Nov 16, 2016

RhoDeo 1646 Aetix

Hello,

Today's artist is a very busy body who has produced 40 something in albums in the 39 years he's been on the scene, clearly the man doesn't need any extra stimulus and i suppose he ain't someone to chill out with. Elvis Costello, to be honest here, after his first four albums that came in rapid succession I kinda lost sight of him as there was so much more and I dislike those intellektual fans that made him their hero, never liked pretentious people waring those silly glasses either...
......N'Joy

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Declan Patrick Aloysius McManus alias Elvis Costello started out in a pubrock vain in a band called Flip City from 1974 through early 1976. Around this time, MacManus adopted the stage name D.P. Costello. After successfully landing a demo at Stiff records. His manager at Stiff, Jake Riviera, suggested a name change, to Elvis Costello. Costello's first album, My Aim Is True (1977), was a moderate commercial success with Costello appearing on the cover in his trademark oversize glasses, bearing a striking resemblance to a menacing Buddy Holly. Originally marketed as a punk artist, as the term new wave was applied to the first post-punk bands, Costello was classified as new wave for a time. The same year, Costello recruited his own permanent band, The Attractions, consisting of Steve Nieve (born Steve Nason; piano), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (unrelated to Bruce Thomas; drums). He released his first major hit single, "Watching The Detectives" . This Year's Model, Costello's first album recorded with the Attractions, was released in the spring of 1978. A rawer, harder-rocking record than My Aim Is True, it was also a bigger hit, the following year, Armed Forces was a more musically diverse album than either of his previous records. It was another hit, "Oliver's Army," the first single from the album, reached number two in Britain. In the summer of 1979, Costello produced the self-titled debut album by the Specials. In February of 1980, the soul-influenced Get Happy!!  the first record released on Riviera's new record label, F-Beat. Costello and the Attractions released Trust in early 1981; it was his fifth album in a row produced by Nick Lowe.

Jumping 22 very active years (19 albums) to 2003, when Costello returned with North, a collection of classically styled pop songs pitched halfway between Gershwin and Sondheim. The next year, he collaborated with his new wife, Diana Krall, on her first collection of original material, The Girl in the Other Room. That fall, Costello released two albums of original material: a classical work entitled Il Sogno and the concept album The Delivery Man, a rock & roll record cut with the Imposters. My Flame Burns Blue from 2006 was a live album with Costello fronting the 52-piece jazz orchestra the Metropole Orkest. On the album, classic Costello songs with new orchestral arrangements appeared alongside new compositions and a performance of the entire Il Sogno. The River in Reverse, a collaboration with R&B legend Allen Toussaint, arrived in 2006, followed by Momofuku, another effort credited to Elvis Costello & the Imposters, in 2008. That same year, Costello teamed up with veteran producer T-Bone Burnett for a series of recording sessions, the results of which were compiled into Secret, Profane & Sugar Cane and readied for release in early 2009. The pair also recorded a second album, National Ransom, which appeared the following year. In 2011 Costello & the Imposters released The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!!, which was recorded live over a two-day stint at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.

Over his career, Costello's musical eclecticism has distinguished his records and have shown him to be one of the most innovative, influential, and best songwriters who supports his fiercely literate lyrics with richly diverse music.


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Having gotten country out of his system with Almost Blue, Elvis Costello returned to pop music with Imperial Bedroom -- and it was pop in the classic, Tin Pan Alley sense. Costello chose to hire Geoff Emerick, who engineered all of the Beatles' most ambitious records, to produce Imperial Bedroom, which indicates what it sounds like -- it's traditional pop with a post-Sgt. Pepper production. Essentially, the songs on Imperial Bedroom are an extension of Costello's jazz and pop infatuations on Trust. Costello's music is complex and intricate, yet it flows so smoothly, it's easy to miss the bitter, brutal lyrics. The interweaving layers of "Beyond Belief" and the whirlwind intro are the most overtly dark sounds on the record, with most of the album given over to the orchestrated, melancholy torch songs and pop singles. Never once do Costello & the Attractions deliver a rock & roll song -- the album is all about sonic detail, from the accordion on "The Long Honeymoon" to the lilting strings on "Town Cryer." Of course, the detail and the ornate arrangements immediately peg Imperial Bedroom as Costello's most ambitious album, but that doesn't mean it's his absolute masterpiece. Imperial Bedroom remains one of Costello's essential records because it is the culmination of his ambitions and desires -- it's where he proves that he can play with the big boys, both as a songwriter and a record-maker. It may not have been a commercial blockbuster, but it certainly earned the respect of legions of musicians and critics who would have previously disdained such a punk rocker. And, perhaps, that's also the reason that he abandoned this immaculately crafted style of work on his next album, Punch the Clock. Ultimately, this is the album where Costello stepped past being an 80s rocker/pop star into a fully formed contemporary artist who would have staying power. There's an emotional heft, confidence and fearlessness about the material here that begins to place Costello into an upper echelon of pop artists.



Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Imperial Bedroom   (flac  324mb)

01 Beyond Belief 2:34
02 Tears Before Bedtime 3:02
03 Shabby Doll 4:48
04 The Long Honeymoon 4:15
05 Man Out Of Time 5:26
06 Almost Blue 2:50
07 ...And In Every Home 3:23
08 The Loved Ones 2:48
09 Human Hands 2:43
10 Kid About It 2:45
11 Little Savage 2:37
12 Boy With A Problem 2:12
13 Pidgin English 3:58
14 You Little Fool 3:11
15 Town Cryer 4:16

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Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Imperial Bedroom Bonus (flac  434mb)

01 The Land Of Give And Take (Early Version Of Beyond Belief) 3:05
02 Tears Before Bedtime (Alternate Version) 3:03
03 Man Out Of Time (Alternate Version) 3:43
04 Human Hands (Early Version) 2:44
05 Kid About It (Alternate Version) 3:18
06 Little Savage (Alternate Version) 3:07
07 You Little Fool (Alternate Version) 2:59
08 Town Cryer (Fast Version) 2:15
09 Little Goody Two Shoes (Alternate Version) 3:10
10 The Town Where Time Stood Still (Alternate Version) 2:57
11 ...And In Every Home (Rehearsal) 3:12
12 I Turn Around 2:10
13 From Head To Toe 2:35
14 The World Of Broken Hearts 3:03
15 Night Time 2:55
16 Really Mystified 2:05
17 The Stamping Ground 3:10
18 Shabby Doll (Demo) 4:21
19 Man Out Of Time (Demo) 3:27
20 You Little Fool (Demo) 3:11
21 Town Cryer (Demo) 3:03
22 Seconds Of Pleasure (Demo) 3:19
23 Imperial Bedroom 2:48

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Perhaps frustrated by the lack of commercial success Imperial Bedroom encountered, Elvis Costello enlisted British hitmakers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley to produce its follow-up, Punch the Clock. The difference between the two records is immediately noticeable. Punch the Clock has a slick, glossy surface, complete with layered synthesizers, horns, studio effects, and the backup vocals of Afrodiziak. The approach isn't necessarily a misguided one, since Costello is as much a pop musician as he is a singer/songwriter and many of the best moments on the record -- "Everyday I Write the Book," "Let Them All Talk" -- work well as shiny pop singles. However, the problem with Punch the Clock is that Costello is entering a fallow songwriting period; it is his least consistent set of original songs to date. The best moments, the antiwar ballad "Shipbuilding" and the eerie pseudo-rap "Pills and Soap," are as articulate and effective as any of his past work, but frequently Costello falls short of meeting his standards, particularly when he's trying to write a song in the style of his older songs. Nevertheless, the sheen of the Langer and Winstanley production makes Punch the Clock a pleasurable listen.



Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Punch the Clock (flac 298mb)

01 Let Them All Talk 3:06
02 Everyday I Write The Book 3:54
03 The Greatest Thing 3:04
04 The Element Within Her 2:52
05 Love Went Mad 3:13
06 Shipbuilding 4:51
07 TKO (Boxing Day) 3:28
08 Charm School 3:55
09 The Invisible Man 3:04
10 Mouth Almighty 3:04
11 King Of Thieves 3:45
12 Pills And Soap 3:43
13 The World And His Wife 3:22

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Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Punch the Clock Bonus (flac 461mb)

01 Everyday I Write The Book (Alternate Version) 2:22
02 Baby Pictures 1:30
03 Heathen Town 3:09
04 The Flirting Kind 3:01
05 Walking On Thin Ice 3:48
06 Big Sister's Clothes/Stand Down Margaret (BBC Session) 5:17
07 Danger Zone (BBC Session) 2:18
08 Seconds Of Pleasure 3:44
09 The Town Where Time Stood Still 3:33
10 The World And His Wife (Solo Version) 2:44
11 Shatterproof 2:15
12 Heathen Town (Demo) 2:17
13 The Flirting Kind (Demo) 2:53
14 Let Them All Talk (Demo) 2:14
15 King Of Thieves (Demo) 3:20
16 The Invisible Man (Demo) 2:12
17 The Element Within Her (Demo) 2:13
18 Love Went Mad (Demo) 3:01
19 The Greatest Thing (Demo) 2:25
20 Mouth Almighty (Demo) 3:03
21 Charm School (Demo) 2:17
22 Possession (Live) 2:29
23 Secondary Modern (Live) 3:02
24 The Bells (Live) 4:14
25 Watch Your Step (Live) 3:22
26 Back Stabbers/King Horse (Live) 4:47

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could you reupload Punch the Clock, please? That'd be great.

Anonymous said...

Rho,
Could you please re-up Imperial Bedroom, and the bonus disc? Thanks!