"Suffering Face"

[the_platypus]

Does anyone else consider this one of the most absolutely gorgeous songs EC has ever written?

I'm floored every time.

[Neil.]

Gorgeous recording, gorgeous vocal. I'm amazed he didn't include it on KOA itself - he could have ditched Eisenhower Blues for this!

[when i was cruel]

Gorgeous recording, gorgeous vocal. I'm amazed he didn't include it on KOA itself - he could have ditched Eisenhower Blues for this!

Amen Neil that song is simply terrible.

[migdd]

Eisenhower Blues is a great song. Elvis butchered it and spit it out to the farthest reaches of hell.

[Kevin Davis]

It's a lovely song; those KOA acoustic demos make a great little album on their own. Beautifully intimate. I've also got a soft spot for that Johnny Cash-ish take on "I Hope You're Happy Now."

[cwr]

The league of people who could afford to leave the likes of "Suffering Face" and "King Of Confidence" off of an album is very small indeed.

Actually, it's an interesting question: who can compete with Elvis in terms of the amount of top drawer material relegated to b-sides and bonus tracks? Who else has so much "A" material not making the cut for their main album or single releases?

[The Gentleman]

The league of people who could afford to leave the likes of "Suffering Face" and "King Of Confidence" off of an album is very small indeed.

Actually, it's an interesting question: who can compete with Elvis in terms of the amount of top drawer material relegated to b-sides and bonus tracks? Who else has so much "A" material not making the cut for their main album or single releases?

KING OF AMERICA might be the ultimate example of this. As cool as the Rhino bonus disc was, it's effectively only a sampler of the top-drawer material from this period. You could easily make a 4 disc box set just by expanding on the contents of the Rhino bonus disc. Mega-sets centered around individual albums are becoming a growing trend, but very few of them warrant or indeed demand this sort of treatment as much as KOA.

Here's what I envision:

Disc One: acoustic guitar demos of almost all the album tracks and a few songs that didn't make the LP.

Disc Two: outtakes and piano demos

Disc Three & Four: The complete Broadway performance (and, if nothing else, I'd *love* to get this show in decent sound). Who knows if tapes were rolling on any of the other Broadway performances from this run of shows? If so, this 4CD set could easily expand to 6 or more discs.

I whipped up this track listing based on what is already known to exist. I imagine there are also a wealth of unknown compelling studio alternates that could further beef up the set, not to mention anything I overlooked.

*previously unreleased

KING OF AMERICA DEMOS

1.Brilliant Mistake (demo) *
2. Lovable (demo) *
3. Our Little Angel (demo) *
4. Glitter Gulch (demo) *
5. Indoor Fireworks (demo)
6. Little Palaces (demo) *
7. I’ll Wear It Proudly (demo)
8. American Without Tears (demo) *
9. Poisoned Rose (demo)
10. Big Light (demo)*
11. Jack Of All Parades (demo)
12. Sleep Of The Just (demo) *
13. Blue Chair (demo) *
14. King Of Confidence (demo) *
15. Shoes Without Heels (demo) *
16. Suffering Face (demo)
17. Deportee (demo)
18. I Hope You’re Happy Now (demo)

KING OF AMERICA B-SIDES AND OUTTAKES

People’s Limosine
They’ll Never Take Her Love From Me
Betrayal
I Hope You’re Happy Now (outtake)
Baby’s Got A Brand New Hairdo (b-side)
King Of Confidence (outtake)
Shoes Without Heels (b-side)
Blue Chair (outtake) *
Brilliant Mistake (outtake) *
Eisenhower Blues (outtake) *
Next Time Around (outtake)*
The End Of The Rainbow
My Youngest Son Came Home Today *
She Moved Thru The Fair *
Having It All
Running Out Of Fools *
I Feel Like Going Home *

LIVE AT BROADWAY DISC ONE

01. That's How You Got Killed Before

02. The Big Light

03. Running Out Of Fools *

04. Our Little Angel*
05. It Tears Me Up
06. The Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line
07. Stranger In The House *

08. Poisoned Rose*
09. I'll Wear It Proudly*
10. Riverboat*
11. New Amsterdam / You've Got To Hide Your Love Away -Elvis solo*
12. Almost Blue - Elvis solo*
13. Forgive Her Anything - Elvis solo*
14. Just A Memory - Elvis solo *

15. Having It All - Elvis solo*
16. I Threw It All Away - Elvis solo*
17. Little Palaces - Elvis solo*

LIVE ON BROADWAY DISC TWO

1. Indoor Fireworks*
2. Sally Sue Brown*
3. True Love Ways
4. American Without Tears*
5. Brilliant Mistake*
6. Lovable*
7. Payday *
8. Pouring Water On A Drowning Man*
9. Glitter Gulch*
10. Your Mind Is On Vacation / Your Funeral My Trial
11. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / On Broadway*
12. That's How You Got Killed Before
13. Sleep Of The Just *

[verbal gymnastics]

Possibly Paul Weller.

