Elvis Costello Fan Forum

A live series is a great idea. Even if this "El Mocambo" is just a straight reissue of what's already been available before, it's been a long time since the 2 1/2 Years Box. But I'd be hopeful that maybe EC would be dipping into his archives of live shows spanning his career. You could rea...

I'm always a bit perplexed when an "mp3 release" like this is touted as a big deal or an "exclusive"-- like when the official Costello site had banner ads proclaiming that "Taking Liberties" and "Out Of Our Idiot" were finally available as digital downloads. I...

I always think of ATUB as a lost opportunity for Elvis-- it could've been a great album, but he made a few poor choices that weakened the whole album. 1) The exclusion of "Almost Ideal Eyes." The album would've been much, much better with this song on it-- a great, ambitious number with gr...

That's a great collection of underrated EC picks. "Sleep Of The Just" is a truly underrated song-- when's the last time he even played this in concert? As for Il Sogno, I didn't even include it in my listing. I know that Elvis would argue that "it's all music", but I think it's r...

Oh MAN! Factoring in the Rhino Bonus Discs completely changes things! To the point where I don't even think I can fathom making a Top 25-- for one thing, some perfect albums have only so-so Bonus Discs (B&C), while the bonus discs for GCW, ATUB, & KV definitely bump them up a few notches. It...

1. Mighty Like a Rose 2. Get Happy!! 3. Brutal Youth 4. Blood & Chocolate 5. Trust 6. King of America 7. The Juliet Letters 8. Spike 9. Imperial Bedroom 10. This Year's Model 11. Punch the Clock 12. Armed Forces 13. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane 14. North 15. All This Useless Beauty 16. My Aim...

I don't see that "Dirty Rotten Shame" is available on US iTunes-- I know it was a "pre-order" bonus track, but it vanished as soon as the album was released. "Femme Fatale" is a 99 cent bonus track on iTunes, and "What Lewis Did Last" is an Amazon mp3 bonus tr...

EC has made four really solid albums with The Imposters, but on record they haven't really caught fire the way The Attractions did. But then again, I'm not sure that those records would have been any flashier if Bruce had been on board, really. They have a different kind of energy, and it's not just...

What a nice feature! I always love it when Elvis talks about other people's music, it's what's made him a powerful guest DJ on so many radio programs over the years, and it's part of what makes Spectacle worth watching. I really love that he picked Dylan's "Cross The Green Mountain"-- one ...

Two points of agreement-- "Alibi" is just an "OK" song, and longer than it needs to be for me, too. Of course, in the latter half of his career, I tend to have more appreciation for his sad songs than his angry ones. He never seems to run out of different ways to express heartbre...

I guess I'm just rejecting your premise-- not that you didn't like the song, which (as I said) is simply a 'to each his own' deal, but this charge: Needs another verse and I never thought I'd see the day when EC would resort to simply repeating the title over and over again as a middle eight. I just...

How Deep Is The Red - This really should have been a classic EC song, but it seems half finished to me. Needs another verse and I never thought I'd see the day when EC would resort to simply repeating the title over and over again as a middle eight. I just sounds like he's running out of ideas and ...

I've had several occasions where I've preferred an earlier live version of a song to the eventual studio recording that emerged-- "45" being probably the most stark contrast, it sounded moving and heartfelt when he premiered it in a Costello & Nieve version (acoustic guitar and piano) ...

Personally, I think it'd be great if he pulled out any of the covers he did for the "George Jones Demos", like "Brilliant Disguise" or "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go."

Tour opener: "My Resistance Is Low" SCORE ONE FOR THE MESSAGE BOARD!!!

I'd love to see EC defy the odds and book either Dylan or Prince for Season Two. Dylan "just doesn't do TV," but didn't he used to show up on Johnny Cash's show, back in the 70s? Surely by now he must have enough of a sense of what Costello's about to realize that this would be the perfect...

Great interview! The most exciting part: This record was recorded a year ago. I've written at least two albums of material since then. I might record at least two more albums this year. Interesting that so many people are having the reaction to SP&SC that "It's no Momofuku." Because I'...

I like the implication that Lewis might be a cannibal. Otherwise, why store her remains in the larder?

You should definitely print these up and give them to EC.

Has anyone actually gotten their hands on a copy of the LP yet? I looked in a few shops here in NYC, but no sign of it yet... I have to say that the more I listen to this album, the more I love it. Even songs that I was just so-so on initially, like "Down Among The Wines and Spirits", are ...

That's hilarious! Elvis should see that-- better yet, he should perform that version at least once in concert!

Can you scan the Japanese booklet (that part at least, and the credits for those songs?)

I can imagine that's a frustrating typo for the casual listener who just owns the CD and thinks they're somehow missing one of the tracks! Or maybe it just reads like trivia: "Did you know that the song 'Femme Fatale' was written by Lou Reed?" FYI, if you wanna hear it, iTunes has it for a...

I'm just glad he's made an actual decision-- it feels like he's spent the years since MLAR in a perpetual state of not quite having a beard but not quite being clean-shaven. At least the mustache is a choice. Personally, I think he'd probably look best if he grew a beard that was slightly less insan...

I just posted this in another thread, but it turns out that "Femme Fatale" IS available as a single track download on iTunes USA, just like "What Lewis Did Last" is available for 99 cents on Amazon. So this time, they actually HAVE made it pretty easy. (I'm sure "Dirty Rotte...

Although it says that it'll be hitting iTunes, Amazon, etc. on June 17th, if you go to that link you can buy the track immediately in a variety of formats from mp3 to FLAC. This is what I mean when I say how exciting it could be if Elvis really embraced his own website as a bully pulpit and means of...

Interesting to look at Amazon's charts at the moment. No 14 in the US and no 314 in the UK. I think that says a lot about where Elvis is at. Did EC's anti-UK statements around the time of North really have that big an impact? Or is it something else? Ten years ago, he managed to sneak his way into ...

I may be alone in thinking this, but I'm always amazed that Punch The Clock is regarded by many as a weak follow-up to IB. This may be heresy, but I always thought those two albums complimented each other nicely-- they're both "pop" records, and they both augment the Attractions with addit...