New Rhino bonus tracks revealed! (AB/GCW/KV)

Pretty self-explanatory
laughingcrow
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Post by laughingcrow »

Yeah...Demon and Ryko are the same thing.
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Post by King Hoarse »

Yeah, Demon in Europe, Ryko Stateside.
Elvis used to be a part-owner of Demon, maybe he still is.

Kojak Variety was never reissued before, and I'm surprised it is now. When it was first released Elvis said it would be available for a short period only, and it has indeed been out of print for quite awhile.
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

I've enjoyed the copy of Kojak Variety that DrS picked up just before we were married - which will be 8 years ago this Monday. The original was a very special group of songs to me and I look forward to hearing the reissue.
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Post by ice nine »

Copenhagen Fan wrote:....sometimes I think that some people on the board would say that it was great if Elvis farted and recorded it.

Wasn't this the B-side of What's So Funny About PLU?
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Post by wehitandrun »

Why isn't this single on the singles box sets?
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Post by clairequilty »

ice nine wrote:
Copenhagen Fan wrote:....sometimes I think that some people on the board would say that it was great if Elvis farted and recorded it.

Wasn't this the B-side of What's So Funny About PLU?
It's a well known fact that Elvis never released his farts because they couldn't approach the raw intimacy of his demos.

It seems he had recently become a vegan, and couldn't reproduce the magic in the studio.

Vegetarian Chili just doesn't cut it.
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Post by martinfoyle »

There are tapes of EC in ablution mode
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... t=bathroom
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

I'd forgotten how funny that was!
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Post by bambooneedle »

Well they're all up on amazon u.s. now (no track lists there yet)... usually the best buying option for me (via this site of course), but I don't remember new reissues being $US18.98. All the rest of them are no more than $US14.99.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 76-2948920
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Post by martinfoyle »

From: nunki
http://listserv.aol.com/archives/costello-l.html
Subject: the new Rhino bonus discs: my review (very long, beware)


First, a SPOILER WARNING. If you're concerned about reading too much
about the new bonus discs before you hear them, you may not want to
read this message.

I'll try not to gush so much that I create expectations that the bonus
discs can't possibly match. I'm a big fan of this reissue program, and
I think these are extremely worthy entries in the series.

The US release date for all three is August 3. The UK dates are July 26
for ALMOST BLUE and GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD and August 2 for KOJAK VARIETY.


The ALMOST BLUE bonus disc opens on an odd note with two songs which
have Elvis limited to a supporting role: "Stranger in the House" with
George Jones and the previously unheard "We Oughta Be Ashamed" with
Johnny Cash. The latter isn't quite the back-and-forth duet I expected,
as the spotlight is very much on Cash with Elvis joining in on the
chorus and singing just one line on his own. It sounds a bit out of
place on an Elvis Costello album, but it's n enjoyable if unremarkable
performance. As a fan of both Costello and Cash, I'm thrilled to hear
it at last.

The pace picks up with seven songs from the 1979 show at the Palomino
club. For me this is the highlight of the disc. Aside from the familiar
version of "Psycho," there's "Radio Sweetheart" (a rare band
performance, sounding great), "Stranger in the House" (when I first saw
the track listing, I thought it would be awfully repetitive having this
so soon after the George Jones version, but they really don't sound
much alike), "If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You)" (the
weakest song in the set, but still interesting), "Motel Matches" (I
knew from bootlegs that this had significantly different lyrics, but
now I can actually make them out!), "He'll Have To Go" (excellent), and
"Girls Talk" (a unique country arrangement).

Then we get "Too Far Gone" and "He's Got You" from Elvis' "trial
session" in Nashville prior to the start of the ALMOST BLUE sessions.
These are nice although not too different from the versions we've heard
before. If you're wondering, "He's Got You" is not the same version as
on the bootleg NASHVILLE AND MORE, but it's the same basic arrangement.

Next up are the 11 outtakes from the main album sessions. Only three of
these are previously unreleased, and even they have been previously
bootlegged. That said, the upgrade in sound quality is significant (and
Rhino restores the full endings which faded out on the bootleg), and
"I'll Take Care of You" in particular is a welcome addition to the
Costello catalog. There are no real surprises here for hardcore fans,
but it is nevertheless a fine assembly of what was already out there
but spread over various releases. Thankfully, Rhino uses the correct
single versions of "Wondering" and "Cry, Cry, Cry," which have never
been available on CD before.

A live "Brand New Heartache" is the disc's final surprise. It's not
bad, but it's not quite as good as the previously available live tracks
which follow. Rhino has obviously returned to the original tape for the
Aberdeen tracks, because they're slightly more complete than what we've
heard before.


GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD gets off to a slightly weak start with a studio
alternate of "The Only Flame In Town." This is basically a band
arrangement of the ballad version, and it's a little too repetitive to
hold my interest, with an especially repetitive keyboard part which
borders on annoying. I'm curious to find out if other people will like
this any better than I do.

