Music Banter - View Single Post - Bulldog's Armchair Guide To Elvis Costello

Bulldog · 11-04-2008, 03:57 PM

It is a great hobby, but a pretty damn mentally exhausting one

As for No Dancing, I've always preferred the slower, live version I've heard, but it's probably just because I heard it before the album version.

Armed Forces
1979, Radar Records, Eden Studios

Due to the increasingly warm reactions Elvis Costello and the Attraction were getting both in the studio and on tour (having taken to the road again after recording This Year's Model) they'd been building up quite the reputation and following in the UK. It goes without saying that the next logical step was the old 'crack the US market' one. In order to do this and consolidate his following in his home country, upon hitting the studio for the third time in barely as many years, Costello chose to take new-wave a step or two further with Armed Forces.

The result of this approach is a very bright and polished, studio-enhanced sound. Consequently I actually think it makes for one of the man's weaker efforts, what with the sound of the record being very much marked by the time and place it was recorded and all. There are still some very good (in some cases brilliant) songs on show but, in contrast to My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, those moments are easily outweighed by the more mediocre ones.

Anyway, on with the review;

1. Accidents Will Happen.
As with (almost) every good choice of album-opener, Accidents Will Happen here is a fair indication of what lies ahead. A very glossy and all-round decent new-wave tune, also home to a very interesting tempo-change in the bridge, which is basically a staple of Costello's better songs. 8/10

2. Senior Service.
After which comes a song in a very similar vein only this time, upon hearing Steve Nieve's synth/organ flourishes the word 'dated' flashes across one's mind for the first time. That's not to call it at all mediocre though (it's actually a personal highlight for me), it's just that from here the production values begin to threaten to become intrusive on the sound of the album... 9/10 [Sorry about the rather ****ty video, it's the only one I could find]

3. Oliver's Army.
...that said though, that prospect just isn't really there when it comes to Oliver's Army. With it's glorious, Dancing Queen-esque piano motif, a wonderful protest lyric and killer chorus, it soon became Costello's biggest hit single (peaking at number 2 in the UK) and was somewhat responsible for this becoming his highest-selling album. Brilliant song, and the first one I ever heard from this guy. Pretty good album so far then... 10/10

4. Big Boys.
...which starts to get itself into trouble with this. A slightly above-average rocker, it's not all that bad but not all that great either. Certainly one of a selection of less memorable tunes here. 6/10

5. Green Shirt.
More or less the same story here, in this case that of what maybe should have been left as an acoustic ballad instead of juiced-up to breaking point with overdubs and keyboard effects. Demo versions of both this and Big Boys are indeed presented this way are, to these ears, much more effective than their final renditions. 5/10

6. Party Girl.
But here to the rescue is another pinnacle moment. A much more raw, piano-led ballad, with a lyric I'm sure we can all relate to in one way or t'other, it's one of those nicely spread-out areas which saves Armed Forces from mediocrity. 9/10

7. Goon Squad.
This here is as close as the album gets to harder-rocking tendencies of This Year's Model. Unfortunately it doesn't near the heights of that album and is another one of the less spectacular cuts here. 6/10

8. Busy Bodies.
And to follow it up it possibly the lowest point of Armed Forces. It's a bit of an edgeless, tiresome and meandering piece of new-wave pop - a bit of a throwaway if truth be told. 4/10

9. Sunday's Best.
Boasting a sound which isn't too far removed from what Stiff label-mates and rivals Ian Dury and the Blockheads were dealing in at the time, Sunday's Best is one of the brighter, though not truly noteworthy spots on the record. 7/10

10. Moods For Moderns.
Another one of the much more mediocre points on the album, it again falls under the 'overproduced' umbrella and into the trap of pushing the keyboard too high in the mix. It could possibly have been served better with a different approach in the studio, but it's another fairly weak song. 5/10

11. Chemistry Class.
But again, behind it lies a much better tune which again benefits from a lack of the heavy-handed studio method which dominates a lot of the songs on show. A neat little mid-tempo piece of music - much more like it then, but again nothing spectacular. 7/10

12. Two Little Hitlers.
As with the albums which preceded it though, Armed Forces builds towards a great climax with its final two selections on the tracklist. One more piece of songwriting very much in keeping with the riff-rock sound which dominated This Year's Model (even making use of David Bowie's Rebel Rebel riff in the chorus), it's a very nice cut and is host to a fine vocal performance from Costello. 8/10

13. (What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?
And in keeping with each of his albums so far, this one concludes with one of Costello's most well-known songs - this time a fast-paced rendition of label-mate Nick Lowe's anthemic original. 9/10

The Outtakes.

Tiny Steps: One of the better, less cluttered recordings here, this mid-tempo rocker probably should have made the album.

Clean Money: And the same can be said for this furiously-paced cut. It was later re-worked into the shape of Love For Tender, the kick-off point for the rapid follow-up release to this record.

Talking In the Dark: This song, on the other hand, is more in touch with the weaker and more dated moments of the album, and therefore no big loss.

Wednesday Week: A similar song to Goon Squad, with its quick-fire delivery, great band performance and fascinating tempo-change which sees the song to its end, this is one of the best recordings from the album sessions and really should have survived the chop.

My Funny Valentine: A sorrowful, lamenting rendition of the old standard (don't ask me who wrote it originally), it's a decent enough solo-cut but nonetheless rightly left off the album.

So, summing up then...

With its intent to be as contemporary as possible, the very 'of-the-times' production and songwriting methods employed here do date the end product somewhat and keep it from that level of quality and timelessness which My Aim Is True and This Year's Model reached. Far from a classic though nowhere near as average as some albums I could care to mention. As I've said before though, much much better was to come.

