Best THREE Elvis Costello songs?

[BN9 BHA]

Watching the detectives.
I don't want to go to Chelsea.
I can't stand up for falling down.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Pump it up
Radio Radio
Beyond belief

 

[Dave the OAP]

Erm
Erm
That song offa Austin powers

 

[Gwylan]

Alison, Shipbuilding and Detectives..........Peace, love etc is the Brinsleys as far as I am concerned!

Think those would be my three too.

I'm surprised at the number of people who have put down What's so funny .. Not only is not his song but, as you say, the original Brinsley Schwarz version is much better

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

Right, this most welcome thread has got me off on a search. Dived for my main cupboard of vinyl, expecting to find all my Costello albums there, and thinking my likely choices will be culled from My Aim Is True, This Year's Model and Armed Forces. They're not there!
Possibility 1: they're in my secondary vinyl cupboard
Possibility 2: my daughter's pinched them
I did however discover I've got more other EC albums than I thought I had: Get Happy, Trust, Imperial Bedroom, Almost Blue, Punch the Clock, King of America, and Taking Liberties. Could have sworn I had Spike and Blood & Chocolate, but maybe not.
ANYHOW ... I could really perm any three songs of my three missing albums and be happy with them but for now I'll go for:

1 Man Out of Time
2 Watching The Detectives
3 Lipstick Vogue

The man's a genius and one of our greatest songwriters. Saw him several times back in '79 and his shows were never less than electrifying.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I went to see Elvis Costello at the Top Rank Brighton back in the mid eighties. The support band were The Pogues playing one of their very first gigs and we decided, not having heard of them, to give them a miss! Have always regretted that.
In answer to the question, any of the 31 tracks on Get Happy.

 

[fleet]

Shipbuilding
Alison
Good year for the roses

 

[Prince Monolulu]

 

[BensGrandad]

Didnt realise he had made 3 records shows out of touch I am with minor performers.

 

[Ceej]

So many different choices. Goes to show how many great songs

Lip Service
Little Savage
Man Out of Time

With This Year's Model being the Best Album Ever

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Didnt realise he had made 3 records shows out of touch I am with minor performers.

This should have been the one thread you left alone. The rest of us were really enjoying the read up till now.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

This should have been the one thread you left alone. The rest of us were really enjoying the read up till now.

Quite.

 

[BensGrandad]

Just saying I didnt think that he had made 3 records. Mind I was press ganged into going to see David Essex at Blazers in Windsor, when it was going, thinking the same but he played for over an hour and I had heard of every record but prior to that couldnt have named 3.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

Let's get back on track

shipbuilding
Pills and soap
Turning the town red (has it had a mention yet?)

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

She was a good call by papajaff. Highlight of his recent Dome show.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

This thread sent me scuttling over to Amazon to see what's available and, by an astonishing coincidence, there's a timely new retrospective. Festive gift anybody?

 

[rexwedge]

Less than Zero
Clubland
Alison.

 

[HantsSeagull]

I am a masive EC fan and i couldn't possibly narrow it down to 3 - i would struggle to get it down to 30. His catalogue is vast.

However, this does seem the opportune thread to mention one of my favourite lyrics (of many) from The World and His Wife off Punch the Clock album:

To tell the truth our mum ran off with someone else's father
Went for two weeks holiday in Taramasalata

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Going back to Girl talk ......


There are some things you can't cover up with lipstick and powder. .....

 

[Mowgli37]

1) Oliver's Army
2) Alison
3) Angels wanna wear my red shoes

And that was a TOUGH selection.