"Young Boy Blues," on the other hand, is a fine studio outtake. This is
inexplicably labeled a "demo," but it is a fully realized band
performance with a great vocal.

After a few previously available tracks (including the CD debut of
"Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)"), we get a set of five studio demos.
All but one are straightforward guitar-and-vocal performances. The
exception is "I Wanna Be Loved," which has sloppy piano accompaniment
instead. Both it and especially "The Great Unknown" nicely present
these GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD tracks in stripped-down form which emphasize
the lyrics. "Turning The Town Red" is wildly different from the
familiar version in terms of both lyrics and melody. (This is also how
the song was played in concert in late 1983.) "Peace In Our Time,"
which had a fairly light production touch on the album, doesn't sound
too different in demo form. The cover of John Hiatt's "She Loves The
Jerk" is pretty good, but I'm still wondering what possessed EC to
record it in the first place.

After "Withered and Died," we get seven demos which EC presumably
recorded at home. These sound similar to the home demos on the PUNCH
THE CLOCK bonus disc, although there are fewer overdubs on the new
ones. Most are just guitar-and-vocal, but "The Comedians" adds a piano
overdub and "Inch By Inch" has multi-tracked vocals. Those two and "Joe
Porterhouse" present the songs without the cluttered production of the
album, and they sound terrific. "The Town Where Time Stood Still" is
nice but not significantly different from the previous versions (which
makes me wonder why he bothered to record it again). The two "new"
songs, "Mystery Voice" and "Blue Murder On Union Avenue" are made up
largely from elements of familiar songs. "Blue Murder On Union Avenue"
is essentially an early version of "Worthless Thing" with a different
chorus and some different lyrics. "Mystery Voice" developed into two
different songs on GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD. I won't reveal which ones.

The previously unreleased live renditions of "What I Like Most About
You Is Your Girlfriend" and "Love Field" toward the end are fine
additions, but mostly they make me wish EC would release a complete
show from the 1984 solo tour.


KOJAK VARIETY is unique among the Rhino bonus discs in that it can
really stand entirely on its own, bearing little more than a thematic
connection to the album it accompanies. Like the original album, it
consists entirely of covers, but only one song comes from the KOJAK
sessions, and only one other is an alternate of a KOJAK track. This may
be the bonus disc which is most appealing to Costello fans who don't
share my fascination with the alternates which tend to dominate the
other bonus discs.

The 10 George Jones demos -- seven of them entirely unreleased -- are
simply wonderful. Although they're not overly polished, they sound more
complete than EC's demos ordinarily sound. They capture EC's voice at
an interesting point, immediately after recording THE JULIET LETTERS,
when he seems to have an extra confidence in his voice, and yet he
sings without any apparent effort to show off. In particular he holds
the notes longer than usual, and he does it without his trademark
vibrato. This is presumably meant as an imitation of Jones' style, but
the resemblance is fairly subtle. I doubt anyone would pick up on it
without knowing the back story, because they work as Elvis Costello
songs.

My favorite is "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go," but I
wouldn't be surprised if I had a different favorite tomorrow, because
they all sound good to me. Even the most familiar song, "Pouring Water
on a Drowning Man," differs more from EC's other versions than you'd
probably expect. Several songs feature great multi-tracked harmonies,
which I imagine will delight Connor.

The other half of the disc is devoted to previously available non-LP
covers. I like having these all gathered together, and they're nicely
sequenced, but I'm not going to review them track by track.
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wardo68
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RE: spoilers warning

Post by wardo68 »

Thanks for posting this, Martin. I check nunki's EC on Rhino site daily for updates, and I'm looking forward to picking these up on Aug. 3. Sounds like some good stuff to be heard.
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Post by Branst »

Why isn't "Deportee" part of the GCW bonus disc? I love this version (as well as the album version), it's a shame if it's not included.
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Post by wardo68 »

Branst wrote:Why isn't "Deportee" part of the GCW bonus disc? I love this version (as well as the album version), it's a shame if it's not included.
I imagine it will be part of the King of America bonus disc, whenever that arrives. (The version on the Ryko GCW was recorded in April of '85.)
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Post by BlueChair »

King Hoarse wrote:Yeah, Demon in Europe, Ryko Stateside..
You mean Rhino. Ryko hasn't released any Elvis Costello CD's since the original remasters in the early 90's.
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Post by wehitandrun »

I should be able to download these soon if that review is up. LEAK IT! YEAH!
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Post by BlueChair »

Buy them!
This morning you've got time for a hot, home-cooked breakfast! Delicious and piping hot in only 3 microwave minutes.
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Post by laughingcrow »

BlueChair wrote:
King Hoarse wrote:Yeah, Demon in Europe, Ryko Stateside..
You mean Rhino. Ryko hasn't released any Elvis Costello CD's since the original remasters in the early 90's.
That's what we were talking about Bluey :D I was going on about whether there are any tracks that were on the demon reissues of these...I didn't know KJ was not remastered tho...that aren't on the new Rhino ones....I now know that;

He's Got You (live; Aberdeen 81) [4:17]
Cry Cry Cry (live; Aberdeen 81) [2:45]


are not on the AB disc...

