WIWC sold 201,000 copies in U.S.

Pretty self-explanatory
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johnfoyle
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WIWC sold 201,000 copies in U.S.

Post by johnfoyle »

.....is an interesting fact in this neat roundup of the latest Costello news.
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http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/artic ... 1000534680

Two Costello Albums Set For September




Elvis Costello has set a Sept. 21 release date for the
simultaneous release of two new albums. As first
reported here in April, a new rock album will be
issued by Lost Highway, while "Il Sogno," his first
full-length orchestral work, will emerge via Deutsche
Grammophon.

Largely recorded at Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford,
Miss., the as-yet-untitled rock album features
Costello backed by his band the Imposters --
Attractions drummer Pete Thomas and keyboardist Steve
Nieve and former Cracker bassist Davey Farragher.

The disc also includes guest appearances by Lucinda
Williams and Emmylou Harris, who give voice to
characters in the song "The Delivery Man." Also
featured is pedal steel guitarist John McFee (Doobie
Brothers), who previously appeared on Costello's 1977
debut "My Aim Is True" and 1981's "Almost Blue."

Produced by Costello and Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse,
Throwing Muses), the album also features the song
"Monkey to Man," recorded in Clarksdale, Miss., home
to the Delta Blues Museum and often referred to as the
birthplace of the genre.

The set will be the follow-up to 2002's "When I Was
Cruel," his last album with the Imposters. The Island
set debuted at No. 20 on The Billboard 200 and has
sold 201,000 copies in the United States, according to
Nielsen SoundScan.

As for "Il Sogno," it was recorded in 2002 by the
London Symphony Orchestra after being originally
commissioned by Italy's Aterballeto dance company for
an adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"I was extremely surprised to be asked, I had little
or no understanding of the world of dance," Costello
says. "When asked 'Who is your favorite dancer?,' I
replied honestly, 'Cyd Charisse.'"

"There are elements of humor [in the score]," he says.
"When it came to writing music for the supernatural
beings in the story, I thought it is only appropriate
that they should be swinging faeries. However, there
are also passages representing confusion, jealousy,
anger and turmoil. These cues have the edges, angles
that I go looking for in rock and roll but the way
they are achieved is utterly different. I hope there
are also moments of tenderness."

The ballet premiered in Bologna and was staged
elsewhere in Italy before Costello began to adapt the
score to a concert piece. Michael Tilson-Thomas
conducted the London Symphony's recording, which
features guest soloists drummer Peter Erskine and
saxophonist John Harle.

Costello has plans to open Rotterdam, Holland's North
Sea Jazz Festival with a July 8 performance at the
Buhrmann Midsummer Jazz Gala. Nieve and the Metropole
Orkest will join him for the performance of songs from
Costello's 2003 solo album, "North," and other
back-catalog tracks, as well as several unrecorded
pieces.

The 52-member Metropole Orkest will reprise its
performance with Costello July 13 when it makes its
North American debut at New York's Lincoln Center
Festival 2004. Costello will play the event two nights
later with the Imposters, and on July 17 attend the
continental premiere of "Il Sogno," performed by the
Brooklyn Philharmonic. Nieve and Costello will also
perform several songs accompanied by the orchestra
during the second half of the evening's program.

Expanded reissues of "Almost Blue," the 1984 set
"Goodbye Cruel World" and 1995's "Kojak Variety" will
arrive Aug. 3 via Rhino. Costello is also featured
performing "Let's Misbehave" on the soundtrack to the
Cole Porter biopic "De-Lovely." Released Tuesday by
Sony Music Soundtrax, the collection features
Costello's new bride, Diana Krall, as well as Alanis
Morisette, Sheryl Crow and Natalie Cole, among others.


-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
norman brain
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Post by norman brain »

August 3 for the reissues? Here we go with the delayed release-date game again! No fun.
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migdd
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Post by migdd »

Thanks, John, for the update! This is enough great news to make one want to wish the summer away!
wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

201,000 copies. That's strange. He is selling at the rate of Saves the Day and Glassjaw. It thus proves the point that Elvis Costello is an underground favorite with cult followers (was this ever in doubt- Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame inductions aside?).

Do you guys think that the next album will sell better?
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sweetest punch
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Post by sweetest punch »

wehitandrun wrote:201,000 copies. That's strange. He is selling at the rate of Saves the Day and Glassjaw. It thus proves the point that Elvis Costello is an underground favorite with cult followers (was this ever in doubt- Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame inductions aside?).

Do you guys think that the next album will sell better?
I always hope that a new EC album will sell really big, but usually this never happens...

But with 201,000 copies sold in the USA, I expect that the worldwide sales are about 400,000 copies. That 's not bad at all.
EC told in an interview that Painted From Memory has sold 500,000 copies (worldwide) and For The Stars 250,000 copies. His 1999-Best Of went gold in the UK (more than 100,000 copies sold) and is still selling worldwide. And his new reïssue-program started in 2001.

Maybe he's just an underground favorite, but if you sell each year a few hundred thousand records, you're not that 'small' either.

