Elvis Costello

Cranky

He's awesome.

I spent some time this weekend listening to and kinda comparing Elvis Costello with Bruce Springsteen.  They're a couple of guys from the same era who I've always just kinda looked past, they were never my thing.  Ms. Cranky loves Bruce, so I hear him around the house or in the car sometimes, plus his top 40 stuff that I'm familiar with.  Costello I've heard now and then, but I always heard that he was part of, or emerged out of, the punk scene (is this true?), so I was always less-than-convinced by his stuff because it never sounded punk at all to me.

Maybe it's come with age, or maybe it's because I've learned to set aside preconceptions and be a better listener.  But Elvis Costello is quite an awesome musician and songwriter and, in my opinion, far better than Springsteen both musically and lyrically.  I like the Americana aspect of Springsteen, but his songs sound less interesting to me (and too sax-centric at times) and his "working class" stuff hasn't aged well at all as the lyrics come off as phony, trite and forced to me.

Maybe this is a pointless comparison?  Your thoughts?

stickyfiddle

I've never really looked into Costello's back catalogue beyond the most obvious radio hits. I'm a Springsteen fan and a Jazzmaster guy but tbh EC has never really connected

Fuengi

I've just ordered Armed Forces on vinyl, never been a big fan not have any friends who are, but always liked him.

When I was 18 I bought Springsteen's live 75-85 album. That was all my music cash gone on one record so I had to listen to it all summer. Pretty much been hooked since.

I love his first two albums and Tunnel of Love especially, but his ability to create stories and set a scene are incredible. 

ToneControl

More English indie than punk really, with very clever lyrics, but probably a singing style that is not as universally liked

His wife is more famous nowadays of course, not sure if that's why we don't hear much about him

EricTheWeary

His father was a professional musician ( singer and trumpeter) including some minor hits so he grew up in a musical environment. Many people will remember this with Elvis’ dad singing and Elvis himself on backing vocals:

https://youtu.be/BwL4qwm5pbw

Elvis was a Beatles nut and there’s a lot of obvious sixties British and Motown type influences in his early work. He was certainly gigging pre punk and the take off of his career more coincided with punk than being a punk. He was on Stiff Records - the label gave him the name Elvis Costello- which was a mix of the end of pub rock and lesser known punks and he had a brief spell at 2 Tone ( one single and made a hash of producing The Specials). So he was around the punk scene and access to the indie record labels gave his career a start. 
Elvis has had a very varied career including forays into country and chamber music, even a bit of TV presenting. In that sense he’s probably not comparable to someone such as Springsteen who has stayed within narrower musical boundaries. 

One of those artists I wish I had made the effort to see live, if you watch the clips there is a sense of near anarchy and very much live performances rather than studied recreations of the recordings. 

Just too big and varied a career for me to really come to grips with but the bits I really like I really like. This was on TV on Friday night and it still sends shivers down the spine, Elvis wrote the lyrics ( and later covered the song himself), co-produced and sprinkled some magic on it:

https://youtu.be/UjUkjpJa6bY

TheMarlin

Yes, awesome. Huge and very varied catalogue!

Jimbro66

I saw him decades ago with The Attractions and was hooked. I've not liked everything he's done over the years but certainly most.

His refusal to have anything to do with the fickle music press resulted in him being unfairly labelled with a grumpy image  but there was no evidence of that when I saw him again a few years ago. Quite the opposite. Not only great music but he came across as light-hearted and had great rapport with the audience.

kennedydream1980

The Album he did with Burt Bacharach is one of my all time faves. Costello’s vocals are top class.

JezWynd

Love him in small doses and the first two LPs are excellent but I find his voice a bit grating for extended listening. Caught him at Hammersmith Odeon about 10/12 years ago. He blasted through what seemed like his entire catalogue in a show powered by his drummer. The pace was non-stop relentless until the very end when he did I Want You. Definitely a class act.

robwright

Both genius songwriters with their own distinctive style (or ‘styles‘ in the case of EC). 

Costello has been my songwriting hero for over 30 years so I probably find it hard to be objective! But I don’t think there is a better song than ‘I Want You’ on Blood and Chocolate!!!!

DrCornelius

Have a listen to the Spike album, great songwriting and Mr Marc Ribot on guitar !

Funkfingers

Cranky said:

comparing Elvis Costello with Bruce Springsteen. 

Older readers will recall that the UK weekly music newspaper Melody Maker drew exactly that comparison back in the day.

Cranky said:

he was part of, or emerged out of, the punk scene (is this true?), so I was always less-than-convinced by his stuff because it never sounded punk at all to me.

Costello was always a songwriter, first and foremost. Short hair and over-tight clothing was the look to adopt in 1976/77. If his break had come five years later, the look would have been something different.

