BCB 100 - Elvis Costello

geoffcowgill · Postby **geoffcowgill** » 04 Jul 2006, 17:39

A real favorite of mine. I place him on the same pedestal as Dylan and the Beatles. In a sense he's the Martin Scorsese of rock. He may not be the innovator that some others were, but he's remarkably consistent, fairly unerring in his judgment and taste, and an extraordinarily knowledgeable fan and cheerleader for his beloved art form. Some dolts will make the claim that Kundun (Juliet Letters) and Age Of Innocence (Painted From Memory) are worthless and he needs to go back to making things like Mean Streets (This Year's Model) and Taxi Driver (Armed Forces), but that just shows the limits of their interests, not the confines of the artist's talents.

Favorite Album - This Year's Model

Favorite Song - "Brilliant Mistake"

Mike Boom · Postby **Mike Boom** » 04 Jul 2006, 17:49

album - Imperial Bedroom
song - Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4, King Horse

Sea Of Tunes · Postby **Sea Of Tunes** » 04 Jul 2006, 17:53

Album: King Of America
Song: New Amsterdam

bixhenry · Postby **bixhenry** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:02

Count me as a big fan, despite my wearying of his attempts to seemingly act as a curator of all Western musics ( North was nearly unlistenable, as was his super-flat vocal renderings of Tin Pan Alley standards on Marion McPartland's Piano Jazz series). But The Delivery Man and The River In Reverse are real returns to form - among my favorite of EC's works. The bespectacled Liverpudlian's still got it in spades.

Album - Imperial Bedroom

Song - 'Man Out Of Time'

Clippernolan · Postby **Clippernolan** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:19

Whew! A tough one

Album - Brutal Youth. with Get Happy!! and My Aim Is True biting its heels.

Song - "Miracle Man" for angry Elvis, and "Town Cryer" for melancholy Elvis.

yomptepi · Postby **yomptepi** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:31

album is easy...Imperial Bedroom

song.....Man out of time...but I will change my mind on that once in a while.

Mychael · Postby **Mychael** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:41

album: Get Happy!! & The Juliet Letters

song: "Hoover Factory" & "Still"

My name is Spaulding · Postby **My name is Spaulding** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:42

geoffcowgill wrote:In a sense he's the Martin Scorsese of rock. He may not be the innovator that some others were, but he's remarkably consistent, fairly unerring in his judgment and taste, and an extraordinarily knowledgeable fan and cheerleader for his beloved art form.

I love this quote, mind if I steal if for a review?

geoffcowgill · Postby **geoffcowgill** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:43

bixhenry wrote: North was nearly unlistenable. But The Delivery Man and The River In Reverse are real returns to form

I agree 100%

Phil T · Postby **Phil T** » 04 Jul 2006, 18:51

bixhenry wrote:But The Delivery Man and The River In Reverse are real returns to form

You reckon? I thought River In Reverse was awfully dull and I really wanted to like it, so very much.

Mychael wrote:album: Get Happy!! & The Juliet Letters

song: "Hoover Factory" & "Still"

'Still' IS brilliant, despite coming from the much derided 'North'

The Slider · Postby **The Slider** » 04 Jul 2006, 19:22

Although his career follwed many peaks and troughs subsequently, I love none of his records more than his first.

Album: My Aim Is True

Song: (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

"I said 'I'm so happy I could die'
She said 'drop dead' and left with another guy."

There is more truth in those two lines than in the entire rest of his career. :lol:

toomanyhatz · Postby **toomanyhatz** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:15

I don't begrudge him his genre jumping- and frankly I thought Juliet Letters had some great songs, and great singing- though I admit I wish the "returns to form" were a bit more common and the eccentric one-offs a bit less. I like him a lot, and am a fan- but does he really have a lot of songs with the directness and simplicity of the best of Lennon/McCartney/Jagger/Richards/Dylan/Cohen/the good Neil Young? I think not.

Album - Intellectually, My Aim is True, but I probably play Blood and Chocolate most often

Song - Changes by day, but right now "Tokyo Storm Warning."

Bungo the Mungo · Postby **Bungo the Mungo** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:25

Surely even his fans find that vocal style a real put-on? Or put-off? It's almost as annoying as Tom Verlaine or Jonathan Richman.

take5_d_shorterer · Postby **take5_d_shorterer** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:38

bixhenry wrote:
Album - Imperial Bedroom

Song - 'Man Out Of Time'

The best rewrite of "Like a Rolling Stone" I have ever heard. I still have no idea what the song is about (e.g., "a German sense of humour"), but the sound of the band is fantastic. It deserved to get higher than #58 on the UK charts.

Mike Boom · Postby **Mike Boom** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:42

(e.g., "a German sense of humour"),

Well its a common generalization that they dont have one.

Phil T · Postby **Phil T** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:45

take5_d_shorterer wrote:
bixhenry wrote:
Album - Imperial Bedroom

Song - 'Man Out Of Time'

The best rewrite of "Like a Rolling Stone" I have ever heard. I still have no idea what the song is about (e.g., "a German sense of humour"), but the sound of the band is fantastic. It deserved to get higher than #58 on the UK charts.

I love that whole bit, "real Dutch courage, three French letters and a German sense of humour..."

Phil T · Postby **Phil T** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:46

Mike Boom wrote:
(e.g., "a German sense of humour"),

Well its a common generalization that they dont have one.

Well, they certainly won't have one now, will they?
hehe :twisted:

Mike Boom · Postby **Mike Boom** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:49

Well, they certainly won't have one now, will they?
hehe

Quite.

Did you hear the one about the two Italians?

Oscar · Postby **Oscar** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:53

Album: Imperial Bedroom

Track: Little TriggersAlmost BlueShabby DollMotel MatchesNew AmsterdamBlue Chair(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And UnderstandingParty GirlGreen ShirtOliver's ArmyAccidents Will HappenSo Like CandySuffering FacePoisoned RoseI'll Wear It ProudlyLittle PalacesIndoor FireworksGod Give Me StrengthAfter The FallSulky GirlStill Too Soon To Know

Penk! · Postby **Penk!** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:54

Not really a fan to be honest. I don't really know why and I don't have many criticisms, the music just doesn't really do a lot for me. I've only got a best of but My Aim Is True is an album I can see myself liking because I do like the songs I've heard from it.
If I had to pick a favourite song I don't know what it would be, probably Tokyo Storm Warning.

Black Cat Bone

BCB 100 - Elvis Costello

BCB 100 - Elvis Costello

Re: BCB 100 - Elvis Costello