Maclean's, August 22, 1983

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Maclean's

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Punch The Clock

Elvis Costello and The Attractions
(CBS)

David Livingstone

Elvis Costello is indeed a Mouth Almighty, just as he says in a confessional tune of the same name. After last year’s work of genius, Imperial Bedroom, he has come up with 13 new songs which show his talent to be increasingly accomplished and sincere. The new album is not a grab bag of musical idioms as much as his last one, but with funky horns and vocal backups, it does bear traces of jazz, calypso, Motown, soul and other pop styles of the 1960s. However, Punch The Clock is primarily a showcase for Costello’s new-found deftness as a singer and his ongoing gifts as a writer. Displaying a taste for wordplay in common with John Donne or Cole Porter, he indulges in verbal conceits but is crafty enough to get away with it. Continuing to explore the seediness of human behavior on the part of both loved ones (The Greatest Thing) and politicians (Pills and Soap). Elvis Costello remains uniquely touching.


Tags: Punch The ClockThe AttractionsCBSMouth AlmightyImperial BedroomCole PorterThe Greatest ThingPills And Soap

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Maclean's, August 22, 1983


David Livingstone reviews Punch The Clock.

Images

1983-08-22 Macleans page 48 clipping 01.jpg
Clipping.

Page scan.
1983-08-22 Macleans page 48.jpg

Cover
1983-08-22 Macleans cover.jpg


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