Q, December 1988: Difference between revisions
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At his most abandoned, raucous and upbeat, the elation is reminiscent of that moment at a party when — you can just sense it — you know that a fight's about to break out in the kitchen and someone's going to throw up on the sofa. | At his most abandoned, raucous and upbeat, the elation is reminiscent of that moment at a party when — you can just sense it — you know that a fight's about to break out in the kitchen and someone's going to throw up on the sofa. | ||
Declan MacManus, as Costello was christened 34 years ago by his Liverpool-Irish parents, is currently completing a new album, his first since 1986. That's an extraordinarily long interval for an artist whose middle name would be "prolific" | Declan MacManus, as Costello was christened 34 years ago by his Liverpool-Irish parents, is currently completing a new album, his first since 1986. That's an extraordinarily long interval for an artist whose middle name would be "prolific," if it weren't already Patrick (He's recently added Aloysius.) As we await the results, let's take the time to re-assess his output since that prickly beginning in the new wave days, when American critics were moved to call him "The Avenging Dork," and he himself would sing, "Sometimes I almost feel/Just like a human being." | ||
Formerly a struggling troubador in the folk clubs of Merseyside (whence he'd returned as a teenager, after a childhood spent in southwest London) our man first brushed with fame, albeit lightly, in a mid-'70s combo named Flip City, who eked out an existence on the outer fringes of London's pub-rock scene. Sensing, even then, that his destiny lay beyond this world of flared dungarees and undemanding rockaboogie, MacManus strafed the record business with his demo tapes, and secured a solo contract with Stiff Records, a newly born label that had recently won the distinction of releasing Britain's first punk single, The Damned's "New Rose." Stiff's co-founder Jake Riviera became his manager (and remains so), while the job of producing him fell to one Nick "Basher" Lowe, himself a one-time member of pub rock heroes Brinsley Schwarz. | Formerly a struggling troubador in the folk clubs of Merseyside (whence he'd returned as a teenager, after a childhood spent in southwest London) our man first brushed with fame, albeit lightly, in a mid-'70s combo named Flip City, who eked out an existence on the outer fringes of London's pub-rock scene. Sensing, even then, that his destiny lay beyond this world of flared dungarees and undemanding rockaboogie, MacManus strafed the record business with his demo tapes, and secured a solo contract with Stiff Records, a newly born label that had recently won the distinction of releasing Britain's first punk single, The Damned's "New Rose." Stiff's co-founder Jake Riviera became his manager (and remains so), while the job of producing him fell to one Nick "Basher" Lowe, himself a one-time member of pub rock heroes Brinsley Schwarz. | ||
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The title of ''Trust'', from 1981, might well have been ironic. It's shorter on notable songs, but its dark themes of clumsy seduction, gutter press dishonesty and imminent physical damage are gruesomely compelling. "Clubland," the single, is steeped in bad breath and nastiness. "Shot With His Own Gun," meanwhile, was a poignant and sophisticated performance. | The title of ''Trust'', from 1981, might well have been ironic. It's shorter on notable songs, but its dark themes of clumsy seduction, gutter press dishonesty and imminent physical damage are gruesomely compelling. "Clubland," the single, is steeped in bad breath and nastiness. "Shot With His Own Gun," meanwhile, was a poignant and sophisticated performance. | ||
But Elvis had evidently considered it was time for a detour — and that detour took him to Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music. Here he put himself at the services of Billy Sherrill, producer of George Jones amongst others and an architect of the latterday "Nashville Sound" | But Elvis had evidently considered it was time for a detour — and that detour took him to Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music. Here he put himself at the services of Billy Sherrill, producer of George Jones amongst others and an architect of the latterday "Nashville Sound." The ''Almost Blue'' album, which came out of the sessions, is probably best commended as brave and interesting rather than straightforwardly enjoyable. He tackled a dozen country cover versions, like Merle Haggard's "The Bottle Let Me Down" and Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams," and if the maudlin pathos of "Good Year For The Roses" worked quite nicely, the overall feel is slightly strained; nowhere does Costello's personality seem to be sitting right inside the songs. | ||
''Imperial Bedroom'' saw Costello back in London but this time paired with producer Geoff Emerick. It's a clean, detailed record, but not his most memorable, apart from its masterful centrepiece "Man Out Of Time" — which as a single failed unaccountably to disturb the Top 50. More immediately satisfying was its follow-up ''Punch The Clock'', which brought in a horn section, backing singers and the brash production of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (known for their work with Madness and Dexys Midnight Runners). Apart from some powerful brassy blasts ("Let Them All Talk," "TKO"), its most famous items are probably "Shipbuilding" (a cover of the desolate anti-Falklands number that Elvis and Langer had already given to Robert Wyatt, here embellished with some mournful trumpet by the jazz man Chet Baker) and the macabre "Pills And Soap," another bleakly acute depiction of the current social climate. | ''Imperial Bedroom'' saw Costello back in London but this time paired with producer Geoff Emerick. It's a clean, detailed record, but not his most memorable, apart from its masterful centrepiece "Man Out Of Time" — which as a single failed unaccountably to disturb the Top 50. More immediately satisfying was its follow-up ''Punch The Clock'', which brought in a horn section, backing singers and the brash production of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (known for their work with Madness and Dexys Midnight Runners). Apart from some powerful brassy blasts ("Let Them All Talk," "TKO"), its most famous items are probably "Shipbuilding" (a cover of the desolate anti-Falklands number that Elvis and Langer had already given to Robert Wyatt, here embellished with some mournful trumpet by the jazz man Chet Baker) and the macabre "Pills And Soap," another bleakly acute depiction of the current social climate. |
Latest revision as of 08:35, 17 May 2019
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