Pomp & Pout: Best of The Universal Years -release cancelled?

Pretty self-explanatory
johnfoyle
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Pomp & Pout: Best of The Universal Years -release cancelled?

Post by johnfoyle »

From listserv -

From Musictap -

http://www.musictap.net/

"Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis Costello on June 29."


Anyone know what this is? Another live album?


"Pomp and pout"
is a lyric from Monkey to Man, and there's a boot by that title of the 2005 TIM Festival show in Rio...
Last edited by johnfoyle on Tue Aug 03, 2010 6:44 am, edited 3 times in total.
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by And No Coffee Table »

Just a guess... This could be "The Best of the Universal Years."
The Gentleman
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by The Gentleman »

Or perhaps a live album documenting the Toussaint tour, in which "Monkey to Man" always featured? Perhaps the same show that was used for the DVD?
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by The Gentleman »

If it is a BEST OF, I'd think MY MOOD SWINGS would be a better title (though I suppose the Brodskies beat him to the punch). I've drawn up my predictions what such a set might look like, keeping it to th 18 tracks like EXTREME HONEY, leaning heavily on the obvious with only a couple quasi-rarities.

1. My Mood Swings
2. Toledo
3. I Still Have That Other Girl
4. God Give Me Strength
5. She
6. For The Stars
7. (Tear Off Your Own Head) It's A Doll Revolution
8. 45
9 When I Was Cruel #1
10 Still
11 North
12. Monkey To Man
13. Bedlam
14 The Scarlet Tide
15 The Monkey
16 River In Reverse
17 Episode of Blonde (live, MY FLAME BURNS BLUE)
18. Turpentine
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by And No Coffee Table »

The more I think about it, the more sense "Pomp & Pout" makes as a title for a Universal best-of, with Painted From Memory and North bringing the pomp and the Imposters albums bringing the pout.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by Neil. »

Couldn't it just be the new album? The UK tour is just before. 'Almost Blue' album was called 'Almost Blue' without that track on it. I dunno - could be,

In these days of downloads, can't quite understand the sense in any CD greatest hits being called anything other that The Best of Elvis Costello - actual fans would already have the other tracks on other CDs. Tentative dabblers wanting a greatest hits package would be put off by a title called 'Pomp and Pout' - possibly. I dunno!

And where is the Costello Show next live CD?
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Lester Burnham
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by Lester Burnham »

I wonder if it might be the next in the Costello Show series? It seems like "Pomp & Pout" would be an apropos title for something from the Imperial Bedroom tour, or the January 1982 Royal Albert Hall show.

Also, the new album has been slated for a September release, and if that's the title, then... well, I dunno. For a live retrospective it's alright, but as a studio album? Hm. Then again, when I first heard the title "Momofuku" it struck me as a "Kojak Variety"-esque release, and I was WAY off on that one.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by migdd »

It'll be a load of money-grubbing record company bullocks, whatever it is.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by wardo68 »

Via MusicTap on Facebook:

"Clarification: Hip-O will release a compilation album for Elvis Costello called Pomp & Pout: The Universal Years. It's planned for June 29."

Well, it was nice while it lasted.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by Lester Burnham »

Damn.
cwr
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by cwr »

This could possibly be a very odd compilation, methinks.

Compiling the "best of" the "Columbia Years" has always been a relatively easy task for Costello-- there are a core selection of tracks which always make the cut whether it's a single disc collection or something more unusual like Girls+£÷Girls=$&Girls (still the gold standard for Costello "best of" sets).

When it came time to compile his WB years, the results were somewhat less successful. Extreme Honey boasts the excellent new track, "The Bridge I Burned" and Costello makes some superb offbeat choices like "My Dark Life" that very much deserved the extra exposure. But I'd say that, looking back at it now, it seems like a willful collection of excellent songs that in some ways reflects the adventurous spirit of the records between Spike and ATUB, but also could be seen as exhibit A for the people who hate that period in his career. "Poor Fractured Atlas" is a very well-crafted song, for instance, but between that and the equally solid "I Want To Vanish", the selections give the impression that maybe these records were all just a little bit dull.

And I'm saying that as someone who rates the WB Years as my FAVORITE era in Costello's career! (I know, a lot of this type of opinion depends on the age of the person and at what point they started listening. Someone who got onboard the Costello train in the late 70s is going to obviously have a different vantage point than someone like me, who started listening with The Juliet Letters and then worked backwards from there...)

