Cleveland Scene, July 12, 2006: Difference between revisions
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Cleveland Scene | C{{Bibliography header}} | ||
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Elvis Lives | {{:Cleveland Scene index}} | ||
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Costello establishes his legacy with a return to form. | {{:US publications by state index}} | ||
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<center><h3> Elvis Lives </h3></center> | |||
<center>''' Costello establishes his legacy with a return to form.</center> | |||
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<center> Chris Parker </center> | |||
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Of all the artists to emerge from '70s punk and new wave, Elvis Costello stands out for the richness and adventurousness of his catalog. Not all of his many collaborations and genre excursions were successes, but you can't accuse him of resting on his laurels. | Of all the artists to emerge from '70s punk and new wave, Elvis Costello stands out for the richness and adventurousness of his catalog. Not all of his many collaborations and genre excursions were successes, but you can't accuse him of resting on his laurels. | ||
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To make sense of Costello's 30 years of music, it helps to break them into four distinct phases: | To make sense of Costello's 30 years of music, it helps to break them into four distinct phases: | ||
Stardom, 1977-1982 -- Onetime computer programmer Declan McManus took his nerdy black frames and morphed into malevolent alter-ego Elvis Costello, jumping aboard the punk bandwagon. He says he went out and bought albums by [[the Sex Pistols]] and [[the Clash]], then threw out all but the most jagged songs he'd written. During this era, Costello's music focused largely on emotional power struggles, with him usually assuming the role of the downtrodden wimp. | '''Stardom, 1977-1982''' -- Onetime computer programmer Declan McManus took his nerdy black frames and morphed into malevolent alter-ego Elvis Costello, jumping aboard the punk bandwagon. He says he went out and bought albums by [[the Sex Pistols]] and [[the Clash]], then threw out all but the most jagged songs he'd written. During this era, Costello's music focused largely on emotional power struggles, with him usually assuming the role of the downtrodden wimp. | ||
From his stunning debut, ''My Aim Is True'', backed by [[Clover]] (later [[Huey Lewis]]' band), to the explosive follow-up, ''This Year's Model'', through his sonic and lyrical tour de force ''Imperial Bedroom'', this was Costello's best and most commercial stretch, all backed by his crack band, the Attractions. Signature Track: "Beyond Belief." | From his stunning debut, ''My Aim Is True'', backed by [[Clover]] (later [[Huey Lewis]]' band), to the explosive follow-up, ''This Year's Model'', through his sonic and lyrical tour de force ''Imperial Bedroom'', this was Costello's best and most commercial stretch, all backed by his crack band, the Attractions. Signature Track: "Beyond Belief." | ||
Exploration, 1983-1994 -- A middling period in Costello's career, this stretch was marked by experimentation, much of it uneven. By the time of ''Imperial Bedroom'' -- which was written on piano, though he can barely play -- Costello was frustrated with the rock idiom. After the two worst albums of his career (the overproduced and aptly titled ''Punch the Clock'' and ''Goodbye Cruel World''), he rebounded in '86 with the '60s-inflected ''Blood & Chocolate'' and country-flavored ''King of America''. | '''Exploration, 1983-1994''' -- A middling period in Costello's career, this stretch was marked by experimentation, much of it uneven. By the time of ''Imperial Bedroom'' -- which was written on piano, though he can barely play -- Costello was frustrated with the rock idiom. After the two worst albums of his career (the overproduced and aptly titled ''Punch the Clock'' and ''Goodbye Cruel World''), he rebounded in '86 with the '60s-inflected ''Blood & Chocolate'' and country-flavored ''King of America''. | ||
