Re-examination of "Punch the Clock"

[taramasalata]

Talking about Taramasalata, it’s time to indulge a bit in PTC and the falling in love with Elvis’ music to which it led to. Being 16 years old then, I remember being first bewildered, than stunned and finally fascinated by that then completely-new-to-my ears rush of niagara falls-like syllables, uttered by a very distinct voice, not easy to like at first listen, but all pushing forward and carrying away by melodies that would ring to me on and on and on.
It’s true, and maybe even more due to the record’s polished and stuffed early 80’s production, the density of the music made listening to the record a very intense and sometimes nearly exhausting experience, but the latter also was part of because we (me and my closest friend, who introduced me to PTC and Elvis!) were dancing wildly and singing along these lines (which we didn’t understand for most parts, with just our English from school lessons in Germany...) as loud as we could, it’s definitetly the EC record I moved most to!
For all the glossy sound of this period, there’s a side to me, that sometimes misses that optimistic, wanting to conquer the world attitude that is expressed in these sounds, in those fantastic records of that time like PTC, ABC’s „The Lexicon of Love“, The Jam’s last singles like „Beat surrender“, Orange Juice’s „Rip it up“, Heaven 17’s „Penthouse and Pavement“ or Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ „Too-Rye-Ay“, just to name a few of them. Sometimes I wish we still had some of that exuberance in expression and less of our disappointed 21st century earnestness.
From PTC on I discovered IB (and of course all that it preceeded and succeeded), which until today has stayed my all time EC fave.
So, nostalghia does play an important role and there’s nothing wrong with that, to me, at least not in my emotional reaction to the music that makes me swing affectively.

[Jack of All Parades]

PD says:"I haven't head a chance to re-listen to this one in response to this thread. So I suppose I should shut up - not my strong suit. However, I'll say that, although the production is somewhat dated, I never found it to be nearly as god-awful as the really bona fide '80s' victims out there (e.g., Dylan's execrable Empire Burlesque). This remains a basically listenable record to me: a tad over-bright, yes, with too-powerful drums, but the keyboards aren't truly awful, the playing is good rather than tyrannically drum-machined, and there that noxious 80s echo doesn't seem to be collossally over-applied to ever part of every track like some sort of toxic sludge poured over living tissue. As 80s production goes, it's really quite decent."

"-there is NOTHING wrong with fun, entertaining, well-crafted pop songs. Indeed, EC's later career could use a few more of them - although he sometimes, inexplicably, seems to flub these in his later years (e.g. "The Spell That You Cast"). So I harbour no ill-will toward the album for being primarily a clutch of songs meant to be fun, entertaining, well crafted pop songs! And nor should anyone else, in my view. "Fun" needn't mean stupid."


PD dust it off the shelf and get your toes tapping- as you note it is incredibly infectious and most irresistible.

"-I'm glad that Christopher pointed out EC's self-presentation on this one. He looks really good here, and it's a stylistic tone he seems never really to have gone back to. The thin wire frames give him an almost elfin look. Were I prone to man-crushes, it'd be for this Elvis or the most recent, wrinkly one. "

I will openly admit my man-crush! It truly is an iconic image- the wrinkly one would have to be Ed Harris.

-I always think of this record when musing about EC's careerism. This was a completely calculated effort to make a hit record, and I recall an interview from that time in which he says that he wants this record to sell, because otherwise he may not be able to make more records, etc.. It's concrete proof to me that, despite the casual fan's image of him as some pure musical adventurer heroically indifferent to Mammon, this guy is motivated as much by hard graft as pure Art. I don't see that as some great sin, by the way. But some ascetic sufferer for his Art he ain't."

Alexv has consistently made this same and valid point over the years. It is a career long assault on 'Mammon' and I have never for a moment thought the man was a 'suffering ascetic' for the art- not by a long shot. He will always be reaching for the brass ring. You are so right in noting the casual fan's image of him 'as some musical adventurer', the genius suffering for his art. I only hope he was not too damaged by his and his wife's financial involvement with yet another ponsi scheme.

Otis says:

"Which explains why PTC sounds pretty alien to you in terms of production. Worth listening beyond that to the quality of the songs, though. I'm 46, probably a similar age to several around here, but there's always been a healthy spread, which is testament to the enduring appeal of Elv.

