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Although no one noticed Elvis Costello until 1973, he is, nonetheless, from the old school of rock 'n' roll. His songs are short, usually around three minutes long. He keeps things simple, playing with just three other musicians.
While much of rock in the '70s has adopted a pseudo sophistication or has gone the other way and become annoyingly simple, Costello's music takes neither of those roads. It is refreshingly straightforward and honest, and most importantly, it has a sense of humor.
While his new album Armed Forces may not win him any new fans, it is certain to please his old ones. What we have here is the typical Costello sarcasm, sarcasm that you either greatly appreciate or find loathsome depending on your sense of humor.
"Oliver's Army" is a singing advertisement for mercenaries. Come one, come all and slay for pay, Costello seems to be saying.
"If you are out of luck and out of work
we can send you to Johannesburg...
As he proved on "Alison" from his first album, My Aim Is True, Costello is powerful with the love song. On "Party Girl" he sings about indecision.
"Don't want to lock you up and say you're mine
But I don't want to lose and say goodbye. . .
His voice sounds similar to John Lennon's on this number, as well as the demonic "Two Little Hitlers."
Costello always takes a point of view in his songs. The women he sings about are coquettish; the politics he sings about are an absurdity. In other words, Costello is a satirist.
If you were to compare Costello to any other musician, and many have, a logical comparison would be Bruce Springsteen. One number on Armed Forces which invites such a pairing is "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," a song that producer Nick Lowe wrote for Brinsley Schwarz about four years ago. The song is serious with an overt message and seems a bit out of character for Costello.
Not to take anything away from Springsteen, the main difference between the two is that Costello has a sense of humor, albeit a very dark one.
There is an added bonus, included in the first 200,000 albums released in the form of a seven-inch disc recorded live at Hollywood High School. The small record includes "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives" off the first album and "Accidents Will Happen," one of the finest cuts from Armed Forces.
The record is somewhat unusual because Costello hardly plays the guitar at all. Instead he concentrates on singing, and produces some of the best vocals he has yet recorded.
The album itself is distinguished from its predecessors by elaborateness. Nick Lowe's production job is relatively energetic with many overdubs, particularly on the vocals, and by using Steve Naive's keyboards more extensively and in different ways than on the two previous albums.
For those of you who have looked at Elvis Costello albums and were turned off by the ridiculous looking fellow, or have heard bits and pieces of his music and dismissed him as another typical New Wave band from England, give him another chance. His music is unpretentious and basic; it is fine rock 'n' roll that somehow means something to us in the '70s — and that is a trick very few people are getting away with these days.
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