. The Juliet Letters 11. When I Was Cruel 12. Mighty Like a Rose 13. Momofuku 14. Spike 15. Trust 16. The River in Reverse 17. Get Happy 18. My Aim is True 19. Armed Forces 20. Punch the Clock 21. Almost Blue 22. Kojak Variety 23. Goodbye Cruel World
Following the at time blistering and immediate Momofuku is this one, with a focus on country and Americana. Less my personal preference, but certainly there are plenty of highlights - for me Complicated Shadows, My All Time Doll, Hidden Shame, Sulphuric to Sugarcane, and Red Cotton. While this is all pretty decent, not much stuck out past that.
Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate All This Useless Beauty The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike North Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
This thread did inspire me to pick back up on listening through Elvis' catalog (I new the albums through Get Happy and know a fair amount of songs from afterwards, though am not familiar with the albums in total). I'm quite a ways behind where everyone else is, and this is nothing revelatory, but it's stunning that he put out King of America and Blood and Chocolate in the same year. They could be my two favorite records thus far.
This album never jumps out in my mind as an upper-tier favorite but looking at the tracklist it's full of songs I really, really like. I listened to it obsessively the summer it came out, but probably not much since; adding to the list of albums to revisit...
I think it gets overshadowed for me by the not entirely dissimilar National Ransom, which came out the following year and IMO is EC's late-career opus -- kind of a better-traveled, worldlier cousin to SPS.
On this album, it feels like Elvis Costello collected all the sounds he’d been exploring over the prior 30 years and put it all in one place. The opening title track is itself a call back to the early days with the Attractions, and almost with the same sense of whiplash that comes with experiencing all this catalogue in quick succession, Costello jumps from rock to country to swing to jazz to folk to lounge singer as if this is something completely normal. And it’s certainly a natural place for him, a shape shifter chasing the latest muse. When the muse is all of it at once, it keeps you on your toes and your mind a bit more open in those short bursts. Thankfully it pays off nicely here, with National Ransom, Jimmie Standing in the Rain, A Slow Drag With Josephine, Five Small Words, Church Underground (a personal favorite), You Hung the Moon, Dr. Watson I Presume, The Spell You Cast, That’s Not the Part of Him You’re Leaving, My Lovely Jezebel, and A Voice in the Dark all big highlights for completely different reasons. A fabulous album that certainly fits among his stronger albums.
Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate All This Useless Beauty National Ransom The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike North Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
This is actually the one album I had heard before the start of this journey. I am a long time fan of the Roots, and at the time 9 years ago, I heard this album essentially in the context of their catalogue. I loved it because it showed as much a new side of the Roots than anything else. Still genius, and capable of nearly anything. Now, in the context of Elvis Costello’s catalogue, the album gets fresh life. To hear and experience this collaboration elevating his game as much as theirs, a whole new layer reveals itself. To stir things up a bit as I am sure it will, this hits exactly home. Costello’s natural delivery meshes perfectly with the Roots, a genuine affection for the rhythm and blues and rock music that preceded it, and elevating it to a new creative space for each of them. This is dually masterful.
Wise Up Ghost Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate All This Useless Beauty National Ransom The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike North Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:35 pm Posts: 32236 Location: Buenos Aires
Kevin Davis wrote:
liebzz wrote:
Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane
This album never jumps out in my mind as an upper-tier favorite but looking at the tracklist it's full of songs I really, really like. I listened to it obsessively the summer it came out, but probably not much since; adding to the list of albums to revisit...
I think it gets overshadowed for me by the not entirely dissimilar National Ransom, which came out the following year and IMO is EC's late-career opus -- kind of a better-traveled, worldlier cousin to SPS.
The thing about SP&S is that it's one of EC's best-sounding albums. Deep resonant double bass and crisp dobros and mandolins... it's a treat to listen to. Meanwhile, National Ransom (a better collection of songs) feels a little "pinched" and unnatural. Love both albums though. "I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came" is one of his all-time best, in my opinion. And NR has so many incredible songs, such as "Jimmie Standing in the Rain" and "You Hung the Moon"
1. North 2. This Year's Model 3. Painted From Memory 4. National Ransom 5. Blood & Chocolate 6. All This Useless Beauty 7. Imperial Bedroom 8. Brutal Youth 9. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane 10. King of America 11. The Delivery Man 12. The Juliet Letters 13. When I Was Cruel 14. Mighty Like a Rose 15. Momofuku 16. Spike 17. Trust 18. Wise Up Ghost 19. The River in Reverse 20. Get Happy 21. My Aim is True 22. Armed Forces 23. Punch the Clock 24. Almost Blue 25. Kojak Variety 26. Goodbye Cruel World
After a pretty large gap in between albums, especially for Costello, he returns with what seems like his most glossy album. He sounds great and everything has a sort of very produced sheen, working with the sort of retro pop feel of much of this album. I loved Under Lime, Burnt Sugar is So Bitter, Stripping Paper, and Unwanted Number, though admittedly I lost a lot of steam with this album as it progressed. A good album, though I wouldn’t count it as one of my favorites.
