North is a Masterpiece

Pretty self-explanatory
cbartal
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North is a Masterpiece

Post by cbartal »

North is a masterpiece. End of story. If Elvis never released another "rockin rythym" record that would be fine with me.

This record is a rebirth for Elvis. It is the "Nebraska" of the new millenium, only better.

Guaranteed to whittle his fan base down to the devoted few though.
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BlueChair
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Post by BlueChair »

Elvis never rock out again? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Misha
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Post by Misha »

A) Elvis must rock again!! I can't imagine not hearing new rock from him in the future....what a horrible, horrible waste!!

B) Just checked the Billboard.com site to see if he made the charts...I could only see the top 100 without signing up, and he isn't in it....I checked a bunch of the other more category specific charts, not in that either, this is for the Oct. 4 week. So, we'll have to look again. But, on their homepage it has his face under the header of "Heavy Rotation".
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Misha
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Post by Misha »

A) Elvis must rock again!! I can't imagine not hearing new rock from him in the future....what a horrible, horrible waste!!

B) Just checked the Billboard.com site to see if he made the charts...I could only see the top 100 without signing up, and he isn't in it....I checked a bunch of the other more category specific charts, not in that either, this is for the Oct. 4 week. So, we'll have to look again. But, on their homepage it has his face under the header of "Heavy Rotation".
Where are the strong?

Who are the trusted?
Misha
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Post by Misha »

A) Elvis must rock again!! I can't imagine not hearing new rock from him in the future....what a horrible, horrible waste!!

B) Just checked the Billboard.com site to see if he made the charts...I could only see the top 100 without signing up, and he isn't in it....I checked a bunch of the other more category specific charts, not in that either, this is for the Oct. 4 week. So, we'll have to look again. But, on their homepage it has his face under the header of "Heavy Rotation".
Where are the strong?

Who are the trusted?
Pov
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Post by Pov »

Hey, Misha - what did you say? I didn't hear you! :D

Seriously, though, the more I listen to North the more I enjoy it. Seeing the songs performed live helped a lot to. I can see many times in my life in the future when I will be in the mood for this record.

I haven't listened to Nebraska in years though. Even The Rising hasn't made it to my CD player recently. Has Elvis held up better than Bruce over the years? Musically, perhaps. I think all the experimenting in different genres helps him stay fresh.
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girl out of time
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Post by girl out of time »

.....following the springsteen related remarks.....i think north would be to costello what tunnel of love meant to bruce.......
.....comparing great artists like these two is always tough (specially for me cause they are two of my favourite musicians) but to be honest i think springsteen hasn´t released an interesting record since 1995´s The Ghost of Tom Joad......while costello has released some of his greatest stuff such as All this Useless Beauty and When I was Cruel.....
...the promise of indulgence in my confidential voice approached inmortal danger but you´ll never know how close....
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A rope leash
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Northenol

Post by A rope leash »

North will go down in history as a sure-fire cure for insomnia.
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

Elvis must rock again!

I admire his love for all types of music and respect that about him. But what makes Elvis great is that he does it all - all types of music.

Confining him to one musical genre would be a real crime!!
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LessThanZero
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Post by LessThanZero »

a crime of paris!

(some of them address you en francae)

how do you spell francay?
Loving this board since before When I Was Cruel.
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BlueChair
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Post by BlueChair »

francais

the s is silent
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LessThanZero
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Post by LessThanZero »

duh!

HAHA, thanks Blue.
Loving this board since before When I Was Cruel.
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miss buenos aires
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Re: Northenol

Post by miss buenos aires »

A rope leash wrote:North will go down in history as a sure-fire cure for insomnia.
Is that a dig? Because there are certain albums (Yo La Tengo's And then nothing turned itself inside out, for one) that I listen to when I'm having trouble sleeping, but I love them just the same. It's not that the music is uninteresting, it's just so soothing.
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

It's 1am and I have North on. It's now that I really notice the light drum brushes and cymbal taps.
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SoLikeCandy
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Post by SoLikeCandy »

After having a fight on the phone with my boyfriend, listening to "North" in a candlelit, hot bath full of bubbles while smoking and drinking a Jack and Coke is closer to Heaven than I've been in a long time.

It's definitely mood music. Not something you listen to to wake up in the morning...
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Misha
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Post by Misha »

I guess I had something to say last time!! Sorry for the multiple postings!!

I was sitting in a coffee shop reading and drinking, and North was playing, it was brilliant in that setting.

