Los Angeles Times, September 11, 1989: Difference between revisions
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"Let Him Dangle," an indictment of capital punishment from ''Spike'', took Costello further into strange, twilight pop: a trombone and tuba oompah (provided by Steve Soles and Jerry Scheff) oozed irony while recalling a New Orleans jazz funeral march; meanwhile, Costello's choked singing and Ribot's wild, thin guitar screeching evoked visions of the tightening noose. | "Let Him Dangle," an indictment of capital punishment from ''Spike'', took Costello further into strange, twilight pop: a trombone and tuba oompah (provided by Steve Soles and Jerry Scheff) oozed irony while recalling a New Orleans jazz funeral march; meanwhile, Costello's choked singing and Ribot's wild, thin guitar screeching evoked visions of the tightening noose. | ||
Before things got too strange, Costello was quickly off on a straight-ahead rockabilly romp, " | Before things got too strange, Costello was quickly off on a straight-ahead rockabilly romp, "Lovable." Throughout the show, he would return to rockabilly as a reference point, as if to say that no matter how far out one cares to go with rock, it's a mistake to forget for long that its essence is a simple shot of energy set to a backbeat. | ||
"God's Comic" may not make Costello beloved among those who do not want to see the Creator depicted as a cosmic joker, but this sarcastic song about a dead comedian's trip to heaven was hellishly entertaining. It featured a snippet of "I'm a Believer" (inserted when the song's protagonist discovers that there ''is'' a heaven), a sing-along chorus and Costello's stand-up routine. | "God's Comic" may not make Costello beloved among those who do not want to see the Creator depicted as a cosmic joker, but this sarcastic song about a dead comedian's trip to heaven was hellishly entertaining. It featured a snippet of "I'm a Believer" (inserted when the song's protagonist discovers that there ''is'' a heaven), a sing-along chorus and Costello's stand-up routine. | ||
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Then came a solo acoustic set in which Costello hit the concert's rage-filled emotional peak: "Tramp the Dirt Down," which excoriates Margaret Thatcher so bitterly that the singer's passion verges on ugliness until a sense of sadness tempers the anger. | Then came a solo acoustic set in which Costello hit the concert's rage-filled emotional peak: "Tramp the Dirt Down," which excoriates Margaret Thatcher so bitterly that the singer's passion verges on ugliness until a sense of sadness tempers the anger. | ||
Once again, Costello built his set with the assurance of a master engineer, surrounding "Tramp the Dirt Down" with lighter, catchy crowd pleasers. A medley of "Radio Sweetheart" and Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" preceded it, and a lively "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" followed it (the latter song, with its refrain, "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused," seemed to serve as a reminder that the degree of bitterness in "Tramp the Dirt Down" can't be sustained for long; it must give way to a sense of irony that allows one to bear up under harsh reality without being consumed by it). | Once again, Costello built his set with the assurance of a master engineer, surrounding "Tramp the Dirt Down" with lighter, catchy crowd pleasers. A medley of "Radio Sweetheart" and Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" preceded it, and a lively "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" followed it (the latter song, with its refrain, ''"I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused,"'' seemed to serve as a reminder that the degree of bitterness in "Tramp the Dirt Down" can't be sustained for long; it must give way to a sense of irony that allows one to bear up under harsh reality without being consumed by it). | ||
Toward the end of the show, Costello brought it all back home, linking the concert's stylistic strands in satisfying fashion. The sequence started with an overlap of old and new: "Watching the Detectives," one of four songs Costello played from his first album, was recast as a chromatic, jazz-flavored excursion with plenty of strange, new Ribotics. Then came "Pads, Paws and Claws" in which rockabilly and blues collided with Costello's new experimentalism. | Toward the end of the show, Costello brought it all back home, linking the concert's stylistic strands in satisfying fashion. The sequence started with an overlap of old and new: "Watching the Detectives," one of four songs Costello played from his first album, was recast as a chromatic, jazz-flavored excursion with plenty of strange, new Ribotics. Then came "Pads, Paws and Claws" in which rockabilly and blues collided with Costello's new experimentalism. | ||
The finale, "Pump It Up," was reworked to sound like something out of Bob Dylan's raw-rocking | The finale, "Pump It Up," was reworked to sound like something out of Bob Dylan's raw-rocking ''Highway 61 Revisited'' period: The Rude 5 gave it a chunkier beat than the original, along with new blues and rockabilly inflections. | ||
"Pump It Up" was one of the few numbers in which the Rude 5 achieved the blast-force drive of Costello's final U.S. tour with the Attractions, after the 1986 album, ''Blood | "Pump It Up" was one of the few numbers in which the Rude 5 achieved the blast-force drive of Costello's final U.S. tour with the Attractions, after the 1986 album, ''Blood & Chocolate'' (drummer Pete Thomas is the only ex-Attraction still with Costello). | ||
