London Times, December 28, 1981: Difference between revisions
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The tone of Wednesday night's concert was set by the predominance of the darkly passionate material from ''Trust'', Costello's last album of self-composed songs, and by several new pieces which took up the same thematic and textural threads. Among the latter, the least distinguished seemed to be "[[Human Hands]]," a plodding anthology of his minor-key cliches; the most immediately exhilarating may have been titled "[[Shabby Doll]]" and was a production number in the ''chanson noir'' style of "[[Watching The Detectives|Watching the Detectives]]" and "[[Shot With His Own Gun]]," a subdued first verse and many dramatic pauses building to a sophisticated and enveloping richness of atmosphere. The ''Trust'' songs fared well, notably "[[New Lace Sleeves]]" and "[[Big Sister's Clothes]]," the latter dying gracefully in a fading blue light to close the main portion of the show. | The tone of Wednesday night's concert was set by the predominance of the darkly passionate material from ''Trust'', Costello's last album of self-composed songs, and by several new pieces which took up the same thematic and textural threads. Among the latter, the least distinguished seemed to be "[[Human Hands]]," a plodding anthology of his minor-key cliches; the most immediately exhilarating may have been titled "[[Shabby Doll]]" and was a production number in the ''chanson noir'' style of "[[Watching The Detectives|Watching the Detectives]]" and "[[Shot With His Own Gun]]," a subdued first verse and many dramatic pauses building to a sophisticated and enveloping richness of atmosphere. The ''Trust'' songs fared well, notably "[[New Lace Sleeves]]" and "[[Big Sister's Clothes]]," the latter dying gracefully in a fading blue light to close the main portion of the show. | ||
The extracts from Almost Blue included a polished reading of the delightful. "[[Good Year For The Roses|A Good Year for the Roses]]," but the more exposed balladry of "Sweet Dreams" revealed a strained tone and inaccurate pitching as Costello struggled to hold sustained notes against the sparse cocktail-lounge accompaniment provided the Attractions (whose pianist, Steve Nieve, performed with outstanding energy and adaptability throughout the evening). | The extracts from ''Almost Blue'' included a polished reading of the delightful. "[[Good Year For The Roses|A Good Year for the Roses]]," but the more exposed balladry of "Sweet Dreams" revealed a strained tone and inaccurate pitching as Costello struggled to hold sustained notes against the sparse cocktail-lounge accompaniment provided the Attractions (whose pianist, Steve Nieve, performed with outstanding energy and adaptability throughout the evening). | ||
The defensive hubris which Costello uses to protect his emotional vulnerability, and the impatience which leads him to butt songs together, allowing scant opportunity for the audience to express its appreciation, will probably always make his concerts tense affairs, to which the appropriate response is sincere but somewhat detached admiration. He overrode this, however, with his fourth encore, stripping Nick Lowe's "[[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?|What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding]]" of its last remaining ironies and sending us warmed into the night. | The defensive hubris which Costello uses to protect his emotional vulnerability, and the impatience which leads him to butt songs together, allowing scant opportunity for the audience to express its appreciation, will probably always make his concerts tense affairs, to which the appropriate response is sincere but somewhat detached admiration. He overrode this, however, with his fourth encore, stripping Nick Lowe's "[[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?|What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding]]" of its last remaining ironies and sending us warmed into the night. |
Revision as of 17:17, 16 October 2015
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