Sounds, April 29, 1978

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Sounds

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This year's muddle


Susanne Garrett

A few days ago, as I played my copy of the new Elvis Costello album, This Year's Model, I noticed a cryptic message scratched on the centre piece of plastic. "Special pressing no 003. Ring 434 3232. Ask for Moira for your prize," it read.

Thinking I had my hands on a much sought-after piece of plastic, I rang the next day to claim my prize — only to be told, after losing 40p hanging on, that the offer was closed.

Who does this phone number belong to? Why, if this is a limited offer, had they closed it? What is the "prize" meant to be anyway?
   — Dave Vickers, Liverpool.


Though you wouldn't know it from your recent experience — the prize wasn't meant to be minus 40p and a wasted phone-call. Originally, the lucky owners of the first 500 copies of Costello's latest, hot from the press, were meant to qualify for a signed Four-Eyes pic and badge. Great idea — let's hear it for the good guys! But summat went badly wrong.

Lucky owners of that telephone number, which was deluged with not 500 but 15,000 calls, are WEA Records, whose switchboard has been effectively blocked for three weeks by Costello Kooks after the goods. Why did you, and many others, get such short shrift? Why did a limited offer turn into a giant cock-up?

It all goes back to that ethnic scratched-on message, originally inscribed it is rumoured by a source not a million miles away from Riviera Global, Costello's management company, for "a giggle." Ho ho, indeed. Under the pressure of a high-speed run catering for the phenomenal demand from Big E fans everywhere, this one ran and ran... thru' no less than 75,000 copies pressed within the first two weeks of release. The WEA pressing plant didn't spot it in time to stop it and the "limited" offer was stamped through the lot.

In other words, everyone who bought one of the first 75,000 pressings has a "rare" copy numbered 003, whether you bought number 0050 or number 0075,000! And if the number of folks who've already phoned WEA is any thing to go by, only a fraction of the "prize" punters have, as yet, claimed their dues.

"This is the tail-end of a long drawn out thing which has been going on for the past month. It's freaked everyone out," quoth a spokesperson for Riviera Global. "So far, WEA have spent £5,000 on mailing and so on. There was a row over who was going to pay, but this has been sorted out. After the first 5,000 special prizes were sent out, everyone was told no more."

While the open invitation is spelt out loud'n'clear on all 75,000 pressings, so is the big shut-off of badges and pics from Riviera Global and WEA both. Clearing up the Costello catastrophe by giving everyone a prize, the remaining 70,000 customers that is, would obviously prove too time-consuming and expensive for the powers that be!

"Tell 'em to give up and wait for the next scam," sez Riviera Global. Nice, eh?

Feel like telling the Costello klan where to stick their oh-so unavailable freebie? Write to: Costello Cock-Up, Riviera Global, 60 Park Street, London WC2 or WEA Records, 20 Broadwick Street, London W1.


Tags: Pump It UpThis Year's ModelThe AttractionsBig TearsMick JonesPump It Up (single)Riviera GlobalWEAMickey Jupp1978 UK TourThe Garden, Penzance




Mickey Jupp


David Brown

Extract:

1978-04-29 Sounds page 17.jpg
1978-04-29 Sounds page 18 clipping 01.jpg

With the chance of a tour on offer (his manager is Keith Reid, lyricist for Procul Harum — still keeping the local links going), and with Jupp looking for a band and ace guitarist Mick Grabham (ex-Cochise and four LPs worth of Harum), looking for a vocalist/writer/player a compromise was reached and the Mickey Jupp Band hit the road for the first time as support to Elvis Costello's just finished UK dates.

The band are Jupp, guitar and vocals, Graham, guitar, John Gordon bass and Ron Telemacque drums. That was the lineup when I caught up with them at the seaside the other week, not Southend but distinct Penzance where they were playing The Garden with EC.

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Sounds, April 29, 1978


Susanne Garrett sheds light on the "Ask for Moira" etched in the runout of This Year's Model.


Eric Fuller reviews the single for "Pump It Up"; an ad for the single runs on the back page.


Savage Pencil's Rock n Roll Zoo strip features EC in the last panel.


David Brown's profile of Mickey Jupp notes his support slot on the UK Tour.

Images

1978-04-29 Sounds page 42 clipping 01.jpg1978-04-29 Sounds page 56 advertisement.jpg



Pump It Up

Elvis Costello

Eric Fuller

1978-04-29 Sounds page 54 clipping 1.jpg

The runt with the golden glasses is hot, hot, hot, so when better to release another cut from the masterly This Year's Model?

"Pump it up, when you don't really need it" he spits, as answer to the usual beefs about muzak and rejection, to the accompaniment of a deft punching backup from the perfect-match Attractions.

"Big Tears" is a new song on the other side, a merciless expose of sham emotion hearking back in style to his earlier days and featuring (though you'd hardly know it) the ferocious Mick Jones on guitar.

Bound to score because the radio's bound to play it. It's easy when you know how, and you know how when you can pick out hooks like this.



Photo by Chuck Pulin.
1978-04-29 Sounds photo 01 cp.jpg




Rock n Roll Zoo.
1978-04-29 Sounds page 19 clipping 01.jpg


Cover and clipping.
1978-04-29 Sounds cover.jpg 1978-04-29 Sounds page 42.jpg singles page 54

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