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When Elvis Costello toured America in spring, playing solo renditions of his songs, it proved that he didn't need the backing of the Attractions to make his work come alive. The decision to perform acoustic shows may have had deeper motives behind it, though, because, judging from Goodbye Cruel World, he may not want to record with the Attractions at all anymore. At least, that's the impression given by an album in which, when Costello and his cohorts aren't repeating themselves, the music is at odds with the songs.
It may seem perverse to focus so much attention to the music here; after all, isn't Elvis a word man primarily? The answer to that is, in my book, not quite the resounding affirmative that general consensus would have it. While the critical focus on Costello's output has correctly centered on his complex lyrics, the Attractions' role in his music shouldn't be underplayed. The difference between his first two albums, My Aim Is True and This Year's Model is, after all, the contribution of Pete Thomas, Bruce Thomas and Steve Nieve, which is quite a difference. Whatever Costello has wanted from them musically—the grand pop of Armed Forces and Imperial Bedroom, the neo-soul of Get Happy, even the C&W treatments of Almost Blue — the Attractions have delivered. But last year's Punch The Clock relied as much on outside elements brought in by the established production team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, like the TKO Horns, or the spare arrangements of numbers like "Shipbuilding" and "Pills And Soap."
Goodbye Cruel World is reminiscent of Graham Parker's The Up Escalator, because in both cases the power of the songwriting was undercut by the incongruity of the backing. Whether it's on the soul-based side-openers, "The Only Flame In Town" and "I Wanna Be Loved," or the plodding "Home Truth," the careful framing that Costello gives his lyrics just isn't evident with the music. And when the songs have to do without sympathetic backing, the shortcomings of Elvis' singing and the occasional obscurity of his writing is overemphasized. Parker's Escalator turned out to be his last record with the Rumour, a collaboration which served both of them well; he has continued doing fine work since. Maybe it's now time for Costello and the Attractions to part. Because, as he gets further away from the ambitious pop constructions of Imperial Bedroom, it looks as if Elvis Costello wants to start singing his songs alone.
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