National Ransom, We Hardly Knew Ye

[FAVEHOUR]

I find myself disappointed that National Ransom is apparently yesterday's news already, not even three months after its release. Elvis' official website has taken away the default NR page and reduced it to a footnote on the site, and now the announcement of the "Revolver" tour makes it plain that there will be no tour centered around this album.

I consider NR a great record, one of his most fully realized and rich offerings in quite some time. I had assumed that we would have a period wherein these songs would be celebrated and performed above the rest of the repertoire for a while. The initial flurry of promotional appearances in October and November was what I expected. But I also expected the reception for this record, by both fans and critics, to be very positive. However, the reviews were often lazy and perfunctory, and even the fans seemed to be lukewarm. Unlike SP & S, there was no chart placement story to generate interest (I think we have to give Starbucks some credit for that in 2009). The record seems to have just come and gone.

I had visions of a great tour for this record. A combination of the Imposters and Sugarcanes would accompany Elvis, maybe not all of the 'Canes could make it every night, but the Imposters some of the 'Canes at least...Elvis would open with some classic EC accompanied by the Imposters, segue into NR songs with players from both bands, do some Sugarcanes numbers, then bring them all back for more NR mixed with more classics. I wondered when they would tour, given the unfortunate November release date; a winter tour is not a great idea. I remember the old days when Elvis used to tour in the winter, but that was a long time ago. So I figured, early Spring. But clearly, the record didn't do enough business to justify a tour at that point.

So instead we have the Spinning Songbook coming back, which will certainly be fun. I saw Songbook shows in 1986 and 1987, they are a unique presentation for sure. And at least this means the upcoming shows with the Imposters won't just have setlists suited to festival appearances and casino gigs. But NR was a record deserving of a series of shows devoted to its songs. Even Momofuku, a record that to me felt much more disposable, got a few of those shows (and the showcase in Nashville in April 2008, where they played every track, was a blast!). I wish I had gone to the WNYC show in November, as that seems to be the only one we'll see (aside from the Artists Den broadcast, which is going to seem very old hat by the time they air it). Does anyone else regret the fact that, unlike the songs on SP & S, unlike most of the songs in EC's canon, most of the songs from NR may never get the chance to mutate, expand, and evolve through a series of live shows centered around them?

Dave

[bronxapostle]

ah Dave...sorry to hear you are so blue about this. yes, i was lucky to get to that 12 song show here in NYC 11-1...but am VERY much looking forward to a GOOD handful of NR to be played upon an IMPOSTERS tour this year!!! you gotta realize, it actually has been a long while since an IMPOSTERS tour. what???...that opening for THE POLICE Momofuku 2008 tour which had NO real headlining appearances??? so, let us embrace REVOLVER and know that he will give us nice amounts of these last four LP releases. personally, i would walk TWENTY MILES to see MOMOFUKU played in its entirety!!! i myself was ailing in '08 and had to skip GSAC with the police. so jonesing for MANY i've never seen (STELLA, GO AWAY, HIDING PLACE, THREE SONS, ROSE) hey Dave..did you come to BEACON 1995?? go listen to my recording...you will LOVE it!!!!

[johnfoyle]

Agreed Dave. Fun as the Spinning concept is it is disappointing to see that the NR sound would appear to be being ditched/sidelined so quickly. Its ironic that the album was preceeded by months of shows that featured the songs 'n sound. Those shows were ,in the main, attended by peope who were already fans. It'll be doubly ironic if people who only discovered Elvis via NR turn up at the Imposter shows expecting that sound and get upset at getting something entirely different.
Elvis may argue that he worked his ass off promoting NR to little commercial benefit . He now has to be pragmatic and do something else to put food on his family's table and shoes on their feet etc. Given that that may seem the exact opposite to his more high minded comments about doing what he pleases etc. it all seems to point to that little reported financial calamity he appears to have suffered being especially detrimental to his affairs in general.

[bronxapostle]

WTF??? did he lose money to bernie jackoff or something Mr. Foyle? i've heard none of this!

[FAVEHOUR]

John, I agree with you. This tour looks to be planned as a moneymaker, along the lines of the Visa tour in 2007 or the Police opening slot in 2008. It puts money in the bank, and hopefully provides a bankroll for the next, more adventurous, endeavor. That's a fair trade-off for me. I just wish this had been preceded by at least a handful of NR shows. I certainly planned to be front and center at the Ryman, for example, for a showcase concert. Nope.

The Songbook is fun, like I said. My only complaint back when I attended them before was that a large amount of time was devoted to stage patter, talking to the wheel-spinners, etc., so far less music was played than one normally gets in a 2 hour Elvis show. But it is an enjoyable experience.

BA, I did go to the first 3 Beacon nights back in 95. Very cool shows. And I agree it will be nice to see Elvis and the Imposters do shows again, I just don't want it feel like a retread. That's why I'm glad the Wheel will be there, with the potential for some off-the-wall choices sprinkled in. The best part of the Songbook shows in the 80s was the cover versions he put up there. I have to say, however, I will be surprised if we hear more than a couple NR songs.

