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Prolific. Eclectic. Tolstoyian?
Elvis Costello, the one-man music machine who has cranked out more than 50 studio, live and compilation albums since 1977, has just released his 688-page memoir, "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink," and a two-CD accompanying soundtrack.
The new book may be long, but early reviews claim it's a fast, fun read—"revelatory, evocatively crafted, highly entertaining," says Rolling Stone.
The former Declan MacManus, now 61, looks back on his working-class roots in London and Liverpool and his early rise to stardom on the crest of rock's New Wave in the '70s, thanks in large part to a girl named "Alison."
He then covers as much ground as his music, including collaborations with legends of jazz (Chet Baker), country (George Jones), pop (Paul McCartney), easy listening (Burt Bacharach) and hip-hop (The Roots).
"Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album" is a 38-song retrospective of Costello's career, with hits like "Oliver's Army" and choice cuts like "I Want You" and "Almost Blue." There's also a 1975 demo of one of his earliest songs and a new track with Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson, "April 5th."
So dig in, Costello fans. There's a hefty book and double CD waiting for you. To get a bigger piece of Elvis, you'd have to be Diana Krall.
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