Spokane Spokesman-Review, August 26, 1983

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Spokane Spokesman-Review

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No-punk Costello wins with 'Punch'


Ken Maffitt

Elvis Costello and The Attractions
Punch The Clock
5 star reviews5 star reviews5 star reviews5 star reviews5 star reviews

Elvis Costello's ninth album, though not as miraculously wonderful as his very best records, towers above most of 1983's rock 'n' roll competition. It gets five stars.

Now that the rating is dispensed with, some misconceptions about Costello should be cleared up. First of all, he is not a punk. Though upbeat, angular songs like "Lip Service" and "Radio, Radio" helped define the "new wave" sound of '77 and '78, his recent music is much more fully orchestrated and more classically pop-oriented. On Punch the Clock, Costello sounds more like a rocking Gershwin than a melodic Johnny Rotten.

Another criticism of Costello says that he relies on the same tricks album after album. A valid point, if one is talking about his use of cutesy puns and double-entendres, but totally wrong if one means overall sound. The former computer programmer has never made two albums that have sounded alike.

On his debut, he sounded like a rock 'n' roll innocent in a chaotic world. With This Year's Model, he was swept up in that tension and conflict. Get Happy was influenced by R&B. Imperial Bedroom was a lush, romantic pop opus. And so on. Costello has made subtle, refreshing changes in his music from the beginning.

The new album, produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, is, along with Bedroom, his least spontaneous, most meticulously arranged record. It sounds a bit stiff at first, but after a few listens the sophistication of the songwriting comes through, making for an irresistible, complex pop web spun by one of rock's most significant artists.


Tags: Punch The ClockLip ServiceRadio, RadioGeorge GershwinIra GershwinJohnny RottenThis Year's ModelGet Happy!!Imperial BedroomClive LangerAlan Winstanley

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The Spokesman-Review, August 26, 1983


Ken Maffitt reviews Punch The Clock.

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1983-08-26 Spokane Spokesman-Review, Weekend page 02 clipping 01.jpg
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1983-08-26 Spokane Spokesman-Review, Weekend page 02.jpg

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