The Elvis Costello News and Appreciation Thread....
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The Elvis Costello News and Appreciation Thread....
I know that there are a few other fan here, so this should interest them.
September will bring us the next batch of Elvis Costello reissues from Rhino. Two-disc sets of "Get Happy", "Trust", and "Punch The Clock" will be released in the U.S. in September. (No specific date has been given, yet.) They will be available in the U.K. on July 28th. (No information has been given about the reason for the delay in the U.S.)
No specifics have been released about the bonus discs, yet, but here a bit of info.
From a fan site:
Rhino continues its splendid reissue series with another set of three, this time focusing on a few early 80s efforts. Two of these, 1980's Get Happy and the following year's Trust, are among his very finest albums, while 1983's Punch The Clock is an intruiging mix of sunny pop and political protest, containing such songs as "Everyday I Write The Book," "Shipbuilding," and "Pills and Soap."
Some of the bonus material will no doubt be familiar to those who have heard the mid-90s Rykodisc reissues, but so far each double-dip title Rhino has put out has managed to contain a plethora of unexpected treats. For instance, the Ryko Get Happy!! boasted in its liner notes that the original 20 tracks had now been expanded to 30 with the inclusion of b-sides and rarities. Well, the Rhino version promises to include those 30 tracks plus 20 more never-before-heard demos and live recordings!! Likewise, Trust and Punch The Clock will contain many, many unheard delights.
The discs are already listed for a July 28 release date by online UK stores, but stateside fans will have to wait a little longer, as Rhino has pushed the release date back to September. The delay is somewhat disappointing, given that the last set of reissues came out way back in November. (Wasn't the original plan that these things would come out every three months???) But on a more positive note, it means that September will be a banner month for Costello fans, with dozens of new recordings to listen to...
More reissue news from the August 2003 issue of Ics Magazine:
Costello Reissues Keep Rolling
Ice Magazine August 2003
FROM BRUCE SPRINGSTEEn to R.E.M. to Prince, it's always been easy to recognize the great artists by the impressive quality of the songs that didn't make it onto their albums. But Elvis Costello continues to raise the bonus-track bar with the startling caliber of his demos, B-sides, alternate takes and-with Rhino Records' next batch of catalog upgrades-even alternate takes of his B-sides.
On September 9, Rhino rolls out two-CD reissues of 1980's Get Happy!!, 1981's Trust and 1983's Punch the Clock. Like Rhino's other Costello packages, these sets present the newly remastered original LP on Disc One, while the expanded bonus material-which includes most of the extras that were appended
to the previous Rykodisc editions-populate the second disc. The 28-page booklets include lyrics and insightful liner notes written by Costello.
This time, the depth of the previously unreleased material extends to alternate versions of songs that didn't make it onto official albums but have long been considered by fans to be as good, if not better, than what did-namely, "Girls Talk," "Heathen Town," "the Flirting Kind," "Black Sails in the Sunset," "Hoover Factory" and "Big Sister," all of which also appeared in their familiar B-side versions.
"These albums represents The Attractions at their most versatile," reissue co-producer Gary Stewart tells ICE. "You hear them successfully playing '60s soul-R&B, '80s rock and '80s British pop, all within a three-year span - in between which, by the way, they also made Imperial Bedroom and Almost Blue."
Get Happy!!, the hard-nosed Stax/Volt homage that already boasted 20 tracks in its LP incarnation, sports a remarkable 20 additional bonus tracks on top of the 10 that originally graced the Rykodisc set.
Among the unreleased gems are brisk, hard-rocking alternate takes of "Human Touch" (bearing a more-pronounced ska rhythm), "Temptation," "Motel Matches," "B Movie" and "Girls Talk" committed to tape before the Memphis soul influences kicked in. Equally engaging are Costello's multi-track demos for "5ive Gears in Reverse" (delivered as a blistering blues), "Love
for Tender" (the complete version of the hidden 31st track on Rykodisc's edition that inexplicably cut off in mid-romp), "Men Called Uncle" and an acoustic "King Horse" taken from the same sessions that produced the Taking Liberties variation on "Black and White World."
Most surprising to Costellophiles will be stripped-down stabs at three tunes that eventually became the backbone of Trust, recorded at producer Nick Lowe's home studio shortly after the Get Happy!! Sessions; a British Invasion-style gallop through "Watch Your Step"; a bouncy, Motown-flavored arrangement of "From a Whisper to a Scream," and a loping, reggae rendition of "New Lace Sleeves."
