|
Despite all you've heard, Elvis' latest release is paradoxical and problematic. The ironic title suggests that Elvis is still writing the sneering brand of satire-rock that placed him at the front of the pack of screaming, angry, young men from the U.K. back in '77. Fortunately enough this is only partly true. For among the twenty cuts on Get Happy!!, only about seven project the "ass-kicking champion of the Socially-downtrodden" persona that launched Elvis to the top in '78, and left him humiliated and impotent last year, with the dismal Armed Forces.
The encouraging thing about this record is that whether the chump knows it or not, a new Elvis is emerging — one who is capable of writing classically within the conventions of rhythm'n'blues arrangements and lyric. Get Happy!! contains some of Elvis' best material: Costello has always exhibited a knack for quoting riffs, but on songs like "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," "Temptation," "Human Touch" and "Opportunity" Elvis exhibits a new prowess at combining conventions.
The sound is urgent and fresh yet authoritative; when it comes to exploring the fertile turf of pop history, Costello is the master musicologist. Elvis has clearly been doing his homework here: a pop musician with a broader base of influences would be hard to find. The album is virtually wall-papered with Motown allusions — check out the Supremes-esque rhythms in "Love for Tender" for example. Elvis also cops licks from Herb Alpert, Procol Harum, Gord Lightfoot.. why one song sound just like an old Loblaws ad.
There are so many moments of exhilaration here that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what bugs me about this album. Perhaps the biggest problem is Nick Lowe's production. Costello's recent work with The Specials revealed not only that he is a proficient producer, he's an intelligent one as well: Nick Lowe's approach on My Aim Is True, Elvis short-circuited the aural hedonism of the expensive, colourful production trends of the early seventies, opting for a minimalistic distancing context that allows the arrangements and lyrics to speak for themselves. Why then the candy-coated, "colourful" product here?
Another problem is that there is just too much organ and not enough guitar — many of the songs seem to lack a solid middle ground: a wimpy organ oscillates between tinny drums and an over-produced bass.
Finally, it is difficult to come to terms with Get Happy!! because the two Elvises, the revolutionary and the sentimentalist rather than forming a complete perspective or positing fruitful ambiguities, seem to undermine each other's credibility. Elvis on one hand commands the listener to take him seriously ("Possession," "Riot Act," and "Black and White World") and on the other hand spews cutesy hyperbole from the lunatic fringe of his sub-conscience like: "Could I play double-Dutch with a real Double-duchess?"
The man clearly needs an editor.
| 
