http://www.amazon.co.uk has another EC book that you can preorder: Elvis Costello's Armed Forces 33 1/3.
It's written by Franklin Bruno and will come out on may 30, 2005.
[/i]
Another book in 2005
-
sweetest punch
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Another book in 2005
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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laughingcrow
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 58-1403069
Elvis Costello's Armed Forces (33 1/3)
Franklin Bruno
Paperback (May 30, 2005)
Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group
ISBN: 0826416748
The same series included a book about Dusty In Memphis ; I reviewed it in this thread
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... pringfield
Elvis Costello's Armed Forces (33 1/3)
Franklin Bruno
Paperback (May 30, 2005)
Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group
ISBN: 0826416748
The same series included a book about Dusty In Memphis ; I reviewed it in this thread
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... pringfield
-
verbal gymnastics
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- Location: Magic lantern land
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sweetest punch
- Posts: 5983
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:49 am
- Location: Belgium
This book is now also available on amazon in the USA:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... s&n=507846
I found a description of the book somewhere else:
Thirty-Three and a Third is a series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the past 40 years. Over 50,000 copies have been sold! Franklin Bruno's writing about music has appeared in the Village Voice, Salon, LA Weekly, and Best Music Writing 2003 (Da Capo). He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from UCLA, and his musical projects include Tempting: Jenny Toomey Sings the Songs of Franklin Bruno (Misra) and A Cat May Look At A Queen (Absolutely Kosher), a solo album. He lives in Los Angeles.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... s&n=507846
I found a description of the book somewhere else:
Thirty-Three and a Third is a series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the past 40 years. Over 50,000 copies have been sold! Franklin Bruno's writing about music has appeared in the Village Voice, Salon, LA Weekly, and Best Music Writing 2003 (Da Capo). He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from UCLA, and his musical projects include Tempting: Jenny Toomey Sings the Songs of Franklin Bruno (Misra) and A Cat May Look At A Queen (Absolutely Kosher), a solo album. He lives in Los Angeles.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
I've just received a copy of this. It looks very comprehensive , it's sources being right up to date as it includes Thomson's book.
I'll tell more later.
This link gives this forum a few pence -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 88-5191844
I'll tell more later.
This link gives this forum a few pence -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 88-5191844
This book is just bursting with fascinating information. Time has allowed me to only have a flick through it . However I found myself repeatedly going ' Of course , how did I miss that before'.
Bruno has really done his homework. Greil Marcus gave him the complete tapes of his 1982 interview with Elvis and so we get a lot of previously unpublished quotes . Engineer/co-producer Roger Bechirian gave him an interview in Oct.04. The notes from the various re-issues are considered - and queried - where necessary.
The books layout is interesting. Over the 151 pages he hops from aspect to aspect. The songs , the allusions , the sleeve designer , the recording , the musicians , the microphones used in the studio ( a Beyer Soundstar ) .....and Columbus, Ohio. The events of April 15, 1979 are referred to over and over again. Quotes , old and new , from nearly all the participants help give the most complete account I've seen. However his reference to the New York press conference two weeks later , where Elvis tried to explain his comments, mentions that a transcript of same exists , citing the Uncut feature as one source. Extensive as that feature was I hope he actually heard a sound recording of same. To remind myself this evening I played back the same recording , looking at Allan Jones transcript/commentary. Repeatedly Jones edites out asides and gives emotive descriptions to tones of questioning that are just not evident to my ears. True Elvis does himself few favours but it is not the disaster Jones describes.
That aside some astonishing connections are made. From Tiny Steps to Abandoned Masquerade on Ms Krall's album for one. And many , many others.
Needless to say , it should be read with album itself playing.
Get it, try it.
Bruno has really done his homework. Greil Marcus gave him the complete tapes of his 1982 interview with Elvis and so we get a lot of previously unpublished quotes . Engineer/co-producer Roger Bechirian gave him an interview in Oct.04. The notes from the various re-issues are considered - and queried - where necessary.
