Yomiuri Shimbun, December 23, 1999: Difference between revisions
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<center> <h3> His band is gone, but Elvis is still an attraction</h3></center> | <center> <h3> His band is gone, but Elvis is still an attraction</h3></center> | ||
<center>'''Elvis Costello | <center>''' Elvis Costello ''' / NHK Hall, Shibuya, Tokyo </center> | ||
NHK Hall, Shibuya, Tokyo | |||
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Despite the fact he had all the glamour and panache of a pub piano player, there was a special place for Costello in the heart of every misunderstood teenager. The combination of that emotionally charged voice with the sardonic wit of his often leftist lyrics was simply irresistible. This was no doubt the reason he never made a huge impact in Japan. Trying to appreciate his music without understanding the words is like drinking a margarita without salt--you lose the vital bitterness. | Despite the fact he had all the glamour and panache of a pub piano player, there was a special place for Costello in the heart of every misunderstood teenager. The combination of that emotionally charged voice with the sardonic wit of his often leftist lyrics was simply irresistible. This was no doubt the reason he never made a huge impact in Japan. Trying to appreciate his music without understanding the words is like drinking a margarita without salt--you lose the vital bitterness. | ||
But that was then, and the tirelessly versatile Costello has been through innumerable transformations in the past two decades. There have been unexpected collaborations, perhaps most bizarrely with a classical quartet and more recently with [[Burt Bacharach|Burt Baccarach]] on last year's [[Painted From Memory|Painted from Memory]]. To cap it all, he went on to score a mega-hit with a cover version of the [[Charles Aznavour]] love song "[[She]]" from the romantic movie [[Notting Hill: Music From The Motion Picture|Notting Hill]]. Long-time followers began to feel a little nervous at that point. Could it be that our hero was descending from spiky cynicism to bland sentimentality? It began to look that way, when his one-off concert at the rather unfriendly NHK Hall in Tokyo last week was billed as a romantic evening for lovers on the strength of that last hit. | But that was then, and the tirelessly versatile Costello has been through innumerable transformations in the past two decades. There have been unexpected collaborations, perhaps most bizarrely with a classical quartet and more recently with [[Burt Bacharach|Burt Baccarach]] on last year's ''[[Painted From Memory|Painted from Memory]]''. To cap it all, he went on to score a mega-hit with a cover version of the [[Charles Aznavour]] love song "[[She]]" from the romantic movie ''[[Notting Hill: Music From The Motion Picture|Notting Hill]]''. Long-time followers began to feel a little nervous at that point. Could it be that our hero was descending from spiky cynicism to bland sentimentality? It began to look that way, when his one-off concert at the rather unfriendly NHK Hall in Tokyo last week was billed as a romantic evening for lovers on the strength of that last hit. | ||
Fans of the old Elvis got off to a good start when he and his pianist, [[Steve Nieve]], appeared almost before we had time to settle into our seats, and burst into an up-tempo number before the stage lights came up. No more of a fashion plate than he was in 1980, Costello's bald pate could be seen gently glimmering in a dim blue light. What followed was a rapid-fire succession of old favorites, heavily sprinkled with new tunes, including "[[Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter|Burnt Sugar]]," written in collaboration with [[Carole King]] and "[[Oh Well]]," which is from a film titled [[Prison Song]] the singer is to appear in next year. | Fans of the old Elvis got off to a good start when he and his pianist, [[Steve Nieve]], appeared almost before we had time to settle into our seats, and burst into an up-tempo number before the stage lights came up. No more of a fashion plate than he was in 1980, Costello's bald pate could be seen gently glimmering in a dim blue light. What followed was a rapid-fire succession of old favorites, heavily sprinkled with new tunes, including "[[Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter|Burnt Sugar]]," written in collaboration with [[Carole King]] and "[[Oh Well]]," which is from a film titled ''[[Prison Song]]'' the singer is to appear in next year. | ||
Inevitably, some of the tunes originally written for a band, did not come off quite as well when performed with only a drum machine to back up the guitar and piano. But there were roars of anticipation from the crowd each time one of the familiar intros started up, and Costello's sure-fire voice ensured that they were never disappointed. The excitement suggested that most members of the audience were familiar with the artist's back catalog, rather than simply having been attracted by the recent lovey-dovey hits. | Inevitably, some of the tunes originally written for a band, did not come off quite as well when performed with only a drum machine to back up the guitar and piano. But there were roars of anticipation from the crowd each time one of the familiar intros started up, and Costello's sure-fire voice ensured that they were never disappointed. The excitement suggested that most members of the audience were familiar with the artist's back catalog, rather than simply having been attracted by the recent lovey-dovey hits. | ||
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Perhaps inevitably, given his heritage as the son of a big band singer, Costello has developed into the consummate showman. He drew his audience in with little comic turns and even turned conductor when the crowd took to singing along. After the finger-snapping finale, "[[Everyday I Write The Book|Every Day]]," the crowd spilled out into the chill December night laughing, whistling and humming. Yes, Elvis is older, less angry and even more old-fashioned than ever, but we love him just the same. | Perhaps inevitably, given his heritage as the son of a big band singer, Costello has developed into the consummate showman. He drew his audience in with little comic turns and even turned conductor when the crowd took to singing along. After the finger-snapping finale, "[[Everyday I Write The Book|Every Day]]," the crowd spilled out into the chill December night laughing, whistling and humming. Yes, Elvis is older, less angry and even more old-fashioned than ever, but we love him just the same. | ||
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*[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/d-g/daily_yomiuri.991223a.html elviscostello.info] | *[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/d-g/daily_yomiuri.991223a.html elviscostello.info] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT: | {{DEFAULTSORT:Yomiuri Shimbun 1999-12-23}} | ||
[[Category:Bibliography]] | [[Category:Bibliography]] | ||
[[Category:Bibliography 1999 | [[Category:Bibliography 1999]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Yomiuri Shimbun| Yomiuri Shimbun 1999-12-23]] | ||
[[Category:Newspaper articles | [[Category:Newspaper articles]] | ||
[[Category:1999 concert reviews| | [[Category:1999 concert reviews]] | ||
[[Category:Lonely World Tour|~Yomiuri Shimbun 1999-12-23]] |
Revision as of 17:46, 18 January 2015
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