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Armed Forces is Elvis Costello's finest album, no small feat considering the excellence of his first two LP's. One thing that becomes apparent upon hearing Armed Forces (to those familiar with Costello's other work) is that Elvis is less intense in his emotions. Thus, Costello changes just enough to assure that he will evade the self-parody of his own virulent emotionalism. Yet Costello, unlike the millionaire Hollywood rock stars so favored by American record buyers will never become complacent or "laid-back." The man has too much heart, and that means more to me than record sales.
Armed Forces is Nick Lowe's best production job ever, which is saying a great deal. Both the vocals and the instrumentation of this LP are Costello's most complex, and his backing band, The Attractions, while not the most technically imposing unit, are a great band, which means that they make few mistakes while playing with energy.
The highlight of Armed Forces is its only non-Costello written cut, a Lowe song called "(What's so funny about) Peace, Love, and Understanding," and an interne rocker. Actually, there isn't anything approaching a bad song on this LP. I can't imagine anyone who cares about pop music not liking this record. This is rock music for people who think and feel, an absolute winner for those concerned with such matters.
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