New Musical Express, August 6, 1977

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 NME   1952 October 17 1953 December 18 1973 July 14 1974 March 30 1976 November 6 1977 March 26 1977 April 9 1977 July 23 1977 July 30 1977 August 6 1977 August 13 1977 August 20 1977 August 27 1977 September 3 1977 September 10 1977 September 17 1977 October 1 1977 October 8 1977 October 15 1977 October 22 1977 October 29 1977 November 5 1977 December 17 1977 December 24 1978 January 7 1978 January 21 1978 January 28 1978 February 11 1978 February 18 1978 March 4 1978 March 11 1978 March 18 1978 March 25 1978 April 8 1978 April 15 1978 April 22 1978 April 29 1978 September 16 1978 September 30 1978 October 21 1978 October 28 1978 November 11 1978 November 25 1978 December 2 1978 December 9 1978 December 23 1979 January 6 1979 January 13 1979 January 20 1979 January 27 1979 February 3 1979 February 10 1979 March 31 1979 April 7 1979 April 14 1979 May 12 1979 May 19 1979 June 2 1979 June 9 1979 November 24 1979 December 1 1979 December 22 1980 January 5 1980 January 12 1980 January 19 1980 January 26 1980 February 9 1980 February 16 1980 March 8 1980 April 5 1980 April 12 1980 June 14 1980 June 21 1980 June 28 1980 August 16 1980 August 23 1980 August 30 1980 September 6 1980 September 20 1980 September 27 1980 October 4 1980 October 11 1980 November 22 1980 December 6 1980 December 20 1981 January 3 1981 January 10 1981 January 17 1981 January 24 1981 February 14 1981 February 28 1981 April 4 1981 April 18 1981 May 2 1981 May 16 1981 June 6 1981 June 13 1981 June 20 1981 July 4 1981 August 8 1981 August 29 1981 September 5 1981 October 3 1981 October 17 1981 October 24 1981 November 7 1981 November 14 1981 November 28 1981 December 19 1982 January 9 1982 January 16 1982 January 23 1982 January 30 1982 April 3 1982 May 15 1982 May 22 1982 June 12 1982 June 26 1982 July 3 1982 July 31 1982 August 21 1982 September 11 1982 September 18 1982 October 30 1982 December 25 1983 January 8 1983 January 15 1983 February 26 1983 March 12 1983 May 28 1983 July 2 1983 July 9 1983 July 30 1983 August 6 1983 August 13 1983 August 20 1983 September 3 1983 September 10 1983 October 1 1983 October 8 1983 October 15 1983 November 19 1983 November 26 1983 December 10 1983 December 17 1983 December 24 1984 January 7 1984 January 14 1984 February 4 1984 April 21 1984 April 28 1984 August 4 1984 August 11 1984 September 29 1984 October 6 1984 October 13 1984 October 20 1984 December 15 1985 February 23  1985 March 23 1985 March 30 1985 May 4 1985 May 11 1985 May 18 1985 June 1 1985 November 30 1986 January 25 1986 February 1 1986 February 22 1986 March 1 1986 May 31 1986 July 26 1986 August 2 1986 August 9 1986 August 16 1986 September 13 1986 September 20 1986 November 29 1986 December 20 1987 January 24  1987 January 31 1987 February 7 1987 February 14 1987 June 6 1987 June 27 1987 September 19 1987 November 7 1987 December 5 1988 January 2 1988 May 14 1988 June 4 1988 September 24 1988 November 19 1989 January 28 1989 February 4 1989 February 11 1989 February 18 1989 February 25 1989 April 22 1989 April 29  1989 May 13 1989 May 27 1989 June 24 1989 July 1 1989 September 16 1989 October 28 1991 May 18 1991 June 8 1991 July 13 1991 July 27 1991 August 3 1991 August 17 1991 September 28 1992 May 2 1992 September 26 1993 January 23 1993 March 6 1993 March 13 1993 October 30 1993 December 11 1993 December 25 1994 February 26 1994 March 5 1994 April 30 1994 May 28 1994 July 2 1994 July 9 1994 July 16 1994 November 12 1994 November 19 1994 December 24 1995 April 8 1995 May 13 1995 May 20 1995 May 27 1995 June 17 1995 August 19 1996 May 11 1996 June 29 1996 July 20 1998 May 2 1998 October 3 1998 October 10 1998 November 14 1999 May 1 2000 