Still grumpy: Deeds not words was Elvis Costello's modus operandi. No interviews and no controversial escapades may have projected a low-profile, but Costello continued to tour and record with all the obsession of a workaholic. Whilst others dabbled po-faced with old '60s soul imagery, EC not only rekindled the Spirit Of Stax in his own intense image ("I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down"), but changed record labels twice (from Radar to 2-Tone to F-Beat), demonstrated that it was possible to get 20 tracks on a single album (Get Happy) without losing any sound definition, kept collectors happy with a picture disc single, collated any recorded loose-ends together on a cassette (Ten Bloody Marys And Ten How's Your Fathers) and, above all, still managed to retain his credibility.
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