The books layout is interesting. Over the 151 pages he hops from aspect to aspect. The songs , the allusions , the sleeve designer , the recording , the musicians , the microphones used in the studio ( a Beyer Soundstar ) .....and Columbus, Ohio. The events of April 15, 1979 are referred to over and over again. Quotes , old and new , from nearly all the participants help give the most complete account I've seen. However his reference to the New York press conference two weeks later , where Elvis tried to explain his comments, mentions that a transcript of same exists , citing the Uncut feature as one source. Extensive as that feature was I hope he actually heard a sound recording of same. To remind myself this evening I played back the same recording , looking at Allan Jones transcript/commentary. Repeatedly Jones edites out asides and gives emotive descriptions to tones of questioning that are just not evident to my ears. True Elvis does himself few favours but it is not the disaster Jones describes.
That aside some astonishing connections are made. From Tiny Steps to Abandoned Masquerade on Ms Krall's album for one. And many , many others.
Needless to say , it should be read with album itself playing.
Get it, try it.
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And No Coffee Table
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VonOfterdingen
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From listserv ( saying it so much better than I ever could!) -
I read the first 20 pages last night and Bruno's thesis seems to focus
on a
critical analysis of the album's original title -- "Emotional Fascism"
-- and
how the songs reflect EC's then-attitudes, skills and intentions.
Arranged in
alphabetical order according to topic/song, Bruno precludes certain
events
through constant references and then dives in with both feet once he
arrives at a
name or song that directly connects said references to the actual
event. For
example, he refers to the Ray Charles incident repeatedly, but only
gives the
full story once he introduces Bonnie Bramlett (in the B-section,
natually).
Depending on your ADD level, Bruno's jumpcut organization is either
confusing
as hell or playfully amusing. The way he injects political history
between
detailed (and from what I can tell, knowledgable) descriptions of each
song's
construction works for me. I also like the way he places the album
contextually in Elvis's oeuvre; it shows that he's done quite a bit of
research and is
taking an empirical approach to his analysis. Plus, despite his
attempts at
objectivity, it's pretty clear Bruno is impressed by Elvis's talents.
Hoping the next 100+ pages are as enjoyable as the first 20,
Tom
I read the first 20 pages last night and Bruno's thesis seems to focus
on a
critical analysis of the album's original title -- "Emotional Fascism"
-- and
how the songs reflect EC's then-attitudes, skills and intentions.
Arranged in
alphabetical order according to topic/song, Bruno precludes certain
events
through constant references and then dives in with both feet once he
arrives at a
name or song that directly connects said references to the actual
event. For
example, he refers to the Ray Charles incident repeatedly, but only
gives the
full story once he introduces Bonnie Bramlett (in the B-section,
natually).
Depending on your ADD level, Bruno's jumpcut organization is either
confusing
as hell or playfully amusing. The way he injects political history
between
detailed (and from what I can tell, knowledgable) descriptions of each
song's
construction works for me. I also like the way he places the album
contextually in Elvis's oeuvre; it shows that he's done quite a bit of
research and is
taking an empirical approach to his analysis. Plus, despite his
attempts at
objectivity, it's pretty clear Bruno is impressed by Elvis's talents.
Hoping the next 100+ pages are as enjoyable as the first 20,
Tom
Sounds interesting.
One question: How is the Columbus Incident relevant to Armed Forces when it happened 6 months after the making of the album? Surely those events are much more relevant to the songs on Get Happy!, which incidentally, would have been a much better record (along with Imp. Bed) to write one of these 'dedicated' books on.
One question: How is the Columbus Incident relevant to Armed Forces when it happened 6 months after the making of the album? Surely those events are much more relevant to the songs on Get Happy!, which incidentally, would have been a much better record (along with Imp. Bed) to write one of these 'dedicated' books on.
