Record Mirror, October 24, 1981

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Record Mirror

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Maudlin glory


Mike Nicholls

Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Almost Blue
5 stars (out of 5) reviews5 stars (out of 5) reviews5 stars (out of 5) reviews5 stars (out of 5) reviews5 stars (out of 5) reviews

It isn't only his expanding girth that suits Costello to the country idiom. Ever since '78's "Stranger In The House" — not to mention recording his debut album with Clover the year before — it has been obvious that behind those computer clerk glasses there's a redneck dying to get out and here he is in all his maudlin glory.

Elvis as lover as loser has always been his favourite recurring obsession so enter Costello the country boy with a suitcase full of standards in which he can indulge his heartaches to the limit.

Inevitably, it doesn't end there. At a time when few alleged singers can actually sing, he stands as one of the few British singers of repute. And if there's one sound where you can't get away with a bad set of pipes it's ye olde country style music.

Then ensuring that every detail is just so, he's hightailed off to Nashville with The Attractions, recruited the services of good old producer Billy Sherrill and annexed the expertise of slide guitarist John McFee, usually a Doobie Brother but we won't hold that against him.

Which leaves us with the material. All but two of the dozen cuts fit the familiar country format — slow, romantic drawls chock full of pleasant harmonies and tinkling piano. Lyrically, the sentimental ironies of the genre have hardly escaped Costello and his choice of songs is shrewdly credible.

"Brown To Blue"'s tale of divorce boasts the kind of word-play Elvis himself excels in whilst "Success" is a masterpiece of role reversal. A la Costello it is the wife who has made the bright lights, much to the old man's chagrin:

"You've had no time to love me any more
Since fame and fortune came to knock on our door.
And I spend all my evenings all alone
Success has made a failure of our home."

Along with the unsurpassable "Good Year For The Roses" it's the highlight of the LP, though they ain't the only goodies. Sherrill's "Too Far Gone" enjoys a similar degree of wistful deliciousness as The Beatles' "Till There Was You" whilst Gram Parsons' "I'm Your Toy" is so Costello it's difficult to imagine the two of them didn't write it together.

None of the other tracks plumb a similar depth of complexity and I suppose if there's one fundamental criticism of the record it's just that: As far as Costello fans are concerned, this album nowhere near approaches the intricate assortment of painstaking miniatures that comprise his usual collections, simply because he hasn't written any of the songs.

But taken on its own terms, as a selection of country tunes with Elvis as mouthpiece, it's as flawless an LP as has been released all year. As authentic and sincere as Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive and one that's already booked itself a residency on my turntable for the forthcoming fireside evenings.


Tags: Almost BlueThe AttractionsStranger In The HouseCloverBilly SherrillJohn McFeeBrown To BlueSuccessGood Year For The RosesToo Far GoneThe BeatlesGram ParsonsI'm Your ToyThe Doobie BrothersJoe Jackson

Royal Albert HallRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraGood Year For The RosesGuildford Civic CentreRainbow TheatreThe AttractionsJohn McFeeAlmost BlueNashvilleGram ParsonsHank WilliamsJerry ChesnutAlisonThe South Bank ShowAberdeenParis



1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 20.jpg
Poster.


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Record Mirror, October 24, 1981


Mike Nicholls reviews Almost Blue.


Record Mirror reports on upcoming tour dates.


EC is featured in the centerfold poster; a full page ad for Almost Blue runs on page 13.


"Good Year For The Roses" is No. 9 on the singles chart (page 35).

Images

1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 16 clipping 01.jpg
Clipping.


Elvis plans an attraction


Record Mirror

1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 02 clipping 01.jpg

Elvis Costello is putting his country-style show on the road at last... and a special concert at London's Royal Albert Hall will feature the 86-piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

But first the singer — shooting up the charts with his "Good Year For The Roses" single — plays two dates at Guildford Civic Centre on December 21 and the London Rainbow 23.

Those dates will feature "normal" sets with the Attractions, although they will feature many of his new country songs.

On January 7 comes his Albert Hall epic. The show will be divided into two sets. The first is a country show with the Attractions and renowned country guitarist John McFee on pedal steel guitar.

After the interval, he plays with the RPO behind him, wrapping up the first rock concert the venue has seen for a year.

Costello also releases his country album Almost Blue this week … and for the first time he has written none of the songs.

Recorded in the country music mecca of Nashville, the album features 12 songs written by artists like Gram Parsons and Hank Williams, as well as the single — penned by Jerry Chestnut.

The album also features pedal steel man McFee, who worked with Costello on the classic "Alison" ballad.

And fans will have a chance to see how the album was made in an hour-long documentary shot in Nashville which will be shown on ITV's South Bank Show on November 8. It will also include footage from his one-off country concert in Aberdeen which Record Mirror, revealed last month.

■ How to book: All Guildford tickets cost £4 and are available from the Civic Hall box office.

Rainbow tickets are priced at £5.50 and £5 and are available now by post from The Rainbow, 232 Seven Sisters Road, London N4. Personal applications start on Saturday (October 24).

Royal Albert Hall tickets are also available now by post and cost £9.50, £8.50, £7.50, £5.50, £4.50, £3.50 and £2.50. Applications should be sent to the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7. Personal applications open on November 9.

There are also inclusive tickets available for the British dates and a concert in Paris on January 10. Details are available from Elvis Costello Tickets, PO Box 281, London, N15 5LW.


Advertisement.
1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 13 advertisement.jpg


Cover and page scans.
1981-10-24 Record Mirror cover.jpg 1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 02.jpg 1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 16.jpg 1981-10-24 Record Mirror page 35.jpg

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