These days even half-decent Elvis Costello albums tend to be right up there with Himalayan yeti, entertaining Arsenal performances and Betamax video recorders in the often-discussed-but-rarely-seen stakes. But in the early '80s the one-time Declan MacManus could whip out a corking, bile-strewn long-player as soon as look at you — with these two re-issues being just the tip of the iceberg.
Get Happy (1980) finds Costello on a surprisingly effective R&B tip as The Attractions provide some of their smoothest backing on "High Fidelity" and the hit single "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down." Meanwhile, Trust (1981) features Costello at his acidic best with "Clubland," "New Lace Sleeves" and "From A Whisper To A Scream" all still sounding like instant classics despite the lurking presence of Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook.
Both reissue CDs also feature an outrageous amount of bonus tracks which are not only uniformly excellent but should also drive the 30-quid-for-a-rare-B-side-sounds-good-value-to-us trainspotters into apoplexy. Brutal Youth? Brutal bollocks more like.