New Musical Express, March 13, 1993

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  — Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet Terry Staunton Theatre Royal, London Something strange happens to pop personalities as they approach middle age; they experience an overwhelming urge to be taken "seriously." Declan MacManus is the latest to set up stall on Respectable Street, and tonight is not so much a gig as a recital. This ain't rock 'n' roll — this is gentrified. Costello, carrying a large, hard-back lyric book, has teamed up with a string quartet for a very unusual project; a series of "letters" inspired by a newspaper item about lost souls who've actually written to Shakespeare's Juliet Capulet. And though listening to The Juliet Letters at home can be heavy going, on stage, it works perfectly. Elvis has described it as a song sequence for string quartet and voice, and it has been suggested in some quarters that a different voice might have done the material more justice. It's true that certain passages expose weaknesses in Costello's voice, as was the case with the country album Almost Blue (trying to follow George Jones was a big mistake), but at times his natural frailty only enhances the songs' drama. "Taking My Life In Your Hands" wouldn't be out of place on Imperial Bedroom, "Jacksons, Monk And Rowe" might just be his best single in ten years, and "Damnation's Cellar" — a tale of choosing a dead hero to return to life — shows Costello hasn't lost his sense of humour: "The critics say Nijinsky, the dancer, of course / While the punters would probably prefer the horse." Bonus encores of Kurt Weill's "Lost In The Stars" and Jerome Kern's "They'd Never Believe Me" are a treat, but there are no new arrangements of Costello favourites, although parts of The Juliet Letters does offer the venom and menace of old. No Armed Forces, or This Year's Model, but plenty of blood and Capulet. Wendy's boat comes in Terry Staunton When her record company refused to release the last Transvision Vamp album in the UK, it looked like the beginning of the end for Wendy James. But now she's back as a top priority solo act — on the same label — with an LP of songs written by Elvis Costello. Terry Staunton met the new "adult" Wendy, who's out to prove she's not just another mouth of lipstick vogue. Pity poor Wendy. One minute she was telling us that she and her band Transvision Vamp were "born to be sold," the next her record company couldn't even give them away. Fame is a fickle mistress, as Wendy found out to her cost. After selling close to two million albums worldwide, the pop bubble burst in the most public of ways. As Transvision Vamp were falling apart on an American tour in late '91, their British label MCA made a very harsh decision. The group's newly recorded third album, The Little Magnet Versus The Bubble Of Babble, would not be finding its way into the record stores. The marketing dream pop package of glamour and guitars had turned into a nightmare. Recent singles had failed to make any serious dents in the Top 40 and the flavour of the month had gone sour. Had we heard the last of Wendy James? Not quite. MCA opted to keep her as a solo artist, and the first album under her own name is in the shops this week. What makes Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears such a fascinating prospect is that all ten of its songs were penned by Elvis Costello. The first single, "The Nameless One," reached the top 40. A typical Costello ... Tags: Theatre Royal  •  London  •  The Brodsky Quartet  •  The Juliet Letters  •  Declan MacManus  •  William Shakespeare  •  Juliet Capulet  •  Taking My Life In Your Hands  •  Imperial Bedroom  •  Damnation's Cellar  •  Jacksons, Monk And Rowe  •  Kurt Weill  •  Lost In The Stars  •  Jerome Kern  •  They Didn't Believe Me  •  Armed Forces  •  This Year's Model  •  Paul McCartney  •  Mighty Like A Rose  •  The Attractions  •  Almost Blue  •  George Jones  •  Wendy James  •  Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears  •  The Nameless One << >> New Musical Express, March 13, 1993 Terry Staunton reviews Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet, Sunday, February 28, 1993, Theatre Royal, London, England. Terry Staunton reviews the single for "Jacksons, Monk And Rowe." Terry Staunton profiles Wendy James. An ad for Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears runs on page 20. Images   Clippings. Jacksons, Monk And Rowe Terry Staunton When was the last time a firm of solicitors lent their name to a cracking pop single? And make no mistake; deep in the weightiness and worthiness of The Juliet Letters, Costello's "song sequence" for string quartet and voice, "Jacksons, Monk And Rowe" is a beautifully crafted four minutes which would grace any jukebox or radio show. Two verses of childhood reminiscences and then Elvis switches to a divorce petition, while the Brodskys' bold strings scrape out a motif that wouldn't be out of place on a Jim Webb epic. This is big pop! The Juliet Letters is everything that McCartney's artwank meandering Liverpool Oratorio wasn't. A brave and largely successful move by El after the mess of Mighty Like A Rose, and the Brodskys are probably the best band he's worked with since The Attractions. Advertisement. Cover.

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