Elvis Costello

springhead

Grunfeld said:

I like Springsteen's songs more but EC is someone I've a lot of respect for.

There's an ancient film of him on tour with a load of other bands, punk era, he's gotta be about 20, backstage dressing room scene, and the other guys are being drunken, sexist rock n roll wankers.  (I can't judge.  It was a scene of its time and I'd have likely been with them.)  But Costello is clearly not enjoying it. Even thought he's physically with everyone it's as if he's sitting with an invisible force field about him, apart, and able to see that this is not how women should be treated. 

I read somewhere that during that tour Elvis fell asleep on the bus and woke suddenly to find someone had poured spirits on his crotch and set light to it!  That's not going to help with the back stage camaradarie.

scrumhalf

I woke up at 0430 today and was unable to get back to sleep due to an Elvis Costello earworm. I now hate him.

FYI, it was a three-second bit of Watching The Detectives. What the hell brought that on I have no idea. 

trolley

koneguitarist said:

I liked some of his early stuff like, can’t stand up, pump it up, Angels wanna wear my red shoes, 
but another guy similar in style was John Hiatt, his album Riding with the King was very Costello like, but he changed quite a bit over the years. But his Album Bring the family, IMHO is a complete masterpiece in songwriting and arranging of a 4pc band. 

Hiatt, like Costello, Springsteen and even Dylan can grate a bit if you like smoother more orthodox vocals. 

I got my brother to buy me Riding With the King cd in the US (it was extortionate as an import in the UK).
I got it for Death by Misadventure - which I used to watch a band do live most weeks in my youth. Can't say I liked the rest of the album - maybe I'll give it another listen if I can find it

Funkfingers

fob said:

Steve Goulding may have played with EC at some point.

Goulding and Bodnar played drums and bass, respectively, on Watching The Detectives. (The keyboards were overdubbed later.)

koneguitarist

trolley said:

koneguitarist said:

I liked some of his early stuff like, can’t stand up, pump it up, Angels wanna wear my red shoes, 
but another guy similar in style was John Hiatt, his album Riding with the King was very Costello like, but he changed quite a bit over the years. But his Album Bring the family, IMHO is a complete masterpiece in songwriting and arranging of a 4pc band. 

Hiatt, like Costello, Springsteen and even Dylan can grate a bit if you like smoother more orthodox vocals. 

I got my brother to buy me Riding With the King cd in the US (it was extortionate as an import in the UK).
I got it for Death by Misadventure - which I used to watch a band do live most weeks in my youth. Can't say I liked the rest of the album - maybe I'll give it another listen if I can find it

I bought riding with the king on a whim because of all the musicians on there, Paul Carrack, Nick Lowe Martin Belmont etc, and i wasnt keen at first went back to it after about a year or so then loved it. Not his best by a long shot, She Loves the Jerk and Girl on the string just for the sound of that Gretsch. So many people have recorded his songs like Bonnie Rait, Jeff Heally Band, Clapton etc. Like Costello, i love hearing his songs done by other artists. Still Think Linda Ronstadt's version of Alison is ace!