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Berkeley — A new British invasion is under way.
Just two days after the Clash kicked off its "Pearl Harbour Tour '79" at the Berkeley Community Theater, fellow Englishman Elvis Costello and the Attractions blew in with their "Armed Funk Tour."
Both Friday's and Saturday's Costello shows were sold out, although this was the band's fourth time through town in little more than a year.
They aren't messing around with silly love songs. These guys are serious.
So serious that Elvis is singing "Goon Squad," "Two Little Hitlers," "Chemistry Class" (which talks about the final solution), "I Stand Accused" and "Oliver's Army."
Introducing one of his strongest songs, "Radio, Radio," Costello commented, "Since I've been out of the country things have changed on the radio. They got worse!"
The song was inspired by the limited amount of new music played on England's few stations, which are government controlled. Stateside radio formats are dictated by the almighty dollar, and of late even FM stations are playing only the hits.
"They say you better listen to the voice of reason / But they don't give you any choice 'cause they say that it's treason." Between big business and big government, it would seem that there's not much hope for the sound salvation.
However, Costello and his three-piece Attractions don't even need a hit single to find popularity. The band's month-old Armed Forces album is already one of the top 20 selling albums in the country.
The big surprise was the brevity of performance. Opening the shows, Berkeley's Rubinoos were on stage half an hour. Elvis played 45 minutes Friday, a bit longer Saturday. Much of the crowd was visibly disappointed, not by the quality of the music, but by its length.
Still, it's one of the best shows by one of today's most important musicians.
Elvis stood in the middle, glasses slipping down his nose as he sweated through the lyrics. He is one of the most intense, charismatic performers in rock music. His tight band supports his every move.
Musically the accompaniment has shifted from Costello's guitar to Steve Naive's keyboards, but the songs are all short and powerful.
The Rubinoos are a great comic foil to Costello's dead seriousness, and will be opening all the shows on Elvis' American tour. Already local favorites, the Berkeley boys stand a good chance of winning a large following by the time they return home.
Their half hour was limited to mostly remakes such as "Pushin' Too Hard" and "Walk, Don't Run," with original material including "I Want to Be Your Boyfriend' and "Rock and Roll Is Dead."
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