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The setting is a warm Saturday night, August 23, 1980. The scene is Heatwave, a boisterous outdoor rock festival. The darkness of the night has draped the 60,000 spectators with anticipation. The headline act is Elvis Costello and the Attractions. Hands clap. Lighters flick. Cheering. Elvis takes the stage, and, aided only by a lyrical piano accompaniment, teasingly opens with a never before heard composition, "Shot with His Own Gun." Elvis had never looked more intense, more dramatic, or more in control. It was his finest hour.
Although Heatwave was Elvis' only North American concert appearance, 1980 also marked the release of two albums with an astounding 40 new songs. Eagerly, Elvis has made a 14-song dent in 1981, with his latest release, entitled Trust. And clearly, it sounds like the Attractions finest hour.
The Attractions, Steve Nieve on keyboards, Bruce Thomas on bass, and Pete Thomas on drums are one of the finest, tightest new bands we've listened to or danced to in years.
Nieve's acoustic piano playing on "Clubland," Pete's vigorous skin-pounding on "Lovers Walk," and Bruce's silky bass playing throughout are among the numerous instrumental highlights.
Elvis himself doesn't fare so well. His (and guest artist Martin Belmont's) guitar leads are weak and seem to get lost in the mix. Worse off are Costello's words. They're garbled at times (as in the raucous rocker "Luxembourg"), and lack some of the catchy lyrical hooks we've heard him write before. It's the kind of album that's tough to sing in the shower, because the words just aren't distinct enough.
But like the last tiny air bubbles that rise to the surface when someone drowns, the most striking phrases should be heard:
"The salty lips of the socialite sisters
With their continental fingers
They've never seen workin' blisters
Oh, I know they got their problems
I wish I was one of them."
— "New Lace Sleeves"
"Dreams don't come cheap
I don't close my eyes when I go to sleep"
— "Strict Time"
"The fist is mightier than the lip."
— "You'll Never Be A Man"
Surrounded by a fine court, Elvis is still King but his crown seems a little tainted.
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