Suffering face is indeed a beautiful song set.

When I first heard it I thought the opening line was

"well it's an old man's fantasy to put it in a young girl's mouth" which is a very disturbing image.

Songs like this and King of Confidence are awesome and would make almost anybody's album. However I also can't see how songs of this calibre got left off the album when the mess that is Eisenhower Blues did.

But Elvis' justification is that it gave the album a kick amongst the ballads.

This thread has made me dig out the KOA reissue so I'm grateful for that!

[The Gentleman]

Songs like this and King of Confidence are awesome and would make almost anybody's album. However I also can't see how songs of this calibre got left off the album when the mess that is Eisenhower Blues did.

But Elvis' justification is that it gave the album a kick amongst the ballads.

I think the inclusion of "Eisenhower Blues" at the expense of arguably superior recordings might have very little to do with their individual merits. The respect Elvis describes for Ray Brown and Earl Palmer in the KOA liner notes strikes me as genuine and deeply felt, and it's hard for me to imagine him excluding one of their two contributions to the album.

[taramasalata]

Does anyone else consider this one of the most absolutely gorgeous songs EC has ever written?

There's nothing more for me to fully agree to your appraisal, the_platypus, it's such a perfect song, that puts it among some of his best ever.
In its simplicity it's actually a bit uncommon for an EC song, there aren't so many of his compositions, especially among his slower ones, with such a straightforwarded clarity from the beginning to the end of the song. Right now "Alison", "Watch your step", "Couldn't call it unexpected", "Still", "You tripped at every step", "All the rage", "Unwanted number" come to my mind.

[pophead2k]

For many years the only version of Suffering Face I was familiar with was from the gorgeous boot 'Elvis goes to Paris and the Attractions don't'. This was during his melancholy tour that featured other uplifting numbers such as 'Having it All', 'Nothing at the End of the Rainbow', 'A Smiling Shore', etc. It was always my favorite from that boot and I was thrilled to finally get the 'proper' demo on the KOA bonus. And as much as I love it, it's the live boot with dodgy sound quality that will always be closest to my heart.

[invisible Pole]

I've always loved the song.
I would love Elvis to play it in Warsaw in November. (I put it in my imaginary setlist for the show)

[wordnat]

I've always loved "King of Confidence" -- not sure why EC gave up on it....

[SoulForHire]

I've always loved "King of Confidence" -- not sure why EC gave up on it....

lack of confidence?

[verbal gymnastics]

He played King of Confidence for us in the UK last year which was (another) one of those Sulky Lad and me looking at each other in amazement occasions

[SoulForHire]

This may be a dumb question, but how many different studio versions have been released? Just one?

[And No Coffee Table]

This may be a dumb question, but how many different studio versions have been released? Just one?

Yes.

[the_platypus]

Hello Costello-friends.

I got drunk and wrote a very disjointed post about this gorgeous song on my blog. you can read it here if you're into that sort of thing: http://jorgefarah.com/2011/12/18/bedhea ... ring-face/

[sulky lad]

Live recording of this from Amsterdam now on dime :http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... =1&reqdl=1

[John]

I really will have to listen to this song more often. It must just have passed me by. A real good read that, the_platypus. I couldn't write that well sober!

[bronxapostle]

and don't miss it here....perhaps his BEST SOLO SHOW EVER!!!

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... _Melbourne

[The imposter]

Would love to listen Bronxy! Unfortunately I don't have it. Aussie boots seem to be thin on the ground. Either that, or they are shy about sharing. Care to snail mail it or upload the mp3s?????

[The imposter]

Only known performance of "Midnight Oil" on this show I notice. I really want to hear this boot...

[bronxapostle]

IMP...wait till you hear THIS one. of course i'll snail it to you. between Christmas & New Years as i'm on vacation and mail is better then also. you are in U.S. and my facebook friend too i do believe. pm me your address there and i promise to get it out. you'll hear it all before 2012; then drop back here and tell me i'm wrong/right!!! hahaha best, benny p.s. to docinwestchester...do you need this one? it's A freakin PLUS!!!!

[docinwestchester]

p.s. to docinwestchester...do you need this one? it's A freakin PLUS!!!!

Yes, I do. We'll exchange soon.