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There are few artists who have had as pervasive an influence on the creation, performance and image of contemporary music as Columbia Records' Elvis Costello. Since the release of his first album for the label in 1977, London-born Costello has had an enormous impact on the style of rock music throughout the creative process. Columbia's marketing approach surrounding his releases has reflected Costello's flair for the unusual, such as his appearance at Hollywood High during a recent U.S. tour.
Elvis Costello has released four albums on Columbia, the most recent of which is the 20-cut pop marathon, Get Happy! His previous albums, My Aim Is True, This Year's Model and Armed Forces have remained strong sellers, with the latter surpassing gold status and the others not far behind. All of his albums are produced by Nick Lowe and Costello himself produced the Specials' current LP.
Get Happy, which was released last month, has received extraordinary initial airplay and critical acclaim, and is currently #18 on Record World's Top LP Chart. To augment Get Happy's concept of more-songs-for the-price-of-one, Columbia just released a special 4-song Elvis Costello single which includes "Can't Stand Up From Falling Down" (his current single), "Secondary Modern," "King Horse," and "Girls Talk." The latter song, which has been covered by Linda Ronstadt and Dave Edmunds, is not available on the album. The 7-inch record is packaged in a full-color picture sleeve and carries a suggested list price of $1.29.
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