Record Mirror, January 24, 1981

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 — Trussed trust for tryst? Mike Gardner Elvis Costello / Trust Trust? Or should that read trussed? The law of averages states quite clearly that anybody who produces no less than six albums (including the Taking Liberties / Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers outtake collections) in four years must be due for the critical pillory and a good time will be had by all. But Costello has managed to produce albums that have each shown a marked improvement on the previous set while always delivering songs that are far more than reheated past offerings. As usual the first impression is of disappointment as he fails to capitalise on the areas he opened up on the last set and then you realise that he's taken another worthwhile tangent and you discover even more than you had previously hoped. The most stark improvement is the growing maturity of his personal barbs the attacks seem to be more considered, less frantic and consequently more potent. His grasp of his twisting melody trademark becomes firmer as the tunes snake their natural course until Costello rears up on himself and takes it loan always interesting conclusion. The "Those without whom this wouldn't be possible" department, namely The Attractions and Nick Lowe, are performing flawlessly. The Thomas twins Bruce and Pete (no relation) have evolved into one of the finest rhythm sections in the country creating a tall and punchy base on which Steve Nieve can weave dexterous textures. Elvis himself is still unwilling to keep his voice monochrome and insists on experimenting with tone in an almost three dimensional sense, developing his sandpaper rasp as much as the sweeter gears of his larynx. The highlights on this 14 track set include the classic elegance of "Clubland," a single that should have been, if there ever was one. Then there's the big beat of "Lovers Walk" which has more than a tinge of Bo Diddley swagger. There's the effortlessness of the pretty melodies on "Never Be A Man," "New Lace Sleeves" and the This Year's Model styled "White Knuckles." Then there's the tour de force of a Costello Motown bopper "From A Whisper To A Scream" that has Glenn Tilbrook swapping phrases with the bespectacled one like an Anglocised Sam & Dave and the melody even manages to have overtones of Squeeze. But the honours must be shared with the poignant "Shot With His Own Gun" that shows that the Costello cutting edge hasn't lost one gram of bite. The Costello formula should be getting boring by now but while he still invests energy and care into his work and then sidesteps the pitfalls with agility and intelligence then he's going to put oft the execution a few times more. Tags: Trust  •  The Attractions  •  Nick Lowe  •  Bruce Thomas  •  Pete Thomas  •  Steve Nieve  •  Clubland  •  Lovers Walk  •  Bo Diddley  •  Never Be A Man  •  New Lace Sleeves  •  This Year's Model  •  White Knuckles  •  Motown  •  From A Whisper To A Scream  •  Glenn Tilbrook  •  Sam & Dave  •  Squeeze  •  Shot With His Own Gun  •  Taking Liberties  •  Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers << >> Record Mirror, January 24, 1981 Mike Gardner reviews Trust. Images Clipping. Cover.

External links

• Wikipedia: Record Mirror
• Flickr Michael Kane