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Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers
Ludi Strambella
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A couple of months ago various Elvis Costello songs, previously only available as singles, were released as a cassette: no record, just a tape version. It's called Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers (XXC6) and contains a number of interesting tracks stamped with Costello's lyrics and chameleon music style. These include "Watching the Detectives" and "Girls Talk," which was a hit for Dave Edmunds. It would seem that this cassette caters for people in one of two categories. a) Music-cassette collectors after rare tape items and b) Costello freaks who have no record player.
Well now, I'm sure you're all suitable transfixed, so I can come on to what I really wanted to talk about — Video. What's the connection between Costello and video? The answer is that the success of merchantable articles in a consumer society lies in two things: quality and publicity. If good enough gimmick records (or tapes) which generate their own publicity will sell... at the expense of equally good platters which nobody gets to hear about. I think the Costello tape was intended to be one such item.
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