EC song of the week

Pretty self-explanatory
Kevin Davis
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EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

Hi all,

I haven't been around much but I wanted to share a new project that I am taking on with another member of the community here (who also hasn't been around much, but hey).

I am sure you all were aware of the Trunkworthy song of the week column that ran for about a year semi-recently. Now that that is done, my friend Jorge ("theplatypus" was his name here) are picking up the torch. We would love to have some of you all chime in and join us for the ride:
http://ecsotw.tumblr.com

We won't clutter the board but we'll probably bump this thread as we post new entries. Thanks for checking it out -- we hope to see some of you there!
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Kevin Davis
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

http://ecsotw.tumblr.com/post/132904356 ... ow-another

This week's entry, for any interested parties. Thanks!
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

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sulky lad
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by sulky lad »

Love it Kevin and Platy, looking forward to your next items !
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

sulky lad wrote:Love it Kevin and Platy, looking forward to your next items !
Thank you! And thanks for reading!
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

http://ecsotw.tumblr.com/post/133920355 ... tance-from

This week's post!

Not sure if the song requests have been coming from here or not but we will begin fulfilling those next week -- thanks again for reading!
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Neil.
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Neil. »

Thanks, Kevin! Love these essays. Makes me revisit the song every time!
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by sulky lad »

Yes, I agree totally with Neil. These commentaries make me listen with fresh ears and pull out the interesting aspects I'd previously missed. Thanks again
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

Thanks guys! We are enjoying writing them, and we appreciate the feedback. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

This week we tackle a quirky little ditty hiding at the back of the "When I Was Cruel" album:
http://ecsotw.tumblr.com/post/134327870 ... -and-smash

Happy December!
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by sulky lad »

Great choice for a review, whoever suggested this .Elvis played this as an opener at the Astoria gig in London in 2002 and it completely blew me away, as a taster for the album purchased only hours earlier at the Virgin Megastore promo event. I loved the acoustic guitar intro and the sinuous melody line , the pause between the words "I want you to " and then "believe" is a master stroke of phrasing and it's a little gem that remains a very highly rated in my treasury of jaw dropping Costello moments . Thanks again for perceptive and instructive insights guys, you brighten my week immensely !
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

Thanks again, sulky lad! What a great memory of "MLBW."
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

Little late this week but here it is:
http://ecsotw.tumblr.com/post/134928905 ... oure-tough
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by terryhurley »

Kevin Davis wrote:Little late this week but here it is:
http://ecsotw.tumblr.com/post/134928905 ... oure-tough
Great commentary on an astonishing song. Very under-rated.
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

We're back! We have also moved to Wordpress, in case you'd like to have it out with us in the comments section.

Today, Jorge and I take on a song from an album we both adore:

https://ecsotw.wordpress.com/2016/02/01 ... -me-loose/
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

This week's entry!
https://ecsotw.wordpress.com
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Jack of All Parades »

For me this has always been the most playful and fun record he made. The initial inklings of 'adult' EC as you note in your choice of song from the record. The tour, too, I recall with the greatest fondness. It was fun to be alive in '82 and '83 and '84 as I had just met the woman I continue to partner with for life. This record readily mirrored that new found joy in my life.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by bambooneedle »

Cool article - makes me want to listen to the album again.
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by sulky lad »

Two great reviews and an astounding similarity to my way of thinking, Kevin! I love North wholeheartedly, I remember driving back to Birmingham in 2003 from Newcastle where I'd seen Steve and Elvis and had spent the first hour listening to the album again- even though if just heard them perform all of it live ( or almost all of it ?! ) and I turned over to catch the Annie a Nightingale interview on Radio 2 and heard Elvis mention a comment someone had made to him after his gig in Scotland and it was me !! Once the interview had ended , I put the CD back on and then realised it had just become my birthday ! A night to remember. All of North resonates strongly with me at a time when I was being made more aware of the consequences of my own personal upheavals.
As for The Greatest Thing, again I can't quite believe how you express so lucidly what I feel about this song ! It was a great song to sing along to in the car and I loved singing "I know a girl, who takes my breath away " but the whole song seems lovingly crafted even if wordy to me unlike Jorge's view , and a really upbeat song which Elvis does so well yet increasingly seldom !
Next review has got to be either Home Is Anywhere or Episode Of Blonde - but don't be misled by my red herrings ! Great stuff again , thanks
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

Thank you guys so much for reading, and for the kind words! Really enjoy reading these responses and reminiscences -- especially from some folks who experienced these albums the first time around! We should have a new entry up soon.
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Kevin Davis »

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Re: EC song of the week

Post by sulky lad »

At last something I don't agree with !
I can't find a lot to like with Song With Rose and so I shall have to revisit in the light of your comments. However I am convinced that the almost duet line nature of the vocals is the most compelling facet in my disdain for this track along with the slurred nature of some lines and the way Gillian seems to strain to get notes like "never made me afraid " . Not at all convincing and a relief to note you haven't developed some means of stealing my thoughts on Elvis songs! Nonetheless as always thought provoking and inspiring. Keep it up !
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by rightbrain »

I seem to recall EC mentioning that he and Roseanne Cash got to talking about growing up Catholic - because the specific Catholic Church building EC frequented as a child was being torn down at the time. This song is less inscrutable in the context of both of them agreeing that unlike some folks who grow up and look back on a Catholic upbringing with bitterness, both EC and Roseanne both look back on it with more of a fondness. Similar to "IF I could believe," (vs. you're an idiot if you believe). There is a wistfulness in Song With Rose about the "Martyrs" (carried forward on "The Puppet Has Cut His Strings" . . . Ross "carried out on buckled limbs/through mournful airs and martyrs hymns"). "Pressing pennies in a tin" is remembering putting money in the "poor box at Church" as an act of Charity. The three Cardinal Virtues being "Faith, Hope, and Charity" (which EC covered in "Little Atoms" and here revisits "There is Hope and after that, there is only Faith, Love (charity) like a wraith." Again, instead of being afraid of this . . . on some level, EC (and Roseanne) were once consoled by these beliefs. EC has mentioned in many interviews that being raised Catholic and serving as an Altar Boy, etc., he could "never get the incense out of my clothes." In this way, these Catholic images and rituals (like the Rosary, and the lace that would be on the hem of an Altar Boy's surplice) are like "barnacles that cling." That boyhood faith that taught there is an eternal life was (at least at the time) a consolation, and . . . perhaps . . . now and again still is or could be???
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by Dr. Luther »

I like the melody.
A lot.
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Re: EC song of the week

Post by taramasalata »

Great and amazing stuff you deliver!
Don't know whom to give more credit to, Kevin and Jorge for making this excellent choice, or rightbrain, for brightening my understanding of an EC song in a way I've hardly ever experienced. And one proof more for EC's unmatched abilities as a lyricist, just awesome.
And I've always loved that song a lot, mostly for its meandering nearly never-ending chorus, sung in such an intense way, until its final words "consoled as I was, consoled as I, consoled as I was by that shade".
And even without understanding the meaning really before rightbrain's excellent explanations, there is such a strength in its vocal delivery and in the words, that one could always have the impression of emotions deeply rooted in his biography.
That's so wonderful about being a dedicated follower of EC's work: There are so many hidden gems among his repertoire to rediscover again, some admired for a long time, then when brought to one's mind again leaving you struck with awe in the same way - or even more with time - when having heard for the first time.
Just thinking of other ones like "Impatience", "You stole my bell", "You tripped at every step", "Fallen", "Red Cotton","Human hands"....and so many more

Keep on with your "EC song of the week"-list, I enjoy it a lot.
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