New Musical Express, February 22, 1986: Difference between revisions
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This LP should have been, had all the loose talk and embroidered rumour of Costello's heartaches and hangovers been true, a chronicle of a year on the skids. Either a bad record or a great howl of desperation. So much for critical theories. ''King Of America'' is neither. It is something entirely different. | This LP should have been, had all the loose talk and embroidered rumour of Costello's heartaches and hangovers been true, a chronicle of a year on the skids. Either a bad record or a great howl of desperation. So much for critical theories. ''King Of America'' is neither. It is something entirely different. | ||
If ''King Of America ''has a precedent, it would have to be the claustrophobic, grime-time scenarios of ''[[Trust]]'', but where the latter's sense of guilty complicity and brooding menace spoke of the torture of love gone wrong, these songs possess a stoical calmness, a more | If ''King Of America ''has a precedent, it would have to be the claustrophobic, grime-time scenarios of ''[[Trust]]'', but where the latter's sense of guilty complicity and brooding menace spoke of the torture of love gone wrong, these songs possess a stoical calmness, a more measured but no less painfully revealing tone. In many ways ''King Of America'' concerns the burial of the old Elvis Costello and the rebirth of Declan MacManus. Gone, except for one track, are The Attractions, replaced by a bevvy of American session alumni including his friend, T-Bone Burnett, and the legendary James Burton, former guitar picker for Presley and Gram Parsons among others. ''King Of America'' shifts from one kind of song to another, any abiding sense of unity coming as much from the monochrome, but very effective traditional rock 'n' roll backing. On one level Costello/Macmanus has redefined his identity by reverting to an older model. Indeed, parts of this record drip of ''Blonde On Blonde'' era Dylan - that grey, steely metallic sound that colours, but never intrudes on, the lyrics. | ||
"[[Brilliant Mistake]]" is a startling opening salvo, with Costello railing against the empty heart of America over swirling Dylanesque electric organ and chiming guitars. ''"She said that she was working for the ABC news / it was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use"'' he mocks, as the shallow lifestyles of the idle rich are laid bare in a succession of scathing observations. "[[Lovable]]" - co-written with [[Cait O'Riordan]] from The Pogues - is a throwaway celebration of romance ''("the toast of the town and the talk of the bedroom")'' and alongside the stomping "[[Glitter Gulch]]" and side two's cover of [[J.B. Lenoir]]'s "[[Eisenhower Blues]]," points to a mischievous, devil-may-care approach which comes as something of a surprise. | "[[Brilliant Mistake]]" is a startling opening salvo, with Costello railing against the empty heart of America over swirling Dylanesque electric organ and chiming guitars. ''"She said that she was working for the ABC news / it was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use"'' he mocks, as the shallow lifestyles of the idle rich are laid bare in a succession of scathing observations. "[[Lovable]]" - co-written with [[Cait O'Riordan]] from The Pogues - is a throwaway celebration of romance ''("the toast of the town and the talk of the bedroom")'' and alongside the stomping "[[Glitter Gulch]]" and side two's cover of [[J.B. Lenoir]]'s "[[Eisenhower Blues]]," points to a mischievous, devil-may-care approach which comes as something of a surprise. | ||
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'''New Musical Express, February 22, 1986 | '''New Musical Express, February 22, 1986 | ||
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[[Sean O'Hagan]] reviews ''[[King Of America]]''. | [[Sean O'Hagan]] reviews ''[[King Of America]]'' (reprinted in [[Juke, March 15, 1986|''Juke'']]). | ||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1986-02-22 New Musical Express cover.jpg| | [[image:1986-02-22 New Musical Express cover.jpg|x120px|border]] | ||
<br><small>Cover.</small> | [[image:1986-02-22 New Musical Express page.jpg|x120px|border]] | ||
<br><small>Cover and page scan.</small> | |||
[[image:1986-02-22 New Musical Express advertisement.jpg| | [[image:1986-02-22 New Musical Express advertisement.jpg|200px]] | ||
<br><small>Advertisement.</small> | <br><small>Advertisement.</small> | ||
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*[http://www.nme.com/ NME.com] | *[http://www.nme.com/ NME.com] | ||
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME Wikipedia: NME] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME Wikipedia: NME] | ||
*[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/h-l/juke.860315a.html elviscostello.info] | |||
[[Category:Bibliography|New Musical Express 1986-02-22]] | [[Category:Bibliography|New Musical Express 1986-02-22]] |
Revision as of 14:51, 28 June 2013
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