Wise Up Ghost Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate All This Useless Beauty National Ransom The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike Look Now North Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
While there are a few moments that lighten the proceedings a bit, specifically Hey Clockface and Hetty O’Hara Confidential, this is a highly moody piece of work from Elvis Costello. A sense of foreboding, and a recording that has a bit of a more organic feel from Look Now. There’s quite a bit of range here, from lounge music to hip hop like beats, spoken word and rock…but there’s largely a cohesive feel to this album. Sonically, there are many textures simultaneously at work. No Flag is an awesome way to really get things kicking in high gear. All the way through Hey Clockface, this was in contention for his best for me, and the quality stays too notch in the second half though not quite as loved as that first half. We Are All Cowards Now is fantastic. This is a really excellent album.
Wise Up Ghost Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate Hey Clockface All This Useless Beauty National Ransom The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike Look Now North Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
Finishing the journey on release day is pretty magical, much like this whole journey has been. What’s incredible is some of my favorite Elvis Costello albums have been released in the latter part of his career, and The Boy Named If is not only emblematic of this, but is nearly my favorite of them all! Choosing a consistent rock focus for this one, Costello settles in nicely in the format and continues to add flourishes that enhance the music and tone of the album. Farewell, OK sets the tone as pure barn burner. The Boy Named If is more fantastic rock. What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?, Mistook Me For a Friend, Magnificent Hurt, The Death of Magic Thinking (so good), Trick Out the Truth all big highlights, butted up against Penelope Halfpenny, Paint the Red Rose Blue, and Mr. Crescent that keep things fresh and interesting. Today, as much as in 1977, Elvis Costello hits it out of the park.
Wise Up Ghost Momofuku When I Was Cruel Imperial Bedroom King of America The Boy Named If My Aim Is True This Year’s Model Trust Brutal Youth Blood and Chocolate Hey Clockface All This Useless Beauty National Ransom The Delivery Man The River in Reverse Get Happy Kojak Variety Punch the Clock Armed Forces The Juliet Letters Mighty Like a Rose Almost Blue Spike Look Now North Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane Goodbye Cruel World Painted From Memory
It was a blast! I actually got much less artist fatigue than usual because of the consistent changes in direction. There was really only a few singles and the album with the Roots that I knew so it was pure discovery. A lot of fun!
I agree, liebzz - I really enjoyed following along with this. Thanks for keeping a travelogue of all these listening excursions -- all that's left is to listen to all of these 30 or 40 more times so that they remain ingrained in your DNA forever.
I listened to The Boy Named If about four times yesterday and can't wait to listen again today -- it's a dynamite album, I'm not sure any of EC's post-Blood and Chocolate rock albums have so authentically captured the spirit of the early Attractions ("Mistook Me For a Friend" sounds so much like "Pump It Up," in the best possible way). But of course there's a lot more to it than just that. More on that later.
I wanted to cap off your journey by sharing a mix of some of the "best of the rest" -- some of these tracks have been mentioned here along the way, some are personal favorites, but as someone who discovered EC by way of his reissue program, a lot of these bonus cuts were as fundamental to my experience of his music as the proper albums were. I do think most of EC's truly essential songs are on his albums, but like Dylan or Springsteen or anyone else with a discography of this size, there is a lot to discover just on the periphery that really fleshes out the story in cool, illuminating ways. This collection is just a small sampling of what's out there, but if you're not too burned out on EC at this point, take this one as a victory lap; if you are, maybe download and save for later. Most of these songs come directly from my Rhino reissue CD's, from the early 2000's; I'm pretty sure most if not all of it is somewhat elusive at this point, which is a shame -- those Rhino reissues were only in print for a few years before being supplanted by other re-releases, and it was probably the best reissue series I've ever seen. Anyway -- I'll leave it up for a few days, get while the getting's good!
1. Deportee (1985 solo acoustic version) 2. From Head to Toe (1982 single) 3. My Mood Swings (1998, from The Big Lebowski) 4, Psycho (live 1979, B-side) 5. Just Another Mystery (1991 outtake) 6. The Dark End of the Street (1992 outtake) 7. The Comedians (1985 solo acoustic version) 8. Radio Sweetheart (1977, Stiff Records compilation track) 9. Really Mystified (1982, charity compilation track) 10. Veronica (1988 demo) 11. Black Sails In the Sunset (1981, B-side) 12. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4 (live 1991, B-side) 13. Suffering Face (1985 demo) 14. Put Your Big Toe In the Milk of Human Kindness (1990-91, from Rob Wasserman 'Trios' album) 15. St. Stephen's Day Murders (1993, from the Chieftans' 'Bells of Dublin' album) 16. Alison (live 1978, from 'Live at Hollywood High' EP) 17. My Dark Life (1995, X-Files soundtrack - with Brian Eno) 18. North (2003, 'North' bonus track) 19. It Had to Be You (2013, from Boardwalk Empire) 20. Jump Up (1977 Flip City Demo)
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