|
The imports that most impress me come from Stiff and (since I haven't heard the Damned yet, as if seeing them wasn't enough) qualify as post-pub rather than punk, as it is called. The compendium, A Bunch of Stiff Records, is as delightful and consistent in its way as Beserkley Chart Busters, while My Aim Is True, by Elvis Costello — who looks like the old Buddy Holly, writes lyrics the way a new one might, and sounds something like Graham Parker — is clearly the work of an eccentric genius. Surprisingly lame is the EP called Bowi, by Nick Lowe, formerly of Brinsley Schwarz and, I would guess, the genius behind all of this. Bowi, however, may be the only Stiff music that will remain permanently unavailable here, as the label seems almost certain to land U.S. distribution eventually.
|
