The summer of 1993 saw Elvis Costello throwing in his lot with Rykodisc, for a more properly considered reissue of his entire back catalog in the U.S. Working with the graphics team at Demon Records in the U.K., the Rykodisc art department, headed by Traci Swartz, is presently evaluating designs for a package which will inaugurate the Costello re-release schedule as Sound + Vision did for the Bowie titles.
A&R director Jeff Rougvie described the initial entry as a box containing four discs plus a photo-laden book whose contents are guaranteed to surprise the most diligent Costello collector. Priced as a three-disc set, the box, entitled 2½ Years, will contain the first three Costello albums, My Aim Is True, This Year's Model and Armed Forces, plus a free disc of the much sought-after (and much bootlegged) Live At El Mocambo, a stellar Canadian appearance by Elvis & The Attractions.
With a die-cut lid and Elvis' own notes for the discs' booklets, it would appear obvious that Costello fans will soon learn the full extent to which Rykodisc has managed to "pump it up" on behalf of Declan MacManus this time around.
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