Brandeis University Justice, February 26, 1980: Difference between revisions
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If a recording artist is to be admired for the speed demonstrated in rattling off new material, then it should, in turn, be up to that artist to warrant the admiration by producing work of acceptable, if not glistening, quality. Occasionally they do. Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and The Beatles have all shown that to create in quantity is not necessarily to sacrifice quality. And now, with the release of his fourth album in less than three years, ''Get Happy'', new wave godfather Elvis Costello lets us know that he is ready to join the ranks. | If a recording artist is to be admired for the speed demonstrated in rattling off new material, then it should, in turn, be up to that artist to warrant the admiration by producing work of acceptable, if not glistening, quality. Occasionally they do. Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and The Beatles have all shown that to create in quantity is not necessarily to sacrifice quality. And now, with the release of his fourth album in less than three years, ''Get Happy'', new wave godfather Elvis Costello lets us know that he is ready to join the ranks. | ||
Costello, one of the prime innovators behind the new wave explosion, appeared for a while to be losing musical ground. His first two albums, ''My Aim Is True'' and This Year's Model, both demonstrated that the odd looking bloke with too short trousers could, in fact, write some fine songs. "Alison" | Costello, one of the prime innovators behind the new wave explosion, appeared for a while to be losing musical ground. His first two albums, ''My Aim Is True'' and This Year's Model, both demonstrated that the odd looking bloke with too short trousers could, in fact, write some fine songs. "Alison," "Miracle Man," "Radio Radio," and "The Beat" were all, in their strange way, rock and roll gems, classy stuff from an artist who wasn't yet ready to flaunt his feathers. | ||
But then he stumbled. Costello's third release, ''Armed Forces'', issued less than a year after ''This Year's Model'', was not at all up to the caliber of either of his previous works. It was somewhat successful, for a while at least, but what probably accounted for this is the fact that ''Armed Forces'', despite all its structural shortcomings, was released at ''just the right time'' which, within the recording industry, is almost as important, if not more so, than decent material. The new wave was riding strong and Elvis fans, despite the album's obvious calm, were adamant in insisting "surf's up." | But then he stumbled. Costello's third release, ''Armed Forces'', issued less than a year after ''This Year's Model'', was not at all up to the caliber of either of his previous works. It was somewhat successful, for a while at least, but what probably accounted for this is the fact that ''Armed Forces'', despite all its structural shortcomings, was released at ''just the right time'' which, within the recording industry, is almost as important, if not more so, than decent material. The new wave was riding strong and Elvis fans, despite the album's obvious calm, were adamant in insisting "surf's up." |
Revision as of 23:32, 5 February 2016
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