AstaHugo

At number 5 in my Top 20 of 1989 is Spike by elvis costello without The attractions. Now elvis costello has been making albums for over a decade and his catologue stands
out for the variety and styles of music - he emerged with punk and developed into what was called new wave, a touch of reggare, R&B and ventured into American Country & western
but has consistently been praised as a songwriter of quality with a special love for pop. His songs have always had a touch of class albeit at times his lyrics seem somwhat
bewildering and beyond understanding. Some critics said that Spike was a bit like Jack of all Trades and Master of None as Elvis tried to entertain the masses with his vast repertoire
of styles - for me this is the reason why he is the best songwriter since those guys that made records for Parlophone. Talking of macca he collaborates on 2 tracks - more of those
later. so to give the album justice I’m going to fish through it track by track. the record was made at 4 different venues - London, New orleans, Dublin and hollywood
with different musicians contributing at different venues. Who played where - a mystery apart from the obvious
So let’s start with ‘This town’ with Roger McGuinn joining EC on guitar and harmony vocals it’s a well crafted pop song , catchy and a nice opener -
next up is ‘Let Him Dangle’ - this is where things get serious - it’s a haunting homage to Derek Bentley , a young man with
learning difficulties who was hanged for the murder of a policeman by an under aged friend
who Bentley was with. Costello clearly lays out the case against capital punishment and
a miscarriage of justice - the final jerky, crunchy rhythm guitar at the end creates imagery of a nose
with it’s victim seconds before death. ‘deep Dark Truthful Mirror’ follows and there’s
some nice piano from Allen Toussaint + brass accompaniement which takes you to the
heart of New Orleans jazz quarter. Track 4 is the first track with Macca , ‘Veronica’ It’s
bouncy pop with polished lead vocal from Elvis and you can hear that hoffner bass in there.
‘God’s Comic’ an acoustic blues is a stand out - Costello’s amusing view on life and death
all it’s foolishness - some nice brass to add to the quality. By now the variety
of musical styles are mounting - just wait - ‘Chewing Gum’ sound like an outtake from Punch The Clock
- lovely tuba from The DirtyDozen Brass Band and it is funky but don’t expect Prince.
The stand out track ‘Tramp The dirt down’ is costello’s epitaph to maggie Thatcher - problem is
she wasn’t dead - Elvis launching his hatred and emotions at her grave side - dark stuff. The music is
reminiscent of an Irish wake, beautifully played. An instrumental follows - ‘Stalin Malone’ - after
a slow start it develops into a jig come free form jazz with brass - I’m not sure what Elvis does
on it - maybe the bells. It’s kinda cute. ‘Satellite’ finds Chrissie Hynde helping EC on vocals.
It’s a love song , a ballad and thoroughly pleasant. The 2nd McCartmey song is ‘Pad,Paws and Claws’
it’s a send up of rockabilly and forgettable - 1st dude yeh. ‘Baby Plays Around’ is a simple
acoustic number and the title tells it all. It’s sung with sincerity and was co-written by Costello’s
missus cait O’Roirdan. ‘Miss Macbeth’ is a musical hall umpa and recalls Imperial Bedroom.
‘Any King’s Shilling’ starts with a medievel lute I think and mid-way adds the Celtic feel-
the music is very moving with violin - The song - not sure what it’s about - maybe a warning to a friend
not go on a mission - could refer to Irish troubles in the past - anyway it’s a beauty. ‘Coal Train Robberies’
has a Stax intro - very R&B - reminds me of Get Happy a little.The album closes with ‘Last Boat Leaving’
another song where Elvis describes a community that relies on the sea and it is dying - nice harmonium
So that’s it an album that requires many listens to handle the styles. NO 5 in my Top 20 for 1989
I nearly forgot - the album cover has a bizarre picture of Elvis as the Great Entertainer looking like The Joker