This Year's Model (2002) liner notes: Difference between revisions
(add hyperlinks and fix a few typos) |
(Rhino link back to release) |
||
(5 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Bibliography header}} | {{Bibliography header}} | ||
{{Bibliography index}} | {{:Bibliography index}} | ||
{{Liner notes index}} | {{:Liner notes index}} | ||
{{Bibliography article header}} | {{Bibliography article header}} | ||
<center><h3> This Year's Model </h3></center> | <center><h3> This Year's Model </h3></center> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
<center>Elvis Costello</center> | <center> Elvis Costello </center> | ||
---- | ---- | ||
{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
The bass player was a few years older than the rest of us. [[Bruce Thomas]] had played in a number of recorded bands and had plenty of road and studio experience. He had a fondness for venturing up the neck of his instrument to registers unfamiliar to other bass players. In those days he also possessed a decent sense of humour. Then again, he was from Middlesbrough. | The bass player was a few years older than the rest of us. [[Bruce Thomas]] had played in a number of recorded bands and had plenty of road and studio experience. He had a fondness for venturing up the neck of his instrument to registers unfamiliar to other bass players. In those days he also possessed a decent sense of humour. Then again, he was from Middlesbrough. | ||
After a couple of years working in California, the drummer had arrived back in England courtesy of a major record company. They had sprung for his plane ticket after my manager, [[Jake Riviera]], had persuaded them that he might be a candidate for a vacant drum stool for one of their new groups. However, upon arrival in London he headed straight for the studio where [[Nick Lowe]] had just mixed "[[Watching | After a couple of years working in California, the drummer had arrived back in England courtesy of a major record company. They had sprung for his plane ticket after my manager, [[Jake Riviera]], had persuaded them that he might be a candidate for a vacant drum stool for one of their new groups. However, upon arrival in London he headed straight for the studio where [[Nick Lowe]] had just mixed "[[Watching The Detectives]]". I never really entertained the idea of another drummer. [[Pete Thomas]] was three weeks older than me. I was 22 and had just released my first record. | ||
Our live debut was second on the bill to [[Wayne County & the Electric Chairs|Wayne County and the Electric Chairs]] in [[Penzance]]. This was about as far from "where it's at" as you could get. Any sense of the punk or "new wave" excitement that was filling weekly music papers was pretty hard to detect in the West Country. The next evening in [[Plymouth]] we saw a few girls sporting scary eye makeup, but everyone else looked like they might have been waiting for The Sweet to take the stage. On Saturday night we returned to | Our live debut was second on the bill to [[Wayne County & the Electric Chairs|Wayne County and the Electric Chairs]] in [[Penzance]]. This was about as far from "where it's at" as you could get. Any sense of the punk or "new wave" excitement that was filling weekly music papers was pretty hard to detect in the West Country. The next evening in [[Plymouth]] we saw a few girls sporting scary eye makeup, but everyone else looked like they might have been waiting for The Sweet to take the stage. On Saturday night we returned to Davidstowe to play a dance in the village hall in payment for our week of rehearsal room hire. Now we were ready for the big city. | ||
On the afternoon of our [[Concert 1977-07-26 London|London debut]] it was decided that I would perform on the pavement outside the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane where C.B.S. Records was holding a convention. [[Stiff Records]] personnel marched up and down bearing placards entreating the A&R staff to give me a contract or at least come to our show. Unfortunately, the hotel management thought we were taking part in a political demonstration, and in a short time a large number of police vehicles came roaring up to the scene. The senior inspector was not amused to find that his special squad had been mobilized to deal with a publicity stunt. | On the afternoon of our [[Concert 1977-07-26 London|London debut]] it was decided that I would perform on the pavement outside the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane where C.B.S. Records was holding a convention. [[Stiff Records]] personnel marched up and down bearing placards entreating the A&R staff to give me a contract or at least come to our show. Unfortunately, the hotel management thought we were taking part in a political demonstration, and in a short time a large number of police vehicles came roaring up to the scene. The senior inspector was not amused to find that his special squad had been mobilized to deal with a publicity stunt. | ||
Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
Once inside the police van I mentioned that I was making my London "debut" that evening. "Not if we keep you in, sonny", snapped the arresting officer. I had already surrendered my belt and tie and was waiting to be taken down to the cells when my solicitor rang the station. I don't know what was said, but suddenly I was given a cup of tea, they completed the paperwork, and the desperado was released. | Once inside the police van I mentioned that I was making my London "debut" that evening. "Not if we keep you in, sonny", snapped the arresting officer. I had already surrendered my belt and tie and was waiting to be taken down to the cells when my solicitor rang the station. I don't know what was said, but suddenly I was given a cup of tea, they completed the paperwork, and the desperado was released. | ||
