Elvis Costello Fan Forum

Miclewis wrote:Is it just me, or does Radiohead's "OK Computer" generally just sound and feel a lot like "Imperial Bedroom"? Songs like "No Surprises" and "Let Down" just remind me of Elvis, though I can't point exactly to why.

That's one I definitely don't see.

I just got this CD earlier this week. How it had managed to pass me by for so long I'm not sure; it's right up my alley in every possible way. What a beaut.

Pearl Jam's "Parachutes" reminds me a lot of Costello's 90's ballads--something off "All this Useless Beauty" or "Painted From Memory." I'd really like to hear Elvis sing that. The organ sound in "I Might" from the newest Wilco album is kind of Attractions-ish...

Original text:

"In America the law is a piece of ass"

...10 translations later Bing gives us:

"The United States legislation, which"

Original text:

"She says "are you looking up my skirt?" When you say no, she says "why not?""

...10 translations later Bing gives us:

"He said: "If you look at my tits?"If we are to say no, he said: "why?" ""

Original text:

"Why can't a man stand alone? Must he be burdened by all that he's taught to consider his own?"

...10 translations later Bing gives us:

"Why not? Copied from your salary is your Professor?"

Original text:

"They've got his bones And everything he owns I've got his name"

...10 translations later Bing gives us:

"His name is Bonisand aoonsi"

Oddly enough, I had a dream where the black kid on the Brutal Youth cover grew up to be a famous pop singer who had a huge hit with an upbeat jazz cover of Madness's "Our House."

P.S. I forgot to add that I love Deep Dark Truthful Mirror, apart from most of the lyrics and the fact that he kept the frog-in-throat screech moment (A bit like Simon Le Bon at Live Aid). If he'd made the lyrics a bit less surreal - not boringly conventional, but less surreal - I think he could've...

SoulForHire wrote:The worst to me, North

I enjoy most of Spike, but I'm not usually in the mood for the whole thing at once. In at least a few cases I really, really prefer the acoustic demos.

Poor Deportee wrote:EDIT: jeez, I just heard Miley Cyrus's take on 'Lonesome.' I'm gonna go out on a limb here - that is good stuff, ladies and gentleman. Sounds to me like she would do VASTLY better as a country singer. In artistic terms, that is.

You weren't kidding. That's fine work from Ms. Cyrus.

Do you mean the demo on the "All This Useless Beauty" bonus disc? If so, I couldn't agree more. That was actually one of an elite few recordings responsible for me becoming a Costello nut. I believe I have it on the Goodbye Cruel World Rhino bonus disc. Is it the same version? Listened th...

Playing through some of the Rhino reissues this weekend a song that repeatedly didn't work for me was "Stranger in the House." Seemed like it never really worked for Elvis, either--it feels like one of those songs he tinkered with for years but never really got quite right.

Thirded on Shabby Doll. I enjoy Mystery Dance as heard on MAIT, but every clip I've heard of it live (and the once I've seen that song live in person) are exponentially better. It's just a good, lively live-setting song. And Steve Naive keyboard solo > (John McFee?) guitar solo. Most of the songs o...

I'm not at all well-versed in EC live stuff, but I think early Attractions performances of "Waiting For the End of the World" totally smoke the album version.

Do you mean the demo on the "All This Useless Beauty" bonus disc?

If so, I couldn't agree more. That was actually one of an elite few recordings responsible for me becoming a Costello nut.

"The thought of him undressing you, or you undressing" doesn't put as much interpretive burden upon the listener, but same idea.

Ypsilanti, I agree with you. I'm not sure that that's what Elvis meant to convey, necessarily, but you're right--if the sherry was the thing doing the redeeming, the syntax would be, "a bottle of sweet sherry that redeems everything." It's either a linguistic trick or a linguistic error. E...

My personal opinion is that "North" remains Elvis's most solid, fully-realized program of front-to-back songs since "Get Happy."

Kojak Variety 2 could really be cool, especially if he took it a different direction than the first one but kept the idea of a generally unified aesthetic approach. A few styles I'd really love to hear him explore in depth would be Porter/Gershwin-style standards (I've always really enjoyed the &quo...

I really think he could wait a considerable time before committing anything down to tape in a studio. I like your notion of a cover record as long as it really rethinks the original. As to a 'standards' record I have always found them, for the most part, to be a last gasp effort by a former 'big' a...

I'm grateful that Elvis is a productive enough artist for 14 months without a full release to feel like a long time.

Harry Worth wrote:Paddy Moloney, Founder of the Chieftans, Musician, Folk musician - Long Journey Home (Elvis Costello and the Chieftains)

This made me smile.

My guess is they just didn't press that many of them.