But Costello's new band gives away nothing in musicianship, and it provides him with a much wider palette of sounds and musical styles than the Attractions. | But Costello's new band gives away nothing in musicianship, and it provides him with a much wider palette of sounds and musical styles than the Attractions. | ||
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One could quibble that one new song, the groove-oriented "Chewing Gum," did not measure up to Costello's melodic standards, or that Blair's glockenspiel plinking gave "Alison" a bit too much sweetening. But this was a savory show that makes one hungry to see what Costello will come up with next as he makes his way as a pop adventurer — and quite an entertaining one at that. | One could quibble that one new song, the groove-oriented "Chewing Gum," did not measure up to Costello's melodic standards, or that Blair's glockenspiel plinking gave "Alison" a bit too much sweetening. But this was a savory show that makes one hungry to see what Costello will come up with next as he makes his way as a pop adventurer — and quite an entertaining one at that. | ||
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{{tags}}[[Concert 1989-09-09 Irvine|Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre]] {{-}} [[Irvine]] {{-}} [[CA|California]] {{-}} [[The Rude 5]] {{-}} [[The{{nb}}Beloved Entertainer]] {{-}} [[Spike]] {{-}} [[Marc Ribot]] {{-}} [[Michael Blair]] {{-}} [[Tom Waits]] {{-}} [[Alison]] {{-}} [[Veronica]] {{-}} [[Accidents Will Happen]] {{-}} [[Clubland]] {{-}} [[The Attractions]] {{-}} [[Let Him Dangle]] {{-}} [[Steven Soles]] {{-}} [[Jerry Scheff]] {{-}} [[Pete Thomas]] {{-}} [[Lovable]] {{-}} [[God's Comic]] {{-}} [[I'm A Believer]] {{-}} [[Tramp The Dirt Down]] {{-}} [[Margaret Thatcher]] {{-}} [[Radio Sweetheart]] {{-}} [[Van Morrison]] {{-}} [[Jackie Wilson Said]] {{-}} [[(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes]] {{-}} [[Watching The Detectives]] {{-}} [[Pads, Paws And Claws]] {{-}} [[Pump It Up]] {{-}} [[Bob Dylan]] {{-}} [[:Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|Costello Sings Again Tour]] {{-}} [[Blood & Chocolate]] {{-}} [[Chewing Gum]] | |||
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{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1989-09-11 Los Angeles Times | [[image:1989-09-11 Los Angeles Times pages 6-01, 6-10 clipping composite.jpg|380px]] | ||
<br><small>Photo by [[David Muronaka]].</small> | <br><small>Clipping composite.</small> | ||
<small>Photo by [[David Muronaka]].</small><br> | |||
[[image:1989-09-11 Los Angeles Times photo 01 dm.jpg|380px]] | |||
<br><small>Shorter version | <br><small>Shorter version from another edition.</small><br> | ||
{{Bibliography box | {{Bibliography box}} | ||
<center><h3> Costello artful and entertaining </h3></center> | <center><h3> Costello artful and entertaining </h3></center> | ||
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{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
[[image:1989-09-11 Los Angeles Times page 6-02 clipping 1.jpg|140px|right]] | |||
When banners dubbing Elvis Costello "The Beloved Entertainer" unfurled behind him late in his show on Saturday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, the gesture had an ironic cast, given Costello's reputation for challenging songs and acerbic commentary far from the usual mass-appeal pop. | When banners dubbing Elvis Costello "The Beloved Entertainer" unfurled behind him late in his show on Saturday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, the gesture had an ironic cast, given Costello's reputation for challenging songs and acerbic commentary far from the usual mass-appeal pop. | ||
But Costello's Irvine show was the work of artist-as-entertainer, an impressive, thoughtfully conceived reconciliation of an artist's desire to explore new territory with an entertainer's solicitous regard for fans who might be disoriented by too much exploration all at once. | But Costello's Irvine show was the work of artist-as-entertainer, an impressive, thoughtfully conceived reconciliation of an artist's desire to explore new territory with an entertainer's solicitous regard for fans who might be disoriented by too much exploration all at once. | ||
Costello the explorer has enlisted a new band, the Rude 5 (actually a six-man outfit) to help him pursue the angular, twisting approach to pop that makes up much of his strong current album, ''Spike''. The key additions, Tom Waits alumni Marc Ribot (guitar) and Michael Blair (percussion), lent Costello's music an | Costello the explorer has enlisted a new band, the Rude 5 (actually a six-man outfit) to help him pursue the angular, twisting approach to pop that makes up much of his strong current album, ''Spike''. The key additions, Tom Waits alumni Marc Ribot (guitar) and Michael Blair (percussion), lent Costello's music an atmospheric, off-kilter feel when it was time to explore. | ||
But Costello punctuated these journeys into pop's twilight zone with regular walks down the Main Street of his career. He never let too many songs elapse before playing a familiar version of a crowd-pleasing favorite, ranging from one of his earliest hits, "Alison," to his most recent, "Veronica." Moreover, Costello was an engaging host, happy to lead the audience in sing-alongs and to give them stand-up comedy to boot. | But Costello punctuated these journeys into pop's twilight zone with regular walks down the Main Street of his career. He never let too many songs elapse before playing a familiar version of a crowd-pleasing favorite, ranging from one of his earliest hits, "Alison," to his most recent, "Veronica." Moreover, Costello was an engaging host, happy to lead the audience in sing-alongs and to give them stand-up comedy to boot. |
Latest revision as of 21:24, 23 October 2022
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