The year before they came out, he'd divorced his wife after starting an affair with Bebe Buell, Liv Tyler's mother, and he later married [[Cait O'Riordan]] of [[the Pogues]]. His increasingly baroque next two albums, ''Spike'' and ''Mighty Like a Rose'', offered a number of good songs but lacked focus. Albums with a string quartet (''Juliet Letters'') and the Attractions (''Brutal Youth'') closed the era with more of a whimper than a bang. Signature Track: "Brilliant Mistake." | The year before they came out, he'd divorced his wife after starting an affair with Bebe Buell, Liv Tyler's mother, and he later married [[Cait O'Riordan]] of [[the Pogues]]. His increasingly baroque next two albums, ''Spike'' and ''Mighty Like a Rose'', offered a number of good songs but lacked focus. Albums with a string quartet (''Juliet Letters'') and the Attractions (''Brutal Youth'') closed the era with more of a whimper than a bang. Signature Track: "Brilliant Mistake." | ||
Quiescence, 1995-2001 -- After his return to the Attractions, Costello didn't do much of anything: an album of covers recorded years prior (''Kojak Variety''), an album of songs he wrote for others (''All This Useless Beauty''), and the terrific ''Painted From Memory'', on which he collaborated with [[Burt Bacharach]]. During this time, Costello played with noted jazz musician [[Bill Frisell]], served as artist-in-residence at UCLA, and wrote music for a ballet -- good indications he'd given up professional pop music. Signature Track: "God Give Me Strength."' | '''Quiescence, 1995-2001''' -- After his return to the Attractions, Costello didn't do much of anything: an album of covers recorded years prior (''Kojak Variety''), an album of songs he wrote for others (''All This Useless Beauty''), and the terrific ''Painted From Memory'', on which he collaborated with [[Burt Bacharach]]. During this time, Costello played with noted jazz musician [[Bill Frisell]], served as artist-in-residence at UCLA, and wrote music for a ballet -- good indications he'd given up professional pop music. Signature Track: "God Give Me Strength."' | ||
Prodigal Returns, 2002-2006 -- There was no reason to believe Costello would return to form. It'd been 15 years since his last great album. But in 2002, Costello came out with ''When I Was Cruel'', backed by the Imposters (two-thirds of the Attractions, minus the bitching bassist). That same year, he split with O'Riordan. In May 2003, he announced his engagement to jazz musician [[Diana Krall]] and recorded an album of piano ballads, an underrated gem that set the stage for the even better ''Delivery Man''. Recorded in 2004 in Mississippi and backed by the Imposters, it reaffirmed Costello's love of country music, this time of the country-blues variety. A sizzling album, it was followed by his latest with Toussaint, which continues to explore American roots, tracing a New Orleans R&B tributary, and demonstrating that it isn't time to "put out the big light," on Costello just yet. Signature Track: "The River in Reverse." | '''Prodigal Returns, 2002-2006''' -- There was no reason to believe Costello would return to form. It'd been 15 years since his last great album. But in 2002, Costello came out with ''When I Was Cruel'', backed by the Imposters (two-thirds of the Attractions, minus the bitching bassist). That same year, he split with O'Riordan. In May 2003, he announced his engagement to jazz musician [[Diana Krall]] and recorded an album of piano ballads, an underrated gem that set the stage for the even better ''Delivery Man''. Recorded in 2004 in Mississippi and backed by the Imposters, it reaffirmed Costello's love of country music, this time of the country-blues variety. A sizzling album, it was followed by his latest with Toussaint, which continues to explore American roots, tracing a New Orleans R&B tributary, and demonstrating that it isn't time to "put out the big light," on Costello just yet. Signature Track: "The River in Reverse." | ||
Music Details | '''Music Details''' | ||
Who / What: | Who / What: | ||
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Where: | Where: | ||
Blossom Music Center | Blossom Music Center | ||
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'''Cleveland Scene, July 12, 2006 | |||
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[[Chris Parker]] profiles EC ahead of Elvis Costello and [[The Imposters]] with Allen Toussaint and the Crescent City Horns on Friday [[Concert 2006-07-14|July 14, 2006]] at Blossom Music Centre, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. | |||
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==External links== | ==External links== |
Revision as of 14:29, 28 November 2018
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