[Music] Elvis Costello help required

[Pevenseagull]

Right, I like pretty much every Elvis Costello album that I've heard. I remember buying King Of America, Blood and Chocolate & Spike when they came out and picked up most of the previous albums over the years but the only album I have listened to from the last 30 years is 'Wise Up Ghost' (which is terrific).

This strikes me as absurd.

There are a number of contributing factors:

1) Throwing Muses, Pavement, P J Harvey, everything on Shimmy Disc etc. etc. coming along and taking my money.
2) In the 90s people stopped buying vinyl so they don't turn up in second hand shops as much.
3) Rightly or wrongly, me deciding that he'd disappeared up his own arse.

Any recommendations as to albums since 1990 that I should check out?

 

[Juan Albion]

Try his bluegrass effort, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. Personally I love it, but then I was lucky enough to see him do it live at the Ryman in Nashville with a bluegrass supergroup.

 

[Stato]

1996's 'All This Useless Beauty' is the pick of the bunch for me. 'Mighty Like A Rose', 'Brutal Youth' and all of his twenty first century albums have their moments, but I think that 'All This Useless Beauty' is consistently great all the way through. Vinyl could be tricky, but second hand CD copies are pretty common.

 

[Stato]

Rightly or wrongly, me deciding that he'd disappeared up his own arse.

Was it the beard? He made Jazz albums and classical albums and soundtracks, but I'm guessing it was that beard.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

I loved his early stuff and saw him at The Suite. I still have Almost Blue and Spike on vinyl. But sorry, I can't help you. I think he thinks he's a better singer than he is and I just don't enjoy his voice anymore, all 'listen to me, I've found my vibrato' mojo. I heard his latest single a few weeks ago in the background and thought it sounded interesting. On investigating further I thought the vocal was just beyond his capability. Shame. For a while I bought everything he produced.

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

While his albums from the 70s and 80s contain most of my faves I also would vote for All This Useless Beauty and Brutal Youth from the 90s - I have them on cassette!! Kinder Murder from BY is a classic. I find with much of his post 2000 stuff that I love a few tracks on an album but rarely most of them - he continues to be so diverse. His 2004 album The Delivery Man contains a country song with the wonderful Emmylou Harris that is just exquisite - Heart Shaped Bruise. I also like his delve into working with opera singer Anne Sofie Von Otter in 2001 - For The Stars. Such a talented guy

 

[AmexRuislip]

[video]https://g.co/kgs/tZL6Ua[/video]

On an alternate route, this album by his Mrs, co written by EC, is worth a listen.

 

[smillie's garden]

Two collaborations: Painted From Memory with Burt Bacharach, and The River in Reverse with Allen Toussaint.

 

[HantsSeagull]

The new one Hey Clockface is very good.

All This Useless Beauty is mega expensive on vinyl. Brutal Youth has recently been re released on vinyl so is easily found.

Try Taking Liberties (or the uk version which is called Ten Bloody Marys & Ten Hows Your Fathers), Kojak Variety and Out of Our Idiot.

I am a very big fan and I guess everyone has their preferred eras depending on age. I dont think you can beat the first 8 albums though.

 

[tonyt]

Painted from Memory and Look Now are both excellent.

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

My Aim is True


Still a great listen!

Saw him at the Old Brighton Centre in don't know when....

Brilliant.


TNBA

TTF

 

[Blue3]

I think he did an album of his fathers greatest hits I think it's called secret lemonade drinker

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

I think he did an album of his fathers greatest hits I think it's called secret lemonade drinker

https://youtu.be/BwL4qwm5pbw

 

[Blue3]

https://youtu.be/BwL4qwm5pbw

Indeed that one a great pub quiz question

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Right, I like pretty much every Elvis Costello album that I've heard. I remember buying King Of America, Blood and Chocolate & Spike when they came out and picked up most of the previous albums over the years but the only album I have listened to from the last 30 years is 'Wise Up Ghost' (which is terrific).

This strikes me as absurd.

There are a number of contributing factors:

1) Throwing Muses, Pavement, P J Harvey, everything on Shimmy Disc etc. etc. coming along and taking my money.
2) In the 90s people stopped buying vinyl so they don't turn up in second hand shops as much.
3) Rightly or wrongly, me deciding that he'd disappeared up his own arse.

Any recommendations as to albums since 1990 that I should check out?

Extraordinary. Apart from what took our respective fancies I too have exactly the same experience and have heard and bought nothing of his since 1990. I saw him 3 times in the 70s, twice on the legendary Stiff tour.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Bought his Armed Forces in the 70s, vinyl of course, er nothing since is this a record...........gerrit

 

[studio150]

From those not mentioned I would highly recommend 'When I Was Cruel'

Just one of the stand out tracks

 

[HantsSeagull]

From those not mentioned I would highly recommend 'When I Was Cruel'

Just one of the stand out tracks

Thanks for that. I just listened to the whole album again for first time in a long while. 'Episode of Blonde' is my fave but some great tracks on that album.

 

[heathgate]

Right, I like pretty much every Elvis Costello album that I've heard. I remember buying King Of America, Blood and Chocolate & Spike when they came out and picked up most of the previous albums over the years but the only album I have listened to from the last 30 years is 'Wise Up Ghost' (which is terrific).

This strikes me as absurd.

There are a number of contributing factors:

1) Throwing Muses, Pavement, P J Harvey, everything on Shimmy Disc etc. etc. coming along and taking my money.
2) In the 90s people stopped buying vinyl so they don't turn up in second hand shops as much.
3) Rightly or wrongly, me deciding that he'd disappeared up his own arse.

Any recommendations as to albums since 1990 that I should check out?

I saw him a the Colston Hall in Bristol about 4 years ago..... a good size venue, he was shiiite... I think he decided to play the most obscure set he could pick,... and only once did the crowd get animated,.... when he played Oliver's Army... and he even bloody murdered that.... worst gig I have ever seen, ever, out of many many hundreds.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[tonyt]

I’d not heard that Secret, Profane and Sugarcane album before.
It’s a great find so thanks Juan Albion!