London Guardian, January 9, 1979: Difference between revisions
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It's been a good month for Elvis Costello. A vast | It's been a good month for Elvis Costello. A vast hoarding of his be-spectacled face dominated Tottenham Court Road in the place of Julie Andrews, his [[Concert 1978-12-18 London|shows]] at the Dominion were a success, and almost every reviewer plugged ''This Year's Model'' as one of the best albums of '78. Not bad going for an unremarkable-looking computer operator from Hounslow, especially when coupled with the adulation he's been getting from the States. And he has followed it all up by taking on minimal competition to release The First Important Album of '79, ''Armed Forces'' (Radar RAD14). | ||
Before even playing the album, it becomes clear that Costello has got just a little too confident, and just a little too clever. It comes in expensive and useless packaging that guarantees that the record slips from your hand scattering bits of paper across the floor. Is this a clue to some hidden concept, some subtle theme? There is a picture of elephants, which on the face of it have little common with armed forces, there are postcards marked "don't join," which could tie in, and there's a slogan "emotional fascism" on a sleeve showing Elvis and pals at "our place" (a posh villa) and "yours" (a boring semi). All tediously mysterious, but luckily the songs — of which there are very many, both on the album and an enclosed "free" EP — are more interesting, though not always more comprehensible. | Before even playing the album, it becomes clear that Costello has got just a little too confident, and just a little too clever. It comes in expensive and useless packaging that guarantees that the record slips from your hand scattering bits of paper across the floor. Is this a clue to some hidden concept, some subtle theme? There is a picture of elephants, which on the face of it have little common with armed forces, there are postcards marked "don't join," which could tie in, and there's a slogan "emotional fascism" on a sleeve showing Elvis and pals at "our place" (a posh villa) and "yours" (a boring semi). All tediously mysterious, but luckily the songs — of which there are very many, both on the album and an enclosed "free" EP — are more interesting, though not always more comprehensible. |