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Will Armed Forces be Elvis Costello's breakthrough to megabuck commercial success and superstardom? I hope so but I wouldn't bet on it. Will Rod Stewart's Blondes Have More Fun sell five million copies? Probably. An interesting case where the key to success becomes the singer, not the song.
In 1971, Rod Stewart was in the same position that Elvis Costello is now. With two critically praised albums to his credit, Stewart released his landmark Every Picture Tells a Story and became an international superstar. Now it's 1979, and Elvis Costello's third album is being heralded as his pop breakthrough.
Although Nick Lowe's snappy production makes the instrumentation much fuller than My Aim is True or This Year's Model, Costello employs rhythms on this album that don't seem suited for AM radio. Gone are the upbeat, irresistible melodies from the previous albums. In their place are staccato, yet memorable songs that make you stop and listen, actually commanding your attention.
Costello has been influenced somewhat by the art rock of Devo shown by the herky jerky rhythms used on songs such as "Senior Service," "Busy Bodies" and "Moods for Moderns." But where Devo uses this beat to a monotonous excess, Costello has effectively supported the bitter, angry lyrics with a unique tone dominated on these songs by the farfisa organ.
My only criticism of the record is the vocals. They are too smooth, restraining the immediate power of the album. In the past, unintelligible lyrics were not a big problem because the songs were spewed forth angrily with a reckless abandon that first drew people to Elvis. The fun is gone from his voice (at least temporarily) and this forces the listener to focus on the music and lyrics. But that is fine because Costello has assembled another tour de force of rock and roll songs. He has yet to record a bad track. While lyrics such as "Two little Hitlers will fight it out until one little Hitler does the other one's will / I will return, I will not burn" are exemplary of an extremely gifted songwriter, they certainly don't seem geared for the masses. Let's not rule out commercial success completely, though, because Costello deserves it.
The first eleven songs show the artist to be distant and unemotional. But the record's last and finest cut, "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" shows a confused, vulnerable man who can't come to grips with the attitudes of those around him. It was written by producer Nick Lowe and features the best vocals on the album. Costello's phrasing and intentions enable the listener to empathize with him for the first time.
So instead of being completely detached from the "modern world" as the rest of the album would seem to indicate, the singer reaches out and cries "And where is the harmony, sweet harmony / 'cause each time I feel it slippin' away / Just makes me want to cry / What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding."
Elvis Costello has outlived all trendy labels as well as provided rock and roll with a much needed shot in the arm. He will be an artist to be reckoned with in the 1980's.
And now for the Duke of Belair. Yes, Rod Stewart has a new album destined for the top of the charts. The title Blondes Have More Fun provides more than a hint of truth. The blonde maned Stewart's record is much more fun yet artistically inferior to the dark, brooding theme of Elvis Costello's Armed Forces.
Blondes is an inconsistent, yet entertaining disc. The band Stewart has assembled and used the past few years is bland. They roll, but they don't rock — they ain't got poisonality! (The Faces always had at least that. For those Rolling Stones and Who fans who always looked down upon the Faces consider this: Ron Wood is now a Rolling Stone; Kenny Jones, now a member of the Who, Ronnie Lane collaborated with Pete Townsend on Routh Mix, and Ian McLagan just toured with the Stones. Not bad, huh? So to anyone whoever knocked the Faces — Nyah!)
The album's opener is the hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod has gone disco, but with style and grace. He had the good sense to steal the rhythm track from the Rolling Stones "Miss You." Nice touch! Before proceeding any further, let it suffice to say that this album is lyrically impoverished. Stewart hasn't written a great rock and roll song since Atlantic Crossing's "A Stone Cold Sober" and "Three Time Loser" four years ago. Let's just say that for all his whining on this album, the music and voice still remain.
"Aint' Love a Bitch" rolls along nicely but the way he phrases the word love is absolute joy. "Is That The Thanks I Get?" is yet another dig at Britt Ekland, which cattily proclaims "It's said we made such a pretty pair living in harmony / 1'm sorry honey but I disagree / It seemed more like comedy." (We believe you, okay, Rod? Now don't write anything more about her. Ever!) "Scarred and Scared" and "Best Days of My Life" are taken at a slow tempo with typically Steward vocals. But they seem to only rehash the sentiments of "You're in My Heart" and "I Was Only Joking" from Foot Loose and Fancy Free. Stewart covers the Four Tops "Standin' in the Shadows of Love" which comes off much better than last Year's "You Keep Me Hangin' On." More covers like this one would have made this more solid, as Stewart has always been the premier interpreter of others' songs.
On side two there should be a warning: skip track one! Go directly to track two. The song in question is "Attractive Female Wanted" and it is the worst piece of drivel ever committed to vinyl by Rod Stewart. From the absurd lyrics to the insane background vocals, this is a complete embarrassment.
So skip it and go on to the rollicking "Blondes (Have More Fun)." The best rock song on the album in which the singer honestly shouts with glee that "You can keep your black and your redheads / and you can keep your brunettes, too / I want a girl that's semi-intelligent / Give me a blond that's six-feet two, boy, and that ain't all." Telling it like it is.
So what's left to say? Rod Stewart remains rock's finest vocalist and still writes good melodies. Maybe he should get a lyricist to co-write with him until he snaps out of this dormant period. The verdict is in. If you want fun time rock and roll with no involvement try Blondes Have More Fun. If you want to struggle and fight but come away ultimately more satisfied — listen to Elvis Costello's Armed Forces.
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