RhoDeo 1238 Aetix

Hello, Aetix time in the spotlight today a very busy body who has produced 30 something in albums in the 34 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. Anyway here today are his first albums, that said i deliberately omitted the best seller, This Years Model, who wants to go to Chelsea anyway ?   Njoy...

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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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Elvis Costello was as much a pub rocker as he was a punk rocker and nowhere is that more evident than on his debut, My Aim Is True. His sensibility is borrowed from the pile-driving rock & roll and folksy introspection of pub rockers like Brinsley Schwarz, adding touches of cult singer/songwriters like Randy Newman and David Ackles. Then, there's the infusion of pure nastiness and cynical humor, which is pure Costello. That blend of classicist sensibilities and cleverness make this collection of shiny roots rock a punk record -- it informs his nervy performances and his prickly songs. Of all classic punk debuts, this remains perhaps the most idiosyncratic because it's not cathartic in sound, only in spirit. Which, of course, meant that it could play to a broader audience, and Linda Ronstadt did indeed cover the standout ballad "Alison." Still, there's no mistaking this for anything other than a punk record, and it's a terrific one at that, since even if he buries his singer/songwriter inclinations, they shine through as brightly as his cheerfully mean humor and immense musical skill; he sounds as comfortable with a '50s knockoff like "No Dancing" as he does on the reggae-inflected "Less Than Zero." Costello went on to more ambitious territory fairly quickly, but My Aim Is True is a phenomenal debut, capturing a songwriter and musician whose words were as rich and clever as his music.

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True (flac  394mb)

01 - Welcome To The Working Week (1:22)
02 - Miracle Man (3:27)
03 - No Dancing (2:37)
04 - Blame It On Cain (2:47)
05 - Alison (3:20)
06 - Sneaky Feelings (2:07)
07 - Watching The Detectives (3:29)
08 - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (2:45)
09 - Less Than Zero (3:11)
10 - Mystery Dance (1:36)
11 - Pay It Back (2:31)
12 - I'm Not Angry (2:56)
13 - Waiting For The End Of The World (3:19)
  The Out-Takes
14 No Action (Early Version) 2:16
15 Living In Paradise (Early Version) 3:00
16 Radio Sweetheart 2:32
17 Stranger In The House 3:05
  The Pathway Studios Demos
18 Welcome To The Working Week 1:28
19 Blue Minute 1:36
20 Miracle Man 2:22
21 Waiting For The End Of The World 2:28
22 Call On Me 1:58
23 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes 2:06
24 I Don't Want To Go Home 1:45
25 I Hear A Melody 2:11

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After releasing and touring the intense This Year's Model, Elvis Costello quickly returned to the studio with the Attractions to record his third album, Armed Forces. In contrast to the stripped-down pop and rock of his first two albums, Armed Forces boasted a detailed and textured pop production, but it was hardly lavish. However, the more spacious arrangements -- complete with ringing pianos, echoing reverb, layered guitars, and harmonies -- accent Costello's melodies, making the record more accessible than his first two albums. Perversely, while the sound of Costello's music was becoming more open and welcoming, his songs became more insular and paranoid, even though he cloaked his emotions well. Many of the songs on Armed Forces use politics as a metaphor for personal relationships. It's a dense but accessible pop record and ranks as his third masterpiece in a row.

Elvis Costello And The Attractions - Armed Forces (flac  322mb)

01 Accidents Will Happen 3:01
02 Senior Service 2:17
03 Oliver's Army 2:59
04 Big Boys 2:56
05 Green Shirt 2:43
06 Party Girl 3:24
07 Goon Squad 3:14
08 Busy Bodies 3:35
09 Sunday's Best 3:22
10 Moods For Moderns 2:50
11 Chemistry Class 2:56
12 Two Little Hitlers 3:16
13 (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? 3:32
14 Big Boys (Alternate Version) 2:56
15 Busy Bodies (Alternate Version) 3:48

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Get Happy!! was born as much from sincere love for soul, it resulted in a 20-song blue-eyed soul tour de force, where Costello doesn't just want to prove his love, he wants to prove his knowledge. So, he tries everything, starting with Motown and Northern soul, then touching on smooth uptown ballads and gritty Southern soul, even finding common ground between the two by recasting Sam & Dave's "I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)" as a careening stomper. What's remarkable is that this approach dovetails with the pop carnival essayed by Armed Forces, standing as a full-fledged Costello record instead of a genre exercise. As it furiously flits through 20 songs, Costello's cynicisms, rage, humor, and misanthropic sensibility gel remarkably well. Some songs may not quite hit their targets, but that's part of the album's charm -- it moves so fast that its lesser songs rush by on the way to such full-fledged masterpieces as "New Amsterdam," "High Fidelity," and "Riot Act." Get Happy!! bursts with energy and invention, standing as a testament to how Costello, the pop encyclopedia, can reinvent the past in his own image.

Elvis Costello and The Attractions ‎- Get Happy!! (flac  280mb)

01 Love For Tender 1:57
02 Opportunity 3:13
03 The Imposter 1:58
04 Secondary Modern 1:58
05 King Horse 3:01
06 Possession 2:03
07 Men Called Uncle 2:17
08 Clowntime Is Over 2:59
09 New Amsterdam 2:12
10 High Fidelity 2:28
11 I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down) 2:06
12 Black & White World 1:56
13 5ive Gears In Reverse 2:38
14 B Movie 2:04
15 Motel Matches 2:30
16 Human Touch 2:30
17 Beaten To The Punch 1:49
18 Temptation 2:33
19 I Stand Accused 2:21
20 Riot Act 3:35

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