Bootleg: 45 Alibis

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Tracks

Disc 1:
01. Alibi - 1999-11-08, Cardiff, Wales
02. You Lie Sweetly - 1999-10-19, Brookville, NY
03. Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter - 1999-10-17, Detroit, MI
04. Oh Well - 1999-10-16, Indianapolis, IN
05. Soul For Hire - 1999-10-16, Indianapolis, IN
06. Suspect My Tears - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
07. I Dreamed Of My Old Lover - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
08. story - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
09. Heart Shaped Bruise - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
10. Lesson In Cruelty - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
11. 45 - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
12. Baby Plays Around - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
13. Couldn't You Keep That To Yourself - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
14. When I Was Cruel (No. 1) - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
15. So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star - with Roger McGuinn, 1999-10-30, Orlando, FL
16. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - with Roger McGuinn, 1999-10-30, Orlando, FL
17. Mr. Tambourine Man - with Roger McGuinn, 1999-10-30, Orlando, FL
18. Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man - with Roger McGuinn, 1999-10-30, Orlando, FL
19. Beyond Belief - 1999-10-19, Brookville, NY

Disc 2:
01. Everyday I Write The Book - with Ron Sexsmith, 1999-05-10, Berlin, Germany
02. I Shall Be Released - with Bob Dylan, 1999-07-26, New York, NY
03. Pills And Soap - with The Brodsky Quartet, 1999-12-10, London, England
04. The Birds Will Still Be Singing - with The Brodsky Quartet, 1999-12-10, London, England
05. Jackie Wilson Said - with Van Morrison, 1999-06-12, Cicero, IL
06. Gloria - with Van Morrison, 1999-06-12, Cicero, IL
07. Alison - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
08. In The Darkest Place - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
09. Alibi - 1999-10-15, Chicago, IL
10. That Day Is Done - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
11. Clubland - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
12. Green Shirt - 1999-10-27, Nashville, TN
13. I Want You - 1999-10-28, Atlanta, GA
14. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4 - 1999-11-08, Cardiff, Wales
15. Interview with Jody Denberg - 1999-10-07, KGSR-FM, Austin, TX

Release information

  • Date: January 2000
  • Media: 2xCDR

Compiler's notes

1999 was an extremely busy year for Elvis Costello. Sandwiched between a tour that covered 4 continents and began on January 4th in Stockholm finishing on December 18th in Osaka, was the acceptance of a Grammy, the appearance in one movie and the filming of another, a top ten single in the UK, an appearance at the Linda McCartney tribute, numerous TV appearances, including one with a Pink Floyd connection, duets with Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Ron Sexsmith, Neil Finn, and Roger McGuinn, performances with The (New) Brodsky Quartet and several symphony orchestras, and the release of songs integral to 2 major motion pictures.

But perhaps the most exciting part of the year was the performance of 12 previously unheard songs, with the promise of a new project called "The Delivery Man," a project that Elvis on which has been vague (is it a stage production, a song cycle, a potential movie?) Elvis has also hinted that he will be recording this year, which holds out the promise of a new album and possibly a new band.

It's obvious that this new spurt of songwriting is a continuing process. One song, Heart Shaped Bruise, was completed in Nashville during a soundcheck at the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, toward the end of the tour. Another, Alibi Factory, has become the de facto opener of his set and seems to be in the process of being tweaked. Several old favorites, such as Green Shirt and Clubland, have been resuscitated and given a new harder edge.

The purpose of this 2 CD disc set is to document these new songs and treatments and flesh out the compilation with a few choice gems.

To that end, I have collected from several sources a variety of performances. Due to time constraints, I had to be very selective about what went on the collection. This could have easily been a 4 CD set. I had to leave off such gems as Shipbuilding and my original intent to document some of the seldom played songs of the tour was unfortunately subverted by the time factor.