Rounding out the new bonuses are alternates of "I Stand Accused" and "New Amsterdam;" live renditions of a menacing "High Fidelity" (Pinkpop Festival, Holland, 1979), "Opportunity" (Palomino Club, Hollywood, 1979) "The Imposter" (originally issued on Concerts for the People of Kampuchea)and his simmering cover of The Temptations' "Don't Look Back" (Canvey Island, England, 1980); a re-recording of "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" from the Imperial Bedroom sessions that mirros the slower, gospel feel of Sam and Dave's original; and an oddball demo of "Seven O'Clock," a rowdy rocker intended for Dr. Feelgood.
"That song eventually evolved into two different songs," Stewart says. "It has fragments from 'Secondary Modern' and
'Luxembourg,' which would end up on Trust. In terms of feel, it sounds like [Spike's] 'Pads, Paws and Claws.' So it actually has three future Elvis songs in it."
The demos and alternates provide a fascinating perspective on Get Happy!! But they are bolstered by Costello's eloquent, brutally frank liner notes: He vividly chronicles the connection between the '60s soul vibe of the album and his infamous drunken brawl with singer Bonnie Bramlett and members
of Stephen Stills' band in a Columbus, OH bar in 1979, during which he taunted his aggressors by slurring racial epithets against Ray Charles and James Brown. Costello held a press conference to apologize and has spent his career collaborating with, and paying tribute to, many of music's most influential African-American artists, But in his moving notes, he relates
shying away from a recent opportunity to meet longtime idol Charles and admits that he has never forgiven himself ("Guilt is a burden without any statute of limitations").
By the time Trust hit the streets in January 1981, Costello's relentless touring and recording pace had caught up with him. At age 26 , with his marriage on the rocks and his hangovers lasting weeks, he was tired of playing the angry young man but he also was far from mellowing.
"This was the last pure rock 'n' roll album that he made for quite a while, until Blood and Chocolate," Stewart notes. "In many ways, this record feels more like the follow-up to Armed Forces than Get Happy!! Does. It mixes the edge and rock aesthetic of Armed Forces with more complicated and sophisticated song structures. It's an increditbly scathing record, made at a really intense personal time."
The Rhino upgrade contains nine unreleased tracks, in addition to eight of the nine bonuses from the Rykodisc reissue (in the spirit of chronological correctness, Rhino has transferred the 1981 demo of "Seconds of Pleasure" to Imperial Bedroom, where it replaced the 1982 version that has been placed on Punch the Clock). Among them are ragged first-session alternates of "Clubland," "You'll Never Be a Man," "from a Whisper to a Scream" (sans Glenn Tilbrook's duet vocal) and an even more-frenetic "Watch Your Step," plus a rousing cover of Larry Williams' "Slow Down" and a piano instrumental that would become the foundation for Imperial Bedroom's "The Long Honeymoon."
The sneering "Big Sister," which Costello rewrote into the more delicate "Big Sister," which Costello rewrote into the more delicate "Big Sister's Clothes," is accompanied by a slower, darker alternate, while the gorgeous "Black Sails in the Sunset" is contrasted by a stark solo piano version similar to "Shot with His Own Gun." Disc Two's new bonuses are capped by a breezy 1981 revisitation of the Get Happy! -era "Hoover Factory," recorded with Attractions keyboardist Steve Nieve.
Punch the Clock remains an object of debate among critics and fans as it marked Costello's foray into more accessible pop by teaming him with Madness producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. But Stewart points out that it also contained a Stax-style horn section, the bitter "Pills and Soap" and jazz trumpeter Chet Baker's solo on "Shipbuilding" - so Costello certainly wasn't following commercial radio protocol.
Coming on the heels of the elegant Imperial Bedroom and the
Nashville-recorded Almost Blue, "you had already learned you could expect the unexpected from him," Stewart says. "I know the record is not critically acclaimed, but for me, it's a complete success at trying to make an '80s pop record."
The Rykodisc reissue tracked on seven bonus tracks, but Rhino has uncovered 18 more, as well as two improvements on its predecessor: To replace the rough-sounding live versions, "we found really good studio versions of the Merseybeat [arrangement] of 'Everyday I write the Book' and the solo acoustic 'The World and His Wife," Stewart says. "I don't know why they weren't used before. We also found this great song called 'Baby Pictures' - it's a completely unknown song in the vein of Madness."
Like the revelatory solo demos on Spike, the four-track blueprints for "LetThem All Talk," "King of Thieves," "The Invisible Man," "The Element Within Her," "Love Went Mad," "The Greatest Thing," "Mouth Almighty" and "Charm School" - as well as for "Heathen Town" and "The Flirting Kind" - feature slightly revised lyrics and emphasize the songwriting intricacies that were
overshadowed by the slicker production.
