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Before even letting you all know how much fun this album is, we, at the Metro, would like the Metro readers to know that we'll never cut an album to pieces. This is no Rolling Stone magazine. We don't even review enough albums weekly to spill cow-treasure on an artist's effort. Now that the facts are stated, what can be said of Elvis Costello? He and the Attractions are one of those new wave, power pop bands or whatever the attentive public chooses to call it, that a lot of people really dig. Sure. Elvis plays short sets and is really arrogant, and that's why his album is titled Taking Liberties.
Like his previous Get Happy, Elvis chooses to give one the value of twenty cuts of never domestically available material. When listening to the album. you can pretty much tell on which album the songs belong. "I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea" definitely belongs on his second album, This Year's Model. In fact, some special record stores do have import singles of a lot of these tunes. I bet you all would like to know what the hot cuts are? Probably all, but definitely "Girls Talk," "My Funny Valentine," "Radio Sweetheart," "Night Rally," "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea" and "Crawling To The U.S.A."
The Attractions are real fun and there are no solos in this band. Remember "Pump It Up" on the second album? What a knockout tune. The band is tight, and if you notice, I say that about all "quote unquote" new wave bands. Hey, Elvis and the Attractions are alright; a real fun bunch of "mods."
In January of 1981, EC promises the attentive public an album of new material and even a U.S. tour. This tour will most likely be his best, since we've grown to appreciate the stuff he plays.
Before termination of this article, do you, the Metro readers, want to know who Elvis co-produced this album with? The curiosity can't even be imagined! The answer is Nick Lowe, who, with Dave Edmunds makes part of "Rockpile!" There is also a nice little spoof about Elvis' diversity on the cover by Gregg Geller, VP for Contemporary Music of Columbia Records, A&R. "One's named Gus and one's named Alfie. I don't want to go to Chelsea. Oh no, it does not move me, even though I've seen the movie. I don't want to check your pulse. I don't want nobody else. I don't want to go to Chelsea." Listen to these profound lyrics and buy the album. If you like Elvis, you can't do without it!
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