Spectacle season 2

[The imposter]

Thanks Alex. That’s a great post. Refreshing to hear something positive . No need to apologise about not liking everything.

I’ve been a fan since 78, own every record (although I gave away WIWC

I agree it’s one of his weaker efforts but yes still some great songs.

I could talk about 200 or more songs that I don’t like but I’d rather dwell on the 700 or more I think are good or the 300 or more that are better than that..

I do know that there are certain records of his that I really love (MAIT, TYM, GH, AF, IB, TL, KOA, PFM) and I think are just about perfect EC records. Not perfect records, not the greatest records ever made, just perfect EC records.

All of these are among my favourites too ! I think TDM and SPS are great too. These together with KOA make a fantastic “American Trilogy”

I could also moan about other things…Why are the best shows always in The States ? Why can’t I see Spectacle 2 here ? Why does he hardly play in the UK, and never in Ireland ? Why does my copy of Get Happy have a stain on the cover ? Etc Etc.

I could also moan about all the things that EC is not..I don’t particularly think he cuts it singing some jazz standards. He doesn´t have the same seemingly effortless vocal ease as a Tony Bennett or Willie Nelson or James Taylor.

But hey if I want to hear these people I just pull out one of their records.

One of the best things about Elvis is the breadth of his influence and styles. It’s probably his Achilles heel too, as he probably isn’t the greatest in any single genre. Nevertheless each album sounds different to me and it’s always interesting at least.

What's so good about the guy? I think he's a great songwriter, primarily. A little quirky, but really original and with an inimitable style. Not the greatest songwriter in the world, but one of the greats. I think the Beatles were better, Dylan, Van, the Stones, Serrat and quite a few others are ahead of EC in the songwriting dept. as far as I'm concerned (key condition there, it's all subjective).

I agree he’s not the greatest songwriter that ever lived either. I deliberately compared him with people who also emerged around 1977-78, a period in which I think he has no serious competition. The people I mentioned are all great songwriters but none has the same longevity or range of styles. Costello for me belongs in the in the company of writers like Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Springsteen..(list not exhaustive) This is also acknowledged by Costello's high placing in various greatest songwriter lists of this type.

I didn’t compare him with The Beatles who are in a league of their own. It would be almost impossible to over estimate their influence not just on music but popular culture in general. Maybe Elvis is the best songwriter from Liverpool who didn’t happen to be in The Beatles !

Dylan too has no equal in that respect. Incidentally there are also many who dislike his vocal style too, and rather like on this board, had to suffer enormous criticism from his own fans when changing to an electric sound!

The Stones? Although I love many of their singles and own all of their albums, at least up until Steel Wheels. I think they’re sometimes guilty of making the same album over and over and they’re more than a bit sexist at times. Nowadays they’re a bit of a caricature of themselves but granted..It’s a strange mix of people and nobody sounds like them. They are also incredibly important to popular culture.

Van ? I know he has made some brilliant records, but I just have an intense dislike for his attitude and personality.

Interesting you mention Serrat. There is quite literally a world of great songwriters in different cultures. Sometimes the language is a barrier. I speak reasonable Spanish so I also love people like Victor Jara, Chavela Vargas, Ruben Blades, Joaquín Sabina, Camarón and lots of traditional Cuban songs.

All of the above are fantastic but Alex, I think you have also nailed the reason why you & I both like Elvis so much in identifying the relation his career has had to our own life experiences.

But,and this is the key, regardless of where I put the guy in the pantheon, for whatever reason EC is my personal favorite. Something struck me back in the day, when I was young and so was he that established a connection that doesn't exist, and never existed, with Dylan or any of the others. Have no clue how that happened. And that's why i'm here. It certainly has nothing to do with how much I love a particular record, or a particular stance he takes, or whether his singing is better or worse, or whether he says something nasty about a particular person or group of people.

Most people tend to like the music from around their teenage years best for this reason. I’ve grown up with Elvis’s music and followed his career closely for about 25 years now, so there is a connection there.

My 1st memory of Elvis was hearing “Oliver’s Army” aged 8. Next I remember my mum liking “Good Year for the Roses” My brothers owned a couple of his records but I wasn’t buying records until I was about 11.

The 1st single I bought, well that was Squeeze “Cool for Cats” on 7” pink vinyl. 1st Elvis record : “The Man” compilation from 1985. From then I was hooked, first checking out his earlier albums then buying each new release from Spike onwards and attending concerts from 1989.

Strangely though, Elvis apart, I don’t like much else from that era. Obviously there are exceptions. I loved The Jam then later The Smiths, but nowadays I tend to listen to stuff mainly from between 1955 and 1975. Helped by trusted recommendations and also signposts from Elvis, much of this is stuff relatively new to me, still sounds fresh and is probably the greatest music around. This has nothing to do with nostalgia as it was made before I was born. I’m still blown away by Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” which has become possibly my favourite album. ( replacing The Beatles White Album”)

And if I was 20 today, and my introduction to EC came via these more recent records (the records i'm not crazy about tend to be more recent), I'm not sure I would be the rabid EC fan I am. I suspect that I would need to be guided to the earlier stuff, for an appreciation of how he came to be thought of as a great songwriter, and I would probably think of him as yet another old fogey I'm being asked to appreciate when I should be paying attention to my own generation. But, luckily for me, that's not my issue.

Interesting point, Probably true for me. Not much in the last 20 years or more excites me much.