I had to make some decisions as to which versions to use, decisions that weren't lightly made. Do I choose the best sounding version, the best performance, the most unique performance? Let me give you an example. I had about 10 different versions of Alibi Factory. This song changed a bit throughout the tour, changing intros, tempi, and even lyrics at one point. I was originally going to use a version (I think it was Oakland) where he actually started off in the wrong key and had to drop a halftone, which sounded cool. I had a very direct sounding Ryman performance, and some that sounded faster than others. I ultimately decided on 2 versions however, one from Cardiff and one from Arie Crown. The Arie Crown was a no-brainer. First, it's the only acoustic performance of the tour, and it's part of a longer amazing medley. Second, it's the only version with an additional couple of verses on the end. The interesting thing about this is that it occurs toward the end of the tour, and it isn't repeated later. Time will tell whether the verses are kept. The Cardiff performance had an interesting "psychedelic" opening that was fairly unique. Plus, the sound quality was excellent. So it stayed.

Therefore, my decision wasn't based solely on sound quality *or* performance quality. It was a blend of both. I'm not convinced that I necessarily made the absolute best choice in every case but practical considerations came into play when sifting through as many a 15 different shows.

If there was a standout show of the tour, it has to be Arie Crown, which oddly enough occurred in a venue that didn't seem to be of much liking to Elvis. There are two theories as to why this show is so different. First of all, Mike Bodayle thinks that Elvis set himself up for a scrambled show by declaring on a radio interview that he wouldn't be repeating any songs from the Park West show (this obviously didn't *quite* happen.) My theory is that, while that might be a part of it, there is the possibility that Elvis wanted to have a wider variety of songs on tape for a possible live Costello/Nieve future release, a possibility that he's hinted about. In any case, the set list for this show is completely different than any other. The entire structure of the set list defies categorization, which you can plainly see if you go to the set list annotations at either of the two major unofficial Costello web sites.

You'll find quite a few songs from Arie Crown on this compilation. First of all, I was given access to a tape that is of very high quality. I couldn't necessarily find better versions so I used them, as much out of convenience of dubbing as anything else. This recording wasn't without its flaws however. There is the occasional static pop from a faulty microphone connection that is part of the original recording. As the rest of the quality of the tape is top-notch (for an audience recording) I simply call it a trade-off.

I recorded the new songs roughly in the order that Elvis presented them during the tour.

I didn't fade the applause, mainly because I dubbed from tape on many songs and my double cassette deck only has an automatic record level. In a perfect world there would be a smooth fadedown but unfortunately it wasn't possible.

Why did I use an analogue tape and an MD version of the Ryman show, especially when the MD was taped from the front row and the analogue tape was done from the balcony? One reason was to give a different hall perspective that I thought was interesting. Another was that the balcony tape captured a little more of the actual hall sound of the Ryman. That Day Is Done was used from the front row recording for a very good reason. Elvis sings the last verse from stage left completely off mic. This front row recording really captures the true sound of his unamplified voice. I want you to note the absolute silence in which the Nashville audience reverently listens, and this is the case with much of the Nashville material.

The recording of I Want You from Atlanta was included for several reasons. The first is that it was recorded from the exact same balcony location using the same tape recorder as the Ryman so you can compare and contrast the different hall sounds in two fairly similarly sized venues. Second, you get to hear the worst excesses of the American audience. Contrast this with the Ryman show from the night before. But the most important reason is that Elvis extends the end of the song, repeating the last verse several times in an effort to shut up the hecklers. His frustration level was very apparent and when he slams the last chord, imagine a very black-looking Elvis storming off of the stage, because that's indeed what happened. He later played an out-of-order Beyond Belief as a measure of his frustration and anger.

Why is Baby Plays Around in the middle of the new songs segment? He answers that himself in the intro to Couldn't You Keep That To Yourself, when he calls it perhaps the answer song to Baby Plays Around. Additionally, I liked the explanation of the writing of Baby Plays Around that Elvis offers up in the intro to the song.

Of all of the unamplified Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4s, the Cardiff version was by far the highest quality. It was recorded from the front row using MD. The immediacy of his voice is astounding.

So there you have it. The rationale behind this collection and the decision-making process that went into the final track selection. Not perfect by any means but I'm satisfied with the result. I hope that you are too.

This compilation is intended as a non-commercial venture. It is not to be sold nor reproduced for such purposes. Any "commercial" release of this compilation will be reported to the proper authorities.