Armed Forces was the album that nearly made Elvis a superstar - 'Coumbus' stopped all that. The resulting reaction to the album is why , in a nutshell , Bruno's book deals with the incident. The resulting inspiration of songs for Get happy!! is also written about .How is the Columbus Incident relevant to Armed Forces when it happened 6 months after the making of the album?
Incidentally , Thomson theorises that Elvis may have subconciously let the whole incident blow up the way it did to stop himself becoming a 'star'. Some of that good old Catholic guilt that he grew up with made him think he was just not worthy of it - or something like that.
That's a theory I agree with.johnfoyle wrote:Incidentally , Thomson theorises that Elvis may have subconciously let the whole incident blow up the way it did to stop himself becoming a 'star'. Some of that good old Catholic guilt that he grew up with made him think he was just not worthy of it - or something like that.
I almost ordered this book a couple of weeks ago, too.
Oy with the poodles, already!
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Extreme Honey
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Armed Luck
You know, for one, I'm happy Elvis didn't become a superstar. You think he might have come up with Almost Blue if he did become a superstar? Personally, I don't like Armend Forces, it's just a young druged-up Elvis trying to make some bucks with the music that sold, he'll even say it himself! Thank god Elvis didn't become a superstar! If he became a superstar he would never have experimented with music or lasted this long without the public pushing him back (like Prince). The colombous incident was the best thing that happened to Elvis!
http://konvolutm.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 23, 2005
2) Armed Forces is out. Read the publisher's description, and/or purchase it through Powell's, via links at right. (You might well check out the concurrently released volumes on Murmur, by my new neighbor J. Niimi and Grace by Daphne Brooks. I have.)
My poor record with respect to promotion notwithstanding, I'll try to set up 'events' for the book here and there in the coming months (some, if timing is with us, with J.), and let you know here. Also, in the next few days (read weeks) I'll be adding a small side blog for material related to the book -- corrections, omissions, and tangents I just didn't have space for. But, if I can master myself, no defenses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Adcidents Will Happen, first in a very occasional series:
I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was thinking of starting a side-blog for corrections and additions to AF. I spent some time over the last few days test-running various formats, and I guess I've decided that it's unrealistic and too open-ended -- not because I expect that there are a lot of errors of fact, but because I'm too tempted to draw out every interpretive tangent. I want to come clean, but I can't let a book that's already out in the world take over my life. So, when such items are sufficiently glaring or interesting, I'll just insert them into the general deluge here:
There are two screw-ups in my entry on The Agora. On p. 6, I give the date of the Columbus show as April 15 -- of course, it's March. (The Cleveland Agora show was four days later, as noted -- but four days later in March. By April 15/19, EC would have been back in the UK.) I'm sorry I didn't catch this in copyediting: The date is given correctly everywhere else, as far as I can tell, and the chronology in the long "Columbus" entry (p. 41-48) is consistent with the going print and online sources.
Second and more substantively, reader Scott Cullen-Benson of Oakdale, Minnesota didn't catch the mistaken date, but writes (in part):
OK, I know this is really picky, but I just couldn’t let it pass. Mr. Bruno discusses The Agora Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio. I am a graduate of Ohio State University and was a student there from 1970 to 1974. Mr. Bruno states that The Agora moved in 1985 “from 24th Street to its current home on Euclid Avenue.” To the best of my personal knowledge the original Agora was located on North High Street (yes, appropriately named indeed). North High Street (State Rt. 23), which is right across the street from the east side of the OSU campus, is where I saw many a music concert (most notably Roland Kirk and Miles Davis) in The Agora Ballroom. In fact, my fondest memory is how The Agora thwarted a mob of rioting football crazies by putting their huge speakers outside and blasting music to the ensuing looting and rioting that occurred after OSU beat Michigan in November, 1970. Every store’s windows were smashed EXCEPT The Agora which figured if you couldn’t beat ‘em (the rioters) you joined ‘em by playing the soundtrack to the show. I certainly don’t know where The Agora is located now, but then, it was on North High Street, not 24th Street. In fact, I think what you have done is mixed up The Agora Ballroom that is currently located on 5000 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland with the one that was in Columbus.
