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The English new waver earned more than a few enemies last year when he charged top prices at his shows (including the ones in Berkeley) and gave little more than half an hour of performance. As if to make up for that brevity, Costello has included 20 songs on his new single-disc album. Producer Nick Lowe's note on the back cover claims that no loss in fidelity has occurred by cramming so many grooves onto the vinyl.
No loss in quality has resulted from Elvis doing so many songs, either. After half a dozen listens one begins to pick out the less discernible melodies, and even the seemingly weaker songs become gems.
Most of the tunes are taken at a fast clip, with powerhouse rhythm on some, reggae and dub effects on others. "B Movie"' and "Motel Matches" vie with "I Stand Accused" for top honors. Even if Elvis isn't angry anymore, he's still a front-runner in the pop music pace-setter sweepstakes.
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