Review of My Aim Is True
Record Mirror, 1977-07-16
- David Brown

 

THIS IS THE REAL ONE

ELVIS COSTELLO: 'My Aim Is True'
(Stiff SEEZ3)

Welcome to the workingman's new superstar as Stiff proudly pull back the sheets to reveal a glimmer of light reflecting on the spectacled mug of the English Elvis. Working on the premise that it you wanna go to heaven you gotta raise a little El, they plea for assistance to hype Elv, not by any "At least the world is ready for . . . " or "Is this the new Graham Parker?" antics but by giving away 1,000 copies of the album to yer mates. Alright eh? But perhaps Stiff shouldn't be so modest and should come out of Nick Lowe's 'Keepitasahobby' production corner and shout out loud that they have a rather special talent on their roster. Very special he is too, any geezer who can write a lyric like "I said I'm so happy I could die, she said 'drop dead' and left with another guy", has got to be in a class of his own. And there are plenty more to choose from, be it mellow romantic strains of 'Allison' or rocking observation as in 'I'm Not Angry' or 'Waiting For The End Of The World'. It's sheer El below zero stuff. Mr Costello looks for all the world like the guy who gets sand kicked in his face on the beach, the bloke who you'd push past in the butcher's queue and know he wouldn't object, the sort who wouldn't say boo to a fly, the Buddy Holly type wallfly at the dance but put a pen in his hand or perhaps a guitar and the real Elvis will soon emerge. And this is the beginning. + + + + David Brown