Understandable error, but us native Buckeyes know about such things…..But I could be wrong.
Nope, you've got me: I conflated the Cleveland and Columbus venues, which share a name (and an original owner, Henry LoConti). According to the history at the club's own site, the Cleveland Agora was opened in 1966, moved closer to Cleveland State (on 24th St.) the following year, and after a fire in 1984 moved once again to 5000 Euclid Avenue, where it is today. The Columbus Agora opened in 1970, and has always been on High Street. My misreading probably had to do with conflating the High Streets in the two cities.
To complete the story, the Columbus venue was bought in 1984 and renamed Newport Music Hall, the name under which it operates today. Here's a relevant article from The Lantern at OSU. (Free subscription required.) This article also suggests that the club was up and running by the late-'60s, and moved into national acts with a Ted Nugent show in 1970. Fittingly enough, the Columbus Agora was originally the State Theater, a movie house build in 1922 -- not unlike London's Dominion (see p. 55-56). I'm sure I would have used this to bludgeon home some point about mass entertainment if had I noted it earlier.
Two final notes:
1) I'm doubly ashamed, because Columbus and Cleveland have been a couple of my favorite places to play on tour. I'm sure that if such noted Buckeyes as Paul Nini or Ron House read any of this, they'll be shaking their heads in horror: "We let that guy play at Stache's/Bernie's, and he doesn't even know which city he's in." Same for ex-Clevelander Robert Griffin and that city's Euclid Tavern -- on Euclid, smart guy!
2) Scott also points out that the Cleveland Agora is alluded to by Akronian Chrissie Hynde in The Pretenders' "Precious": "At 55th and Euclid Avenue, you're real precious/I got my eyes on your Imperial, and you're precious."
If all of my readers are as civil about my errors as Scott, I'll consider myself lucky. And that Miles/Roland Kirk show sounds amazing.
~~~
Might as well note an omission as well: I didn't catch the likely source of the line "I am the mighty and the magnificent" in "Button My Lip" from The Delivery Man. (See "I Stand Accused," esp. p. 76-77.) The mighty M. Matos did. (The track is well-known from the soundtrack of The Harder They Come. Intuition told me EC's line had to be another cross-reference, but my mind was on soul, not reggae.)
I've also read that EC used Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label" as entrance music at a recent show in Nashville (where Lost Highway is based). And that he's been covering Lowe's "Heart of the City" (from Jesus of Cool/Pure Pop) on the current tour.
I think you can see how this could get out of control.
Monday, May 23, 2005
2) Armed Forces is out. Read the publisher's description, and/or purchase it through Powell's, via links at right. (You might well check out the concurrently released volumes on Murmur, by my new neighbor J. Niimi and Grace by Daphne Brooks. I have.)
My poor record with respect to promotion notwithstanding, I'll try to set up 'events' for the book here and there in the coming months (some, if timing is with us, with J.), and let you know here. Also, in the next few days (read weeks) I'll be adding a small side blog for material related to the book -- corrections, omissions, and tangents I just didn't have space for. But, if I can master myself, no defenses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Adcidents Will Happen, first in a very occasional series:
I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was thinking of starting a side-blog for corrections and additions to AF. I spent some time over the last few days test-running various formats, and I guess I've decided that it's unrealistic and too open-ended -- not because I expect that there are a lot of errors of fact, but because I'm too tempted to draw out every interpretive tangent. I want to come clean, but I can't let a book that's already out in the world take over my life. So, when such items are sufficiently glaring or interesting, I'll just insert them into the general deluge here:
There are two screw-ups in my entry on The Agora. On p. 6, I give the date of the Columbus show as April 15 -- of course, it's March. (The Cleveland Agora show was four days later, as noted -- but four days later in March. By April 15/19, EC would have been back in the UK.) I'm sorry I didn't catch this in copyediting: The date is given correctly everywhere else, as far as I can tell, and the chronology in the long "Columbus" entry (p. 41-48) is consistent with the going print and online sources.
