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Fifty years from now, rock's other Elvis, the bespectacled British one, may best be remembered by mainstream pop fans for his handful of minor hits, including "Everyday I Write the Book" and "Alison." But Elvis Costello's musical journey has been much more circuitous than those songs would suggest.
When Costello unleashed the snarling, pub-rock shuffle of his debut album, My Aim Is True, no one could have predicted the nerdy bandleader in the skinny suit would spend the next 30 years bulldozing rock's boundaries, writing and recording soul, country, lite pop, jazz and even classical.
He was initially considered punk for his angry-young-man attitude, but Costello was never a sloppy musician. He did sing his literate songs with the passion and edge of such punk contemporaries as the Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten or the Clash's Joe Strummer. That passion, combined with Costello's unique perspectives on romance and politics and his congested-sounding singing voice, have made him a rock 'n' roll icon.
At 51, Costello continues to surprise his fans. In September, he released two markedly different albums, "The Delivery Man," his return to Americana-style rock; and "Il Sogno," his first full orchestral work.
Costello and his new backing band, The Imposters, make a rare Charlotte appearance at the Grady Cole Center Tuesday.
Here is an abridged survey of Costello's work, from his punk beginnings to the present:
1977 — My Aim Is True: Posing on the album's mod checkerboard cover like Buddy Holly on acid, Costello stuck out like a geek at a biker party the same year Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane went down. With nods to folk, country, reggae and rockabilly, "Aim" includes his classic songs "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives."
1978 — This Year's Model: On his second album, Costello introduced his longtime band, the Attractions. Punkier than the debut, it includes such scorchers as "Pump it Up," the ska-tinged "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Radio, Radio," his biting criticism of bland pop.
1979 — Armed Forces: His first and only disc to crack Billboard's Top 10 Pop Albums chart, "Forces" is a collection of quick, feisty power pop songs densely packed with clever parallels between war and love.
1980 — Get Happy!!: Costello took a soulful detour on this, pumping out 20 short bursts that run from Motown to Southern soul to Northern soul.
1981 — Trust: The songs on Trust are all over the map, from soul to jazzy flourishes to Tin Pan Alley.
1981 — Almost Blue: A huge surprise when it came out, Blue is an all-country collection recorded in Nashville, and featuring songs made famous by Patsy Cline, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams.
1982 — Imperial Bedroom: With its Picasso-like cover, he branches out again on this concept album that pays tribute to both Cole Porter and the Beatles.
1983-1998: Costello released an eclectic string of albums from the early '80s to the late-'90s, some of which were strong (the country-folk of King of America, in 1986), but most of which suffered from fatigue. He also scored his biggest hit, "Veronica," from his 1989 album Spike.
1998 — Painted From Memory: From the late '90s to the early 2000s, he embarked on several collaborations, including this stunner with '60s pop songwriter Burt Bacharach.
2004 — Il Sogno and The Delivery Man: Last year, Costello recorded these two very different albums. Sogno, his first full-length orchestral work, was composed in 2000 for Aterballeto, an Italian dance company, and is based on A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Delivery Man finds Costello doing what he does best: writing songs in the folk and rock veins, with influences from both American and British sources.
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