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Croon (krōōn) v. 1) To sing or hum softly, murmur. 2) To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3) Scottish & British regional. To roar or bellow.
Elvis Costello is a crooner. Always has been. The occasion of Rykodisc's reissue of Costello's first three Columbia LPs — available individually or as part of the 2½ Years box set — is a perfect time to listen anew to his historic and groundbreaking earliest recordings with the added benefit of hindsight.
From his very first album, 1977's My Aim Is True, it is clear that the young Declan MacManus was a dedicated student of the full breadth of pop music before he ever took his stage name. The liner notes he has added to the reissue cite as key early influences Randy Newman, Hoagy Carmichael, Lowell George, John Prine, and The Band. Throughout the album he styles his vocals to emphasize the melody, nowhere more than on the gorgeous ballad "Alison," where his breathy, subtle performance reveals true heart and artistry.
At a time when punk rock was breaking loose, it was the anger of Costello's songs that caught people's ears and critics' pens. In retrospect, the most important elements propelling the songs are his stylized singing and his ear for melody and arrangement. Consider that thrilling moment of tension and release near the end of the film noir reggae song "Watching the Detectives," the very first recording with his band The Attractions, where Elvis murmurs "it only took my little finger to blow you away" over near silence before the band storms back in. Or the vocal acrobatics in "Little Triggers" on This Year's Model. Or the wonderfully voiced melody of Armed Forces' "Accidents Will Happen." Over the course of these first three albums, you can feel Costello's reach and daring and confidence grow track by track as he and his band precociously master an ever-widening array of forms and styles.
Rykodisc and Costello have generously bonus-tracked each original album to include all songs from divergent English and American versions, creating new "universal" editions; also added are relevant B-sides compiled from the Taking Liberties collection (which will not be reissued) and surviving demos from the respective periods. Highlights include a demo of "Mystery Dance" with an extra verse (later discarded), demos of "Big Boys" and "Green Shirt" (also with an extra verse), and Costello's charming take on "My Funny Valentine." Also of note are three live takes from a show at Hollywood High featuring a version of "Accidents Will Happen" backed only by grand piano (does a complete tape of this show exist?).
The fourth CD here is a white-hot concert at Toronto's El Mocambo club, originally pressed by CBS Canada as a radio promo item, but one that was widely bootlegged. The sound here is much improved over my treasured boot. Most noteworthy is a version of "Less Than Zero" with totally different lyrics and story line than the original version on Aim. Although this CD, unlike the other albums, is not also being reissued separately, there is a way to acquire it without shelling out for the whole box. Consumers who eventually buy the three individual studio CDs have the opportunity to send away for the Mocambo disc for just a nominal shipping and handling fee.
Tremendous care has gone into these reissues, in the tradition of Ryko's Frank Zappa and David Bowie catalog reissues. Valued content, again, is a primary concern, resulting in the lavish amount of "extended play" selections (Costello's preferred term for bonus tracks) and Elvis's own liner notes written for the occasion. Sonics are also a concern, especially considering the infamous problems Columbia's Costello catalog CDs have had over the years — and here we have a distinct, palpable improvement. This is most noticeable on Armed Forces, where a recently discovered mistake in the equalization of the master tapes — leaving one channel with NAB equalization and the other with CCIR — has been corrected for the first time; thus, Costello's third studio album is only now being heard as intended. And the Mocambo CD has a gloriously furious live ambience.
The rest of the Costello reissues — from Get Happy!! to Blood & Chocolate — promise to be at least as wonderful as these. Kudos to Rykodisc for fulfilling the vision.
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