But I guess what I'm saying is that, when it came time to put together his parting shot for Warner Bros., Costello opted to focus on the work he was proudest of, rather than to fashion something that might be attractive to someone who just wants a fun single-disc summation. One can imagine his earlier "best ofs" being the only EC disc in someone's collection and that person being quite happy with it, whereas Extreme Honey seems to be demanding of the listener "go back and listen to these other albums if you want to make sense of this."

All of that is prologue for this thought: if the WB Years were a bit hard to encapsulate, the Universal Years are downright bizarre. It's quite possible that you can make a very listener-friendly record by focusing on tracks like "Monkey To Man", "Toledo", "Tear Off Your Own Head", "Turpentine", etc. But the contrast between the songs on PFM and WIWC and North seem like they could make a for some pretty jarring transitions, and in the age of "shuffle mode," the care that would have previously gone into such decisions seems less important now...

I'd assume that there are certain "tentpole" tracks that simply demand inclusion. Hard to imagine Costello leaving off "God Give Me Strength" and "The River In Reverse," to name two.

Part of me hopes that we'll get a new track-- preferably one that can be purchased on its own-- or some kind of outtake. I'd also hope that he'd find room for a track like "Impatience", his best non-album cut of the era.

But unless there are contractual issues that demand a release like this, it's hard to disagree that Costello puts out a lot of "best of" collections for someone whose records often don't sell terribly well. Unless there are plans to really promote the hell out of Pomp & Pout, it's hard to imagine it faring much better than Extreme Honey did. There was a point in the late 90s when Costello was threatening to destroy his master tapes, saying that "if you weren't there, you fuckin' missed it." That almost seems like it could be the subtitle for this upcoming collection...

If Costello's recent comments are any indication, I'm actually kind of doubtful that this release was his idea. He has expressed bafflement at the decision to put out so many late 1970s live discs in short succession, and I'd be surprised if he doesn't make similar remarks when the time comes to promote Pomp & Pout. I'm sure he selected the tracks himself, but I'd pretty much guarantee that he makes some sort of withering remark in at least one interview about the necessity of a "best of" at this point in time. Costello was declaring the CD "dead" six years and five albums ago...
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Very nicely expressed and reasoned. One can hope regarding the inclusion of "Impatience".
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by The imposter »

With every album seemingly released on a different label since PFM. I'm a little confused as to what the Universal Years are.
Am I right in thinking it covers everything from PFM up to Momofuku, but NOT the SPS album. Or is the Hear Music / Starbucks label part of the Universal World Domination Enterprise too?
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by And No Coffee Table »

Hear Music is distributed by Universal in much of the world, but it is a separate company.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by The Gentleman »

One known outtake that would a very welcome bonus is the version of "What Do You Want The Girl To Do?" recorded during the RIR sessions.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by The imposter »

And No Coffee Table wrote:Hear Music is distributed by Universal in much of the world, but it is a separate company.
So I've discovered. That's why I wondered what´s left for them to own, sorry, I mean which years are likely to be covered?
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by cwr »

Whether it's on the Pomp & Pout collection or not, Costello should find a way to release WDYWTGTD, along with any other Toussaint songs he recorded during the River In Reverse sessions that didn't make the cut... Maybe when his website is revamped soon, stuff like that will be available? Hopefully?
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by And No Coffee Table »

The tracklist from my most recent "The Best of the Universal Years" CDR:

1. Monkey To Man
2. 45
3. The River In Reverse
4. Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)
5. No Hiding Place
6. For The Stars
7. Still
8. God Give Me Strength
9. When I Was Cruel (No. 1)
10. The Scarlet Tide
11. Impatience
12. She
13. Tears, Tears And More Tears
14. Either Side Of The Same Town
15. Go Away
16. My Mood Swings
17. Bedlam
18. In The Darkest Place
19. Episode Of Blonde
20. The Sharpest Thorn

Not surprisingly, the song choices are pretty similar to The Gentleman's version.
Last edited by And No Coffee Table on Sun Apr 25, 2010 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by FAVEHOUR »

At the Sugarcanes shows, there was a strange red T-shirt for sale that (I think) had a drawing of a man embracing a woman from behind and, in nearly illegilble lettering, this lyric:
"in the fashionable nightclubs and finer precincts, Man uses words to dress up his vile instincts"

