North and When i was cruel. Studio and in Concert

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Bob And Charlotte
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North and When i was cruel. Studio and in Concert

Post by Bob And Charlotte »

Sadly, i´ve never been in a Costello concert, and neither listen to any of his 2 last records live (except 3 or 4 songs in the tv).

Im curious: which one is better when played in concert? i believe that most people will say that the songs from WIWC is better
(just because the studio record is much superior :lol: )
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VonOfterdingen
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Post by VonOfterdingen »

can´t say for When I was cruel, but the songs from North sound great live with Costello and Nieve.

I really don´t think that WIWC is that superior to North
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VonOfterdingen
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Post by VonOfterdingen »

then again - he did a brilliant version of Tart with Nieve in Amsterdam, north tour
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wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

I think WIWC is a much better album... but, (even though I hated seeing it) North is great to see live.

WIWC songs are just like the rest of Elvis's set when performed live... but North has this originality and feeling to it.
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VonOfterdingen
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Post by VonOfterdingen »

But you hated seeing it? No, really?
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Post by wehitandrun »

I went into seeing Elvis with a friend who's favorite track is "Pump It Up" and said the slow songs are "just slow".

I don't want to blame him, but there was a part of me looking to impress him by showing him Elvis live.

"Still" is a wonderful song, my favorite track off of North (the only one I can really listen to). The performance for that song was really good.

I just didn't really enjoy the other songs live... for whatever reason. (I can still admit that, as part of his set... it is a much more intimate and original show).

I just think of "North" as "All This Useless Beauty" without the brilliance.
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VonOfterdingen
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Post by VonOfterdingen »

Ok - get the point of introducing the friend.

I find You Turned to Me easy to like as well. Gotta admit that it´s my best sleeping album - in a positive way though :D
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seanpointblank
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Post by seanpointblank »

I will always put WIWC up there with the best of EC's work. North, really, is just another stylistic venture, it doesn't as much feel like a natural evolution of EC's sound, but just the music geek in him making him play with every style possible. I just feel like WIWC is the perfect culmination of just about everything EC has experimented with in his career. Which are performed better live would highly depend on who EC is playing with, though.
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

When I Was Cruel is an excellent album both in the studio and live (although I don't think Oh Well and Soul for Hire fit easily on the album).

North, in my view, is OK as a studio album but much better live either with just Steve and/or the Brodskys.
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Post by bambooneedle »

I don't even know that the whole of WIWC was played live (some setlist freak might verify) and have even more doubt that it all would have been played in the one concert. I rather suspect that, unlike North, at most 2/3 of it would have been on any night's setlist, mixed with everything else and in no special order. They're so different that I think it'd come down more to individual preference. Evidently the North tour was for the northern hemisphere only so I missed out. We'll see if they come to the land down under for 'South'... If so, I'll offer Elvis a vegemite sandwich.
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Post by mood swung »

I'd have to second VG's opinion of North live--they really come to life when played live (duh). They're such spare songs and he fleshed them out with his physical presence, a simple gesture, a tilt to his head, a defeated slouch--all the things you can't see on the cd.
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

I agree with you on that, Moody. It really wasn't until I saw EC play those songs that they meant much to me. Having the Brodskys there was great for Still as well.
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

bambooneedle wrote:I don't even know that the whole of WIWC was played live (some setlist freak might verify) and have even more doubt that it all would have been played in the one concert.
I remember EC saying they played almost all of WIWC in Japan one night but I'm not a setlist freak. I doubt it would have been in track order though.
bambooneedle wrote:I rather suspect that, unlike North, at most 2/3 of it would have been on any night's setlist, mixed with everything else and in no special order.
I don't think he played the whole of North in one night either though did he?
bambooneedle wrote:We'll see if they come to the land down under for 'South'... If so, I'll offer Elvis a vegemite sandwich.
I'll see if I can find a strange woman who will take me in and give me breakfast :wink:
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And No Coffee Table
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Post by And No Coffee Table »

He played all the WIWC songs on tour, but no, not all in one night.
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Post by bambooneedle »

VG, I know a few strange women who could take you in...

I checked the setlist matrices for the WIWC tour at http://www.elviscostello.info ... In a couple of shows he went close to playing all songs from it, just leaving out Radio Silence or Dissolve.

From memory, they either played all of North's songs in sequence, interspersed with other songs, or did so except for one song (probably When Green Eyes Turn Blue).
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Post by wehitandrun »

He played that song at the Wang along with too many North songs.
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Post by Copenhagen Fan »

I actually think that North is a great album, and while I enjoyed seeing EC play most of the album in concert. I also saw him with the Imposters in Berkeley, where they did some of the When I was Cruel stuff.

The concert with the Imposters was clearly the better of the two. I'll see EC anywhere with any line up, but prefer to see him in concert with a band. On the other hand...nothing ever beats Inch By Inch solo!
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