What was Elvis' last truly Great (studio) album?

Poor Deportee · Post by **Poor Deportee** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:57 pm

Great as in, one for the ages - as most people see his first three.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 3:47 am

My vote's for North, if you remove the bonus tracks. An incredible sequence of songs that gets better with age.

invisible Pole · Post by **invisible Pole** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:14 am

As I said in another thread - All This Useless Beauty.

Post by **BlueChair** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:27 am

I would have said ATUB until River In Reverse came along. I think they're pretty much at par with each other. Of course, I may not feel that way a year from now so who knows.

wardo68 · Post by **wardo68** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:37 am

I'm with Mr. Foyle on this one. I like North start to finish, and one I throw it on I end up listening to it several times through. (And yeah, I don't include the 'bonus' tracks.) Of the selections on the poll, North is the strongest for me, followed by PFM.

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:50 am

My goodness. I prefer the bonus tracks on North.

But really, despite finding TRIR enjoyable I can't go past

The.

Delivery.

Man.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:55 pm

I adore the new record, and I don't see my appreciation of it diminishing any time soon. I would have said The Delivery Man if not for TRIR. If not for TDM, I'd have said Blood and Chocolate. As much as I love ATUB and Brutal Youth, they don't stand up to his first four records as well. Spike and MLAR are great in spots, but patchy IMO. The other side projects, collaborations, etc have all been good (except For The Stars), but they're not classics. But he's had two classics in a row in my opinion, and that makes me really happy.

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:57 pm

So when are Oliver's Army gonna learn some of the new songs?

The imposter · Post by **The imposter** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:24 pm

TDM for me. I like RIR but the majority are covers, so TDM gets my vote as COSTELLO'S last great album.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:29 pm

BlueChair wrote:So when are Oliver's Army gonna learn some of the new songs?

This Thursday night and next weekend, actually!

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:33 pm

Any idea yet which you might do?

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:17 pm

I want to add "Tears, Tears, and More Tears," "International Echo," and "On Your Way Down." I suspect that "Six-Fingered Man" is a good possibility as well.

ahawkman · Post by **ahawkman** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:28 pm

TDM or WIWC great, one for the ages? You folks are killing me. I can't get through either one of them in one sitting. Turn down the frigging bass, will ya Elvis? I swear he has low frequency hearing loss. Or maybe he's just trying to demonstrate how fantasic (-ally mediocre) the new bass player is in comparison to BT.

I did almost vote for ATUB, the strongest on this list IMO. But then I snapped back to my senses. I've only heard parts of TRIR, so maybe this is the return to top form for which I've been waiting (has it been an eternity yet?), however, one can be let down only so many times before becoming gun shy, sort of an "Elvis Who Sang Wolf" theme.

I know..... I'm a reactionary, stuck in the past and unwilling to let the artist grow, blah, blah, blah. Or perhaps the emperor is scantily clad at best?

sabreman · Post by **sabreman** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:04 pm

TRIR's production and engineering are great (TDM and especially WIWC were not IMHO). Big props to JH. I also noticed the concert sound was great for the TRIR tour. I think this might have something to do with having AT around. Sure hope EC keeps these high sound standards moving forward. BTW TRIR is a great album too.

migdd · Post by **migdd** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:48 pm

TRIR got my vote. It's just amazing that this collaboration happened as quickly as it did and produced an album and tour of such high caliber. As I mentioned on another thread, EC has been on an artistic high since the tour that followed WIWC, when the Imposters really took shape and became a band to be reckoned with. To me, TDM and TRIR are simply his strongest albums since King of America (although there have been many fine albums in between).

The River In Reverse tour, along with last summer's brief tour with Emmylou Harris and Larry Campbell, just seemed to be the epitome of everything EC has been working towards in the rock and roll/soul/country. The Imposters, complimented with like-minded musicians from across different musical spectrums, absolutely caught fire and operated on an entirely new level.

I've seen EC and his bands live a gazillion times since 1979 but the last two tours have simply blown all other tours out of the water. This may be blasphemy to some, but as great as the Attractions were(and I am a huge Attractions fan!), the Imposters are leagues ahead of them. It really is true that some things just get better with age!!!!

