Record Mirror, February 11, 1989

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications Record Mirror   1974 March 16 1977 March 19 1977 March 26 1977 April 16 1977 May 28 1977 July 16 1977 July 23 1977 August 6 1977 August 13 1977 August 20 1977 August 27 1977 September 3 1977 September 17 1977 September 24 1977 October 8 1977 October 15 1977 October 22 1977 November 5 1977 November 26 1977 December 3 1977 December 17 1977 December 31 1978 January 14 1978 January 21 1978 February 25 1978 March 4 1978 March 11 1978 March 18 1978 March 25 1978 April 15  1978 April 22 1978 May 20 1978 June 24  1978 July 8  1978 September 16  1978 September 30 1978 October 21  1978 November 18 1978 November 25 1978 December 30 1979 January 6 1979 January 13  1979 February 3 1979 March 3 1979 May 12 1979 May 19 1979 June 2 1979 October 13 1979 October 27 1979 December 15 1980 January 12 1980 January 19 1980 January 26 1980 February 2 1980 February 16 1980 February 23 1980 March 1 1980 March 8 1980 March 22 1980 April 12 1980 May 10 1980 August 23 1980 September 6 1980 October 4 1980 October 18  1980 December 6 1980 December 27 1981 January 3  1981 January 10 1981 January 17 1981 January 24 1981 January 31 1981 February 28 1981 March 14 1981 April 4 1981 June 13 1981 July 4 1981 August 8 1981 September 12 1981 October 3 1981 October 24 1981 November 7 1981 December 26   1982 January 9 1982 January 16 1982 March 27 1982 May 1  1982 June 5  1982 June 12 1982 June 19 1982 June 26 1982 July 3 1982 July 10 1982 July 24  1982 September 4 1982 September 18  1982 October 9 1982 October 16 1982 November 27 1983 January 1   1983 June 4  1983 July 2 1983 July 16 1983 July 30 1983 August 13 1983 September 10  1983 November 19  1983 December 10  1984 January 7   1984 March 24 1984 March 31 1984 April 14 1984 April 21 1984 May 5 1984 May 12 1984 June 2 1984 June 9   1984 June 16  1984 June 30 1984 October 20  1985 May 11  1985 June 15  1985 July 20  1985 September 21 1985 November 9  1985 December 7  1985 December 21  1986 February 22 1986 March 8 1986 April 26 1986 May 17  1986 May 31 1986 June 28  1986 July 12  1986 August 2 1986 August 23  1986 September 20 1986 November 8  1986 November 29  1986 December 6 1987 December 12 1988 February 27  1988 November 12 1988 December 17 1989 January 7  1989 February 4  1989 February 11 1989 February 18   1989 March 4  1989 April 29 1989 May 6  1989 May 13  1989 June 17 1989 July 1 1989 July 29 — Spike Elvis Costello Tim Nicholson The first hurdle you have to overcome when confronted with Spike's assault course is the bizarre sleeve. A crazy-eyed. grinning head of Costello, caked in garish clown make-up, is mounted on an electric-blue satin crest, which in turn is hanging on a tartan wall. A plaque beneath the crest reads. "The beloved entertainer," while the album title sits above in lurid-green cartoon writing. Tread carefully Elvis' evil eye casts its perverse gaze all over this marathon record. From the caustic opening "...This Town..." ("You're nobody 'til everybody in this town thinks you're a bastard"), you are made very aware that any humour herein is carefully dipped in vitriol. "Let Him Dangle" is an ironic comment on the perpetual call for the return of capital punishment. using a real case from the Fifties as an outrageous example. Like Morrissey's "Margaret On The Guillotine" before it, "Tramp The Dirt Down" is a sullen and vengeful attack on Mrs Thatcher ("When they finally put you in the ground, they'll stand there laughing and tramp the dirt down"). "Veronica," the forthcoming single, is a deceptively bouncy pop song, co-written by Paul McCartney, which tells a sad tale of an elderly woman whose fast-fading memories are all she has to cling to. Throughout the 14 songs on this exceptionally long LP, the music is mind-expandingly varied and imaginative. A light-footed tuba competes with a funky guitar on "Chewing Gum," while traditional Irish instruments complement the Belfast barricade-bridging "Any King's Shilling," and Spanish guitar and banjo mingle with an Indian harmonium on the hilarious "God's Comic," in which a comical priest dies and goes to Heaven and finds God lying on a water-bed drinking Coke and listening to Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Requiem. Full marks for originality and imagination. Tags: Spike  •  ...This Town...  •  Let Him Dangle  •  Tramp The Dirt Down  •  Margaret Thatcher  •  Veronica  •  Paul McCartney  •  Chewing Gum  •  Any King's Shilling  •  God's Comic << >> Record Mirror, February 11, 1989 Tim Nicholson reviews Spike. Images Page scan. Cover and contents page.

External links

• Wikipedia: Record Mirror