On the subsequent tour, Costello re-arranged several of his classics for the four-man TKO Horns. Rhino has plucked five numbers - "Possession," "Secondary Modern," "Watch Your Step," "King Horse" (in a medley with The O'Jays "Backstabbers") and his delicious cover of The Originals' "The Bells" - from a spirited September 1983 satellite radio broadcast from the University of Texas in Austin. "You get to hear how he used those horns really effectively on other parts of his catalog by taking some of Steve [Nieve]'s most notable keyboard riffs and turning them into horn patterns," Stewart says.
Disc Two's remaining unreleased treats are the first official appearances of Costello's heavily bootlegged 1983 BBC Radio One Performances of Percy Mayfield's "Danger Zone" and his inspired medley of "Big Sister" with The English Beat's "Stand Down Margaret." Breaking from format, Rhino is reprinting the same thorough liner notes that Costello wrote for Rykodisc's
edition of Punch the Clock, but the artist has added a humorous preface in which he details his failed first collaboration with Tony Bennett in the awe-inspiring presence of Count Basie, plus a postscript addressing the new bonus material.
Info on the new album, "North", available September 23rd!
Elvis Costello's next album, NORTH, will be released by Deutsche Grammaphon on September 23. "It's all original songs written at the piano," Elvis told Billboard recently. "There are 11 songs and they are among the most direct I've ever written lyrically, and, musically, I hope they do something new."
"It ranges from a 34-piece ensemble to solo piano, so there's quite a range, but it's all of a piece. It kind of can be heard as a story -- there's a thread running through it." All orchestrations were arranged and conducted by Costello.
Describing the contents of the album, Costello said "The record begins with a song called 'You Left Me In The Dark' and ends with a track called 'I'm In The Mood Again.' You have to listen to what goes on in between to find out why." Asked about the significance of the title 'North,' Costello replied "That's Where I'm Headed."
Costello only plays guitar on one track, and describes a different approach to his singing style. "I'm singing exclusively in my speaking register, everything in baritone range, with the exception of maybe four notes on the record that go above middle C."
Kevin Killen (Spike, Mighty Like A Rose, The Juliet Letters) returns as co-producer, and the Brodsky Quartet play the string parts for one track. It was assumed by many fans that his When I Was Cruel backing band, The Imposters, would appear on the record in some form, but only Steve Nieve has been officially confirmed.
The track listing for NORTH is as follows:
1) Prelude / You Left Me In The Dark
2) Someone Took The Words Away
3) When Did I Stop Dreaming
4) You Turned To Me
5) Fallen
6) When It Sings
7) Still
8) Let Me Tell You About Her
9) Can You Be Ttrue?
10) When Green Eyes Turn Blue
11) I'm In The Mood Again
There are also a few rumored "Bonus Tracks" which may be released in Japan and other territories ("Impatience" and "Too Blue") and the "title track" which may be a "special track" available only from the Internet.
Costello recently hinted that artists of his "age and profile" may need to record two albums a year, "the way the Who did in the Sixties, for a much more reasonable amount of money, but only expect to sell as much as jazz artists." This would certainly be a welcome development for fans, many of whom long for the days when the gaps between albums were a matter of months, not years.
Originally, EC had planned to make two albums in 2003 -- the other was to be recorded during a US tour of Southern states, where he and the Imposters would play the new songs in small theaters and record them in local studios to capture some of the local flavour. This project is still a priority for Costello, but he will most likely wait until next year rather than flood the market with albums and reissues.
And for those who just can't wait, I believe that there are still a few dates left on the current tour. He's touring with a full band (rather than just Steve Nieve) and covering his whole career. He's playing a lot of his "greatest hits", but he's also throwing in quite a few unexpected surprises. (Three songs from "Boold And Chocolate"!!!!) For an idea of what to expect, here's the set list from his show in the Detroit area last week:
Main set (about an hour):
Waiting for the End of the World
Beyond Belief
Radio Radio
Accidents Will Happen
You Belong to Me
I Hope You're Happy Now
Doll Revolution
Everyday I Write the Book
Everybody's Crying Mercy
Clubland
Clown Strike
Alison/Tracks of My Tears/Tears of a Clown/No More Tearstained Makeup
Dust 2...Dust
Pump It Up
Encores (about 70 minutes)
1st Encore:
Either Side of the Same Town
I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down
Uncomplicated
2nd Encore:
Watching the Detectives
Honey Hush
3rd Encore:
All the Rage
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror/You Really Got a Hold on Me
Man Out of Time
Sweet Dreams
4th Encore:
45
Honey Are You Straight or Are You Blind
Chelsea
No Action
(What So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Undertsanding
Can't wait until September!!!!
jim
September will bring us the next batch of Elvis Costello reissues from Rhino. Two-disc sets of "Get Happy", "Trust", and "Punch The Clock" will be released in the U.S. in September. (No specific date has been given, yet.) They will be available in the U.K. on July 28th. (No information has been given about the reason for the delay in the U.S.)
