New York Times, August 29, 1982: Difference between revisions
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Yet the Attractions's live arrangements are necessarily less subtle than those on records. They pointed up Mr. Costello's tendency to write tunes based on descending scales, one skeleton in many guises. And his voice conveys mostly gradations of contained anger, although he does his best to vary it. | Yet the Attractions's live arrangements are necessarily less subtle than those on records. They pointed up Mr. Costello's tendency to write tunes based on descending scales, one skeleton in many guises. And his voice conveys mostly gradations of contained anger, although he does his best to vary it. | ||
Limits and all, Mr. Costello's songs remain powerful. He is so prolific that his concert sets can only skim his repertory, and Friday's showed there has been been a clear shift in his work from songs about attitudes to songs that tell stories | Limits and all, Mr. Costello's songs remain powerful. He is so prolific that his concert sets can only skim his repertory, and Friday's showed there has been been a clear shift in his work from songs about attitudes to songs that tell stories — a shift away from solipsism. Although he was performing at an arena, Mr. Costello did not broaden his musical or physical gestures; in the few songs he sang without his guitar, he motioned with his arms while the rest of his body stayed still. | ||
Mr. Costello juxtaposed his own songs with soul oldies such as the O'Jays' "Backstabbers," setting his fascinating ambiguities in the context of simpler pop. He will perform [[Concert 1982-08-30 New York|tomorrow]] at Pier 84. | Mr. Costello juxtaposed his own songs with soul oldies such as the O'Jays' "Backstabbers," setting his fascinating ambiguities in the context of simpler pop. He will perform [[Concert 1982-08-30 New York|tomorrow]] at Pier 84. |