Dave

[Top balcony]

I find myself disappointed that National Ransom is apparently yesterday's news already, not even three months after its release.

And me. The 'Canes show I saw in Liverpool was fantastic, and I am shocked that this band won't be touring again. As he was promoting NR, he seemed to be saying the double-LP-and-EP-to-follow would probably mark the end of his recording career. Nothing about the demise of the band.

Think the NR songs are likely to feature in solo gigs, and I would expect to see more of those in these austere times.

Colin Top Balcony

[jmm]

With the tour PRIOR to NR's release and the NYC promos it seemed like they DID tour it to me. Guess it's another example of being lucky to be in NYC area

Certainly some songs I've not seen live yet but I agree with BA that back out with the imposters --covering their parts of NR and other underplayed things like MOMOF -- sounds like great fun to me!

[johnfoyle]

WTF??? did he lose money to bernie jackoff or something Mr. Foyle? i've heard none of this!

Details here -

http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB3 ... =disgraced

It would seem that media reps. either don't know about this or, perhaps, have been told by Elvis' people that he will not talk about it. The latter is admirable enough in that if money was lost Elvis is still hardly on the soupline or whatever. If he had played it up as an aspect of what inspired NR he could have been criticised for being self pitying. Or maybe it's all sub judice or something similar.

[verbal gymnastics]

Never mind no tour for National Ransom; the UK didn't get a tour for Momofuku.

The idea of a kind of Imposters/Sugarcanes tour is great.

Perhaps the Revolver tour could have three night stints like the original Spinning Songbook shows...

[docinwestchester]

Totally agree with the OP. The TV/radio promotional blitz, so brilliantly compiled on DVD by one larryrulz, revealed the beauty within so many of the tracks on the album. The title song, Stations, Watson, Bullets, and One Bell were just phenomenal live. Jo and Jimmie, both highlights on the album, are just as strong live.

Oh well. I'll go to the Revolver show, and love it regardless. The amazing WNYC Greene Space show will live forever on YouTube:

Intro
I Lost You
Dr. Watson, I Presume
Band Intros
Poor Borrowed Dress
Elvis Interview Part 1
One Bell Ringing
A Slow Drag With Josephine
Jimmie Standing In The Rain
Elvis Interview Part 2
The Spell That You Cast
That's Not The Part Of Him You're Leaving
National Ransom
All These Strangers
Credits

[Ypsilanti]

I would hate to think I'd never get to see a Sugarcanes show again...such a phenomenal experience to see them live!

But, of course, there might well be a few 'Canes dates in 2011, just as there were a few Imposters shows in 2010...

Agree, however, that NR deserved WAY better than it got. It's a bitter, bitter shame that it received so little attention.

[jardine]

Yep. Lamentation. But it is good news, after all, that he's up and shaking it off and getting back to work at something new which will, I expect, click into play a whole new something or other. No, sorry, not Something New, Revolver. Sorry, ooooops, this is a Canadian Capitol records release joke....

I really hope that there was some "official" video of the n.r. performances and that we see it soon. I'm secretly hoping that between now and revolver he slips into a studio for another week-long day blast before this band dissolves: even an album of covers and remakes like everydayiwritethebook, etc. shame to let it pass by

[cwr]

I think we may see him tour with the Sugarcanes again at some point-- he loves doing it, and his concerts do well whether he's with them, The Imposters, or solo, so I can't imagine why we wouldn't see him do another tour with the 'Canes in the next couple of years.

The real sadness, for me, is that NR may well be the last big album we see from EC, unless he truly comes to embrace a new model of making and releasing records.

He did everything that could be expected of him to try and make NR a successful record-- he wrote a batch of appealing songs, he had T Bone produce them, and then he flogged the hell out of them on TV & Radio, to no avail. SP&SC, we can pretty well declare at this point, did as well as it did because it was prominently on sale at Starbucks. If NR, with its even-more-awesome Tony Milionaire cover art, would have sold like gangbusters if the coffee chain had copies displayed next to all their registers last November. Alas, it was not to be.

Honestly, the only reason for Costello to make another record is if he gets a really amazing idea that he thinks would somehow have more appeal than a "standard" Costello record (ie one that will be bought by the faithful and few else), or if he just really wants to make another record for the pure sake of it.

Personally, I wish he'd just get Brian Eno in to produce all the unreleased songs he's written, like "Burnt Sugar" and "Suspect My Tears." He had tons of fun making "My Dark Life"-- said at the time it was the most fun he'd had in a recording studio in years-- so why not go into the studio for a week and see what kind of magic happens? It doesn't even have to be for a "record" as such-- I still think he's be better off at this point getting fans to subscribe and putting out a few songs at a time via his website. But at this point, I think it's just as likely that he won't record at all.