No specifics have been released about the bonus discs, yet, but here a bit of info.
From a fan site:
Rhino continues its splendid reissue series with another set of three, this time focusing on a few early 80s efforts. Two of these, 1980's Get Happy and the following year's Trust, are among his very finest albums, while 1983's Punch The Clock is an intruiging mix of sunny pop and political protest, containing such songs as "Everyday I Write The Book," "Shipbuilding," and "Pills and Soap."
Some of the bonus material will no doubt be familiar to those who have heard the mid-90s Rykodisc reissues, but so far each double-dip title Rhino has put out has managed to contain a plethora of unexpected treats. For instance, the Ryko Get Happy!! boasted in its liner notes that the original 20 tracks had now been expanded to 30 with the inclusion of b-sides and rarities. Well, the Rhino version promises to include those 30 tracks plus 20 more never-before-heard demos and live recordings!! Likewise, Trust and Punch The Clock will contain many, many unheard delights.
The discs are already listed for a July 28 release date by online UK stores, but stateside fans will have to wait a little longer, as Rhino has pushed the release date back to September. The delay is somewhat disappointing, given that the last set of reissues came out way back in November. (Wasn't the original plan that these things would come out every three months???) But on a more positive note, it means that September will be a banner month for Costello fans, with dozens of new recordings to listen to...
More reissue news from the August 2003 issue of Ics Magazine:
Costello Reissues Keep Rolling
Ice Magazine August 2003
FROM BRUCE SPRINGSTEEn to R.E.M. to Prince, it's always been easy to recognize the great artists by the impressive quality of the songs that didn't make it onto their albums. But Elvis Costello continues to raise the bonus-track bar with the startling caliber of his demos, B-sides, alternate takes and-with Rhino Records' next batch of catalog upgrades-even alternate takes of his B-sides.
On September 9, Rhino rolls out two-CD reissues of 1980's Get Happy!!, 1981's Trust and 1983's Punch the Clock. Like Rhino's other Costello packages, these sets present the newly remastered original LP on Disc One, while the expanded bonus material-which includes most of the extras that were appended
to the previous Rykodisc editions-populate the second disc. The 28-page booklets include lyrics and insightful liner notes written by Costello.
This time, the depth of the previously unreleased material extends to alternate versions of songs that didn't make it onto official albums but have long been considered by fans to be as good, if not better, than what did-namely, "Girls Talk," "Heathen Town," "the Flirting Kind," "Black Sails in the Sunset," "Hoover Factory" and "Big Sister," all of which also appeared in their familiar B-side versions.
"These albums represents The Attractions at their most versatile," reissue co-producer Gary Stewart tells ICE. "You hear them successfully playing '60s soul-R&B, '80s rock and '80s British pop, all within a three-year span - in between which, by the way, they also made Imperial Bedroom and Almost Blue."
Get Happy!!, the hard-nosed Stax/Volt homage that already boasted 20 tracks in its LP incarnation, sports a remarkable 20 additional bonus tracks on top of the 10 that originally graced the Rykodisc set.
Among the unreleased gems are brisk, hard-rocking alternate takes of "Human Touch" (bearing a more-pronounced ska rhythm), "Temptation," "Motel Matches," "B Movie" and "Girls Talk" committed to tape before the Memphis soul influences kicked in. Equally engaging are Costello's multi-track demos for "5ive Gears in Reverse" (delivered as a blistering blues), "Love
for Tender" (the complete version of the hidden 31st track on Rykodisc's edition that inexplicably cut off in mid-romp), "Men Called Uncle" and an acoustic "King Horse" taken from the same sessions that produced the Taking Liberties variation on "Black and White World."
Most surprising to Costellophiles will be stripped-down stabs at three tunes that eventually became the backbone of Trust, recorded at producer Nick Lowe's home studio shortly after the Get Happy!! Sessions; a British Invasion-style gallop through "Watch Your Step"; a bouncy, Motown-flavored arrangement of "From a Whisper to a Scream," and a loping, reggae rendition of "New Lace Sleeves."
Rounding out the new bonuses are alternates of "I Stand Accused" and "New Amsterdam;" live renditions of a menacing "High Fidelity" (Pinkpop Festival, Holland, 1979), "Opportunity" (Palomino Club, Hollywood, 1979) "The Imposter" (originally issued on Concerts for the People of Kampuchea)and his simmering cover of The Temptations' "Don't Look Back" (Canvey Island, England, 1980); a re-recording of "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" from the Imperial Bedroom sessions that mirros the slower, gospel feel of Sam and Dave's original; and an oddball demo of "Seven O'Clock," a rowdy rocker intended for Dr. Feelgood.
