Chicago Tribune, April 24, 1978: Difference between revisions
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At the close of his 1977 yearend debut tour of the United States. British new wave rocker Elvis Costello was reported to have found, of the | At the close of his 1977 yearend debut tour of the United States. British new wave rocker Elvis Costello was reported to have found, of the 14 cities he played, Chicago most to his liking. "People were rude, you know?" he was quoted in a news magazine. "People on the West Coast were so nice it was driving me mad." | ||
Fair or not, Costello's fondness figured in terms of his image, which is very much an "angry young man." His music, however, is miles from the fuzzy smash-the-state, quash-the-queen type of stuff favored by some of his countrymen. Instead, Costello's songs are in some ways a throwback to Buddy Hollyish, early '60s style rock in terms of melodies, with some '70s reggae rhythms tossed in every so often (as in his current single, "Watching the Detectives"). | Fair or not, Costello's fondness figured in terms of his image, which is very much an "angry young man." His music, however, is miles from the fuzzy smash-the-state, quash-the-queen type of stuff favored by some of his countrymen. Instead, Costello's songs are in some ways a throwback to Buddy Hollyish, early '60s style rock in terms of melodies, with some '70s reggae rhythms tossed in every so often (as in his current single, "Watching the Detectives"). | ||
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Friday night, Costello and his three-piece band, the Attractions, headlined a triple-header at the Aragon Ballroom, with Mink DeVille and Nick Lowe filling out the bill. As for Costello, his live show has improved tremendously over the | Friday night, Costello and his three-piece band, the Attractions, headlined a triple-header at the Aragon Ballroom, with Mink DeVille and Nick Lowe filling out the bill. As for Costello, his live show has improved tremendously over the [[Concert 1977-12-02 Chicago|concert]] he gave in December at the Riviera Theater. The backing remains the same — bass, keyboards, and drums, with Costello on guitar — but the sound seems to have assumed far fuller proportions, while Costello has become surer of himself as a performer. | ||
His awkward mannerisms now are obviously there on purpose, and his trademark pigeon-toed walk already seems contrivedly tiresome. What bothers me a bit about Costello is the quality of novelty about him that has garnered him so much attention: novelty type acts as a rule have little staying power. While Costello's music in undeniably energetic and distinctive, even highly enjoyable, its energy seems almost self-contained, remote. For the long haul, I'll take the juicy emotion of Mink DeVille. | His awkward mannerisms now are obviously there on purpose, and his trademark pigeon-toed walk already seems contrivedly tiresome. What bothers me a bit about Costello is the quality of novelty about him that has garnered him so much attention: novelty type acts as a rule have little staying power. While Costello's music in undeniably energetic and distinctive, even highly enjoyable, its energy seems almost self-contained, remote. For the long haul, I'll take the juicy emotion of Mink DeVille. |
Revision as of 16:50, 15 September 2015
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