New Musical Express, February 16, 1980: Difference between revisions
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Elvis had finished work producing [[The Specials]]' [[The Specials: Specials| album]] and "[[The Specials: Message To You, Rudy (single)| Message To You Rudy]]" was already in the charts. In a few weeks' time he and [[The Attractions]] along with [[Nick Lowe]] and engineer [[Roger Bechirian]] would be in Holland making the fourth Elvis Costello album, scheduled to come out a year after ''[[Armed Forces]]'', but delayed by business matters until now. He had come to Rock On to raid their trove of obscure and classic records of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. | Elvis had finished work producing [[The Specials]]' [[The Specials: Specials| album]] and "[[The Specials: Message To You, Rudy (single)| Message To You Rudy]]" was already in the charts. In a few weeks' time he and [[The Attractions]] along with [[Nick Lowe]] and engineer [[Roger Bechirian]] would be in Holland making the fourth Elvis Costello album, scheduled to come out a year after ''[[Armed Forces]]'', but delayed by business matters until now. He had come to Rock On to raid their trove of obscure and classic records of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. | ||
A few hours later, Elvis emerged, clutching bags of singles and a handful of albums hearing the ‘60s blue and red labels of Stax and Atlantic – mostly [[Sam & Dave| Sam and Dave]] records, but generally anything that emanated from the downtown Memphis studio that housed [[Steve Cropper]], [[Booker T. Jones]], Al Jackson and Duck Dunn and put the big beat behind [[Otis Redding]], [[Wilson Pickett]], | A few hours later, Elvis emerged, clutching bags of singles and a handful of albums hearing the ‘60s blue and red labels of Stax and Atlantic – mostly [[Sam & Dave|Sam and Dave]] records, but generally anything that emanated from the downtown Memphis studio that housed [[Steve Cropper]], [[Booker T. Jones]], Al Jackson and Duck Dunn and put the big beat behind [[Otis Redding]], [[Wilson Pickett]], Sam and Dave, [[Eddie Floyd]] and more. An even 50 quid's worth of this stuff walked out the door with EC. He presumably already had a lot of Tamla and such-like. And he presumably had the germ of an idea. | ||
This is the result: ''[[Get Happy!!]]'', Elvis Costello's soul album, 20 tracks, 50 minutes, with the single first, just like a Motown. | This is the result: ''[[Get Happy!!]]'', Elvis Costello's soul album, 20 tracks, 50 minutes, with the single first, just like a Motown. | ||
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Elvis and The Attractions have pared their sound right down to the bone. There are no solos, except for one small flourish of guitar at the end of "5ive Gears," there are no synthesisers and almost no overdubs. [[Steve Nieve|Steve Mason]] fleshes out the sound on acoustic piano and organ with his usual succinct excellence, and [[Pete Thomas]] and [[Bruce Thomas]] lock in hard with Elvis rhythm guitar. The model is obviously [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s|The MGs]] — and Nick Loew takes his production cues from that and from the Motor-town hit factory. | Elvis and The Attractions have pared their sound right down to the bone. There are no solos, except for one small flourish of guitar at the end of "5ive Gears," there are no synthesisers and almost no overdubs. [[Steve Nieve|Steve Mason]] fleshes out the sound on acoustic piano and organ with his usual succinct excellence, and [[Pete Thomas]] and [[Bruce Thomas]] lock in hard with Elvis rhythm guitar. The model is obviously [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s|The MGs]] — and Nick Loew takes his production cues from that and from the Motor-town hit factory. | ||
While Steve Mason is busy out-doing [[Bob Andrews]]' Garth Hudson impersonation and throwing in a side order of Booker T, Bruce Thomas is busy making like Carole Kaye. | While Steve Mason is busy out-doing [[Bob Andrews]]' [[Garth Hudson]] impersonation and throwing in a side order of Booker T, Bruce Thomas is busy making like Carole Kaye. "[[Love For Tender]]" ìs almost a tribute to Tamla. "[[High Fidelity]]" goes beyond Motown, and the bass on "[[B Movie]]" is pure Detroit studio '66 off-set by a reggaematic mix-up. There's more: Elvis loosens up his usual twisted, venomous snarl and lets in some Eddie Floyd, some [[Marvin Gaye]], and something more relaxed, varied and confident. True to their source, the vocals are more part of the mix than its highlight, as in the past. You don't have to pay attention, just play it and it'll be re-paid. | ||
''Get Happy!!'' comes at a good time, but in a sense it also comes at the wrong time. It makes deliberate nods to the period that inspired it (the jokey time-warped sleeve admits to everything before you even play it) but it makes them well over six months too late. That doesn't make it a bad album. No way. The skill and style with which the participants have adapted the sound – and all the familiar elements of Elvis Costello are still around, even two songs in country waltz time – shows the door to all the young contenders for the new soul crown. ''Get Happy!!'' gets it right. Simple as that. It's a long way from just a re-creation. | ''Get Happy!!'' comes at a good time, but in a sense it also comes at the wrong time. It makes deliberate nods to the period that inspired it (the jokey time-warped sleeve admits to everything before you even play it) but it makes them well over six months too late. That doesn't make it a bad album. No way. The skill and style with which the participants have adapted the sound – and all the familiar elements of Elvis Costello are still around, even two songs in country waltz time – shows the door to all the young contenders for the new soul crown. ''Get Happy!!'' gets it right. Simple as that. It's a long way from just a re-creation. | ||
I have a friend who thinks Costello has a method. [[Iggy Pop| Iggy]] and [[David Bowie|Bowie]] used it to write | I have a friend who thinks Costello has a method. [[Iggy Pop|Iggy]] and [[David Bowie|Bowie]] used it to write ''Lust For Life''. You take a song, as a model or jumping-off point, and then gradually strip away the parts, replacing them with your own, until the original song is all but un-recognisable. He imagines it isn't as precise as that, however. For, say, "[[Temptation]]" Elvis had a lyric and just said to the band play like "Green Onions" or something ("Temptation" isn't a million miles removed from "Green Onions"). My friend also hears "We Can Work It Out" ("[[Clowntime Is Over]]") and "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]" ("[[Beaten To The Punch]]") as well as echoes of certain [[The Supremes|Supremes]]' songs. So maybe soul was simply last year's model. And talking of models ... | ||
The songs on ''Get Happy!!'' were written over a year in which Elvis can't help but have changed somehow considering the way events upset his previous poise. Broadly speaking, the lyrics seem to come from either a period of sleepless nights in the US of A, or from later, more conciliatory times back home. | The songs on ''Get Happy!!'' were written over a year in which Elvis can't help but have changed somehow considering the way events upset his previous poise. Broadly speaking, the lyrics seem to come from either a period of sleepless nights in the US of A, or from later, more conciliatory times back home. |
Revision as of 18:35, 2 July 2013
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