Elvis regroups his Attractions and Nick Lowe here just to show he could make another Armed Forces, This Year's Model or Imperial Bedroom any time he wanted.
Of course, by dint of the dinky sales of lofty efforts such as The Juliet Letters, Spike or Mighty Like a Rose, you might speculate he was forced by circumstances.
Whatever, a message got through and Brutal Youth is Elvis's reply. Even if there is an undercurrent of snarkiness to the album (if that is how to interpret all the deliberate references to early Costello riffs), there is also a simplicity and directness that has been missing from his records and is refreshing.
The Attractions sound marvellous and even if Costello is being manipulative the fans are still the winner.
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