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If the road to riches in the music business included a prerequisite of being brash, arrogant crass and innovative, then the Elvis Costello story could launch a thousand careers.
In a span or three short years, Mr Costello (there’s only one Elvis) has made a sham of conventional U.S. mainstream tastes by breaking every rule in the book. His appearance is unattractive, his personality is unpopular with his peers, and his songs are long if played over three minutes.
Costello has shuffled together five U.S. labelled albums since 1977 with the inspired production work of the brilliant Nick Lowe, and still has his fans screaming for more.
“My Aim Is True” and “This Year’s Model” established Costello as a bonafide new wave rocker with the ability to capture a listener’s attention by the consistent humdrum of a synthesizer, or with his deep-toned, gargled singing. Either way, he has entrenched himself where he’s likely to reap his greatest rewards – in the United States.
With the Attractions, his underated and often unnamed backup trio, Costello has done something which is unique. He has released hit albums from the beginning, and improved on them with each successive production.
The fact that Costello lasted after his first two albums, and came back stronger with the stupendous “Armed Forces” album in 1978 had people truly believing he wasn’t just a Buddy Holly clone capitalizing on a combination of attention-grabbing names.
The London whiz was more than just a voice seldom played on the radio. He was a personality who critics tried to hold under a microscope. But Costello couldn’t be captured or analyzed, and baffled his fervent following with a 20-song 1980 release. “Get Happy,” probably his finest work to date.
The only time people took notice of Costello was when Linda Ronstadt started recording his compositions like “Allison,” “Party Girl” and “Talking In The Dark.” Costello hasn’t received his own airplay because of the curtness of his songs, so compositions like “Love for Tender,” “Chemistry Class,” and “Radio, Radio,” all brilliantly written, are only appreciated by the diehard Costello fan.
His latest release, or re-release, entitled “Taking Liberties,” does just that. It is a vague stab at letting Costello’s audience know he hasn’t dropped out of the pop scene. A typical Costello track is short, making it easily forgettable in the wake of thousands of songs being released each day.
“Taking Liberties” gives us 20 more tunes, but many of them are remakes of the songs that made him famous, such as “Girls Talk” and “Talking In The Dark”. Others are B-sides of single releases, and there are only three songs that have never before been released.
The problem with this album is that the remakes are simply not as good as the originals. It’s almost as if Costello had been sent home and forced to come up with a better reworking or tunes that have already become hits. It just can’t be done. Even the excellent song, “Clowntime is Over,” is extended into a state of excruciating monotony at three minutes and 39 seconds, a mighty jump from two minutes, 28 seconds as it appeared on his last album.
About half of this album works because of its number of songs. “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea ,” an unreleased single, is a fine example of solid Costello, the kind of music that forces one to listen to its throbbing lyrics and pulsating beat. The pithy, “My Funny Valentine,” is pure Costello, with a solo voice carrying the song throughout the entire one minute and 25 seconds. “Stranger In the House” is an attempt at country and western music which works well as a tongue-in-cheek output.
However, that’s pretty much where it ends. The remainder of the songs have either been heard before or truly deserve to be on the flip side of singles. Costello has failed in this attempt only because it’s too early to compile “rarities” from a man who’s known but hardly a legend in his own time. To consider himself in this fashion one has either a huge ego, or a possessive desire to control American music. Elvis Costello has both.
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