Bergen County Record, October 17, 1986

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Beyond punk: A stunning new Elvis Costello


Manuel Mendoza

Elvis Costello has always been different from his punk contemporaries. More in the singer-songwriter tradition of, say, Buddy Holly or Bob Dylan. But while his concerns have always been of a personal nature, Costello was lumped in anyway with such self-destructing bands as the Sex Pistols and the Clash because of his jump-start music and vitriolic lyrics.

Now, 11 long-players later, Costello has not only outlasted the late-Seventies artists who rode the punk wave alongside him, but has expanded the emotional — as well as stylistic — base of his music, while his singing and songwriting are as vibrant as ever.

Starting Tuesday, in what is sure to be a career-capper, Costello will play five sold-out nights at the Broadway Theatre in New York. They will be the next-to-last shows in a month-long tour of small venues in big cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. Afterward, Costello will tour Great Britain and the rest of Europe.

In New York — as elsewhere no two nights will be the same. Some shows will feature Costello and his long-time band, the Attractions. On other nights, he will be backed by the Confederates, a group he put together for last year's King of America album. They include former sidemen of the other Elvis.

Costello will also perform a solo set; special guests are planned; and one show will be highlighted by the "Spinning Songbook," a huge wheel labeled with Costello songs that will be spun to determine which songs are played.

The shows sold out in less than three hours — a tribute to the popularity of Costello, an Englishman who has grown from a cult figure to a mainstream artist. But he has not compromised to attain that status; instead, the public has caught up to him.

In 1977 when Costello released his first LP, My Aim is True, the lyrics made him seem as angry as any punk. However, backing by the tame-sounding American band, Clover, took off some of the edge. On the 1978 follow-up, This Year's Model, the sharpness of the words was matched by that of the music supplied by his new, "new wave" band, The Attractions.

The instrumentation was punchy and unadorned — the tinny Farfisa organ and stuttering drums stood out — and Costello's nasal vocals wrapped mile-a-minute lyrics around the group's catchy riffs.

From then until today, Costello's primary concern has been the problems between men and women. But his tales of lost love are not sympathetic or sentimental; they rely instead on sarcasm and wit. A lifetime of listening can be spent trying to find all the one-liners.

After an ugly incident in a Columbus, Ohio, bar, where he made racist remarks about James Brown and Ray Charles to members of the Stephen Stills Band, Costello put out a 20-song record of rhythm-and-blues-flavored songs called Get Happy!!. He apologized, saying he had made the comments only to outrage and didn't believe them. But it did not help that he already had a reputation for meanness — evidenced by early live performances when he would play a 40-minute set and refuse to return for an encore despite fans' screaming.

Costello struggled to find a new voice putting out three mediocre albums — until the 1982 masterpiece, Imperial Bedroom. Casting himself as the Cole Porter of his time, he opened up emotionally and seemed to be seeing through the eyes of others for a change.

Lately, Costello has expanded further, including snipes at British involvement in the Falklands War, President Reagan's right-wing politics — and himself. The 1985 song, "Brilliant Mistake," refers both to America and his career. And on the same year's version of the Animals' hit, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," Costello pleads with his lover to forgive his faults because he is only human.

These songs — and others on his latest release, Blood & Chocolate — show Costello at his most confessional. For the first time, the man whose early work depicted him as cold and unfeeling reveals what's inside him. If he's willing to share that live, Costello's Broadway shows are bound to be stunners.


Tags: Buddy HollyBob DylanThe Sex PistolsThe ClashCostello Sings Again TourBroadway TheatreNew YorkLos AngelesSan FranciscoChicagoBostonPhiladelphiaThe AttractionsThe ConfederatesKing Of AmericaElvis PresleyMy Aim Is TrueCloverThis Year's ModelColumbusJames BrownRay CharlesStephen StillsGet Happy!!Imperial BedroomCole PorterBrilliant MistakeDon't Let Me Be MisunderstoodBlood & Chocolate

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The Record, October 17, 1986


Manuel Mendoza profiles Elvis Costello ahead of the Broadway Theatre shows, October 21-25, 1986, New York City.

Images

1986-10-17 Bergen County Record, Previews page 05 clipping 01.jpg
Clipping.

Page scan.
1986-10-17 Bergen County Record, Previews page 05.jpg

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