See I think most of the best music ( but not necessarily lyrics) has already been written long ago. The songwriters listed above probably had the advantage that they were working with a blank canvas and also music is not as important now to most peoples lives. But as Elvis said, “There is always a new story to tell.”

And I’m more than looking forward to the next chapter.



.

[And No Coffee Table]

Buried among the Emmy nominations is the first for Spectacle.

Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming

The Amazing Race • I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right? • CBS • World Race Productions Inc.
Jim Ursulak, Lead Production Audio
Dean Gaveau C.A.S., Production Mixer
Jerry Chabane, Production Mixer
Troy Smith, Re-Recording Mixer

Deadliest Catch • No Second Chances • Discovery Channel • Produced by Original Productions, LLC for Discovery Communications
Bob Bronow, CAS, Re-Recording Mixer

Life • Challenges Of Life • Discovery Channel • A BBC/Discovery Channel/SKAI Co-Production in association with RTI Spa
Graham Wild, Sound Mixer
John Rigatuso, Sound Mixer

The National Parks: America's Best Idea • The Scripture Of Nature • PBS • A Production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C.
Dominick Tavella, Re-Recording Mixer

Spectacle Elvis Costello With... • Spectacle Elvis Costello With Bruce Springsteen – Part 1 & 2 • Sundance Channel • Rocket Pictures, Spybox Pictures, Prospero Pictures and Reinvention Entertainment
Sue Pelino, Audio Post Mixer
Jay Vicari, Music Mixer
John Harris, Music Mixer

[deerfried]

I'm really upset that this is the only nod given to Spectacle! The best music program on TV.

[And No Coffee Table]

I think Spectacle's problem at the Emmys is that there isn't a dedicated category for music shows.

There's "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series", where this year's nominees are all primarily comedy shows (The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Real Time With Bill Maher, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien), and there's "Outstanding Nonfiction Series", where all the nominees are documentaries (American Experience, American Masters, Deadliest Catch, Life, Monty Python: Almost The Truth, The National Parks: America's Best Idea).

Sundance Channel apparently chose to submit in the Nonfiction Series category, which was probably the best choice, since it meant competing with lower-profile shows. But it's still an awkward fit in the category.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/mus ... oenix.html

Lyle Lovett & his Large Band in Phoenix

by Larry Rodgers - Jul. 20, 2010

The Arizona Republic

(extract)


Q: Elvis Costello invited you onto his "Spectacle" series on Sundance Channel. That could be taken as another compliment.

A: I had never met him. What a smart and, of course, talented, kind and sensitive person he is. He and I have stayed in touch since then. He's really incredible.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/arts/ ... 9hale.html

MIKE HALE
December 17, 2010

New York Times

WHILE broadcast television limps through the least inspiring season of new shows in memory, here are 10 things that were worth watching in 2010, listed in alphabetical order

(extract)

SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH ... (Sundance) Only four episodes of Mr. Costello’s musical chat show appeared in 2010, but two of them were devoted to an irresistible interview with Bruce Springsteen.

[Jack of All Parades]

Nice to see EC crack one list-and it even relates to music!

[docinwestchester]

Well deserved props for EC.

I put the musical clips from the Springsteen shows on YouTube:

She's The One
Wild Billy's Circus Story
American Skin (41 Shots)
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
Radio Silence Radio Nowhere Radio Radio
Seeds
Black Ladder
Galveston Bay
The Rising

[Jeremy Dylan]

Pete Thomas' playing in RADIO NOWHERE is some of the best goddamn drumming I've ever heard.

[docinwestchester]

Pete Thomas' playing in RADIO NOWHERE is some of the best goddamn drumming I've ever heard.

Pete and Steve are just incredible during this session.

"Seeds" is as good a rock and roll performance as you're ever gonna see on TV.

[johnfoyle]

It seems that Season 2 is airing in Europe from August 29th '11. There's no mention of it on the Sky page -


http://www.skyarts.co.uk/music/article/ ... -costello/

But this write-up seems to indicate it-


http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/0813/u2.html

13 August 2011

Bono has revealed that Paul McCartney slid down the banisters when he came to U2's studio to give the band a pep talk.


According to the U2 singer, Macca slid down the stairs on the way in and explained how he, Ringo, John and George would begin recording backing tracks at 9am, go for an egg sandwich, pint and a cigarette at noon, and then return and finish the songs by five.

Inspired by their system, U2 tried a similar strategy that week, Bono explains, but wound up still in the recording studio at 4am. Bono tells the anecdote to Elvis Costello on the new series of Spectacle, Costello's interview and performance show.

Bono and The Edge also discuss the formation of U2 on the show which is screened on Sky Arts1 on August 29. "We had no history of musicianship," Bono says. "Remember, we formed a band before we could play. It's kind of comedic. We're looking at all these more experienced people, going, 'OK, we'll have that and we'll have that and we'll have that,' like you're walking around with a shopping bag.


"But somebody else said, 'You also need the talent bit.' And it never dawned on us that we mightn't have any." Bono and The Edge also discuss the influence and wisdom of their producer Brian Eno, as well as a time the acclaimed producer and former Roxy Music man became so exasperated with their recording of Where The Streets Have No Name that he tried to erase the song from the album. "A junior engineer had to physically drag him out of the recording studio," the pair remember.



Bono and The Edge also perform tracks including Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of on the show and also join their host in a performance of his song Pump It Up and U2's Get on Your Boots.

Over the course of the series, Costello also welcomes artists including Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, Nick Lowe and Bruce Springsteen.

[migdd]

Still wish there was to be a season 3. Alas . . .