Rhodes College Sou'wester, October 17, 1980

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 Rhodes College Sou'wester   1980 October 17 Tennessee publications  Austin Peay Univ. All State Jackson Sun Kingsport Times-News Knoxville News Sentinel Memphis Commercial Appeal Memphis Flyer Metro Pulse Middle Tenn State Sidelines Murfreesboro News Journal Nashville Scene Nashville Tennessean Rhodes College Sou'wester Sewanee University Purple Univ. of Chattanooga Echo — Costello, best of new wave Jeff Horn Elvis Costello is easily the best thing to have come out of the New Wave. Looking a great deal like Buddy Holly with a migraine, rock's master of scorn has an uncanny knack for catchy melodies, and a sharp ear for pop-hooks. His lyrics, in sharp contrast to the basically upbeat tempo of the music, ring of cynicism. Elvis' backup band, the Attractions, rank with Rumour and the E Street Band as the premier in rock n' roll. Until recently, it was difficult for a fan to compile a complete collection of Elvis Costello's work. Besides recording four excellent albums in slightly over three years, a remarkably prolific rate for a songwriter-performer, Elvis has also released numerous singles, the B-sides of which rarely appear on any album. Most of these singles were never released in America, and are available, if at all, only as high-priced imports in rare record shops. But now, this frustrating, and expensive, search is over. Columbia Records has seen fit to release Taking Liberties, a compilation of twenty previously unreleased Elvis songs, B-sides, and limited edition singles. All of it, though, is vintage Elvis Costello. While listening to Taking Liberties, it is fascinating to compare Elvis' versions of his songs with the most popular renditions others made famous. For example, Elvis' "Girls Talk," cannot match the intensity of Dave Edmunds' nor the irony of Linda Ronstadt's. His country-flavored "Stranger in the House" equals Rachel Sweet's version, while he bests his own "official" rendition of "Clowntime is Over," found on the album, Get Happy, with an improved, much tougher performance. Other highlights on this record include "Clean Money," a rocker, and the pop-oriented "Black and White World," both previously unreleased. And then there are the oddities, such as Elvis' excursion into funk with the late hustler Van McCoy's "Getting Mighty Crowded," as well as Costello's surprisingly straight rendition of Rogers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine." Of course, there are bound to be throwaway tunes on an album of this sort. But overall, Taking Liberties successfully fills in the gaps in the career of one of rock music's most important and talented artists. The Sou'wester, October 17, 1980 Jeff Horn reviews Taking Liberties. Images Clipping. Page scan.

External links

• dlynx.rhodes.edu
• Wikipedia: Rhodes_College
• dlynx.rhodes.edu
• hdl.handle.net