"That song eventually evolved into two different songs," Stewart says. "It has fragments from 'Secondary Modern' and
'Luxembourg,' which would end up on Trust. In terms of feel, it sounds like [Spike's] 'Pads, Paws and Claws.' So it actually has three future Elvis songs in it."
The demos and alternates provide a fascinating perspective on Get Happy!! But they are bolstered by Costello's eloquent, brutally frank liner notes: He vividly chronicles the connection between the '60s soul vibe of the album and his infamous drunken brawl with singer Bonnie Bramlett and members
of Stephen Stills' band in a Columbus, OH bar in 1979, during which he taunted his aggressors by slurring racial epithets against Ray Charles and James Brown. Costello held a press conference to apologize and has spent his career collaborating with, and paying tribute to, many of music's most influential African-American artists, But in his moving notes, he relates
shying away from a recent opportunity to meet longtime idol Charles and admits that he has never forgiven himself ("Guilt is a burden without any statute of limitations").
By the time Trust hit the streets in January 1981, Costello's relentless touring and recording pace had caught up with him. At age 26 , with his marriage on the rocks and his hangovers lasting weeks, he was tired of playing the angry young man but he also was far from mellowing.
"This was the last pure rock 'n' roll album that he made for quite a while, until Blood and Chocolate," Stewart notes. "In many ways, this record feels more like the follow-up to Armed Forces than Get Happy!! Does. It mixes the edge and rock aesthetic of Armed Forces with more complicated and sophisticated song structures. It's an increditbly scathing record, made at a really intense personal time."
The Rhino upgrade contains nine unreleased tracks, in addition to eight of the nine bonuses from the Rykodisc reissue (in the spirit of chronological correctness, Rhino has transferred the 1981 demo of "Seconds of Pleasure" to Imperial Bedroom, where it replaced the 1982 version that has been placed on Punch the Clock). Among them are ragged first-session alternates of "Clubland," "You'll Never Be a Man," "from a Whisper to a Scream" (sans Glenn Tilbrook's duet vocal) and an even more-frenetic "Watch Your Step," plus a rousing cover of Larry Williams' "Slow Down" and a piano instrumental that would become the foundation for Imperial Bedroom's "The Long Honeymoon."
The sneering "Big Sister," which Costello rewrote into the more delicate "Big Sister," which Costello rewrote into the more delicate "Big Sister's Clothes," is accompanied by a slower, darker alternate, while the gorgeous "Black Sails in the Sunset" is contrasted by a stark solo piano version similar to "Shot with His Own Gun." Disc Two's new bonuses are capped by a breezy 1981 revisitation of the Get Happy! -era "Hoover Factory," recorded with Attractions keyboardist Steve Nieve.
Punch the Clock remains an object of debate among critics and fans as it marked Costello's foray into more accessible pop by teaming him with Madness producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. But Stewart points out that it also contained a Stax-style horn section, the bitter "Pills and Soap" and jazz trumpeter Chet Baker's solo on "Shipbuilding" - so Costello certainly wasn't following commercial radio protocol.
Coming on the heels of the elegant Imperial Bedroom and the
Nashville-recorded Almost Blue, "you had already learned you could expect the unexpected from him," Stewart says. "I know the record is not critically acclaimed, but for me, it's a complete success at trying to make an '80s pop record."
The Rykodisc reissue tracked on seven bonus tracks, but Rhino has uncovered 18 more, as well as two improvements on its predecessor: To replace the rough-sounding live versions, "we found really good studio versions of the Merseybeat [arrangement] of 'Everyday I write the Book' and the solo acoustic 'The World and His Wife," Stewart says. "I don't know why they weren't used before. We also found this great song called 'Baby Pictures' - it's a completely unknown song in the vein of Madness."
Like the revelatory solo demos on Spike, the four-track blueprints for "LetThem All Talk," "King of Thieves," "The Invisible Man," "The Element Within Her," "Love Went Mad," "The Greatest Thing," "Mouth Almighty" and "Charm School" - as well as for "Heathen Town" and "The Flirting Kind" - feature slightly revised lyrics and emphasize the songwriting intricacies that were
overshadowed by the slicker production.
On the subsequent tour, Costello re-arranged several of his classics for the four-man TKO Horns. Rhino has plucked five numbers - "Possession," "Secondary Modern," "Watch Your Step," "King Horse" (in a medley with The O'Jays "Backstabbers") and his delicious cover of The Originals' "The Bells" - from a spirited September 1983 satellite radio broadcast from the University of Texas in Austin. "You get to hear how he used those horns really effectively on other parts of his catalog by taking some of Steve [Nieve]'s most notable keyboard riffs and turning them into horn patterns," Stewart says.
