Rank My Aim Is True

Pretty self-explanatory
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King Hoarse
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Location: Malmö, Sweden

Rank My Aim Is True

Post by King Hoarse »

Face the music: Rank the songs from My Aim Is True from best to worst (read: favourite - least favourite).

Face the facts: Watching The Detectives is on CD1 of the latest reissue, so it's IN. If you don’t rank ALL the songs that are on MY list (English & American versions) I will put in the missing numbers wherever I want. I’m the great dictator. It’s all so calculated. I have a calculator. I will (insert Rebel Rebel riff) return...with the results in a week or so.

1. Alison
2. Red Shoes
3. Waiting For The End Of The World
4. I'm Not Angry
5. Watching The Detectives
6. Welcome To The Working Week
7. Less Than Zero
8. Sneaky Feelings
9. Mystery Dance
10. Miracle Man
11. Blame It On Cain
12. No Dancing
13. Pay It Back


PS. Yes I did this on the old board too, while suffering from insomnia. Not realizing others might have actual lives (busy days and sleepy nights) I posted rankings of all EC albums at once, flood-style. This time I'll post one album-ranking a week or so (chronologically) if people reply, so there's plenty of time to listen and re-evaluate those classics. DS.
Last edited by King Hoarse on Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Gillibeanz
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Post by Gillibeanz »

1. Red Shoes
2. Watching The Detectives
3. No Dancing
4.Welcome To The Working Week
5. Less Than Zero
6. Miracle Man
7. Alison
8. Waiting For The End Of The World
9. I'm Not Angry
10. Sneaky Feelings
11. Pay It Back
12. Mystery Dance
13. Blame It On Cain
COME ON YOU SPURS!!
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Branst
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Post by Branst »

01. Red Shoes
02. Welcome To The Working Week
03. Pay It Back
04. Less Than Zero
05. Alison
06. Mystery Dance
07. Waiting For The End Of The World
08. Sneaky Feelings
09. Watching The Detectives
10. Blame It On Cain
11. No Dancing
12. I'm Not Angry
Bob And Charlotte
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Post by Bob And Charlotte »

1. Red Shoes
2. Welcome To The Working Week
3. Less Than Zero
4. Blame It On Cain
5. No Dancing
6. Miracle Man
7. Alison
8. Waiting For The End Of The World
9. Mystery Dance
10. I'm Not Angry
11. Sneaky Feelings
12. Pay It Back
13. Watching The Detectives


My Aim Is True is Costello first and probable finest effort... WITHOUT WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (Waiting For The End Of The World was obviously maide to be the record last song. just like Riot Act for instance)
wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

01. Watching The Detectives
02. Red Shoes
03. Less Than Zero
04. Alison
05. I'm Not Angry
06. Miracle Man
07. Welcome To The Working Week
08. Blame It On Cain
09. Mystery Dance
10. Waiting For The End Of The World
11. No Dancing
12. Pay It Back
13. Sneaky Feelings


Finest effort MAYBE, but not even near his finest record.
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Bob And Charlotte
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Post by Bob And Charlotte »

As much as i like 'Blood and Chocolate', 'Armed Forces' and 'Trust', of all Costello records i own, only 'This Years Model' and 'Imperial Bedroom' stand as tall as this incredible inconceivable debut.
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Gillibeanz
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Location: England

Post by Gillibeanz »

Bob And Charlotte wrote:
13. Watching The Detectives

Watching the Detectives last???? :shock: I know its been grossly overplayed over time, but its probably one of his greatest in the early years!
COME ON YOU SPURS!!
wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

Haha, Gilli, there are a lot of opinions I'll never understand.
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Watching_Detectives
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Post by Watching_Detectives »

1. Watching the Detectives
2. No Dancing
3. Welcome to the Working Week
4. Less Than Zero
5. Miracle Man
6. Alison
7. Mystery Dance
8. Pay it Back
9. Red Shoes
10. Waiting For the End of the World
11. Sneaky Feelings
12. Blame it on Cain
13. I'm Not Angry
It nearly took a mircacle to get you to stay
It only took my little finger to blow you away.
bobster
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Post by bobster »