Second and more substantively, reader Scott Cullen-Benson of Oakdale, Minnesota didn't catch the mistaken date, but writes (in part):
OK, I know this is really picky, but I just couldn’t let it pass. Mr. Bruno discusses The Agora Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio. I am a graduate of Ohio State University and was a student there from 1970 to 1974. Mr. Bruno states that The Agora moved in 1985 “from 24th Street to its current home on Euclid Avenue.” To the best of my personal knowledge the original Agora was located on North High Street (yes, appropriately named indeed). North High Street (State Rt. 23), which is right across the street from the east side of the OSU campus, is where I saw many a music concert (most notably Roland Kirk and Miles Davis) in The Agora Ballroom. In fact, my fondest memory is how The Agora thwarted a mob of rioting football crazies by putting their huge speakers outside and blasting music to the ensuing looting and rioting that occurred after OSU beat Michigan in November, 1970. Every store’s windows were smashed EXCEPT The Agora which figured if you couldn’t beat ‘em (the rioters) you joined ‘em by playing the soundtrack to the show. I certainly don’t know where The Agora is located now, but then, it was on North High Street, not 24th Street. In fact, I think what you have done is mixed up The Agora Ballroom that is currently located on 5000 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland with the one that was in Columbus.
Understandable error, but us native Buckeyes know about such things…..But I could be wrong.
Nope, you've got me: I conflated the Cleveland and Columbus venues, which share a name (and an original owner, Henry LoConti). According to the history at the club's own site, the Cleveland Agora was opened in 1966, moved closer to Cleveland State (on 24th St.) the following year, and after a fire in 1984 moved once again to 5000 Euclid Avenue, where it is today. The Columbus Agora opened in 1970, and has always been on High Street. My misreading probably had to do with conflating the High Streets in the two cities.
To complete the story, the Columbus venue was bought in 1984 and renamed Newport Music Hall, the name under which it operates today. Here's a relevant article from The Lantern at OSU. (Free subscription required.) This article also suggests that the club was up and running by the late-'60s, and moved into national acts with a Ted Nugent show in 1970. Fittingly enough, the Columbus Agora was originally the State Theater, a movie house build in 1922 -- not unlike London's Dominion (see p. 55-56). I'm sure I would have used this to bludgeon home some point about mass entertainment if had I noted it earlier.
Two final notes:
1) I'm doubly ashamed, because Columbus and Cleveland have been a couple of my favorite places to play on tour. I'm sure that if such noted Buckeyes as Paul Nini or Ron House read any of this, they'll be shaking their heads in horror: "We let that guy play at Stache's/Bernie's, and he doesn't even know which city he's in." Same for ex-Clevelander Robert Griffin and that city's Euclid Tavern -- on Euclid, smart guy!
2) Scott also points out that the Cleveland Agora is alluded to by Akronian Chrissie Hynde in The Pretenders' "Precious": "At 55th and Euclid Avenue, you're real precious/I got my eyes on your Imperial, and you're precious."
If all of my readers are as civil about my errors as Scott, I'll consider myself lucky. And that Miles/Roland Kirk show sounds amazing.
~~~
Might as well note an omission as well: I didn't catch the likely source of the line "I am the mighty and the magnificent" in "Button My Lip" from The Delivery Man. (See "I Stand Accused," esp. p. 76-77.) The mighty M. Matos did. (The track is well-known from the soundtrack of The Harder They Come. Intuition told me EC's line had to be another cross-reference, but my mind was on soul, not reggae.)
I've also read that EC used Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label" as entrance music at a recent show in Nashville (where Lost Highway is based). And that he's been covering Lowe's "Heart of the City" (from Jesus of Cool/Pure Pop) on the current tour.