Disc Two's remaining unreleased treats are the first official appearances of Costello's heavily bootlegged 1983 BBC Radio One Performances of Percy Mayfield's "Danger Zone" and his inspired medley of "Big Sister" with The English Beat's "Stand Down Margaret." Breaking from format, Rhino is reprinting the same thorough liner notes that Costello wrote for Rykodisc's
edition of Punch the Clock, but the artist has added a humorous preface in which he details his failed first collaboration with Tony Bennett in the awe-inspiring presence of Count Basie, plus a postscript addressing the new bonus material.
Info on the new album, "North", available September 23rd!
Elvis Costello's next album, NORTH, will be released by Deutsche Grammaphon on September 23. "It's all original songs written at the piano," Elvis told Billboard recently. "There are 11 songs and they are among the most direct I've ever written lyrically, and, musically, I hope they do something new."
"It ranges from a 34-piece ensemble to solo piano, so there's quite a range, but it's all of a piece. It kind of can be heard as a story -- there's a thread running through it." All orchestrations were arranged and conducted by Costello.
Describing the contents of the album, Costello said "The record begins with a song called 'You Left Me In The Dark' and ends with a track called 'I'm In The Mood Again.' You have to listen to what goes on in between to find out why." Asked about the significance of the title 'North,' Costello replied "That's Where I'm Headed."
Costello only plays guitar on one track, and describes a different approach to his singing style. "I'm singing exclusively in my speaking register, everything in baritone range, with the exception of maybe four notes on the record that go above middle C."
Kevin Killen (Spike, Mighty Like A Rose, The Juliet Letters) returns as co-producer, and the Brodsky Quartet play the string parts for one track. It was assumed by many fans that his When I Was Cruel backing band, The Imposters, would appear on the record in some form, but only Steve Nieve has been officially confirmed.
The track listing for NORTH is as follows:
1) Prelude / You Left Me In The Dark
2) Someone Took The Words Away
3) When Did I Stop Dreaming
4) You Turned To Me
5) Fallen
6) When It Sings
7) Still
8) Let Me Tell You About Her
9) Can You Be Ttrue?
10) When Green Eyes Turn Blue
11) I'm In The Mood Again
There are also a few rumored "Bonus Tracks" which may be released in Japan and other territories ("Impatience" and "Too Blue") and the "title track" which may be a "special track" available only from the Internet.
Costello recently hinted that artists of his "age and profile" may need to record two albums a year, "the way the Who did in the Sixties, for a much more reasonable amount of money, but only expect to sell as much as jazz artists." This would certainly be a welcome development for fans, many of whom long for the days when the gaps between albums were a matter of months, not years.
Originally, EC had planned to make two albums in 2003 -- the other was to be recorded during a US tour of Southern states, where he and the Imposters would play the new songs in small theaters and record them in local studios to capture some of the local flavour. This project is still a priority for Costello, but he will most likely wait until next year rather than flood the market with albums and reissues.
And for those who just can't wait, I believe that there are still a few dates left on the current tour. He's touring with a full band (rather than just Steve Nieve) and covering his whole career. He's playing a lot of his "greatest hits", but he's also throwing in quite a few unexpected surprises. (Three songs from "Boold And Chocolate"!!!!) For an idea of what to expect, here's the set list from his show in the Detroit area last week:
Main set (about an hour):
Waiting for the End of the World
Beyond Belief
Radio Radio
Accidents Will Happen
You Belong to Me
I Hope You're Happy Now
Doll Revolution
Everyday I Write the Book
Everybody's Crying Mercy
Clubland
Clown Strike
Alison/Tracks of My Tears/Tears of a Clown/No More Tearstained Makeup
Dust 2...Dust
Pump It Up
Encores (about 70 minutes)
1st Encore:
Either Side of the Same Town
I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down
Uncomplicated
2nd Encore:
Watching the Detectives
Honey Hush
3rd Encore:
All the Rage
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror/You Really Got a Hold on Me
Man Out of Time
Sweet Dreams
4th Encore:
45
Honey Are You Straight or Are You Blind
Chelsea
No Action
(What So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Undertsanding
Can't wait until September!!!!
jim
07-21-03, 11:11 PM
#2
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Sweet! What a great time to be an E.C. fan. I'm actually kinda glad they aren't putting out the reissues so often, as the costs do stack up. But they sure are worth it, they put the earlier Rhino reissues to shame (unfortunately, since I'd bought about half of those 
) I'm particularly excited about Trust because I've never actually heard that album. Not quite so sure about "North," just because it sounds like Elvis returning to his "crooner" mode after such a strong and bitter turn in "When I Was Cruel," but I'll probably give it a listen -- after I buy the 3 reissues, that is. Sigh...
