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Even after several weeks of continual listening, I still can't think of anything witty/original enough to say about this LP so that you will immediately add it to your collection. That's my problem, but your loss.
Most successful artists have rather good tunes (or pop hooks) but lack much meaning lyrically, some have finely crafted lyrics but are let down by weakness of melody and there are yet others who have songs to rank with the best, but the delivery ain't what it should be — so where does EC stand in all this rhetoric? Quite frankly, way above it.
This time out, El seems a bit mellower, but some of the pent-up anger is still there (I bet he's still got that black book). First track, first side: "No Action" — "every time I phone you, I just wanna put you down," and of course that's no isolated quote. Elsewhere, though, he shows a sense of humour (wee-e-lll, almost) as in the wry lines from "Living In Paradise" — "I don't like those other guys looking at you curves / I don't like you walking round with physical jerks."
And it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the melodies are similarly excellent — christ, damn you Costello — you make me feel so inadequate as I type this and your voice mocks me from the turntable.
It's now the last track, the superb "Night Rally" and I'm thinking that I should be laying back listening to it instead of...
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