|
Just as 1993 seemed a boom year for David Bowie fans, 1994 is turning into quite the catch for Elvis Costello followers.
Last year, Bowie rebounded from a decadelong slump with the resounding Black Tie/White Noise. The re-release of 1980's Scary Monsters and Super Creeps, as well as a stunning double-CD singles collection, only added to the haul.
Costello never went through quite the slump Bowie did. But since 1986's Blood & Chocolate, he hadn't released an album that matched the consistent quality of his late '70s and early '80s works ... until the recent, near-brilliant Brutal Youth.
On its heels, Rykodisc is continuing its Costello re-release program with two albums that must rank as all-time classics: Get Happy and Trust.
Get Happy (1980) and Trust (1982) should form a cornerstone for any Elvis Costello collection. Along with Imperial Bedroom, they bridge Costello's early Angry Young Man stance and his acceptance as one of Britain's pre-eminent songwriters. Their range, influence and intelligence are hard to match.
Like Ryko's previous Costello re-issues, Get Happy and Trust are not only remastered, but packed full of B-sides and outtakes.
Comparing Costello's albums is like the apples and oranges thing: They're so stylistically varied that any side-by-side qualitative review is next to meaningless.
But over the years, I've bought more copies of Get Happy than any other album. The first one wore out from overplaying. As did the second. The third, fourth and fifth, I gave as presents. Then there were a couple of copies on CD. ...
You get the picture. Get Happy may be the most underrated album to have come out of Britain's punk/new wave movement, bar none. Its Stax-like keyboards and reverb production became its center of attention, letting people overlook the deft lyrical joy and piercing wordplay Costello reveled in at the time.
Songs such as "Opportunity," "Possession," "Men Called Uncle" and "Human Touch" were as strong as anything Costello had written to that point, and in many cases towered above less subtle efforts from earlier albums.
Still, singles such as "New Amsterdam" and "I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)" proved less commercial than earlier ones, but didn't diminish the power the Attractions pumped into every cut here.
Trust, on the other hand, is considered a straight-line successor to This Year's Model and Armed Forces. It may be even the single best recording Costello and the Attractions have ever put out.
Again, it doesn't get the attention paid to its earlier relatives. But who can argue with tracks like "Clubland," "Strict Time," "Watch Your Step" and "Big Sister's Clothes"?
Unlike most other remasters and re-issues, Ryko's Costello series is handled with loving care and attention to detail. Which is great, because most "bonus tracks" you get on such CDs are scary things, lashed on at the last minute and hardly worth the time of day.
But Costello's throw-aways are better than most artists' A-sides. Ten extra tracks are added to Get Happy's already full slate of 20, including the likes of "Girls Talk" (one of the all-time great pop songs), "Hoover Factory" and "So Young."
Actually, an 11th new track, a tantalizing version of "Love For Tender," cuts out halfway through the song, finishing the CD. It's a Costello in-joke, ending the longest album he's ever released.
The new Trust is not so long, but just as fine. Nine "extended play" tracks grace it, including the superb "Black Sails in the Sunset," "Love For Sale" (a nice complement to "My Funny Valentine") and an early take on "Boy With a Problem" (which would later appear on Imperial Bedroom).
Only GBH is a disappointment among the current crop of Costello goodies. As incidental music goes, it lacks the imagination you'd expect from an artist of Costello's caliber. It's not even close to soundtracks put out by Mark Knopfler, who took to film scores like a duck to water.
GBH is definitely for Costello completists only. Get Happy and Trust, on the other hand, are for anybody who loves music with punch, style and panache.
That Costello will one day be ranked with the likes of Dylan, Lennon and McCartney seems assured, thanks in part to his work on these "early middle period" albums.
Other record titles to the contrary, Elvis Costello's aim was never truer than on these two gems.
| 
