Currently touring Australia for the second time is The Impostor himself, Elvis Costello (pictured).
Whether the tour has anything to do with the impending demolition of the Regent Theatre, I don't know. But my spies tell me he is presenting one of the finest tours these shores have been graced with recently.
To coincide with his visit, a limited number of Ten Bloody Marys etc has been imported (it isn't available on local release). This means it will not only be a hard record to find, but if you have such luck, you'll probably pay through the teeth for it.
For any ardent Elvis fan, though, it's virtually priceless. It has 20 songs that originally were B-sides and some of his more popular singles, plus a couple of unreleased tracks — "Black and White World" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."
Elvis has had a pleasant career working with Nick Lowe and, in a way, it's as much Lowe's album as Costello's. There are a few standards like "Clean Money," "Girls Talk," "Crawling to the USA" and "Watching the Detectives," as well as the lesser known songs "Hoover Factory," "Wednesday Week" and a cover of Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine."
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