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Two veteran British acts, around since the legendary punk era of the late '70s, have just released excellent albums. Elvis Costello has recorded with several bands since 1977 but it has been nearly three years since we last heard from him. Since King of America, Costello has signed with a new label, collaborated with some new artists and now put together one of his finest efforts, Spike (Warner Bros.). Spike is a lengthy and diverse collection of songs showcasing Costello's classic literary wit. What is different is the number of artists working with him and the attempt he has made to be comic in his observations.
Spike is subtitled "The Beloved Entertainer" and this explains a lot about what Costello is up to. Imagine a court jester of medieval times. Legend says that the jester, or fool, could observe human activity and literally get away with commentary and critique that would be unacceptable from someone else. His "foolishness" exempted him from castigation by authority. He was observant, to be sure, but not to be taken too seriously... except, perhaps, in the dark recesses of your own thoughts.
Costello has chosen the part of the jester for Spike but he is no fool and he is not afraid to speak out and be taken seriously. He may be the "beloved entertainer" but he is also the acerbic wit and chronicler of human frailties. We hear about a dead priest in "God's Comic" who tells us from the beyond that he was less than holy and very scared. Then there's "Veronica" (written with Paul McCartney and the album's first single) who has let tragedy rob her of life, when she used to be carefree and beautiful. And Costello can't overlook British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who comes in for some scalding criticism on "Tramp the Dirt Down." Lines like "When England was the whore of the world, Margaret was her madam" must be real favorites at Number 10 Downing Street.
Musically, Spike is a tour-de-force of styles, arrangements, arrangers and cameos. McCartney joins such luminaries as Roger McGuinn, T Bone Burnett, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Allen Toussaint and Mrs. Costello (former Pogue Cait O'Riordan) to make up one of the most talented ensembles Costello has ever worked with. It might look like he's hiding behind all this notoriety to make his painful jabs. But upon closer examination, we must conclude that the "beloved entertainer" is simply cocky enough to make use of the best weapons at his disposal to drive his extraordinary points home.
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