Sounds, 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 Sounds   1974 March 30 1976 August 14 1976 November 20 1977 March 26 1977 April 9 1977 April 30 1977 May 28 1977 June 11 1977 June 25 1977 July 23 1977 July 30 1977 August 6 1977 August 13 1977 August 20 1977 September 3 1977 September 17 1977 October 15 1977 October 22 1977 November 5 1977 December 3 1977 December 10 1977 December 17 1977 December 24 1978 January 28 1978 February 18 1978 February 25 1978 March 4 1978 March 11 1978 March 18 1978 April 1 1978 April 8  1978 April 15 1978 April 22 1978 April 29 1978 June 17 1978 September 2 1978 September 9 1978 September 16 1978 September 23 1978 September 30 1978 October 21 1978 November 18 1978 November 25 1978 December 30 1979‎ January 6 1979‎ February 3 1979‎ February 10 1979‎ February 24   1979‎ April 14  1979‎ May 12 1979‎ June 2 1979‎ July 21 1979‎ December 29 1980 January 5 1980 January 19 1980 February 2 1980 February 23 1980 March 15 1980 March 22 1980 April 5 1980 April 12   1980 May 24 1980 June 7 1980 August 30 1980 September 6 1980 October 4 1980 October 11 1980 October 18 1980 December 27 1981 January 3 1981 January 17 1981 January 24 1981 February 7 1981 February 28 1981 April 4 1981 November 21 1982 January 16 1982 June 12 1982 June 26 1982 July 10 1982 July 31 1982 September 18 1982 September 25 1982 November 27 1983 January 8 1983 June 25 1983 July 2 1983 July 16 1983 July 30 1983 September 17 1983 October 29 1983 November 5  1983 December 10 1984 January 7 1984 March 31 1984 April 28 1984 June 9 1984 June 30 1984 July 14 1984 October 20 1984 December 15 1985 March 23 1985 April 20 1985 May 11 1986 February 22 1986 March 1 1986 September 13 1986 November 29 1986 December 20 1987 January 31 1987 February 7 1987 June 27 1987 December 5 1989 February 11 1989 February 18 1989 March 4 1989 May 6 1989 May 13 1989 June 24 1989 July 15 1989 October 21 1989 December 23 — A man for all seasons Peter Kane Elvis Costello Spike In Bret Easton Ellis' Less Than Zero, the benumbed narrator, Clay, spends a great deal of time sprawled beneath an old Trust period Costello poster on his bedroom wall. It's the nearest the character ever gets to voicing actual disaffection with the way things are. He's attracted, we assume, as much by the '60s suited, skinny-tied outsider image as anything within the songs themselves. In those days, Elvis was still with The Attractions and making almost conventional bass, drums, guitar pop records. It was so much easier, wasn't it? Since then, the only predictable thing about Costello has been his unpredictability. His last two albums, both from 1986, may have continued to pile on the agony, but they did it in very different ways. On the surface, King Of America was deeply textured and fully confident in its handling of rock, country and Irish folk, with strands of cajun and Tex Mex thrown in. Blood & Chocolate, just a few months later, went straight for the throat: an angry, sneering, rough-house return to basics. Whatever next? Those looking for instant gratification have long since given up on Costello, of course. But Spike rewards the faithful with a diversity of range that defies easy categorisation and a lyrical prowess that puts him just about out of sight of the competition. Occasionally, he's still prepared to take shelter under pop's umbrella; like on the superficially carefree "Veronica" which is co-written with Paul McCartney, as is "Pads, Paws And Claws," a snarling shuffle of bedroom games. For the rest, he wears whatever hat takes his fancy. On "Baby Plays Around," wounds are opened up for public inspection with just an acoustic guitar and very distant organ. "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" has some of that old Allen Toussaint rolling piano. It also features the Dirty Dozen Brass Band who make a number of appearances, not least on the instrumental "Stalin Malone," done in an authentically Tom Waits broken bar-stool style. "Any King's Shilling," perhaps the record's best song features the piteous beauty of Davy Spillane's Uilleann pipes in the sharpest of contrasts. Costello's subject matter is no less varied. There's mail order brides ("Chewing Gum"); one in the neck for bring-back-the-noose lobbyists ("Let Him Dangle"); and the usual laments for this nation of ours, or rather what remains after most of it has been given away. "Last Boat Leaving" is the little man being resigned to his fate while "Tramp The Dirt Down" comes out screaming and fighting despite its traditional sounding, folkish air. You don't have to make a noise just to get yourself heard. And there's plenty more. "This Town" is full of Runyonesque characters on the make, warning that "You're nobody, 'til everybody ... thinks you're a bastard" and "God's Comic," too, is a richly detailed fantasy. The sleeve bears the man's half-black, half-white head on a plaque with an inscription that reads, "The Beloved Entertainer." This is one show that must go on. Tags: Spike  •  Veronica  •  Paul McCartney  •  Pads, Paws And Claws  •  Baby Plays Around  •  Deep Dark Truthful Mirror  •  Allen Toussaint  •  Dirty Dozen Brass Band  •  Stalin Malone  •  Any King's Shilling  •  Davy Spillane  •  Chewing Gum  •  Let Him Dangle  •  Last Boat Leaving  •  Tramp The Dirt Down  •  This Town  •  God's Comic  •  The Beloved Entertainer  •  Trust  •  The Attractions  •  King Of America  •  Blood & Chocolate  •  Tom Waits << >> Sounds, February 11, 1989 Peter Kane reviews Spike. Images Clipping. Photo by Keith Morris. Cover.

External links

• Wikipedia: Sounds
• elviscostello.info