Melody Maker, February 4, 1989

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 — Elvis Costello Melody Maker Elvis Costello releases his first new album in two years on February 6. And he goes on the road in May and June for a solo tour which includes a month of Sundays at the London Palladium. The album, Spike, is Costello's first for WEA, and was recorded in London, Dublin, New Orleans and Hollywood. It was produced by Costello, Kevin Killen and T Bone Burnett, who also produced King Of America, and toured with Elvis on his last solo dates two years ago. Burnett and Costello recorded together, too, as The Coward Brothers. Spike, Costello's twelfth studio album, comprises "This Town," "Let Him Dangle," "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," "Veronica," "God's Comic," "Chewing Gum," "Tramp The Dirt Down," "Stalin Malone (Instrumental)," "Satellite," "Pads, Paws & Claws," "Baby Plays Around," "Miss Macbeth," "Any King's Shilling" and "Last Boat Leaving." An extra track, "Coal-Train Robberies," features on the cassette and CD versions. Some of these tracks will be familiar to Costello-watchers. "Any King's Shilling" was a highlight of the set at his shows at the Royal Albert Hall with The Confederates and The Attractions. A moving song about the departure to war, it appeared to complete the trilogy started by "Pills And Soap" and "Shipbuilding." "Any King's Shilling" also featured in Costello's Shetland Folk Festival appearances last year. So did "Let Him Dangle," an anti-hanging song inspired by the Craig/Bentley case. Derek Bentley, 19, and Christopher Craig, 16, were found guilty of murdering a policeman in London in 1952. It was Craig who fired the fatal shot, but he escaped the rope because he was underage. Bentley, who had not carried out any violence during the attack, was hanged. The shooting happened after police interrupted on attempted robbery and chased Bentley and Craig to the roof of a warehouse. "Veronica" is expected to be released as the next Costello single. The tour will find Costello appearing as a solo performer with Nick Lowe, his former producer, as special guest. They will play together at the end of each show. Dates open at London Palladium on May 7, continuing at Liverpool Royal Court (10 and 11), Manchester Apollo (12), London Palladium (14), Belfast Opera House (16 and 17), Dublin Stadium (19 and 20), London Palladium (21), Newcastle City Hall (24), Edinburgh Playhouse (25), Glasgow Pavilion (26), Landon Palladium (28), Cardiff St David's Hall (June 8) and Bristol Colston Hall (9). Tickets are on sale from box offices and usual agents from February 3. They cost £8.50 and £7.50 in Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle and Bristol, £8.50, £8 and £7.50 in Manchester, £6 and £5 in Liverpool, £10.50 and £9.50 in Belfast, £12.50 and £10.50 Irish punts in Dublin and £13.50, £12.50 and £11.50 in London. Tags: Spike  •  1989 UK Tour  •  London Palladium  •  WEA  •  London  •  Dublin  •  New Orleans  •  Hollywood  •  Kevin Killen  •  T Bone Burnett  •  King Of America  •  The Coward Brothers  •  ...This Town...  •  Let Him Dangle  •  Derek Bentley  •  Deep Dark Truthful Mirror  •  Veronica  •  God's Comic  •  Chewing Gum  •  Tramp The Dirt Down  •  Stalin Malone  •  Satellite  •  Pads, Paws And Claws  •  Baby Plays Around  •  Miss Macbeth  •  Any King's Shilling  •  Last Boat Leaving  •  Coal-Train Robberies  •  Shetland Folk Festival  •  1987 Royal Albert Hall shows  •  The Confederates  •  The Attractions  •  Pills And Soap  •  Shipbuilding  •  Nick Lowe  •  Get Happy!!  •  Trust  •  Almost Blue << >> Melody Maker, February 4, 1989 Melody Maker previews Spike and the upcoming solo tour. A recap of 1980-81 lps include capsule reviews of Get Happy, Trust and Almost Blue . Images   Clipping and page scan. Get Happy!! Elvis Costello And The Attractions Melody Maker Recorded in the turbulent aftermath of the infamous Columbus brawl which provoked the self-righteous wrath of America's critical establishment, and fuelled by an excess of narcotics and alcohol, Get Happy!! is a gruelling essay in lacerating self-examination masquerading as a stylistic tribute to Motown and Stax. It was easy to miss the grim ironies of this LP. For all their superficial brashness, the 20 tracks on Get Happy!! are seething with neurotic urgencies and punch-lines you can feel. The overall sound is manic, unhinged, and the songs are brutal, clipped, vivid as headlines and full of bad news. A Blood On The Tracks for the desperate Eighties. Clipping. Trust / Almost Blue Elvis Costello And The Attractions Melody Maker By the beginning of 1981, Costello was almost totally estranged from the pop mainstream and Trust was bitter evidence of his marginalization. While the rest of pop was becoming increasingly simplistic, gaudy and escapist, Trust was angry, complex, a confrontation. A stylistic tour-de-force that demonstrated the full range and diversity of Costello's songwriting, Trust was much-undervalued at the time, but can now be seen as a fully-fledged assault on the facile machination of Eighties' pop and a poignant anticipation of the bleak years that lay ahead of it. Almost Blue, Costello's anguished excursion into the confessional territories of country music, was an even more renegade gesture. At a time of overwhelming high camp and glossy irrelevance, Costello plunged headlong into an uncompromisingly emotional and highly-charged landscape that cut through the bullshit with a harrowing honesty. Costello and The Attractions wouldn't sound this good again until Blood & Chocolate. Photo by Keith Morris. Cover and page scan.

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