1. Alison
2. Red Shoes
3. Waiting For the End of the World
4. Welcome to the Working Week
5. No Dancing
6. Watching the Detectives
7. I'm Not Angry
8. Sneaky Feelings
9. Less Than Zero
10. Miracle Man
11. Mystery Dance
12. Pay it Back
13. Blame it on Cain
http://www.forwardtoyesterday.com -- Where "hopelessly dated" is a compliment!
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daybreaker
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Post by daybreaker »

1. Alison
2. Red Shoes
3. Watching the Detectives
4. Welcome to the Working Week
5. Blame it on Cain
6. Pay it Back
7. Miracle Man
8. Sneaky Feelings
9. Waiting for the End of the World
10. No Dancing
11. I'm Not Angry
12. Less Than Zero
13. Mystery Dance
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King Hoarse
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Post by King Hoarse »

I'll post the results this weekend or so, so if anyone else wants to pitch in, this is a good time. 10 lists would be great. (now 8)

Next week it'll be This Years Model, of course.

Thanks for replying, y'all!
What this world needs is more silly men.
Copenhagen Fan
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Post by Copenhagen Fan »

1. Less Than Zero
2. Blame It On Cain
3. I'm Not Angry
4. Watching The Detectives
5. Sneaky Feelings
6. Miracle Man
7. Welcome To The Working Week
8. Waiting For The End Of The World
9. Pay It Back
10. Mystery Dance
11. Red Shoes
12. No Dancing
13. Allison

While others seem to rank Red Shoes and Allison so high, I have to put them at the bottom.............burnt out and cheezy.
I'd never leave the house if I had a Gimp
sabreman
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Post by sabreman »

I am a big fan of Sneaky Feelings. Looks like most have it at the lower end but I think it is under rated.
wehitandrun
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Post by wehitandrun »

sabreman wrote:I am a big fan of Sneaky Feelings. Looks like most have it at the lower end but I think it is under rated.
That is how I feel about "I'm Not Angry". Cop got it, though.
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King Hoarse
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Post by King Hoarse »

The best parts of I'm Not Angry disgusts me, which is why I think it's a great song. (I can see why people would rather be amused, though.) It's one of the songs that really must have established Elvis' antihero image. The narrator here isn't just the rejected nerd, but a creep. I'm not saying it was that original, but rarely done so well. And of course, Elvis used the idea of the tone of voice negating (is that a word?) the lyric for even better effect in Just A Memory.

Sneaky Feelings and Pay It Back both sound a bit like the acoustic demos on the bonus disc, that is, a bit more immature and less personal than the rest of the album. Clover are sort of playing safe on them too, which makes me think they must've sounded dated even back when MAIT was released in the States, maybe even in Britain. However, in hindsight I think Sneaky Feelings in particular is very pleasant. It sure is funny to tell today's young'uns that those songs were considered punk by a lot of people.
What this world needs is more silly men.
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TheImposter
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Post by TheImposter »

King Hoarse wrote:Sneaky Feelings and Pay It Back both sound a bit like the acoustic demos on the bonus disc, that is, a bit more immature and less personal than the rest of the album.
Good call. The original "Pay It" was actually on the Flip City demos that "Imagination Is A Powerful Deceiver" is taken from, so it's actually a bit older than the acoustic songs. I think both those songs you mention were from that pub rock Van Morrison/Graham Parker-influenced period of early EC that some fans don't like because it's too old-fashioned or "rockist" or something. I don't mind that sound so much myself.

It's more lighthearted, but the vengeance theme of "Pay It Back" is similar to "I'm Not Angry" in defining early EC's lyrical persona.