I think you can see how this could get out of control.
I e-mailed Mr Bruno and he asked me to pass this on -
Hello:
Franklin Bruno (the guy who wrote the new Armed Forces book)
here. Thanks for your kind mention of the book on the news-page. I'm
aware that the fan community isn't always thrilled with what critics
have to say, so I appreciate you giving my work a sporting chance. As
you say, I did try to "do my homework" and I'd like to emphasize (as I
do in the bibliography) that the online sources put together by fans
were indispensable, especially the gigography.
I wanted to respond to one thing. As you guess, I didn't have access
to an audiotape of the NYC press conference after Columbus, and had to
go by Jones' reconstruction -- I tried to make sure this was clear in
the text. I made inquiries into getting a copy of the tape, but no one
I was in touch with came through. This is exactly why I only quote a
few selected exchanges, and leave out Jones' interpretations of the
speakers' tone -- I didn't want to put more weight on the conference
than the sources that I had to work from warranted. I did, however,
interview Robert Christgau (who was there) about his recollection of
the event, and the atmosphere around the Columbus controversy more
generally.
Your suggestion that the conference was not as big a disaster as Jones
(and most other writers) made it seem is interesting. But it's worth
pointing out that EC has certainly treated it as pretty disastrous when
he's mentioned it at all, as in the recent Get Happy! liner
notes ("...the hysterical, and it must be said, delighted liberal
press"); this reaction also comes through in the tapes of the Greil
Marcus interview. In general, I hope that readers who don't agree with
all of my interpretations still find some food for thought -- I realize
that some of the 'political' material may be old news to UK readers,
but since the book is for a US audience as well, it seemed worth
drawing out those connections.
I'm posting factual corrections, omissions, and occasional tangents to
a blog page at http://adcidents.blogspot.com. (Title inspired by the
-Hollywood High- EP.) I hope to be as responsive to input from readers
and listeners as my time and other responsibilities allow.
Thanks for your time,
fjb
Hello:
Franklin Bruno (the guy who wrote the new Armed Forces book)
here. Thanks for your kind mention of the book on the news-page. I'm
aware that the fan community isn't always thrilled with what critics
have to say, so I appreciate you giving my work a sporting chance. As
you say, I did try to "do my homework" and I'd like to emphasize (as I
do in the bibliography) that the online sources put together by fans
were indispensable, especially the gigography.
I wanted to respond to one thing. As you guess, I didn't have access
to an audiotape of the NYC press conference after Columbus, and had to
go by Jones' reconstruction -- I tried to make sure this was clear in
the text. I made inquiries into getting a copy of the tape, but no one
I was in touch with came through. This is exactly why I only quote a
few selected exchanges, and leave out Jones' interpretations of the
speakers' tone -- I didn't want to put more weight on the conference
than the sources that I had to work from warranted. I did, however,
interview Robert Christgau (who was there) about his recollection of
the event, and the atmosphere around the Columbus controversy more
generally.
Your suggestion that the conference was not as big a disaster as Jones
(and most other writers) made it seem is interesting. But it's worth
pointing out that EC has certainly treated it as pretty disastrous when
he's mentioned it at all, as in the recent Get Happy! liner
notes ("...the hysterical, and it must be said, delighted liberal
press"); this reaction also comes through in the tapes of the Greil
Marcus interview. In general, I hope that readers who don't agree with
all of my interpretations still find some food for thought -- I realize
that some of the 'political' material may be old news to UK readers,
but since the book is for a US audience as well, it seemed worth
drawing out those connections.
I'm posting factual corrections, omissions, and occasional tangents to
a blog page at http://adcidents.blogspot.com. (Title inspired by the
-Hollywood High- EP.) I hope to be as responsive to input from readers
and listeners as my time and other responsibilities allow.
Thanks for your time,
fjb