I just can't put it in to drive or when I need a boost....
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Otis Westinghouse
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

1am, time for the Peter Erskine moment... I love North in bed, but then I love lots of my favourite music there.

I have to say, though, that I'm enjoying Reality too much to be too drawn in by North yet. North lacks the dimension for me, while Reality has a fantstic range to it. Oh well, it was never going to be easy having two such different records at the same time, though one is more a day LP and one more a night (that said, what could be better pre-sleep, music-wise that is, than Bring Me The Head Of The Disco King?).
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Post by norman brain »

I think NORTH has some great songs. To their detriment, they sound like one 40-minute track due to the structure and arrangements. I have discovered that what I love the most about EC albums is what Elvis tries to avoid- mixing it up! Think about TRUST, IMPERIAL BEDROOM, KING OF AMERICA, SPIKE- these records are overflowing with a variety of great music from many genres, yet they each meld into a cohesive piece that FEELS like an Elvis Costello album should feel. He is indeed a renaissance man, but I prefer that from song to song instead of album to album. He used to turn me on to several different genres of music per album instead of one. That's why the scattered country songs stand out more than a whole album of country, and why "Town Cryer" is more beloved than the whole of THE JULIET LETTERS.

I respect Elvis' songwriting, and will always be there to hear what is next. I guess it's just the kid in me who wants to love a new album so much that I play it every waking minute (like I did the whole of the Columbia years).
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BlueChair
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Post by BlueChair »

Am I the only one who liked North pretty immediately? Maybe it's because I have an appreciation for classical and jazz. I dunno. I may even like it was much as When I Was Cruel.
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SweetPear
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Post by SweetPear »

norman brain wrote:I think NORTH has some great songs. To their detriment, they sound like one 40-minute track due to the structure and arrangements.......
I respect Elvis' songwriting, and will always be there to hear what is next. I guess it's just the kid in me who wants to love a new album so much that I play it every waking minute (like I did the whole of the Columbia years).
That comes pretty close to how I feel right now about North. I heard it performed live first and have only heard the disc all the way through twice. I do like it the more I listen to it. I don't seem to like the songs that everyone else seems to. I kinda like the first track and I know there's another, I'm just not sure which one it is.
Definately mood music.....and that just fine. SoLikeCandy, you have the right idea. I see myself in that exact scenario!
Oddly (but expectedly) I see this opening up EC's fan base (or at least getting some sales from a market that would not normally purchase an EC record.) My mother's b-day is coming up. She'll be 63. I considered getting her North. And I don't mean that in a bad way at all.
The music is what it is....and I think mom would like it.

P.S. For some reason I feel like I have to add that I have pretty much loved everything EC has put out with only one exception, and that is For The Stars. I don't want my remarks about North chalked up to me being one of those fans who only likes the "rockin' Elvis."
Not true at all.
I'm not angry anymore....
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Jackson Monk
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Post by Jackson Monk »

Well, after being a little sceptical at first, I have really grown to love North. I thinks it's a damn fine record.

Fallen (whichI woke up humming today) is a great 'faling in love' song and 'Someone Took The Words Away' is heartbreaking in it's simplicity. Anyone who has ever had a painful break-up will relate to it. 'Someone....' is my current favourite and, as with the whole album, it demands to be listened to.
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Post by Copenhagen Fan »

hey Guys...I'm going to buy North and need some feedback ...so I don't waste my money.

1) I HATE Julliet Letters....!

2) I LOVE Painted by Memory !

Where does North fit in with regards to these two more atypical Elvis CDs?
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verbal gymnastics
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

In my view it's more Juliet Letters.

You could be disappointed.

Why don't you give it a listen on the official website just to get a flavour?
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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bambooneedle
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Post by bambooneedle »

If it's the sometimes tense and busy instrumentation on TJL that bothers you, that's not how North strikes me at all. But nor is it really much like PFM... The vocals dominate and are not even loud. The instruments do their job but don't attract too much attention to themselves.
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Post by PlaythingOrPet »

BlueChair wrote:Am I the only one who liked North pretty immediately? Maybe it's because I have an appreciation for classical and jazz. I dunno. I may even like it was much as When I Was Cruel.
No, BC, you ain't. I loved the simplicity of the songs and its to-the-point message from the start (can a record containing a 48-piece orchestra ever be called simple?). Do you really think it's true people must have, at the very least, a small love of classical and/or jazz to fully appreciate it? I reckon.

I don't think I like it more than WIWC, though.
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