Elvis Costello Appreciateion Thread

[SenorPotatoHead]

I am interested in acquiring the EC documentary "Mystery Dance" - has anyone seen this?  How is it?  The clips I have seen have whetted my appetite.   Also, in my way of thinking, there needs to be some love given to this guy here - and I didn't find a dedicated thread about him/his music, so hence this.  
Too many great albums/songs of his to even begin to imagine which I like"best" - I would have to say I have thoroughly been bowed by nearly everything he has done - with a few exceptions, though if I were to hear them again now, perhaps I might like them, who knows?  
Also, he seems like a very genuine, cool guy.  He seems real, human and sincere.  
One of the clips I saw of this documentary was a clip of his dad performing with the Joe Loss Orchestra - he had on the same horn rimmed glasses as EC would end up wearing and had the swept back, "ducks-arse" hair doo - he was the spitting image of how his son would look 20 or so years later -  this made me smile big time.  
Anyway, if there is such a thread as this that i missed, or whatever - just delete this.  Otherwise - if you like this guy too - please feel free to comment - and if you have seen the doc - please let me know what you thought of it, I absolutely must see it!
Thanks!

[Summertime Blooz]

My favorite is the album he made with Burt Bacharach.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Painted From Memory (the one w/Bacharach) is alright.  There's only a few albums I don't care for - and even those still have some great songs on them.    His show Spectacle was also really enjoyable, went for two seasons and it doesn't look like there will be a third, which is a shame. 
I got a copy of the documentary on its way to me, can't wait. 

[Aum Bop Diddit]

I lost track around the time of "Mighty Like a Rose" (which I quite liked actually) -- Elvis the C is one of those guys I feel would benefit from being a little less prolific....  Anyway, anything in that earlier timeframe has at least a few gems on it, any of the first seven albums can be called classics -- of those I'd say "Get Happy" and "Trust" represent his peak.  A little editing wouldn't have hurt -- pull a clinker here and there, add the top bits from "Taking Liberties" and you would have had two perfect albums in my opinion.  His writing covers so much ground and so smartly and hookily at this phase, and the Attractions up the ante to the nth degree.  Interesting to me is these two LPs don't seem to represent his height of popularity or critical consensus.  I can listen to them anytime, anywhere and still be blown away.

He is also a professed Beach Boys fan.  I love his quote on "Pet Sounds" -- "After it was dumb and goofy and before it got to weird and spooky..."

[SenorPotatoHead]

Get Happy!!! is a magnificent album - as are (imo) all his albums up to Goodbye Cruel World - but even that has a few goodies (Love Field for example).  Blood and Chocolate, King of America and Spike are (again imo) great.  All This Useless Beauty - though a collection of cast off songs is a big favorite.   I really enjoyed Delivery Man and his recent National Ransom as well - there's so many, for as you note, the guy has been incredibly prolific.  The Attractions were fantastic as well.  
And if anyone is interested, Pete Thomas (the Attractions drummer) talks about his favorite album (his favorite non EC album that is) here: https://soundcloud.com/jeremy-dylan/my-favorite-album-008-pete-thomas-on-jimi-hendrixs-are-you-experienced-part-1-of-2

I agree on the Beach Boys comment, made me laugh when I first heard it.

[zane7570]

I will see the documentary tonight and perhaps write about it tomorrow(or later tonight). I have been a fan since Mighty Like A Rose, which was the first album of his that I heard. I was born in 1970 and somehow missed what for most people was his "best" era. The only knowledge I had of him was that he was this odd looking guy with the glasses who always looked angry. I saw footage of his appearance on Saturday Night Live and so I judged him based on these things and not his songs or ability. When Mighty Like A Rose was released, there was a review in our local newspaper and I read the review and it made me interested to give it a shot. At that time I was 21 and had a little disposable income and took a chance and bought the cassette of the album and loved it. I then found a cheap Columbia greatest hits cd and bought that and loved it. I ended up buying his catalog on cd and then reissues and whatever I could find. I dearly love the Rhino reissues as each has a bonus disc with wonderful extras. In a few cases the bonus discs redeem the originally released album....I appreciate Goodbye Cruel World so much more now.

I guess North is the release I have enjoyed the least. I went into it with high expectations after dearly loving the albums preceding it, but it just didn't get into it at all. In fact I've only listened once so maybe now that a few years have passed, I'd "get it".

I don't have a particular favorite album. I find myself not listening to complete albums like I once did, but instead listen to the compilations of his work that I have made.  He is one of the few artists for me that I can play the music over and over and still discover new things.

He is also the only artist in my huge music collection who has forced me to go to a dictionary to find the meaning of a word.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Agreed on North - it's the only one of his albums that I couldn't get into at all.   Though it might strike me differently now if I give it another listen, which perhaps I will.   I saw the documentary last night.  Not bad, but I wish there had been a bit more....also, some extras on the disc would have been cool =P
It's difficult with him to say what my "favorite" albums are, there's too many, but ones that instantly come to mind, that really hit me when I heard them - the first few of course, but also Spike, King of America and All This Useless Beauty.   

[Aum Bop Diddit]

Stating the obvious -- when discussing the greatness of Elvis Costello to put the Attractions in  the first part of the discussion.  Their musical sensitivity, creativity, interplay is (insert adjective meaning really really great).  I find it sad that Bruce Thomas is no longer part of the mix -- tremendous bass player.  Bad blood over a memoir if I'm not mistaken.

