This is cleverly packaged as a "various-artists" album, with the stars including the Costello Show, the MacManus Gang, Napoleon Dynamite, and the Emotional Toothpaste. The names should be familiar to Elvis Costello fans — they're all pseudonyms Costello has used over the years. This import, 21-song CD is the second installment of 1980's Taking Liberties, a collection of B-sides, cover tunes, alternate takes, and songs that never made it to previous albums. Once again, Costello has included a few misfires as well as a few gems. Standouts include "Blue Chair" (a funky improvement on the Blood & Chocolate version), "Baby's Got a Brand New Hairdo" (a rare rocker from the King of America sessions) and "The Peoples' Limousine" (dizzying Dylanesque wordplay, done with T-Bone Burnett). There is charming Costello (harmonizing the Shirelles' "Baby It's You," with old mate Nick Lowe), bitter Costello (a chilling version of Richard Thompson's "Withered & Died") and vintage Costello pop ("Turning the Town Red"). There's a few well-intentioned mistakes, as well.
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