Masterpiece? · Post by **Masterpiece?** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:36 pm

Shoot me, stab me, kick me...it's WIWC for me.

I skip through parts of TDM and TRIR, and North is too meek. But WIWC is the most recent album that is still in my heavy rotation to this day.

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:38 am

Spooky - we haven't heard from you yet...

I think his last four studio albums have been great but all of them suffer from having one or two tracks too many.

Poor Deportee · Post by **Poor Deportee** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:15 pm

If any of the records listed has a crack at greatness, it's The Delivery Man, in my opinion. Unlike some hereabouts, I love its bass-heavy sound (and whaddaya mean, the new guy sucks? Dig the bass on 'Button My Lip'). EC is in great voice, the songwriting is very strong. But the album is flawed by the inclusion of 'The Judgement,' which is oversung and overwrought and not that well written, in truth. That's a significant blemish, given its crucial placement in the running order. So TDM is close to greatness but not quite there.

An album of mainly covers (TRIR) might be good fun but can't be a Truly Great Elvis Costello album, inasmuch as the man is ultimately defined by his songcraft.

WIWC is as close as EC gets to being awful (about four terrific tracks save the CD from sheer awfulness).

The collaborations are enjoyable but somewhat hit-and-miss - and also, it must be said, affected at times.

ATUB is a strong record, but suffers from its lack of really great 'anchor' tracks, along the lines of 'I Want You.' The rewrite of 'Telescope' hurts the song, too, and there are some other key tracks that aren't as good as they need to be - most notably the title track. Frankly, I find this record overrated.

'Brutal Youth' is as underrated as ATUB is overrated (by Elvis fans, anyway). Now there's a record that ages well. Still, 'This is Hell' lives up to its name all too well, 'Sci Fi Twin' needs a decent melody in the worst way, 'Too Soon to Know' EC just can't sing. Too many flaws, again.

I'd go back to 'Spike,' or Blood and Chocolate. Although 'The Juliet Letters' is a genuinely powerful and consistent album. I'm just not sure about EC's vocals on some of it.

Indeed, one thing all of his post-MLAR albums share is that they put EC's vocals WAY up in the mix. I prefer the more integrated sound of the 'Attractions' days, at least as far as voice goes. Indeed, EC may be at his best when working with a steady band that he can really lock into - certainly the excellence of TDM suggests as much (compare that to the soulless tedium of WIWC!).

Phew, long post. Sorry.

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 1:54 pm

Great? If you really mean Great:

"Imperial Bedroom"

Chrille · Post by **Chrille** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:29 pm

I think IP was his last great one too.

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:35 pm

That's depressing.

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:43 pm

I dunno about that for the ages thing, but I'd rather listen to When I Was Cruel than This Years Model, the River in Reverse band sure beats the one on My Aim Is True, and there are plenty more duff tracks on Armed Forces than on All This Useless Beauty. Brutal Youth gets my blood pumping more than any of the above. And I think most of the Juliet Letters is a work of genius. But I chose Painted From Memory.

wardo68 · Post by **wardo68** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:05 pm

This thread shows, more than anything, that while we all disagree on which albums by The Man rock our respective worlds, our passion for his work is without question. For me, that's the sign of a true artist. Dylan and Neil Young are the same -- everyone argues about good albums vs. bad albums, great songs vs. crap songs, but we listen to anything that comes out with the hope it can be added to the list of must-haves.

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:11 pm

wardo68 wrote:This thread shows, more than anything, that while we all disagree on which albums by The Man rock our respective worlds, our passion for his work is without question. For me, that's the sign of a true artist. Dylan and Neil Young are the same -- everyone argues about good albums vs. bad albums, great songs vs. crap songs, but we listen to anything that comes out with the hope it can be added to the list of must-haves.

Exactly.Really fantastic records, all. I connect with every one save for Juliet Letters, but only because I have not invested time and effort to understand it. I think the body of Elvis work is, overall, astounding and his artistry knows few peers. Yet, the word "Great" means, to me, the absolute best of the best, the creme de la creme, and I stand by IB as meetingthe criteria.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:15 pm

Well put, wardo