[zane7570]

Yes, apparently Bruce wrote a book of "fictional" characters and used EC as a villain and that was the final straw for at least a few years. EC wrote "How To Be Dumb" in response. Later, Bruce rejoined the band for the Brutal Youth and All This Useless Beauty albums and tours but the bad blood returned and proved to be too much. I do remember they all were at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction and EC acknowledged the feud and I think they may have performed that night without Bruce but I remember the speech more than the performance.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Indeed - the Attractions were key to aiding and abetting Costello's muse.  As great as the first album is, the difference in that and the second (This Years Model) is the difference between a butter knife and a a steak knife.  Three top notch musicians who were way more than simply a backing band.   

[sparkydog1725]

I had a huge love for Elvis C. Aim, Model and Happy are fantastic. I played the f*** out of them. I bought everything up through Punch the Clock. Then I lost interest, mainly because I was one step form homeless. I'd like to acquire the best of his later stuff someday.
I saw him in 1979 and the concert was almost ruined by a horrible sound mix. The Rubinoos were the opener and they sounded just fine!

[SenorPotatoHead]

Extreme Honey is a nice collection of later period stuff.   

[zane7570]

Finally saw the documentary(extended version, 90 minutes or so). I enjoyed it very much although it didn't tell me much I didn't already know. I did enjoy seeing EC revisit some of the places from his youth and seeing clips of his father. Maybe a newbie would get much more from the documentary than me, but if I were going to recommend something to a newcomer, I'd tell them to watch the music video dvd collection "The Right Spectacle".

I do agree about "Extreme Honey" and I think "Pomp and Pout" is a good collection of his even later period

[the captain]

Agreed on North - it's the only one of his albums that I couldn't get into at all.   Though it might strike me differently now if I give it another listen, which perhaps I will. 

Some of North--"Still" in particular--struck me immediately as gorgeous. Though I had very little Elvis Costello baggage around that time, having never bothered much with him before: I knew only a couple of the early hits when it came out. I only dug into him around that time. Now I'm a fan of a lot of his work across eras, some of almost everything but all of nothing.

[The Demon]

Big Costello fan.  Imperial Bedroom is a masterpiece I return to often.  Arch lyrics and ornate arrangements are often a favorite combination, and there's not a bad moment to find.

I also worship Armed Forces and This Year's Model, despite some of the obvious musical lifts (Stones' "The Last Time" and Beatles' "You Never Give Me Your Money").  Some great lyrics and clever pop arrangements to rival Pere Ubu or the Residents.

I'd put Get Happy!! ,  Trust, Punch the Clock, and Blood and Chocolate behind these, though with the Rhino reissues there are plenty of great bonus tracks.  Punch has grown on me over time--the producers were a bit more effective with Madness.

My Aim is True has its moments, but I'm not a big pub rock fan.  I also enjoy Almost Blue.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Finally saw the documentary(extended version, 90 minutes or so). I enjoyed it very much although it didn't tell me much I didn't already know. I did enjoy seeing EC revisit some of the places from his youth and seeing clips of his father. Maybe a newbie would get much more from the documentary than me, but if I were going to recommend something to a newcomer, I'd tell them to watch the music video dvd collection "The Right Spectacle".

I do agree about "Extreme Honey" and I think "Pomp and Pout" is a good collection of his even later period

Agreed on the doc (also saw the 90 in. version) - it was enjoyable, but didn't learn much I wasn't aware of already.  The clips of his dad though were great.  
I recommend again as well, for any that haven't seen it, his chat/music show Spectacle - went two seasons, and I hope they will continue with it (though sadly it doesn't appear so).  Clips are available on youtube (and maybe full shows too - can't recall at the moment) - full shows are also on hulu.   It was a great format for him and their were a fairly wide variety of guests.  
The collection you mentioned - Pomp and Pout, I was not aware of, will have to check it out.

[SenorPotatoHead]

Agreed on North - it's the only one of his albums that I couldn't get into at all.   Though it might strike me differently now if I give it another listen, which perhaps I will. 

Some of North--"Still" in particular--struck me immediately as gorgeous. Though I had very little Elvis Costello baggage around that time, having never bothered much with him before: I knew only a couple of the early hits when it came out. I only dug into him around that time. Now I'm a fan of a lot of his work across eras, some of almost everything but all of nothing.

May have to give North another listen, it may be I will hear it differently these days.  From what I understand, if I do, is that the "theme" of North is of someone moving into another, later stage of their life.  I could probably relate to that a bit better these days. 

[StillSurfin]

Does any Elvis C fan know if he worked with Zapp frontman Roger Troutman on the 'Otherside of Summer' song?. It says so on Wikipedia, but I don't hear Roger on Talkbox, but when listening to the song, it does sound like a Roger type production.

[zane7570]

Does any Elvis C fan know if he worked with Zapp frontman Roger Troutman on the 'Otherside of Summer' song?. It says so on Wikipedia, but I don't hear Roger on Talkbox, but when listening to the song, it does sound like a Roger type production.

I looked all through the credits on the cd version of "Mighty Like A Rose ' and don't see his name anywhere.

[StillSurfin]

OK, thanks. When I saw it mentioned on Wikipedia I was abit surprised, because I don't recall it being mentioned of them working together. Zapp were signed to WB at the same time as Elvis Costello so its a possibility it was an uncredited appearance by Roger.