New Musical Express, January 24, 1981: Difference between revisions
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Costello opens úp all the sore contradictions the most theoretically high-minded thinkers-singers-writers wouldn't dare let their public hear. But his isn't a whining self-confessional. Oh no. The details may well be drawn from Costello's private life drama, but this is neither clear nor important. What is important is not how "open" he is — but how open he can get words to be. | Costello opens úp all the sore contradictions the most theoretically high-minded thinkers-singers-writers wouldn't dare let their public hear. But his isn't a whining self-confessional. Oh no. The details may well be drawn from Costello's private life drama, but this is neither clear nor important. What is important is not how "open" he is — but how open he can get words to be. | ||
The three main steps the words have to learn are: sex & romance, money, culture. His favourite being the first. Like few other songwriters (along with August Darnell he gives the impression of being able to write classic songs in his sleep — real songwriters in the businesslike Tin Pan Alley sense), Costello can convey the rapture of love and at the same time slice through the more negative codes of male and female sexuality. Whereas in the past this ability was often displaced onto one or other hapless victim from his little black book, since ''Get Happy!!'' It has been ratlonalised into a highly compassionáte, personally political voice. The subject which receives more hearing than any other on ''Trust'' is sexual deception and violence. Trust = Power, you see, and it can either be used or abused. Unlike a lot of pre-''Get Happy!!'' Costello, the villain of the pieces is predominantly a bloke — which is not to say that the author has gone on a mad hack guilty binge, atoning for past sins by way of laying all blame squarely upon the nastier aspects of the masculine psyche; everything is put in a context or two. But lest we forget: these aren't smug academic mirrors — but pop songs, not afraid of their public. It would, however, be daft to attempt anything approaching a "definitive" perspective on ''Trust''. Although it's six songs less than ''Get Happy!!'' that still leaves a lot of syntax to sift through. It took me half the last year to realise what half the terms and turns of phrase on ''Get Happy!!'' added up to. So, a hasty empirical scan of ''Trust'' — featuring Elvis Costello as the private eye ("Looking Italian" the sleeve sez) | The three main steps the words have to learn are: sex & romance, money, culture. His favourite being the first. Like few other songwriters (along with August Darnell he gives the impression of being able to write classic songs in his sleep — real songwriters in the businesslike Tin Pan Alley sense), Costello can convey the rapture of love and at the same time slice through the more negative codes of male and female sexuality. Whereas in the past this ability was often displaced onto one or other hapless victim from his little black book, since ''Get Happy!!'' It has been ratlonalised into a highly compassionáte, personally political voice. The subject which receives more hearing than any other on ''Trust'' is sexual deception and violence. Trust = Power, you see, and it can either be used or abused. Unlike a lot of pre-''Get Happy!!'' Costello, the villain of the pieces is predominantly a bloke — which is not to say that the author has gone on a mad hack guilty binge, atoning for past sins by way of laying all blame squarely upon the nastier aspects of the masculine psyche; everything is put in a context or two. But lest we forget: these aren't smug academic mirrors — but pop songs, not afraid of their public. It would, however, be daft to attempt anything approaching a "definitive" perspective on ''Trust''. Although it's six songs less than ''Get Happy!!'' that still leaves a lot of syntax to sift through. It took me half the last year to realise what half the terms and turns of phrase on ''Get Happy!!'' added up to. So, a hasty empirical scan of ''Trust'' — featuring Elvis Costello as the private eye ("Looking Italian" the sleeve sez) Steve Nieve on keys, Bruce Thomas on bass notes, Pete Thomas on drumbeat and a Nick Lowe production "in association with" Roger Bechirian "assisted by" Neil King. Wheel it out.. | ||
''"Bad lovers face to face in the morning / Shy apologies and polite regrets / Slow dances that left no one enough / Outraged glances and Indiscreet yawning / Good manners and bad breath get you - nowhere / ... She's no Angel / He's no Saint / They're all covered up with whitewash and greasepaint."'' | ''"Bad lovers face to face in the morning / Shy apologies and polite regrets / Slow dances that left no one enough / Outraged glances and Indiscreet yawning / Good manners and bad breath get you - nowhere / ... She's no Angel / He's no Saint / They're all covered up with whitewash and greasepaint."'' | ||
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'''Male Singer | '''Male Singer | ||
# | # Paul Weller | ||
# | # David Bowie | ||
# | # Ian Curtis | ||
# | # [[Sting]] | ||
# | # John Lydon | ||
# | # Adam Ant | ||
# | # Peter Gabriel | ||
# | # Joe Strummer | ||
# | # Bruce Springsteen | ||
# | # Feargal Sharkey | ||
# | # Ian McCulloch | ||
# '''Elvis Costello | # '''Elvis Costello | ||
# Bryan Ferry | |||
# ??? | |||
# Mark Smith | |||
<br> | <br> | ||
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# David Bowie | # David Bowie | ||
# '''Elvis Costello | # '''Elvis Costello | ||
# | # Ian Curtis | ||
# | # Bruce Springsteen | ||
# | # David Byrne | ||
# | # Strummer/Jones | ||
# | # Peter Gabriel | ||
# | # John Lennon | ||
# | # Sting | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
'''Album | '''Album | ||
# ''Sound Affects'' | # ''Sound Affects'' — The Jam | ||
# ''Closer'' — Joy Division | |||
# ''Scary Monsters'' — David Bowie | |||
# ''Crocodiles'' — Echo & the Bunnymen | |||
# ''Signing Off'' — UB40 | |||
# ''Remain in Light'' — Talking Heads | |||
# ''Kings of the Wild Frontier'' — Adam and the Ants | |||
# ''Zenyatta Mondatta'' — The Police | |||
# ''I Just Can't Stop It'' — The Beat | |||
# ''Peter Gabriel'' — Peter Gabriel | |||
# '''''Get Happy!!''''' — Elvis Costello and the Attractions | |||
# ''Hypnotised'' — The Undertones | |||
# ''London Calling'' — The Clash | |||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
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# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
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'''Keyboardist | '''Keyboardist | ||
# Dave Greenfield | # Dave Greenfield | ||
# | # Jerry Dammers | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# Brian Eno | |||
# '''Steve Nieve | # '''Steve Nieve | ||
# | # Tony Banks | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
# {{n}} | # {{n}} | ||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} |
Revision as of 18:56, 16 November 2017
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