[Music] Elvis Costello's greatest album?

[Mowgli37]

The King is dead, long live the King.

Was having a listen to one of the great man's lesser known works (the surprisingly good 'When I Was Cruel') and it got me pondering which of his album's I'd, if you put a gun to my head, have to pick as my favourite.

I'm expecting the majority will be split between the superb My Aim is True, This Year's Model and Armed Forces (surely one of the best runs in terms of quality of any emerging artist?). I'm sure there's a lot of love for works like Imperial Bedroom and Punch the Clock out there and hell, maybe someone will champion some of his later output.

As ever, the good people of NSC will decide...


Note: I'm excluding any collaborative albums as that would make for a simply GARGANTUAN poll.

 

[Ron Manager]

 

[Surf's Up]

in my opinion.....

 

[Mowgli37]

View attachment 73818

in my opinion.....

Got to love the re-release liner notes:

"Congratulations! You just bought the worst album of my career."

 

[Pogue Mahone]

The first three.

1. This Year's Model.
2. Armed Forces.
3. My Aim is True.

I saw EC in 1978. He was brilliant back then.

 

[Bladders]

Tough one.

I'd have to say The Best of Elvis Costello...

 

[n1 gull]

King of America, not listened to it in ages, I might just go and put it on

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Saw him in 77 in London and Brighton. But the best album is the later period Imperial Bedroom. It still has me agog

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

really don't know the albums that well but a lyric that always sticks with me is

she's filing her nails while their dragging the lake

great song writer

 

[Surf's Up]

Got to love the re-release liner notes:

"Congratulations! You just bought the worst album of my career."

Probably why I like it so much!!!

 

[Mowgli37]

really don't know the albums that well but a lyric that always sticks with me is

she's filing her nails while their dragging the lake

great song writer

You'd be thinking of this beauty:

 

[Mowgli37]

Probably why I like it so much!!!

Classic Albion supporter, naturally drawn to the underdog

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Shit. For a moment I thought he had died.

 

[R. Slicker]

Get happy.
Who can forget the lyric:
'The chairman of this boardroom is a compliment collector, I wanna be his funeral director' ?

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Get Happy. Full of songs around the two minute mark. I think he lost it after the album Trust.

 

[R. Slicker]

Still got a soft spot for this beauty, even though they're not his songs.

 

[studio150]

I wanted to vote for:

Wise up ghost and other songs 2013
Painted from memory
Cruel Smile
The River in Reverse

Or any number of live albums or compilations

I could cheat and go for 2 1/2 years

But will instead go for this years model

 

[HantsSeagull]

Big EC fan - so its a toughie but on balance I would have to go for Get Happy - every song a mini masterpiece

 

[HantsSeagull]

And a little nod to one of my all time favourite lines:

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

 

[Stato]

Get Happy. Full of songs around the two minute mark. I think he lost it after the album Trust.

He hadn't even wrote 'Shipbuilding' before 'Trust', or 'Beyond Belief', or 'I Want You.'

I'm tempted to go for 'All This Useless Beauty' which is an absolutely brilliant album, but I'm going to settle on 'Blood and Chocolate.' He just does bitter and angry so well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwGdB4Gj7Js