May 3 2000 July 24 2000 November 3 2001 March 8 2001 March 23   2001 March 28 2002 April 20 2005 February 5 2008 May 30  2013 September 14 2015 October 23 2015 Special Edition 2018 June 18 2018 July 27 2020 October 3 2021 March 28 2021 July 18 2021 October 27 2022 May 30  2023 February 18  — Heartbreak hotel Julie Burchill Elvis Costello Dingwalls "A raw nerve," said the boy I was with in the back of a car apres Elvis. I studied the streets and sighed to remember a thought from Mink DeVille: "Love... what's so good about it? But then again, I can't say what's bad." What's bad about True Love in the Modern World is that pollution is rife. ("I heard you let that little friend of mine take off your party dress" — "Alison") Pete Thomas on drums, Bruce Thomas on bass and Steven Young on organ (and what an organ!) are the backdrop to the guitar, voice and vitriol of Elvis Costello (22 and still true), who sings beautiful songs for losers. This is bedsit-room, singles-bar, phone-in agony ("Why do you have to say that there's always someone who can do it better than I can?" — "Miracle Man") from which the venom runneth over into that rarity, luxurious rock and roll. The guilty secret, the useless anticipation, the unrequited ache all unite to dam-bust through into bitterness, betrayal and disgust as Elvis asks: "Why why why?" He may not look like a teen wet-dream, but he has the inherent sense of nuance which marks him out as one of the fated feted ("I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused" — "Red Shoes"), a fact which became more and more painfully obvious as Costello bled through every single track of My Aim Is True, plus songs such as "Watching The Detectives," "Lipstick Vogue," "Lip Service," "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea" and the B-side of "Less Than Zero" (the first single), "Radio Sweetheart." The second single, "Alison," and the latest "Red Shoes" also came in for a beating; but the song that took the prize was the elpee track "I'm Not Angry," a song that could kill at a fifty foot radius: "You're upstairs with a boyfriend while I'm left here to listen / I hear you calling his name I hear the stutter of admission / I could hear you whispering as I crept by your door / So you found some other joker who could please you some more / I'm not angry! Not angry, anymore!" It also imprisons THE line "There is no such thing as an original sin!" As well as shooting up the mainline to your heart, Elvis Costello also plays nirvana dancing music, and had I not been so spellbound (like watching Iggy at Aylesbury; I was so entranced I barely applauded) I would have Watusi'd. Beyond all boundaries of excess and decadence, certain people operate as though the Modern World never existed, singing songs of lethal love to pure pop tunes. Mink DeVille does it for America, and Elvis Costello does it for us. Tags: Dingwalls  •  London  •  The Attractions  •  Pete Thomas  •  Bruce Thomas  •  Steven Young  •  My Aim Is True  •  Alison  •  Miracle Man  •  (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes  •  Watching The Detectives  •  Lipstick Vogue  •  Lip Service  •  (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea  •  Less Than Zero  •  Radio Sweetheart  •  I'm Not Angry  •  Iggy Pop  •  Aylesbury  •  Mink DeVille << >> New Musical Express, August 6, 1977 Julie Burchill reviews Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Tuesday, July 26, Dingwalls, London. A full page ad for My Aim Is True runs on pg. 17; the lp is "Bubbling Under" on the album chart. Images   Clipping and advertisement. Photo by Chalkie Davies. Cover and chart page.

External links

• NME.com
• Wikipedia: NME
• Wikipedia: Julie Burchill
• Flickr: Stephen McCathie
• elviscostello.info