) I'm particularly excited about Trust because I've never actually heard that album. Not quite so sure about "North," just because it sounds like Elvis returning to his "crooner" mode after such a strong and bitter turn in "When I Was Cruel," but I'll probably give it a listen -- after I buy the 3 reissues, that is. Sigh...
07-22-03, 07:50 PM
#4
DVD Talk Gold Edition
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I attended the Detroit show mentioned above last week. The worst EC concert I've ever attended. And the blame lies squarely at the feet of the audience.
Mr. MacManus started huge, but most of the swollen pack of northsider *******s was more concerned with repeated trips to the cocktail stand than watching the show. And he obviously picked up on it.
The song set was stellar, as you can probably tell from the list above. But in stark contrast to every one of the six other times I've seen him live, he just did his job and called it a night. No interplay with the audience whatsover... except for about two songs in to his second encore.
If you live in Motown, never EVER go to a show at "Freedom Hill." I'm pretty sure Elvis won't be back.
Mr. MacManus started huge, but most of the swollen pack of northsider *******s was more concerned with repeated trips to the cocktail stand than watching the show. And he obviously picked up on it.
The song set was stellar, as you can probably tell from the list above. But in stark contrast to every one of the six other times I've seen him live, he just did his job and called it a night. No interplay with the audience whatsover... except for about two songs in to his second encore.
If you live in Motown, never EVER go to a show at "Freedom Hill." I'm pretty sure Elvis won't be back.
07-22-03, 08:10 PM
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Originally posted by Fielding Mellish
I attended the Detroit show mentioned above last week. The worst EC concert I've ever attended. And the blame lies squarely at the feet of the audience.
Mr. MacManus started huge, but most of the swollen pack of northsider *******s was more concerned with repeated trips to the cocktail stand than watching the show. And he obviously picked up on it.
The song set was stellar, as you can probably tell from the list above. But in stark contrast to every one of the six other times I've seen him live, he just did his job and called it a night. No interplay with the audience whatsover... except for about two songs in to his second encore.
I attended the Detroit show mentioned above last week. The worst EC concert I've ever attended. And the blame lies squarely at the feet of the audience.
Mr. MacManus started huge, but most of the swollen pack of northsider *******s was more concerned with repeated trips to the cocktail stand than watching the show. And he obviously picked up on it.
The song set was stellar, as you can probably tell from the list above. But in stark contrast to every one of the six other times I've seen him live, he just did his job and called it a night. No interplay with the audience whatsover... except for about two songs in to his second encore.
Though I do enjoy interplay with the audience (and he did do a lot of this last time I saw him, during the "Lonely World" tour with Steve Nieve), less interplay does usually mean more music.
jim
07-24-03, 11:07 AM
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I sort of fell behind buying the reissues (I've just gotten tired of buying cd's in general) since I still have the Ryko's AND cassette AND vinyl versions of all of his records. BUT, this news has me very excited. "Trust" and "Get Happy" are my two favorite EC records, and these new releases sound great. Can't wait!!!
08-15-03, 04:09 AM
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Hi there!
I just got "trust" and "punch the clock" british re-releases: astounding!!!
24-bit remastering is a miracle, in the end CD's finally sound better than vynil.
As for the upcoming "North" what are you guys ready to do? amazon has the japanes edition - bonus track and bonus DVD - at $40
beside planning a vacation in Japan does anybody have any idea how to get this edition for less? 
I just got "trust" and "punch the clock" british re-releases: astounding!!!
24-bit remastering is a miracle, in the end CD's finally sound better than vynil.
As for the upcoming "North" what are you guys ready to do? amazon has the japanes edition - bonus track and bonus DVD - at $40
beside planning a vacation in Japan does anybody have any idea how to get this edition for less?
08-17-03, 11:33 PM
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With regular airmail shipping at CD Japan, it comes to $32 and change. I would imagine it's similar at Amazon Japan, HMV Japan, and so on. "North" is pretty good, not quite what I was expecting. A very subdued, late night record. It is indeed much more straightforward lyrically than typical EC material. I would imagine most critics will be speculating on how much relates to his personal life, given the break-up of his marriage and his engagement to Diana Krall. The "story" of the album is more or less how
Spoiler:
08-27-03, 05:26 PM
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Originally posted by mdm67
As for the upcoming "North" what are you guys ready to do? amazon has the japanes edition - bonus track and bonus DVD - at $40 beside planning a vacation in Japan does anybody have any idea how to get this edition for less?
As for the upcoming "North" what are you guys ready to do? amazon has the japanes edition - bonus track and bonus DVD - at $40
beside planning a vacation in Japan does anybody have any idea how to get this edition for less?
More info from ICE magazine about bonus tracks and DVDs:
*The first 100,000 US copies of North will have a bonus DVD of EC playing Fallen and North solo at the piano.
