Juke, February 25, 1989: Difference between revisions
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A distant black sheep cousin to John Lennon's "Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out," instead of Lennon's maudlin self-pity, Costello advocates the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" policy. You have to be a real git to get on. | A distant black sheep cousin to John Lennon's "Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out," instead of Lennon's maudlin self-pity, Costello advocates the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" policy. You have to be a real git to get on. | ||
"...This Town..." is an indication of a change in musical policy. The Attractions are nowhere to be seen, Elvis opting for a dual Rickenbacker attack from Roger McGuinn and Paul McCartney. He's picked his playmates carefully, depending on the song, with Chrissie Hynde, Christy Moore, T | "...This Town..." is an indication of a change in musical policy. The Attractions are nowhere to be seen, Elvis opting for a dual Rickenbacker attack from Roger McGuinn and Paul McCartney. He's picked his playmates carefully, depending on the song, with Chrissie Hynde, Christy Moore, T{{nb}}Bone Burnett, Davy Spillane, and a fair whack of Tom Waits' band wearing the number 12 shirts. | ||
Costello once described ''Goodbye Cruel World'' as "the worst record of the best songs I've written" and he's learned from the experience, jettisoning the often inflexible Attractions. ''Goodbye Cruel World'' could have been a great record, were Elvis accompanied by his current cohorts or The Confederates from ''King Of America''. | Costello once described ''Goodbye Cruel World'' as "the worst record of the best songs I've written" and he's learned from the experience, jettisoning the often inflexible Attractions. ''Goodbye Cruel World'' could have been a great record, were Elvis accompanied by his current cohorts or The Confederates from ''King Of America''. | ||
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The only concession to the "traditional" Costello sound of old seems to be the single "Veronica" (an ear for the airwaves is a handy thing when you've been away for a while), where the lonely spinster stares out the window waiting for the man who left her 65 years previous to return. | The only concession to the "traditional" Costello sound of old seems to be the single "Veronica" (an ear for the airwaves is a handy thing when you've been away for a while), where the lonely spinster stares out the window waiting for the man who left her 65 years previous to return. | ||
But let's not forget the court jester; Costello has rarely been wittier than on the vaudevillian shuffle of "God's Comic" where | But let's not forget the court jester; Costello has rarely been wittier than on the vaudevillian shuffle of "God's Comic" where Elvis meets his maker lying on a water bed listening to Lloyd Webber's ''Requiem'': ''"He said before it had really begun / 'I prefer the one about my son / I've been wading through all this unbelievable junk / And wondering if I should have given the world to the monkeys'."'' | ||
Politically, the message is less obtuse than on, say, "Shipbuilding" or "Oliver's Army." The subtle lyrical imagery gives way to no-nonsense protest, best illustrated on "Tramp The Dirt Down," an indictment to the evil that is Thatcher, which paradoxically borrows its melody line from Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely." | Politically, the message is less obtuse than on, say, "Shipbuilding" or "Oliver's Army." The subtle lyrical imagery gives way to no-nonsense protest, best illustrated on "Tramp The Dirt Down," an indictment to the evil that is Thatcher, which paradoxically borrows its melody line from Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely." |
Latest revision as of 22:54, 22 October 2021
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