O, and I almost forgot: My Aim Is True reached platinum status (1 million copies sold) in the USA in 1991. Since then this record has been reïssued two times... So, we can only guess, but the total worldwide sales uptil now must be between 2 and 3 million copies.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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LessThanZero
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Post by LessThanZero »

I'm getting so excited for this new album. I wish I could hear it right now! I'm glad those reissues are coming out though! They SHOULD tide us over without spoiling our appetite.
Loving this board since before When I Was Cruel.
laughingcrow
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Post by laughingcrow »

Is 201,000 a poor return for EC? Im not sure, but the US must be his biggest market (non-relatively of course 8) )...it'd be interesting to compare sales of all his records after one year, and compare! Anyone know where this info is? Maybe JohnE's?
sweetest punch
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Post by sweetest punch »

laughingcrow wrote:Is 201,000 a poor return for EC? Im not sure, but the US must be his biggest market (non-relatively of course 8) )...it'd be interesting to compare sales of all his records after one year, and compare! Anyone know where this info is? Maybe JohnE's?
I think it's more important if an album becomes a 'classic' and keeps on selling year after year. For instance, My Aim Is True didn't sell that much in 1977, but worldwide sales uptill now must be between 2 and 3 million.

'Classic' records keep on selling: This Year's Model achieved the gold award (500.000 copies sold) in the USA in 1991 and his Very Best from 1987 reached platinum (1.000.000 sold) in the USA in 2001.

I also think that each country has his favourite EC records: My Aim Is True is very popular in the USA, Almost Blue is still popular in the UK, When I Was Cruel was a hit record in Japan, The Juliet Letters was very popular in Spain,...
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
aleko
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WIWC sold 201,000 copies in U.S.

Post by aleko »

The sales of EC's records is a very interesting issue. For many years I search for any information related to this and it would be nice if the participants of this forum post info concerning the sales of Costello records in various countries.
From my side, I can post the info which I' ve found on the Internet or in the printed periodicals:

1) My Aim Is True, This Year MoDel, Get Happy reached gold sataus in Canada each, Armed Forces - platinum in Canada,
2) Imperial Bedroom sold 600,000 copies worldwide as of 1999,
3) Brutal Youth is his biggest seller in Japan - 29,000 copies sold,
4) Mighty Like a Rose - 600,000 sold worldwide as of March 1994

Your further posts about sales figures are musch appreciated
wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

I'm curious about Spike.

Seems to me like Spike should have outsold every other album in worldwide sales, then vary country to country.

Upon reading the Clayton-Lea biography, I learned that Brutal Youth and Armed Forces were his highest charters at No. 2 each (in the UK), I believe Brutal Youth reached 34 in the USA or something.
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laughingcrow
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Post by laughingcrow »

http://www.elviscostello.info/faq/general.html

This is all I could find with regards to sales on JohnE's fantabulous site...
Q. What is Elvis' all-time top selling album?
A. Spike.

Q. How have EC's albums/songs fared on the Billboard Top 40 Album charts?
A.
USA List:
---------
MAIT: entered top 40 3/4/78, went to #32, 5 weeks on charts
TYM: 5/ 6/78 #30 4 wks
AF: 2/ 3/79 #10 11 wks
GH!!: 3/22/80 #11 8 wks
TL: 10/25/80 #28 3 wks
Trust: 2/21/81 #28 4 wks
IB: 8/28/82 #30 7 wks
PTC: 8/20/83 #24 12 wks
GCW: 7/21/84 #35 3 wks
KoA: 4/ 5/86 #39 3 wks
Spike: 3/18/89 #32 11 wks
BY: 3/26/94 #34 1 wk

MAIT is certified platinum, the only EC album to be. TYM, AF, and Spike
are all certified gold.

ATUB and BY sold 103,000 and 181,000 copies in the USA, respectively. (BB #17)

UK Rankings (through 1988):
My Aim Is True #14 8/77 12 wks
This Year's Model #4 4/78
Armed Forces #2 1/79
Get Happy!! #2 2/80
Trust #9 1/81
Almost Blue #7 10/81
Imperial Bedroom #6 7/82
Punch The Clock #3 8/83
Goodbye Cruel World #10 7/84
Best Of Elvis Costello - The Man #8 4/85
King Of America #39 3/86
Blood & Chocolate #16 9/86


Q. What are his US top 40 hits?
A. 'Everyday I Write The Book' charted at #36 in 1983.
'Veronica' reached #19 in 1989.

UK top 40 hits (through 1988):
Watching The Detectives #15 11/77
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea #16 4/78
Pump It Up #24 5/78
Radio Radio #29 11/78
Oliver's Army #2 1/79
Accidents Will Happen #28 5/79
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down #4 2/80
High Fidelity #30 4/80
New Amsterdam #36 6/80
A Good Year For The Roses #6 10/81
Pills And Soap #16 5/83
Everyday I Write The Book #28 8/83
I Wanna Be Loved #25 6/84
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood #3 2/86
wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

GH!! reaching No. 2 is new to me. Blasphemous news this is! GH!! is a No. 50 at best. :lol:
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