So presumably a T shirt to promote Pomp and Pout???

not sure about the picture, I was straining so hard to read the words

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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by And No Coffee Table »

Huh. They were selling that shirt in Santa Barbara too. I thought it must be older merchandise, but I didn't remember seeing it before. I also had to strain to read it!
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by Neil. »

These track listings sound reasonable - the singles, basically, with some others to fill, and possibly a bonus unreleased track to get us, the fans who already have all the stuff, to buy it.
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by The imposter »

So it’s compilation time again.. Personally there are many other recordings I’d prefer to see released before this one. A duets album is overdue or an “Out of Our Idiot” style release collating all of the stray tracks strewn across about 50 other albums. More live shows, a set of the Spectacle songs etc..

We still lack definitive EC recordings of “No Wonder” or “Unwanted Number” I could go on...

Nevertheless I await this compilation with interest and all this speculation is fun, :?: so who will have the most correct choices?
Pomp & Pout ? It’s a terrible title. Has no one considered the possibility it might be a 2 cd release? Or would that be a little too much POUT & more than a little POMPous! (Thought I’d beat the UK journalists to that remark. It’s a terrible title for that reason.

Assuming it’s a 1cd release I think 18 tracks would be the usual length for releases of this type.

Apart from key singles like She, 45, Doll Rev & Monkey to Man and certain “centrepiece” recordings like God Give Me Strength, Still, Scarlet Tide and River in Reverse. It’s difficult to predict what else might feature. With so many different styles across these years some of the transitions are bound to be a bit jarring. Adding an odd live track or anything from Il Sogno or FTS would do nothing to help this either, but that still leaves 6 other albums to pick from.

Hopefully there will be 1 or 2 “wild cards” or new tracks to tempt fans too. “You Stole My Bell” or “Long Journey Home” have as much “pomp” as anything on the major albums.. Anyway with a release planned for June 29 we won’t have to wait too long to find out.

So here is my wild speculative attempt. (18 songs, not necessarily personal choice)


PFM - God Give Me Strength, Toledo, Still have that Other Girl (+ She)
WIWC - 45, Doll Rev
NOR – Still, Fallen
TDM - Monkey to Man, Scarlet Tide, Bedlam, Either Side…
RIR - River in Reverse, Sharpest Thorn, Tears, Tears, & More Tears
MOMO – No Hiding Place, My 3 Sons, Song With Rose

That’s 67.30 mins.

I was close to adding Heart Shaped Bruise, Flutter & Wow, When it Sings and WIWC 2
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by johnfoyle »

cwr
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by cwr »

I count "Impatience" among my VERY favorite Costello tracks of the past decade.

I've said this before, but I think it's his best use of The Imposters. For the most part, he seems to use them primarily as a quick & dirty "live in the studio" band-- I may be wrong about this, but that's very much the feel I get from The Delivery Man, The River In Reverse, and Momofuku. Even if that was largely the way he utilized The Attractions on many of their best records, it felt like he used the band as a part of studio work which would often involved other studio trickery (such as his multi-layered vocal harmonies, which he has since replaced with live harmonies from the likes of Davey or, more recently, Jim Lauderdale).

"Impatience" doesn't feel much like a North track. It feels more like what it would sound like if EC tried to make an ambitious studio pop record in the spirit of Imperial Bedroom. I love how he brings the orchestra in at the end, how he uses the horn section, how he brings in Marc Ribot rather than making his usual guitar noise...

And it's FUN! It's a really fun Costello track! There is pure joy in this music, a quality that Costello isn't always associated with his work. How on EARTH has he gone through so many tours since 2002 without ONCE attempting this song? This is a show-stopper if ever I've heard one!

I really, really want him to attempt an album that sounds and feels like this. Augments The Imposters with a horn section AND a string section and whatever else he feels like tossing in there. A real Big Band album -- and a chance, by the way, to finally record a version of "Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter", which would sound fantastic recorded in this style. (That's his co-write with Carole King that-- amazingly-- has failed to see the light of day except in a handful of concert performances, despite being the equal of anything he wrote with Bacharach.)
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Re: Hip-O Records will release Pomp & Pout by Elvis on June

Post by wardo68 »

Okay, I'll say it.

As much as I like North -- and I really do (see here: http://everybodysdummy.blogspot.com/200 ... north.html) -- I don't like Impatience.

Sorry.
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