New Wave would be a better label than Punk. (Neither is ideal.) Any misunderstanding was probably a combination of lazy journalism and ruthlessly opportunist management publicity campaigns. Costello's earliest releases were on the Stiff Records label. He participated in the Live Stiffs tour with Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Nick Lowe, Larry Wallis and Wreckless Eric. 

To anyone wanting to read up on this background stuff, I commend Unfaithful Music And Disappearing Ink. Here is a review. Available in book or spoken word versions at all good book sellers (and a few rotten ones).

All series of the television show, Spectacle, are available on DVD. These include some informative interviews, several cracking song performances and touching moments - like an appearance by the ailing Levon Helm.

SRich

Went to see EC and the Attractions at Newcastle City Hall in '78 which was a great live introduction to the band (more than the sum of it's parts) and then didn't pick up on him till 2004's The Delivery Man with The Imposters and I resonated with the Americana direction he was headed in........of course he then dove off in a million different directions, but (nearly) always entertaining.

His schtick of an almost Carnival barker on the Spectacular Spinning Songbook was ok..........

I've never seen a feller re-invent himself more than Bowe.......he runs it very closely.   

Philly_Q

I like the early stuff from This Year's Model and Armed Forces - they're from the period when I was most in tune with the Top 40, and he had a lot of hit singles in those days.

His subsequent evolution has probably produced lots of great songwriting,  but none of it (that I've heard) really appeals to me.

lustycourtier

Tramp the Dirt down is up there with anything Springsteen has down. 

RandallFlagg

My faves are Punch The Clock (which Costello dislikes a lot) and Spike.

I love the poppy lilt with the shiny, glossy production of Punch The Clock, plus it features the incredible Shipbuilding. All the songs are great with rock solid backing from The Attractions.

Spike features some terrific musicians, and again some incredible songs, my favourites are, This Town, Let Him Dangle,  Veronica, God's Comic, Baby Play's Around, Last Boat Leaving and as @lustycourtier says one the most brilliant and bitterest songs I've heard; Tramp The Dirt Down.

Kittyfrisk

Costello is fantastic. Last saw him with the Impostors in 2005 at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle.

Shipbuilding and Tramp The Dirt Down are fabulous emotive songs, but the one that gives me goosebumps every time is ' I Want You' from Blood & Chocolate.

Cranky

Right on, cheers everyone for the album and discography info.  Always nice to feed off each other's enthusiasm.

I just had a double-disc greatest hits lurking on a media player for years, not sure when or how it got there but really have gotten into it.  It'll be nice now to grab some proper albums when I can get back to a record store.

Funkfingers

Look for the remastered and expanded editions.

Many of the earlier album titles now come on CD with an "Extended Play" section. This can include demos, alternative takes or singles that were contemporaneous with a given album but not included on it. e.g. Watching The Detectives and the promotional bonus discs issued with early pressings of vinyl albums. (e.g. Stranger In The House b/w Neat Neat Neat.)

JezWynd

This was an early outing for EC, featuring his excellent version of I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself.



Real highlight of the LP though has to be Larry Wallis...

JezWynd

Cranky said:

He's awesome.

I spent some time this weekend listening to and kinda comparing Elvis Costello with Bruce Springsteen.  They're a couple of guys from the same era who I've always just kinda looked past, they were never my thing.  Ms. Cranky loves Bruce, so I hear him around the house or in the car sometimes, plus his top 40 stuff that I'm familiar with.  Costello I've heard now and then, but I always heard that he was part of, or emerged out of, the punk scene (is this true?), so I was always less-than-convinced by his stuff because it never sounded punk at all to me.

Maybe it's come with age, or maybe it's because I've learned to set aside preconceptions and be a better listener.  But Elvis Costello is quite an awesome musician and songwriter and, in my opinion, far better than Springsteen both musically and lyrically.  I like the Americana aspect of Springsteen, but his songs sound less interesting to me (and too sax-centric at times) and his "working class" stuff hasn't aged well at all as the lyrics come off as phony, trite and forced to me.

That's a bit harsh though I take your POV. I think of Springsteen as a modern Bernstein/Sondheim cut with Spector. The lyrics are sometimes intentionally overblown to give the situations an operatic/cinematic grandeur. " The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves...",  or "Fat man sitting on a little stool,  Takes the money from my hand, while his eyes take a walk all over you". They're entrances into a bigger world of Gene Kelly dance numbers and heightened emotion.EC usually works at a different pitch (though he has his moments in that direction). When an artist assumes the popularity of Springsteen and you hear his music everywhere it can become wallpaper but it's worth standing back occasionally and admiring the artistry all over again.