I remember much less about that night than the fact that I had to be in court the next day by 9 a.m. I took my turn among the drunks, the disorderlies, and the ladies wearing very few clothes. When I came before the magistrate, the charge was not even correct. I was fined five pounds for "selling records in the street", which I suppose had some truth to it. I thought it easier to agree than to try and explain. It was only when I reached the cashier's desk that I realised there was less than that amount of the fine in my pocket and I had to queue up for a further two hours to go before the bench again to request "time to pay". Three months later I signed a contract with Columbia Records and [[My Aim | I remember much less about that night than the fact that I had to be in court the next day by 9 a.m. I took my turn among the drunks, the disorderlies, and the ladies wearing very few clothes. When I came before the magistrate, the charge was not even correct. I was fined five pounds for "selling records in the street", which I suppose had some truth to it. I thought it easier to agree than to try and explain. It was only when I reached the cashier's desk that I realised there was less than that amount of the fine in my pocket and I had to queue up for a further two hours to go before the bench again to request "time to pay". Three months later I signed a contract with Columbia Records and [[My Aim Is True]] was scheduled for U.S. release. | ||
After one hysterical trip round the U.K. club circuit, we joined the "[[Live Stiffs]]" package tour, also featuring [[Wreckless Eric]], [[Nick Lowe]], and [[Ian Dury]]. What started as a presentation of "labelmates" quickly became a pretty competitive adventure both on and off the stage. One night, while suffering from what might be politely called "assisted insomnia", I scrawled a large number of verses about this headlong pursuit of oblivion. Next morning, I mercifully threw away most of the pages, but that evening we were playing a brand-new song. Five days later, we recorded "[[Pump It Up|Pump it Up]]" in one take. Pretty soon I would stop resisting the lure of the nightlife completely. | After one hysterical trip round the U.K. club circuit, we joined the "[[Live Stiffs]]" package tour, also featuring [[Wreckless Eric]], [[Nick Lowe]], and [[Ian Dury]]. What started as a presentation of "labelmates" quickly became a pretty competitive adventure both on and off the stage. One night, while suffering from what might be politely called "assisted insomnia", I scrawled a large number of verses about this headlong pursuit of oblivion. Next morning, I mercifully threw away most of the pages, but that evening we were playing a brand-new song. Five days later, we recorded "[[Pump It Up|Pump it Up]]" in one take. Pretty soon I would stop resisting the lure of the nightlife completely. | ||
Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
The Attractions made a huge difference to these songs. "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" had originally used the same stop-start guitar figure as [[The Who|The Who's]] "I Can't Explain" (or for that matter [[The Clash|The Clash's]] "Clash City Rockers"). Now Bruce and Pete came up with a more syncopated rhythm pattern and Steve found a part that sounded like sirens--although he rarely played the same thing twice, so you had to pay attention. His keyboard setup was limited to a Vox Continental organ and a cheap keyboard called an "Instapiano" -- which had all the sustain and power of a musical box until cranked through an amp. I changed my guitar part to the sort of clicky figure that I'd heard on old Pioneers rock-steady records, only sped up quite a bit. | The Attractions made a huge difference to these songs. "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" had originally used the same stop-start guitar figure as [[The Who|The Who's]] "I Can't Explain" (or for that matter [[The Clash|The Clash's]] "Clash City Rockers"). Now Bruce and Pete came up with a more syncopated rhythm pattern and Steve found a part that sounded like sirens--although he rarely played the same thing twice, so you had to pay attention. His keyboard setup was limited to a Vox Continental organ and a cheap keyboard called an "Instapiano" -- which had all the sustain and power of a musical box until cranked through an amp. I changed my guitar part to the sort of clicky figure that I'd heard on old Pioneers rock-steady records, only sped up quite a bit. | ||
When working out songs, I always spoke in shorthand references to records that I liked. It was only after a couple of months that we discovered that Steve's appreciation of rock and roll really only extended to Alice Cooper and T.Rex. Pete, Bruce, and I had certainly listened to [[The Beatles]] and The Small Faces, and we could almost agree about [[the Rolling Stones]] -- well, Aftermath at least, which was the album to which I listened more than any other at this time. "[[This Year's Girl]]" was pretty much an "answer song" to the Rolling Stones' "Stupid Girl" -- though my words were much less contemptuous. | When working out songs, I always spoke in shorthand references to records that I liked. It was only after a couple of months that we discovered that Steve's appreciation of rock and roll really only extended to Alice Cooper and T.Rex. Pete, Bruce, and I had certainly listened to [[The Beatles]] and [[The Small Faces]], and we could almost agree about [[the Rolling Stones]] -- well, Aftermath at least, which was the album to which I listened more than any other at this time. "[[This Year's Girl]]" was pretty much an "answer song" to the Rolling Stones' "Stupid Girl" -- though my words were much less contemptuous. | ||
I never really understood the accusations of misogyny that were leveled at the lyrics on This Year's Model. They clearly contained more sense of disappointment than disgust. In any case, most of these songs were works of imagination rather than products of experience. The temptations and distractions of the touring life would soon enough add the more cynical and guilty edge found in "[[Little Triggers]]", "[[Pump It Up|Pump it Up]]", and "[[Hand In Hand|Hand in Hand]]". | I never really understood the accusations of misogyny that were leveled at the lyrics on This Year's Model. They clearly contained more sense of disappointment than disgust. In any case, most of these songs were works of imagination rather than products of experience. The temptations and distractions of the touring life would soon enough add the more cynical and guilty edge found in "[[Little Triggers]]", "[[Pump It Up|Pump it Up]]", and "[[Hand In Hand|Hand in Hand]]". | ||
Line 88: | Line 88: | ||
'''This Year's Model (Rhino/Edsel edition) liner notes | '''This Year's Model (Rhino/Edsel edition) liner notes | ||
---- | ---- | ||
Liner notes for the 2002 Rhino/Edsel reissue of ''[[This Year's Model]]. | Liner notes for the 2002 [[This Year's Model (Rhino/Edsel reissue)|Rhino/Edsel]] reissue of ''[[This Year's Model]]. | ||
{{Bibliography no images}} | {{Bibliography no images}} |
Revision as of 19:43, 26 February 2021
|