Best EC Album of the Past 10 years

[InvisibleMan]

or both.

[Otis Westinghouse]

I also think a good album is more than the sum of its parts, so there should be, say, 10% reserved for scoring 'how much more than the sum of its parts is this album'. A great album isn't a greatest hits, a series of brilliant moments, it's a total experience, a journey, an artefact, even if iTunes means we don't play them that way often. The sequencing, the desire to play the whole thing in one sitting, the identity and coherence of it, all them things.

[Uncomplicated]

your system is good, but you really need to take the total running time of each album and then divide it by the running time of each of the tracks on the album before allocating your scores, thereby achieving a proportional weight to the individual track scores. Otherwise a song that rates well but is only short, will give an unrepresentatively positive bias to the whole album. Similarly a "poor " song that is unduly long would have an even more adverse affect based on this more reliable system.

You should do that, or maybe get out more.

Great point but, I don't think a song should carry more weight one way or another because of it's length.

And yes.... definitely too much time on my hands.

[InvisibleMan]

I also think a good album is more than the sum of its parts, so there should be, say, 10% reserved for scoring 'how much more than the sum of its parts is this album'. A great album isn't a greatest hits, a series of brilliant moments, it's a total experience, a journey, an artefact, even if iTunes means we don't play them that way often. The sequencing, the desire to play the whole thing in one sitting, the identity and coherence of it, all them things.

i agree, i was thinking about it too.

[The imposter]

I also think a good album is more than the sum of its parts, so there should be, say, 10% reserved for scoring 'how much more than the sum of its parts is this album'. A great album isn't a greatest hits, a series of brilliant moments, it's a total experience, a journey, an artefact, even if iTunes means we don't play them that way often. The sequencing, the desire to play the whole thing in one sitting, the identity and coherence of it, all them things.

True. I still like to listen to albums end to end. Most of the best albums are concept albums...Not in a hippy or prog rock way, but they usually have some common thread. Be it in the lyrical content, recording process, or the arrangements,instrumentation etc.

Most of Elvis' albums have this.Just so happens, the mood of GCW is a real downer and North is a bit melancholic.

[Neil.]

Regarding Alex's observations about Elvis's choosing to try out different styles - why shouldn't he? Also, I think that, as you've said, he's a great rock singer - one of the greats - but I also think he's an amazing singer of country songs. His version of Sweet Dreams is better than Patsy Cline's in my opinion.

Re-the best album of the past ten years: ooh, tricky! At the mo I'd say Momofuku - but I haven't listened to When I Was Cruel for ages, so it might be that!

[The imposter]

After quite a bit of 00’s Costello bashing here recently, I thought I’d chip in with my tuppeneth and cast my vote. The sheer depth and variety of styles listed here is proof itself in the breadth of Costello’s musical vocabulary. Present these albums to someone who doesn’t know him and they would struggle to believe that these albums could all come from the same person.
That diversity is a weakness according to some here, but it’s always different and never boring. Like the man said.”if you don’t like this one,well maybe you’ll like the next”

Added to this there's at least 3 albums worth of songs scattered around on compilatons or that were recorded by others. If we're not gonna get bonus discs then there could be a covers album , a duets album and 1 containing unused songs like Unwanted Number, Burnt Sugar etc

Anyway some completely subjective thoughts on the albums up for debate...


For The Stars Not really a Costello album. More of a showcase for ASVO. Still it has some good songs on there. I wish Elvis would record his own version of ’No Wonder’

When I Was Cruel After four years without a record when this came out, it was just a relief to know that he was still around. 45 was a great single, Doll Rev’s ok, My Blue Window is a catchy number that some people hate for some reason and Alibi is a bit like an “I Want You” for this century, but really too many dull tracks on there. Dissolve, Oh Well, Soul for Hire, Dust? Twice?? Too much of that rhythm effects gumbo that Elvis was using, by far. Pete Thomas should have thrown it out the studio window. The title track goes on for ever; I prefer Mina’s original melody. Having said that, I’d love to hear one of those hybrid DJ mixes of the 2 together.

Cruel Smile More of a WIWC bonus disc, to my mind with half of the tracks coming from that album, and not the better tracks either.

North This album has never gripped me. I’ve persevered and I don’t mind an odd track now and then, but all in one go there isn’t enough variety for me. Every track is the same slow tempo, with no rhythmic hooks; even The Juliet Letters and the new album have that. There are some tasteful shades of orchestra but it’s just so monochrome, like the cover.

The Delivery Man I was really into this when it came out, for a while it was rivaling KOA for top spot, until I got real. It’s gonna get my vote here though.

