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Rock 'n' roll has been stifled with inertia and incest for so long that when a brilliant, accessible talent and natural leader like Elvis Costello comes along, he is encumbered with the "New Wave" categorization. But Costello is not separate from preceding rock 'n' roll. His newest album, Armed Forces (Columbia JC 35709), in fact, is a celebration of rock 'n' roll archetypes.
Where the Sex Pistols derided any rock 'n' roll previous to them and studiously avoided any influences other than pumping Who chords, Elvis Costello celebrates a broad range of history. He took his name from Presley, his looks from Holly, and his producer from Brinsley Schwarz. He's shared microphones with George Jones and Delbert McClinton. On his new album, one can hear hints of Beatles, Ronettes, Beach Boys and Springsteen.
Where the Sex Pistols wrote anarchic lyrics that disclaimed any social responsibility, Costello's lyrics finger oppressors and victims; rebels and fools. Though lost in recent apathy, social consciousness is no stranger to rock 'n' roll. On Armed Forces, Costello lifts this consciousness into a bitterly wrought indictment of enforced ignorance, of thoughtless comfort, of callous chic. Laced with military allusions, Costello does not see these conflicts easily resolved.
Of course, rock 'n' roll history is always lying around for people to use or misuse as they see fit. Costello's virtue lies in his placement and interpretation of these archetypes. As a skilled artist, he, takes well-worn values and absorbs them into refreshingly new — music that creates rock 'n' roll history of its own.
If Costello's first two albums had the sparsely produced, naked feel of rock 'n' roll's first decade, Armed Forces enjoys the quality production of the post-Sergeant Pepper years. Our ears have been strongly seduced by the new standards in production. Just as it's difficult to imagine bands such as Little Feat or Yes existing in the four track days, it's difficult to hear new records that sound that way.
Armed Forces is obviously more painstakingly produced than Costello's last two efforts. While the album is caked with hooks and occasional Springsteen-like majesty, it avoids the mundane redundancy of overproduction that rock 'n' roll has suffered for too many years. Costello and his producer Nick Lowe have combined clean sound with enough holes for legitimate, brilliant rock 'n' roll to come through.
"Accidents Will Happen" ends with a harmonic texture similar to the effects on the Beach Boys' "Surf's Up." "Oliver's Army," while lyrically sinister, is very whistleable, much like the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby" or even more like the Phil Spector-produced Ronnettes' hit, "Baby, I Love You." "Party Girls" seems straight from the Beatles' White Album, while Nick Lowe's "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding" has Elvis Costello & the Attractions sounding like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.
The first 200,000 copies of Armed Forces will also include a seven inch, 33 1/3 RPM ep, Elvis Costello Live at Hollywood High, including three songs from a show last June 4. "Alison" — the vulnerable ballad he rarely performs live—and "Accidents Will Happen" from the new album are made more romantic with Costello abandoning his guitar to sing over Steve Naive's acoustic piano. "Watching the Detectives" is expanded into six minutes of theater.
But the overwhelming appeal of the music is only a sinister seducer for the lyrics. Bolstered by the militaristic allusions, the ideas punch like Armed Forces. Delivered with galloping sarcasm and impatience, the lyrics demand a podium and an audience. Costello's subject is "Emotional Facism," the original title of the album. His response is emotional guerrilla warfare.
In "Accidents Will Happen," he notices "There's so many fish in the sea / Which rise up through the sweat-shops like mercury / They keep you hanging on / They say you're so young... You used to be a victim / But now you're not the only one." Costello goes beyond the usual sympathy for the victim and condemnation of the oppressor; if you haven't the courage to stand up to that oppression, or worse, if you accept the values that sustain the oppression, then Costello has no sympathy for you.
Costello has no patience for victims who pass their victimization on to each other, for the "Little Hitlers" of the working class who battle each other up until the point when "one little Hitler throws the other one out," as he scornfully sings on the album's most chilling song. Costello is talking a strong survivor's language: either get in the fight or get out of the way. If you are borderline, Costello will consider you lucky if you were seduced or shocked into listening to the warning.
Costello may seem hopelessly belligerent and pessimistic, but it's not that simple. He is not calling for Social Darwinism, but for a direct confrontation that will stop the dogs from eating the dogs. As the album ends, he asks "What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?" These phrases seem passe today, which is the whole point of the song.
Costello wants a less callous world. The strong he calls for in this world are also the trusted. Homogeneity is the evil Costello battles both musically and lyrically And Costello is battling more and more successfully, building his unique vision upon his regard for tradition. Lyrically, Costello is virulently progressive without being undignified. Rock 'n' roll has always been a great part of youth's voice. Costello chooses not to squander this authority.
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