List:

1 Alison
2 I'm Not Angry
3 Watching The Detectives
4 Miracle Man
5 Pay It Back
6 Mystery Dance
7 Blame It On Cain
8 Sneaky Feelings
9 Welcome To The Working Week
10 Less Than Zero (Heard it too much)
11 Red Shoes (Ditto)
12 Waiting For The End Of The World (Prefer the Attractions doing this)
13 No Dancing (Would've sounded better on TYM)

I like how the last three songs on MAIT, or two songs on the original UK LP, set up TYM by sounding more "punk" than the rest of the album.
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Post by Copenhagen Fan »

I love anything with cool guitar....so Sneaky Feelings, while kind of "thin" with it's lousy production, still holds water for me, because of the cool guitar style that is used. The vocals on Pay It Back are also gooood.....it swings...........

And I'm Not Angry is just power, with great self destructive lyrics...you can't go wrong there!
I'd never leave the house if I had a Gimp
sabreman
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Post by sabreman »

I like Pay It Back too. Still there something I love about Sneaky Feelings. To me it is a clever simple song that makes me chuckle everytime I hear it.
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LessThanZero
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Post by LessThanZero »

Cop is right. The production just sounds weak or thin.

Miracle Man had the potential to be one of the greatest songs of all time. (Like Creep, You Don't Know Me, In My Life, etc.) You could've been a Sr. Citizen in Boston, but no, you took a wrong turn and now look at you. You're just an angry old man from Liverpool.

But I'm clean.

Are ya?
Loving this board since before When I Was Cruel.
laughingcrow
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Post by laughingcrow »

1 Blame It On Cain
2 Less Than Zero
3 Waiting For The End Of The World
4 Red Shoes
5 Welcome To The Working Week
6 Pay It Back
7 Watching The Detectives
8 Alison
9 Mystery Dance
10 Miracle Man
11 No Dancing
12 I'm Not Angry
13 Sneaky Feelings
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wardo68
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Post by wardo68 »

1. Alison
2. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
3. Welcome To The Working Week
4. Miracle Man
5. Mystery Dance
6. Watching The Detectives
7. Waiting For The End Of The World
8. Less Than Zero
9. Blame It On Cain
10. No Dancing
11. I'm Not Angry
12. Pay It Back
13. Sneaky Feelings

I promise this is the last one I'll post so late on.
clairequilty
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Post by clairequilty »

LessThanZero wrote:Cop is right. The production just sounds weak or thin.

Miracle Man had the potential to be one of the greatest songs of all time. (Like Creep, You Don't Know Me, In My Life, etc.) You could've been a Sr. Citizen in Boston, but no, you took a wrong turn and now look at you. You're just an angry old man from Liverpool.

But I'm clean.

Are ya?
Come on. The production sounds weak or thin? That's a cop out (pardon the pun).

Whaddya expect? The guy was recording the record in short bursts on his lunch break. I guess Aerosmith and the Boston Pops were busy that month. Maybe they could have added the necessary sizzle in the studio!

It all comes down to the songwriting. And while it aint my favorite EC record by a longshot, it still packs a punch completely non existent in 1977. The Clash and Sex Pistols included.

Context is everything.

If Bob Dylan were born in 1970, he wouldn't have even made 2 records before offing himself a la Elliott Smith.

Don't judge a hook by its Clover!
Unexpected No.4
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Post by Unexpected No.4 »

1.WATCHING THE DETECTIVES
2.ALISON
3.WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD
4.LESS THAN ZERO
5.IM NOT ANGRY
6.MIRACLE MAN
7.BLAME IT ON CAIN
8.WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK
9.(THE ANGELS WANNA WEAR MY) RED SHOES
10.MYSTERY DANCE
11.PAY IT BACK
12.SNEAKY FEELINGS
13.NO DANCING
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randrew
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Post by randrew »

1 Watching the Detectives
2 Sneaky Feelings
3 Blame It On Cain
4 No Dancing
5 Less Than Zero
6 Welcome To the Working Week
7 Pay It Back
8 Waiting For the End of the World
9 Mystery Dance
10 Alison
11 Red Shoes
12 Miracle Man
13 I'm Not Angry


(current music: Frank Sinatra - Cake)
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