* Japan bonus tracks will be Impatience and Too Blue
* Euro edition will have Impatience
* US Internet track is to be North but EC may switch it to Impatience since alternate North is on the DVD (Where will this leave the studio North?)
jim
09-03-03, 04:48 PM
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It is now official that the title track (only available on expensive imports) will be available for download at www.elviscostello.com. No word on the other import-only song, "Impatience".
jim
jim
09-03-03, 08:03 PM
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The version I downloaded (I have the official version on order) had all the bonus tracks, so I don't feel obligated, and nor would I anyway, buy more than one version to get them all. That kind of practice is crap, plain and simple.
09-09-03, 07:50 PM
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Just picked up the new batch of reissues on the way home from work, but I probably won't get a chance to listen to them until tomorrow. Any opinions/reviews?
Here's some U.S. TV appearances:
Letterman 9/23
Regis and Kelly 9/26
Also, some kind of performance for Sessions @ AOL. I don't use AOL, so maybe someone else has more info about this one.
jim
Here's some U.S. TV appearances:
Letterman 9/23
Regis and Kelly 9/26
Also, some kind of performance for Sessions @ AOL. I don't use AOL, so maybe someone else has more info about this one.
jim
09-12-03, 09:53 AM
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I received the Japanese release of North yesterday, and it's a nice package. The inserts include a slip giving the buyer a code for the EC website to access the title track. The DVD is a little under 9 minutes long, with EC at a piano, making a some brief comments before playing "North," which is followed by the video for "Still," which is in the exact same setting, just with EC lipsynching to the song. Then, he plays "Fallen" at the piano. The Imposters appear on "Impatience," their only appearance on the record.
09-12-03, 06:34 PM
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I just got the reissues today, looking forward to cracking them open. I'm still actually on the fence about buying "North," it doesn't sound very much like "Cruel" and I have to say my least favorite EC is when he's in his Burt Bacharach crooner mode... I may just put it off a few months since I put all these bones down on the 3 reissues today anyway.
09-12-03, 09:39 PM
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If you don't like Elvis in crooner mode, then don't get "North," as it's very much in that tradition. It's very much a ballad record. He's going to be doing a lot of promotion for the record, so you should be able to hear some of it one way or another before getting it. Here's a nice interview about the record:
"North" Interview
"North" Interview
09-16-03, 09:01 AM
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Just want to add that he'll be on A&E's "Live By Request" on 9/25.
Picked up Trust and Get Happy! after going to two Best Buys and a Circuit City. Still need to get Punch the Clock.
Picked up Trust and Get Happy! after going to two Best Buys and a Circuit City. Still need to get Punch the Clock.
09-25-03, 10:34 PM
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Originally posted by Lokimok
bump.
Is everyone watching A&E?
bump.
Is everyone watching A&E?
What are the chances that he played my requests for "Suit Of Lights", "Jack Of All Parades", "I'll Wear It Proudly" and just about every other song from "King Of America"?
jim
09-25-03, 10:59 PM
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What are the chances that he played my requests for "Suit Of Lights", "Jack Of All Parades", "I'll Wear It Proudly" and just about every other song from "King Of America"?
09-25-03, 11:06 PM
#22
Very few surprises, but I thought it was really good. One super frustrating thing was hearing the beginnings and/or endings of songs during the commercial breaks - a couple that I really would've liked to hear. I know that some of the previous Live By Request shows have made it to DVD. I wonder if we'll get this one - & what the chances are they'd include the songs they didn't air...
The show runs again Sunday morning at 10.
The show runs again Sunday morning at 10.
09-27-03, 05:35 PM
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I finally got around to watching this, a good show although I'll admit the commercial breaks of some of the tracks were annoying (did anyone else have "So Like Candy" get cut off TWICE? They cut away as it was starting on my tape, then they came back for the ending and then abruptly cut away from THAT, kind of disjointed).
Absolutely LOVED the riveting version of "Couldn't Call It Unexpected" at the close, one of my favorite more obscure EC tunes and an amazing performances of it. I also enjoyed the new "North" tracks, although I'm bummed to see the song "North," my favorite of the new ones, isn't actually on the new CD ...arggh.
Absolutely LOVED the riveting version of "Couldn't Call It Unexpected" at the close, one of my favorite more obscure EC tunes and an amazing performances of it. I also enjoyed the new "North" tracks, although I'm bummed to see the song "North," my favorite of the new ones, isn't actually on the new CD ...arggh.
10-02-03, 02:04 PM
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Just picked up "North." Loved it, with one small complaint.
The download track is Windoze only? For shame, Declan. For shame.
The download track is Windoze only? For shame, Declan. For shame.