Intro [1:11]
Remove This Doubt [4:48]
Hidden Charms [3:41]
Everybody's Crying Mercy [6:00]
I've Been Wrong Before [3:38]
Running Out Of Fools [3:12]
Leave My Kitten Alone [3:54]
The Very Thought Of You [4:44]
Pouring Water On A Drowning Man [3:48]
Must You Throw Dirt In My Face? [5:45]
Bama Lama Bama Loo [3:21]
Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used To Do? (4:08.)
Alison (2:54)
Pump It Up (7:54)
Outro (0:19)


...from the Live In London KJ promo (never heard this...any comments?) are not on the KJ reissue.

Deportee

as previously mentioned from GCW.
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Post by VonOfterdingen »

Ryko, Rhino, Demon and I got five re-issues from Edsel?!

I'm really mystified
I'm not buying my share of souvenirs
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Post by martinfoyle »

I gave the AB bonus disc a good listen this evening. One query: Does the Palomino version of Psycho on this have the original vocal or is it the overdubbed vocal?
One definite difference is that the full 12inch version of the RPO version of I'm Your Toy is used i.e. includes the intro. Only 5 seconds more, still it was an annoying omission on the last re-issue.
Still, to be blunt, there's an air of 'silk purse out of a sows ear' about the whole thing. The album itself was a misfire; the b-sides are that exactly, b-sides. The one crowning highlight is his version of Brook Benton's I'll Take Care Of You. I've had this on a bootleg for a while, hearing it direct from the master is light years better.
The theme of the set is to document EC's Nashville work. It would have worked better if he had put all the studio stuff on disc 1, and thus put more of the much better live stuff on disc 2, even including stuff from the recent Rhyman shows. The version of I Wanna Be Loved from Oct 2002 is one of his finest moments, imo. Last March’s show is similiarly full of highlights.
Excellent sleeve note, his writing style gets better with each outing.
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Post by Sour Milk Cow »

martinfoyle wrote:Still, to be blunt, there's an air of 'silk purse out of a sows ear' about the whole thing. The album itself was a misfire; the b-sides are that exactly, b-sides.
I think the album is much more than a misfire. If Costello had retired in 1990, it would have been more of an oddball record, but it makes a lot more sense now. More than any Costello record, it benefits from the hindsight of his career, and the other b-sides are part of that larger picture. Now that he has records with Bacharach and the Broskies and such, an album of country songs doesn't seem too far out.

Personally, I look forward to tracks like "Honky Tonk Girl" which is as good as anything that made the album. In fact, in many ways, this deluxe reissue is kind of like having two "volumes" of Almost Blue plus a live album.

So, while some of these Rhino reissues are more for hardcore fans and people who might be interested in hearing loads of alternate takes and demos, this is one reissue that actually offers the casual listener more to listen to that isn't simply rehashing the album tracks.

It looks like the Kojak Variety bonus disc will offer a similar expansive experience, since the second disc doesn't really repeat much from the album itself. I love the reissues, and I love hearing demos and rare stuff, but I will probably listen to disc two of AB and KV more than I return to, say, the Brutal Youth bonus disc.
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Post by wehitandrun »

Almost Blue is one of my top five Elvis releases. It is brilliant in every sense of the word.
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Post by laughingcrow »

I've just got back (long story, stayed out last night, won pub quiz, hurrah, watched Jeeves and Wooster till early hours, drunk, very tired, not much time to listen, anyways...) with both reissues in tow. GCW has received the most (of the limted) attention so far...

Highlights so far:

Only flame alt.version, great song without the effects. The country'n'western version of Girl's Talk (to the same style as the Edmunds version, but countried up) and the poppier produced version of I hope you're happy now...also reminding me what a great song Home Truth is.

One slight quibble...many of the demo versions included are less-than-great sound quality, quite hissy, but it doesn't detract too much from the performance.

The liner notes are pretty good for this too...talks about the video for Only Flame being the best video they did, apologises a bit for the infamous Congratulations! remark, the Langer and Winstanley (over)production is mulled over, then a bit about Peace in our time and it's relevance today! Good stuff!

Addendum: GCW liner notes says Richard Thompson was in mind for a bit of guitar mastery on Joe Porterhouse. That would have been great...'Shoot out the lights' and' I want to see the bright lights tonight' are both namechecked.
Last edited by laughingcrow on Wed Jul 28, 2004 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by wardo68 »

So I'm guessing he did all new notes for GCW (as opposed to adding an introduction and postscript to the Rhino PTC)?

Looking forward to all three -- only six more days here in the USA!
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Post by BlueChair »

I just preordered the three from Amazon.ca. Hopefully they send 'em on time!
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Post by laughingcrow »

wardo68 wrote:So I'm guessing he did all new notes for GCW (as opposed to adding an introduction and postscript to the Rhino PTC)?

Looking forward to all three -- only six more days here in the USA!

Dunno...never had the reissues of either before.
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