Melody Maker, April 30, 1994

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications Melody Maker   1974 April 20 1975 November 1 1976 August 14 1977 March 26 1977 June 4 1977 June 25 1977 July 23 1977 August 6 1977 August 13 1977 August 20 1977 September 3 1977 September 17 1977 October 1 1977 October 8 1977 October 15 1977 October 22 1977 November 5 1977 November 12 1977 December 17 1977 December 24 1977 December 31 1978 February 18 1978 February 25 1978 March 4 1978 March 11 1978 March 25 1978 April 15 1978 April 22 1978 April 29 1978 May 6 1978 May 13 1978 May 20 1978 September 30 1978 October 21 1978 October 28 1978 November 11 1978 November 25 1978 December 9 1978 December 23 1978 December 30 1979 January 6 1979 January 13 1979 January 20 1979 February 3 1979 February 10 1979 April 14 1979 May 12 1979 June 2 1979 September 29 1980 January 5 1980 January 19 1980 January 26 1980 February 2 1980 February 23 1980 March 8 1980 March 29 1980 April 5 1980 July 19 1980 August 23 1980 September 6 1980 October 4 1980 October 11 1980 November 22 1980 December 6 1981 January 3 1981 January 17 1981 January 24 1981 February 7 1981 February 14 1981 February 28 1981 March 7 1981 April 4 1981 May 30 1981 July 11 1981 September 5 1981 October 17 1981 October 24 1981 October 31 1981 December 19 1982 January 2 1982 January 9 1982 January 16 1982 March 13 1982 May 15 1982 May 29 1982 June 12 1982 June 26 1982 July 3 1982 July 31 1982 September 18 1983 January 8 1983 May 28 1983 June 4 1983 June 11 1983 July 2 1983 July 9 1983 July 30 1983 August 20 1983 September 10 1983 October 15 1983 October 29 1984 January 7 1984 April 14 1984 April 21 1984 April 28 1984 June 2 1984 June 9 1984 July 28 1984 August 11 1984 August 18 1984 September 1 1984 October 13 1984 October 20 1984 November 17 1984 December 15 1985 March 16 1985 April 13 1985 May 4 1985 June 1 1985 June 8 1985 July 13 1985 July 20 1985 July 27 1986 February 22 1986 March 1 1986 March 22 1986 May 24 1986 July 5 1986 July 12 1986 September 13 1986 November 15 1986 November 22 1986 December 6 1986 December 20 1987 January 31 1987 February 7 1987 May 2 1987 June 27 1987 November 28 1987 December 19 1988 February 20 1988 February 27 1988 May 14 1989 January 28 1989 February 4 1989 February 11 1989 February 18 1989 February 25 1989 May 6 1989 May 13 1989 May 20 1989 June 24 1989 July 15  1989 October 21 1991 April 13 1991 April 27 1991 May 18 1991 June 22 1991 July 13 1991 October 12 1991 October 26 1992 April 18 1992 May 30 1993 January 23 1993 February 6 1993 March 6 1993 August 21 1993 October 9 1994 February 5 1994 February 12 1994 February 19 1994 February 26 1994 April 9 1994 April 23 1994 April 30 1994 July 2 1994 July 9 1994 July 16 1994 November 12 1994 November 19 1995 April 1 1995 April 8 1995 May 27 1995 June 3 1995 June 10 1996 May 18 1996 July 20 — Get this!! Jim Arundel Elvis Costello & the Attractions Get Happy!! Just the other day, over "lunch," a bunch of us were chewing the quorn about the new Blur album and I chipped in that, while "Girls And Boys" was excellent, Parklife as a whole suffered from a surfeit of pastiche. "The lyrics go nowhere and it all sounds like an exercise in recreation rather than creation," I announced. Later that afternoon, I gleefully took delivery of this re-issue and it struck me that what I'd said could equally be levelled at Get Happy!!, which I adored when it first appeared. It's the sources, I suppose. Get Happy!! plunders Stax and Motown influences, infinitely more appealing to your reporter than Blur's jerky, English, Kinks-and-cockernee grab-bag. Coming after the slick Armed Forces album, its cool, if nervy, set of two-minute nuggets was a neat two fingers at anyone who expected Costello to run out of ideas. The ruse of making it a 20-tracker, apeing the popular 20 Golden Greats albums of the time, and concentrating on black American styles during the height of the power pop boom was a splendidly audacious way of pre-empting the expected backlash and answering American critics still fuming after the unfortunate "Ray Charles incident" (It's a long story. Ask yer dad). It flopped like a bastard. But it's fascinating that all the vices that spoil Costello's oeuvre — too little editing, spewing out puns and aphorisms, self-conscious fandom — are all present in bucketloads and yet, for me — unlike any other Costello album — it works perfectly. One factor in its favour is that The Attractions were outrageously good by this time — facilitative, tough and tight — and would never sound as supple again. The production is sparse and spontaneous but warm and full of a sense of place, just like the Stax tracks it aspired to. Highlights are the croonsome "Secondary Modern," the yearning "Clowntime Is Over," the look-at-us-we-can-do-the-MGs "Temptation" and the blazing "Can't Stand Up For Falling Down." Each track has something to recommend it. And, if you don't like one, there'll be another along in a minute. For your further listening pleasure, Demon have tacked on another 11 tracks (including an unlisted demo at the end), most of which have seen service in the past on B-sides and compilations. Of particular note are the slow version of "Clowntime," the similarly goose-pimply "Just A Memory," the caffeine-injected version of "Getting Mighty Crowded," and the marimba-spooked "Ghost Train." All very fine tunes, but this extra batch of songs weakens the taut power of the original album. Proof you can have too much of a good thing. << >> Melody Maker, April 30, 1994 Jim Arundel reviews the Demon reissue of Get Happy!!. Images Clipping. 1978 photo by Gus Stewart. Cover and page scan.

External links

• Wikipedia: Melody Maker