Button My Lip- Bump Bump.... Bump Bump SPLASH Great rhythm.

Country Darkness Again a really subtle Bacharach style time change in the verses.

There’s A Story In Your Voice What may be a filler track here is still a rocking great duet.

Either Side Of The Same Town Elvis’ answer to Dark End of The Street. Majestic.

Bedlam Never been one of my faves but I can see why people like it. Good lyric and works well live.

The Delivery Man Tells a story, The looks like Elvis bit is fun.

Monkey To Man Great single, comes in on the off beat and hits you. I just think the middle 8 is a bit clumsy.

Nothing Clings Like Ivy Elvis & Emmy in the kind of great ballad Elvis excels at.

The Name Of This Thing Is Not Love One of the weaker tracks, but the competition is tough.

Heart Shaped Bruise It’s a Winner!

She’s Pulling Out The Pin Experimental track, not a complete success but if this gets the wooden spoon, it can’t be a bad album

Needle time Don’t rate this blues, but imagine it’s fun to play live. I’ve heard it at a different tempo and it’s a different animal.

The Judgement This is a clever Costello song, very atmospheric.

Scarlet Tide Costello Classic

River in Reverse This album turned me on to New Orleans music, and made me check out people like Lee Dorsey, Dr. John & Professor Longhair. One of the great things about Costello is how he has introduced me to other music. I wasn’t familiar with some of the covers on the album and in the live shows, so hearing some for the first time had a stronger impact on me, I guess than if I had been listening to them for years.

That live band was something else too! I danced my ass off, just like Big Sam Williams who plays the best trombone I ever heard. The newer co written songs aren’t nearly as strong though, except for Sharpest Thorn.

My Flame Burns Blue Not a completely new release, but a live album. It’s a good one though and the only one where we can hear Costello in a big band setting.

Il Sogno You cannot compare Il sogno with the other albums on this list. ‘Apples and oranges’ as someone here said.
It would only be reasonable to compare it to his other instrumental albums. I couldn’t tell you if it’s a good classical album or not but it sounds more accomplished than his other ones to me.

Momofuku Initial excitement about this album has waned for me. I don’t get Costello’s gripe about about all his music being free on the net while the couple in the elevator make a ‘killing on the market’ Maybe it’s down to marketing strategy!
Probably best opening track on an album for years though. There are plenty of other good songs too. Harry Worth is cool, Mr. Feather’s is a nod to Mr. Kite, Song with Rose reminds me of Forgive her Anything. “Days dragged by like cigarettes” sounds strangely familiar. Pardon Me Madam written for a woman singer but who should sing it..? Lucinda Williams? Would sound good..Flutter & Wow is close to a classic and My 3 sons is hopelessly sentimental and that’s exactly WHY it’s so good.

In fact the only tracks I don’t like are Turpentine, “That’s Right’. (annoying recent mannerism) It seems like these days he has to put a 6 minute dirge on every album. Drum & Bone (at least it’s short) and on Stella and Go Away Elvis is merely treading water.

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane With no drums and a tracklist that was already quite familiar, I feared the worst. No need the album is a delight, like most EC albums it took about 3 listens for it to register with me. Strange but If something is immediate I usually bore of it sooner. It’s a real grower and who knows how high it may reach on his all time rankings. Unfortunately not quite high enough to win this poll for me. ..yet

The harmonies are wonderfully understated. Complicated Shadows and Hidden Shame were never favourites of mine “That’s Right” but they sound better here. Despite having no drums the album’s full of rhythm, from the guitar and boom chic a boom bass to Elvis’ voice, which also sounds percussive at times when he enunciates lines like

“Lipstick Twisted Tight”
‘Tippling tinctures, reciting scriptures”
‘cheap tin lockets’

and who but Costello could talk about The Kingdom of Benin, a sandstone crocodile, a blue cetacean and an elephant on the second storey all in the same song ?

BRILLIANT!

The better songs are in the second half. Sulphur To Sugarcane Elvis’ own bawdy road map of The States. Girls have been throwing him their panties I believe! maybe they can make a quilt from them all ala Frank Zappa

Then Red Cotton, as I’ve discussed, is superb and would grace any of his albums, Crooked Line is another favourite and Changing Partners is a charming finale.

[Ypsilanti]

Imposter--loved what you had to say--all very insightful, most especially regarding SP&S.

I'm just chiming in with a brief defense of "Go Away"...

I see your point, but I like this song because it's "Watching the Detectives", updated to reflect a more grown-up, cosmopolitan point of view. I love the way the 2 songs play off each other--one is Mickey Spillane & the other is Jean-Luc Goddard.