The Spinning Songbook sounds like it will be fun. But National Ransom was probably the saddest failed record release that EC has had since ATUB, which sent him into a years-long hiatus from making "Elvis Costello" records, only making a record if there was a special opportunity (Bacharach, Von Otter). I think we may have a similar situation ahead of us. Here's hoping Thom Yorke wants to make a record with Elvis.

[Dr. Luther]

I don't know.
I see National Ransom more as a culmination of the affiliation with The Sugarcanes.
I think it's a great way to put that project to bed.

[FAVEHOUR]

I don't know.
I see National Ransom more as a culmination of the affiliation with The Sugarcanes.
I think it's a great way to put that project to bed.

I agree with you. I felt like this was the last record he would do with them (although maybe it's the last record he'll DO, if you believe his recent pronouncements). I just think a tour would have finished it all off nicely.

dave

[Jeremy Dylan]

I highly doubt this is the end of the Sugarcanes. It would expect it's more a case of:

a) The 'Canes are all extremely busy, many of whom have thriving careers as artists in their own right, new albums coming out, etc. They can't constantly tour with EC.

b) After working with the Imposters on NR, he missed being out on the road with them, and decided to make the next tour an Imposters one.

Plus, if his intention was always to bring back the Spinning Songbook, it's a lot easier to pull that off with the Imposters than the Sugarcanes.

[verbal gymnastics]

Well put jeremy - I'd be inclined to agree.

One thing we know about Elvis is his unpredictability.

Don't be surprised if a songbook tour includes the Imposters, the Sugarcanes on selected shows and some solo shows.

I find it difficult to believe Elvis will not release another record. - he enjoys it too much.

[krm]

Don't be surprised if a songbook tour includes the Imposters, the Sugarcanes on selected shows and some solo shows.

No projector with a slideshow???

[verbal gymnastics]

But of course. I only said what the tour may INCLUDE.

I would hope we also get an update of what Elvis has done on his holidays and further readings of Joe Soap.

And who will replace Xavier Valentine?

[krm]

But of course. I only said what the tour may INCLUDE.

I would hope we also get an update of what Elvis has done on his holidays and further readings of Joe Soap.

And who will replace Xavier Valentine?

Joe Soap - I had forgotten that part completely..... That reading was as confusing as the support of John Cooper Clarke in 1979. at least in sweden...

[Jeremy Dylan]

What are the chances of Tom Waits reprising his MC role?

[Poor Deportee]

Some poignant posts in this thread. Yes, NR is among the greatest EC albums, and certainly one of the greatest that flopped. As I mentioned in some other thread, EC's big shot at some sort of commercial redemption was SP&S...and he chose to release an album that would be an impenetrable confirmation of the worst suspicions of a tentative 'casual' album-buying fan. The result is that none of them were going to buy this one, especially with that sh*tty title track as the lure.

It's telling, perhaps, and increasingly fitting, that two of Elvis's very finest moments as a songwriter - 'Suit of Lights' and 'Jimmie' - concern musicians unappreciated and ultimately rejected by those they sing for. Those songs will have enormous poignancy when sung by EC on stage in 15 or 20 years.

As for his not making albums anymore, I don't pretend to understand the financial aspects of the biz, but I suspect that as long as there are viable record companies EC will have the option of cutting an album. If he chooses to go into a snit and not exercise the option, that's his business. But it's rather petulant of him. He's said that he enjoys recording. Assuming costs that are other than ruinous, that ought to be reason enough for a mind not clouded by spite, lucre and resentment.

[Hawksmoor]

As for his not making albums anymore, I don't pretend to understand the financial aspects of the biz, but I suspect that as long as there are viable record companies EC will have the option of cutting an album. If he chooses to go into a snit and not exercise the option, that's his business. But it's rather petulant of him. He's said that he enjoys recording. Assuming costs that are other than ruinous, that ought to be reason enough for a mind not clouded by spite, lucre and resentment.

I certainly hope he continues to make records. But as he's been saying since 1980 that his current LP might be his last, I'm not overly worrying about it just yet.

[jardine]

n.r. placed #271 in the Pazz and Jop poll. i am still really confused about how different my own judgment is compared to the world's. they've always been a bit askew, but this seems different to me.

[Jack of All Parades]

PD says:
"It's telling, perhaps, and increasingly fitting, that two of Elvis's very finest moments as a songwriter - 'Suit of Lights' and 'Jimmie' - concern musicians unappreciated and ultimately rejected by those they sing for. Those songs will have enormous poignancy when sung by EC on stage in 15 or 20 years."

Sadly, as I hear these songs now I am unable to project that far into the future-they often now have a more metaphorical read for present time for me. Which given EC's huge ironical bent, is too ironical for me. I do not wish to hear them as a self musical elegy. Too early for me for that!

Also love that "spite, lucre and resentment". I think you have stumbled upon the title for that coming career compendium that will show up in 15 to 20 years. Might as well have made a better title for "Goodbye Cruel World" as I have been spending time with that poorly titled album.