Elvis Costello Fan Forum

Knowing how much Elvis despises our 'confessional' culture and loathes having his personal laundry aired in public - in my opinion he has shown almost pathological tendencies relating to these sorts of matters in interviews - this Cait stuff really must make him want to puke.

Two thoughts: 1. Shane MacGowan was one of the most preternaturally gifted songwriters in pop but has basically destroyed himself and therefore been irrelevant for 20 years - nothing more than a nostalgia act. Right? Or am I missing some outstanding work he's done since Hell's Ditch - ? Discuss. 2. ...

A 'watery' quality? I think it has a rough, sweaty sound entirely suited to the mood and the music. Everyone sounds equal, fighting for the limelight - entirely appropriate, and thrilling, to these ears! I prefer the adjective 'tinny.' 'Sung in a phone booth' is another phrase I've seen used to des...

Alexv, for what it's worth I tend to agree that EC's real, primordial strength is as a writer of eclectic pop songs in The Beatles mode. In fact, I've often felt that EC's real secret recipe is his ability to combine the melodicism of McCartney with the acerbic lyrical gifts (and attitude) of Lennon...

Thank you for reading and the kind words. It is hard to objectively look at one's heroes and comment when they fall short of our expectations. But I think as a fan it is important to do this with any artist we admire. There is often a tendency amongst fans to broadly accept all work by an artist wi...

Neil, I wanted to fully digest and think about your last post on this thread before responding. As to "No Wonder" agree I like the song but do not share your feeling that the imagery of a soiled petticoat or hightop boots helps the song. The lyric would be equally effective if a contempor...

Love the album - manic energy, brilliant speed-freak writing, it's got it all. Except for good production. I don't understand how all the praise for this, perhaps EC's most impressive single-album burst of pop songcraft, just overlooks the fact that most of these songs sound as though they're being...

Love the album - manic energy, brilliant speed-freak writing, it's got it all. Except for good production. I don't understand how all the praise for this, perhaps EC's most impressive single-album burst of pop songcraft, just overlooks the fact that most of these songs sound as though they're being ...

I've always thought that song was, first, about being an artist in a world mediocrity. Only after he's dead is he appreciated - hence, the refrain. The lyric centres on a contrast between performers (who hear the 'working man's blues' and presumably want to sing them) wasting their breath, dying a t...

Well, I sure don't go as far as you in loathing these songs. I'd rate 'Hidden Shame' as better than 'Shadows' - there's a lot more going on lyrically - but it's somewhat damaged by a cumbersome melody. Neither is top-shelf Costello work, and what really irks me about them is not their existence but ...

For what it's worth, I had in mind media critics, but also some fans - including myself. Brutal Youth and Momofuku in particular are both albums that yielded their full measure to me only with the passage of time. I think one common thread with these two is that they were widely perceived as RETURN ...

Interesting post. I disagree a bit about EC's multi-tracking himself. He did that for years and it's enough. I for one really enjoy when another voice closely harmonizes with EC's; his voice is so distinctive (and at times harsh) that the contrast becomes absolute ear-candy. But as for the larger po...

Great interpretations! Keep 'em coming. I picture Mr. Feathers as a decrepit Ian McKellan type. A touch of the grotesque about him. Something in the combination of sound and lyric - if only the use of the 'Mister' honourific - suggests to me a certain Victorian formality to the proceedings. He's wea...

Lines I disliked about 4 years ago from a similar thread: She imagines how she might have lived back when legends and history collide But he's part ugly beast and Hellenic deceased But I know what I spake Who do you see when you turn your eyes down? Who do you see when I'm not seeing you? The dark ...

MR FEATHERS They looked at her this way ever since she was a girl Mr. Feathers, Mr. Feathers The echo in every smile that would curl into a leer Oh my dear, Mr. Feathers is near The counter is falling Something is spoiling It's really appalling You pleased and you promised You never saw it through N...

I'm surprised by the lukewarm response by many EC fans. It *seems* like the kind of record we should be getting excited about - not really a collaborative 'side project' nor a narrow genre exercise outside his long-established range. Furthermore, it's an extremely solid collection of well-crafted an...

"No Hiding Place" - and we're off. The "na na na" chorus is terrific too, one of EC"s innumerable thrown-away killer hooks. (If you don't like pop, then why are you an Elvis Costello fan?) My only beef, really, is the "disgrace" line - that's writing by rote. "...

Hee hee, this IS a ludicrous exercise, but a fun one, so I'll take up your suggestion as follows: 1. No Hiding Place vs. Clubland = winner is No Hiding Place. Let's call it a draw . 2. American Gangster Time vs. Lovers Walk = winner is Lovers Walk This is a saw-off . Neither song is all that killer,...

We're all free to have our own opinion, blah blah blah, but I find a lot of the negative comments around this album to be sadly symptomatic of a tendency of long-time fans. They (we?) wear rose-coloured glasses about the artist's past work, and chronically tend to disparage the latest stuff. You kno...

That great ending to Stella Hurt is most likely a nod to The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." Certainly that's what it reminds me of. Indeed, I'd suggest that this record shows off as well as any what's perhaps Elvis's essential, career-defining trick - that of being BOTH Lennon and...

Pretty freakin' awesome alright! To soon to tell where it will fall in the pantheon of Elvis albums but I can already tell I like it much better than some of the albums others are comparing it to like WIWC (meh - icy cold production leaves me kinda chilly) or Brutal Youth (good - but not classic EC...

CD. I'm not very interested in *any* of the technological debates over music delivery systems, whether it be nostalgia for LPs or embrace of MP3s. Right now I'm geared to CD so that's how I'll buy this. I must say, I AM looking forward to the album. I got a bit weary of Elvis's ramblings over the pa...

Bruce is an AMAZING bass player, the best in mainstream pop since McCartney. However, check out the bass on 'Button My Lip' - that's not exactly shite. Besides, the 'Attractions sound' really ended with Blood and Chocolate anyway. ATUB has little to connect it with the earlier stuff...so I doubt tha...

'Cog' is quite likely a metaphor for the person being described. He (or she) is a cog. In a machine. I know we're supposed to say nice things in this thread, and I love many of the moments described above - my own additions would be the 'oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhh' coming out of the middle eight in Blue Chair...

This is irrelevant, but I just wanted to tip my hat to the title of 'Out of Our Idiot' - one of EC's more amusing puns, sadly lost on an album of left-overs.