Melody Maker, January 16, 1982

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 — Orchestral manoeuvres Allan Jones Elvis Costello & The Attractions Royal Albert Hall, London Intimidating, stiffly impersonal, the Albert Hall is hardly suitable for the kind of intimate intercourse between musician and audience that generates great rock 'n' roll. Still, it was a clear measure of the coherent weight of Costello's repertoire that he could present such a fresh programme of songs. Displaying a perfect sense of the shape and momentum of a set, Elvis is always capable of catching his audience on the wrong foot with the unexpected inclusion of apparently discarded favourites. So, "Secondary Modern" and "Green Shirt" dove-tailed beautifully into the more recently familiar songs from Almost Blue, set up the audience for the killer punches of "Clowntime Is Over" and "Big Sister's Clothes." There were new songs, too: the stately, midnight ballad "Kid About It," the accusing "Shabby Doll" and the sultry, candid drama of "Long Honeymoon." If this first half failed to ignite the senses with the power of the Rainbow performance last month, it was still enough to remind us that Costello's amassed one of the most potent repertoires available to any current songwriter. Despite the subsequent admission that he was "absolutely speechless with fear," it was certainly his composure that held band and orchestra together through the tricky opening moments of the show's second half, when the Attractions and special guest John McFee were joined by the full weight of the Royal Philharmonic. Obviously, this flirtation with the massed strings of the RPO could've turned into a messy and expensive indulgence; but as he proved with his recent Nashville excursion, Costello has the wit and determination to turn a personal conceit into an artistic triumph. Occasionally gushing, sometimes a little too florrid, Robert Kirby's arrangements mostly provided a richly conceived backdrop for Elvis' arresting passion. Carving away with an epic momentum, they lifted "New Lace Sleeves" to a grand new plateau, added an aching poignancy to the classic country ballads from Almost Blue and fresh drama to "Watching The Detectives" and the painfully forlorn reading of "Just A Memory." Clearly relishing the lush support of the orchestra, Costello's voice raided every emotional avenue on its way to the heart. Prefaced by nervously swirling strings, a new song called "Town Crier" exhausted the Kleenex supply and only an abrupt ending saved Sheehan's syrup from an early shower. Listening to the tempered anguish of "Alison" and "I'm Your Toy" was like coming to grips with a fistful of tears, while the final flourish of "What's So Funny About Peace, Love And Understanding" brought a lump the size of Belgium to the old throat. I could have danced all night. Photo by Tom Sheehan. << >> Melody Maker, January 16, 1982 Allan Jones reviews Elvis Costello & The Attractions with John McFee and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thursday, January 7, 1982, Royal Albert Hall, London, England. Allan Jones corrects reporting in the previous issue about the Nashville show and reports on attendees of the London show. Images   Photos by Tom Sheehan. El at the Opry Allan Jones Pardon our blushes, but contrary to last week's FF story about Elvis Costello not playing Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, we'd now like to confirm that the Greatest Living Englishman did appear at the aforesaid venue on January 3. A certain Mr Jake Riviera, representing the GLE, first brought this to our attention, then a letter arrived from an Atlanta-based correspondent named Tony Paris. Tony actually witnessed the performance and his report agrees with Riviera's claim that the show was virtually sold out. And this despite the biased indifference of the American radio network, which so far has given something of a cold shoulder to Almost Blue. The day after the Opry concert, Paris tried to track down a copy of Almost Blue in Conway Twitty's Twitty Bird Record Store on Music Row. Paris was alarmed to discover that Nashville's largest C&W record shop didn't have the LP in stock. The store manager wasn't even aware that Costello had released a country album, hadn't even heard that Elvis had played the Grand Ole Opry. So much for the Yanks. Back in London, El was wowing them at the RAH (see review on page 25). Among the chaps who turned out, we ran into Anthony More, Mr and Mrs Chris Difford, Mr and Mrs Sparko, up from Canvey, former Madness manager, Kellogs (now in charge of P. Hewitt's up and coming faves, TV21). Maddie bassist Bedders, most of the UK Wing of the Confederate Air Force, including Bobby Irwin, Brendon, Andrew Lauder, Peter Barnes, Nick and Carlene, Paul Carrack, Martin Belmont and back at last from New York, Graham Parker. (We were beginning to think he'd gone a bit Jock Ewing and got himself lost in the Interior.) Confirming his status in the ligging stakes, Bob Geldof re-appeared, having last been sighted at El's Christmas Show in Finsbury Park. Fresh from the set of Alan Parker's movie of The Wall, Geldof was in reassuringly high spirits. We asked him when we might wrap our hearing aids around the next Rats' LP. "After we got another hit single," he replied. "And after the comprehensive flop of the last one, it might be sometime." Cover.

External links

• Wikipedia: Melody Maker
• Flickr  Stephen McCathie