New Musical Express, August 19, 1995

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NME

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The blue drones


Ryan Gilbey

Elvis Costello and Bill Frisell
Deep Dead Blue
3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews3 stars (out of 10) reviews

He doesn't have to do this, you know. He's already got our everlasting respect (so long as he doesn't do another Kojak Variety). His place as one of our most insightful, wily songwriters is already secured (so long as he doesn't do another Mighty Like A Rose). After all, we love the old feller (so long as he... well, fill in the name of any album since Spike).

But then he doesn't do these sorts of things for us. These sorts of things are so he can hob with the nobs, look grown-up, and generally get all Sunday supplement. Look, this isn't class war, but whenever he turns po-faced and ropes in a bunch of "serious" musicians, the efforts are unfailingly as pull-your-teeth-out-of-your-head dull as... as... well, Deep Dead Blue, actually.

It's a tiresome limited edition live album recorded at this year's Meltdown Festival, underpinned by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell's scorched playing. Which is just dandy in itself, but it suggests that Costello had better have some sturdy wellies on him if he's going to be treading water for much longer.

What's so bad? The muso's quest for reinvention mainly: an attitude that Costello has towards his old songs which reasons that the more he revisits them, the more their glory will shine through. It doesn't matter when he and Frisell prowl through "Poor Napoleon" — it would take a fiercer beating than these two can deliver to bruise such beauty. But when you've got something as dreary as "Baby Plays Around," the song's a dog to start with, and this post-Unplugged, back-to-basics style can only make it worse.

Costello's love for classic songs — "Weird Nightmare"; an hilariously drowsy "Gigi" — is indulged but it's difficult to tell them apart from everything else here. That's not a testament to the greatness of Costello's numbers, mind you, just evidence of the painstakingly levelled musical land. The only new song, the Costello/Frisell penned "Deep Dead Blue," suffers from similar anonymity, but it practices the delicious trick of appearing utterly shapeless before gradually reeling you in to a taut melody. And if you can resist Costello's aching vocals then you must be the person who hates "Shipbuilding."

At seven songs and just under 30 minutes, the album only outstays its welcome because we never wanted it in the first place. It's the sort of thing you imagine musicians compile for themselves all the time, but it takes a right Dave Stewart to expose his bollock-naked indulgences to a paying audience. So for God's sake Elvis, put some clothes on and stop arsing about, will you?


Tags: Deep Dead BlueBill FrisellMeltdown FestivalShipbuildingGigiDeep Dead Blue (song)Poor NapoleonBaby Plays AroundWeird NightmareKojak VarietyMighty Like A RoseSpikeDave Stewart

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New Musical Express, August 19, 1995


Ryan Gilbey reviews Deep Dead Blue.

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Page 50 clipping.
Clipping.

Cover and page scan.
Cover. Page 50.

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