Boston Globe, August 9, 1983: Difference between revisions
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Costello staked out his artistic claim with that early phase: Fierce, confrontational lyrics dealing with personal and political power struggles and love gone bad; terse, pressure-cooker rhythms: agile melodic swerves. Costello's not turned his back on that style, not totally. "Shabby Doll" and "Secondary Modern" were flaming mid-set rockers, and his lyrics still push and pull enticingly. But Costello is shedding his clever-''and''-visceral rock{{nb}}'n' roll past in favor of a more mannered, duller present. His "important" song now is "Shipbuilding," a soft attack on Britain's patriotic fervor during the Falklands War. Lyrically it's affecting, but the meandering piano backing is like cocktail music. Unlike "Oliver's Army," a wry war-and-politics pop song Costello omitted Saturday, the song's whole sum is less than the sum of its parts. | Costello staked out his artistic claim with that early phase: Fierce, confrontational lyrics dealing with personal and political power struggles and love gone bad; terse, pressure-cooker rhythms: agile melodic swerves. Costello's not turned his back on that style, not totally. "Shabby Doll" and "Secondary Modern" were flaming mid-set rockers, and his lyrics still push and pull enticingly. But Costello is shedding his clever-''and''-visceral rock{{nb}}'n' roll past in favor of a more mannered, duller present. His "important" song now is "Shipbuilding," a soft attack on Britain's patriotic fervor during the Falklands War. Lyrically it's affecting, but the meandering piano backing is like cocktail music. Unlike "Oliver's Army," a wry war-and-politics pop song Costello omitted Saturday, the song's whole sum is less than the sum of its parts. | ||
The major change has been the addition of the TKO Horns (trombonist Jim Paterson, alto saxophonist Jeff Blythe, tenor saxophonist Paul Speare and trumpeter Dave Plews) and the de-emphasis of Costello's longtime backing trio, the Attractions (keyboardist | The major change has been the addition of the TKO Horns (trombonist Jim Paterson, alto saxophonist Jeff Blythe, tenor saxophonist Paul Speare and trumpeter Dave Plews) and the de-emphasis of Costello's longtime backing trio, the Attractions (keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas). The TKO Horns played not just on songs from ''Punch the Clock'', on which they are amply featured, but on numerous older tunes. Song rearrangements frequently featured prominent, punchy brass lines, where previously there had been Nieve's keyboards, Costello's rhythm guitar, or simply breathing space. Some of it, particularly hard-driving songs from ''Get Happy!!'', worked. But too often — "Watching the Detectives," "New Lace Sleeves," "Alison" and "Pump It Up" to name four — the busy arrangements trivialized the songs, supplanting tension and rock 'n' roll with staccato horn tricks and big band-like flourishes. "Pump It Up," the set closer that Costello used to introduce the group, was treated as a throwaway. The hurried rocker became not a song of conflict and scorn, but of mindless frenzy. The chorus — ''"Pump it up / Until you can feel it / Pump it up / When you don't really need it"'' — could have applied to the arrangements. | ||
This Elvis is not bound for Las Vegas. But this set seemed much more a "show" — that is, overly stylized and routine than it did a concert of explosive, expansive rock 'n' roll. That's been the Costello standard. | This Elvis is not bound for Las Vegas. But this set seemed much more a "show" — that is, overly stylized and routine — than it did a concert of explosive, expansive rock 'n' roll. That's been the Costello standard. | ||
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Latest revision as of 16:42, 6 August 2023
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