6/10

Tune in next time for a few words on Get Happy!!. Here's a teaser for ya

11-04-2008, 03:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	It is a great hobby, but a pretty damn mentally exhausting one As for No Dancing, I've always preferred the slower, live version I've heard, but it's probably just because I heard it before the album version. Armed Forces 1979, Radar Records, Eden Studios Due to the increasingly warm reactions Elvis Costello and the Attraction were getting both in the studio and on tour (having taken to the road again after recording This Year's Model) they'd been building up quite the reputation and following in the UK. It goes without saying that the next logical step was the old 'crack the US market' one. In order to do this and consolidate his following in his home country, upon hitting the studio for the third time in barely as many years, Costello chose to take new-wave a step or two further with Armed Forces. The result of this approach is a very bright and polished, studio-enhanced sound. Consequently I actually think it makes for one of the man's weaker efforts, what with the sound of the record being very much marked by the time and place it was recorded and all. There are still some very good (in some cases brilliant) songs on show but, in contrast to My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, those moments are easily outweighed by the more mediocre ones. Anyway, on with the review; 1. Accidents Will Happen. As with (almost) every good choice of album-opener, Accidents Will Happen here is a fair indication of what lies ahead. A very glossy and all-round decent new-wave tune, also home to a very interesting tempo-change in the bridge, which is basically a staple of Costello's better songs. 8/10 2. Senior Service. After which comes a song in a very similar vein only this time, upon hearing Steve Nieve's synth/organ flourishes the word 'dated' flashes across one's mind for the first time. That's not to call it at all mediocre though (it's actually a personal highlight for me), it's just that from here the production values begin to threaten to become intrusive on the sound of the album... 9/10 [Sorry about the rather **ty video, it's the only one I could find] 3. Oliver's Army. ...that said though, that prospect just isn't really there when it comes to Oliver's Army. With it's glorious, Dancing Queen-esque piano motif, a wonderful protest lyric and killer chorus, it soon became Costello's biggest hit single (peaking at number 2 in the UK) and was somewhat responsible for this becoming his highest-selling album. Brilliant song, and the first one I ever heard from this guy. Pretty good album so far then... 10/10 4. Big Boys. ...which starts to get itself into trouble with this. A slightly above-average rocker, it's not all that bad but not all that great either. Certainly one of a selection of less memorable tunes here. 6/10 5. Green Shirt. More or less the same story here, in this case that of what maybe should have been left as an acoustic ballad instead of juiced-up to breaking point with overdubs and keyboard effects. Demo versions of both this and Big Boys are indeed presented this way are, to these ears, much more effective than their final renditions. 5/10 6. Party Girl. But here to the rescue is another pinnacle moment. A much more raw, piano-led ballad, with a lyric I'm sure we can all relate to in one way or t'other, it's one of those nicely spread-out areas which saves Armed Forces from mediocrity. 9/10 7. Goon Squad. This here is as close as the album gets to harder-rocking tendencies of This Year's Model. Unfortunately it doesn't near the heights of that album and is another one of the less spectacular cuts here. 6/10 8. Busy Bodies. And to follow it up it possibly the lowest point of Armed Forces. It's a bit of an edgeless, tiresome and meandering piece of new-wave pop - a bit of a throwaway if truth be told. 4/10 9. Sunday's Best. Boasting a sound which isn't too far removed from what Stiff label-mates and rivals Ian Dury and the Blockheads were dealing in at the time, Sunday's Best is one of the brighter, though not truly noteworthy spots on the record. 7/10 10. Moods For Moderns. Another one of the much more mediocre points on the album, it again falls under the 'overproduced' umbrella and into the trap of pushing the keyboard too high in the mix. It could possibly have been served better with a different approach in the studio, but it's another fairly weak song. 5/10 11. Chemistry Class. But again, behind it lies a much better tune which again benefits from a lack of the heavy-handed studio method which dominates a lot of the songs on show. A neat little mid-tempo piece of music - much more like it then, but again nothing spectacular. 7/10 12. Two Little Hitlers. As with the albums which preceded it though, Armed Forces builds towards a great climax with its final two selections on the tracklist. One more piece of songwriting very much in keeping with the riff-rock sound which dominated This Year's Model (even making use of David Bowie's Rebel Rebel riff in the chorus), it's a very nice cut and is host to a fine vocal performance from Costello. 8/10 13. (What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? And in keeping with each of his albums so far, this one concludes with one of Costello's most well-known songs - this time a fast-paced rendition of label-mate Nick Lowe's anthemic original. 9/10 The Outtakes. Tiny Steps: One of the better, less cluttered recordings here, this mid-tempo rocker probably should have made the album. Clean Money: And the same can be said for this furiously-paced cut. It was later re-worked into the shape of Love For Tender, the kick-off point for the rapid follow-up release to this record. Talking In the Dark: This song, on the other hand, is more in touch with the weaker and more dated moments of the album, and therefore no big loss. Wednesday Week: A similar song to Goon Squad, with its quick-fire delivery, great band performance and fascinating tempo-change which sees the song to its end, this is one of the best recordings from the album sessions and really should have survived the chop. My Funny Valentine: A sorrowful, lamenting rendition of the old standard (don't ask me who wrote it originally), it's a decent enough solo-cut but nonetheless rightly left off the album. So, summing up then... With its intent to be as contemporary as possible, the very 'of-the-times' production and songwriting methods employed here do date the end product somewhat and keep it from that level of quality and timelessness which My Aim Is True and This Year's Model reached. Far from a classic though nowhere near as average as some albums I could care to mention. As I've said before though, much much better was to come. 6/10 Tune in next time for a few words on Get Happy!!. Here's a teaser for ya Last edited by Bulldog; 11-04-2008 at 04:48 PM.