New Musical Express, October 4, 1980: Difference between revisions
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The principal reason for dwelling on bygone days is the fact that - at the Rainbow Theatre's 50th Anniversary concert - Costello performed more of his early material than he actually did when the stuff was relatively fresh. After transcending his past work by launching a new phase with "''Get Happy!!''" , Costello re-adapts songs like "[[Alison]]", "[[Less Than Zero]]" and "[[You Belong To Me]]" into the canon of his performing repertoire by interpreting them with a renewed vigour and freshness, without even a hint of the mechanical or the slightest taint of "obligation" - you know, give 'em the old stuff 'cause they like it best. | The principal reason for dwelling on bygone days is the fact that - at the Rainbow Theatre's 50th Anniversary concert - Costello performed more of his early material than he actually did when the stuff was relatively fresh. After transcending his past work by launching a new phase with "''Get Happy!!''" , Costello re-adapts songs like "[[Alison]]", "[[Less Than Zero]]" and "[[You Belong To Me]]" into the canon of his performing repertoire by interpreting them with a renewed vigour and freshness, without even a hint of the mechanical or the slightest taint of "obligation" - you know, give 'em the old stuff 'cause they like it best. | ||
The aura of an acceptance of the past without a corresponding wallow in nostalgia even extended to the free bonus of a copy of the semi-legendary 2-Tone pressing of “[[I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down|I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down]]”/“[[Girls Talk]]” single (don’t feel too bad about it; I didn’t get one either. A security man told me to pick one up from the box office during the interval and when I returned to the foyer after this fruitless quest, another security man attempted to evict me from the building.) | |||
Be that as it may, Elvis And The Attractions put on a fast, clean show that was entertaining if not inspiring, though somewhat marred by singularly dodgy sound mix during the first third or so. The mood was positive and celebratory, and at least three of the new numbers – the opening ‘Shot With His Own Gun’ performed with just voice and piano. “Never Be A Man” and “Clubland” bode exceedingly well for the next batch of recordings. | |||
Drummer Pete Thomas was in exceptionally good form, sensing exactly when to drive things along and when to break the flow with a well-placed cymbal shot or a fusillade of snare strokes. The drum sound was, incidentally, clear and prominent throughout even when bass, keyboards and guitar had merged into a blur. Costello himself seemed to be having a good time cueing endings and accents with Frank Zappa-esque hand signals and curt strokes of his guitar neck ; the whimsicality was oddly endearing. | |||
Out of the revived material, “Green Shirt” held a place of honour, recast with a modified melody line and a foreboding drum roll replacing the banked synths of the original “''Armed Forces''” version. | |||
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