You'd be hard-pushed to recognise Pete Thomas on PTC. It's the least typical of his drum sounds. All very square and compressed, with none of his characteristic high-toned ring on the snare. IB was also lower in snare pitch, but a more natural sound. I think the Emerick production over all is much less of the 80s, more 'classic'. The bright shininess of PTC is very different to that."

Jeremy- I can only echo Otis- if you can get beyond your distaste for that certain production sound- which PD and Otis validly point out is not really prevalent on this record- I think you will find a quite delightful album, one that is a rare thing in his catalog- a sheer, unadulterated joy. I, yet again, have to vote strongly for the album version of EDIWTB- it is 'pure pop' beauty and has held up so well over the years for my ears. I will take it any day over the Cane version which just fails to swing for me.

Chris aged 55 and 6months[yes-that makes me a geezer] but by that Math so is EC!

[pophead2k]

So all this talk has got me re-listening to this album on a pretty constant basis for the past couple of days. (May I say, this is the forum at its best: inspiring a reappraisal of all the reasons we loved EC in the first place).

I must say that I have realized that many of the songs, when listened to with fresh ears, really jump out at me. I guess I hadn't realized how familiar I was with these songs. My 'new' favorites:

The Element Within Her. "Back in the bedroom with her electric heater/ He asked, "Are you cold" and she said, "No, but your are la...la la la la, la la la la la" Awesome lines.

Charm School. That piano part is absolutely killer.

Mouth Almighty. Cryptic but fabulous lyrics.

This inspired me to listen again to Goodbye Cruel World as well, and I'm having new appreciation for that as well....

Thanks EC fans, for inspiring me to look back. Let's keep these re-assessments coming!

[docinwestchester]

"The little girl you dangled on your knee without mishap
Stirs something in your memory and something in your lap"

One of EC's creepiest lyrics.

But overall I love the album. My iPod's main playlist has about 3000 songs which I listen to in the OR. Whenever the PTC sequence comes up (I shuffle by album), it instantly puts me in a good mood and I'm singing along quite enthusiastically.

[Jack of All Parades]

DocinWestchester writes:
"But overall I love the album. My iPod's main playlist has about 3000 songs which I listen to in the OR. Whenever the PTC sequence comes up (I shuffle by album), it instantly puts me in a good mood and I'm singing along quite enthusiastically."

And I trust giving that patient laid out before you your full attention!

[docinwestchester]

DocinWestchester writes:
"But overall I love the album. My iPod's main playlist has about 3000 songs which I listen to in the OR. Whenever the PTC sequence comes up (I shuffle by album), it instantly puts me in a good mood and I'm singing along quite enthusiastically."

And I trust giving that patient laid out before you your full attention!

Actually, I find it hard to operate without music. It definitely has a relaxing effect on surgeon and staff. Studies have actually proven this. Without it, the silence is deafening.

[chickendinna]

I want to like this album more but the cheesy 1980's over production courtesy of Langer and Winstanley is too much for a group of less than stellar Costello songs. I think half of the album is brilliant and the other half is meh. I actually prefer the bonus disc of the Rhino reissue or a lot of the live shows from that era whether it's Austin or the Pier 84 shows or the L.A. shows where his arrangements of tunes like Temptation and Watching the Detectives breathed new life into them. PTC hasn't aged as well as some of the other albums from that decade like Blood and Chocolate or King of America. I just think it could have been a better album if it weren't for the production and adding some of the B sides and dropping some of the other songs.

[krm]

I like PTC. It sounds as all other records in the beginning of the 80ies. Chart prepared and everything. It was "the sound of the year" on that record indeed. So time has shown (or not?) that this is not what we are enjoying today - some 30 years later. A record that never sounded good to me though is Brutal Youth. Despite the excellent live performances and the good songs!

[Poor Deportee]

"The little girl you dangled on your knee without mishap
Stirs something in your memory and something in your lap"

One of EC's creepiest lyrics.

That's one of those "shock" lyrics that tends to make me laugh out loud due to its outrageousness. One of my favourite moments on the album - I mean, who else would say something like that??

[sulky lad]

Now seeding the Birmingham Odeon show from 19 December 1983 as inspired by Otis on dime.
Torrent #343915 Elvis Costello Birmingham 19 December 1983

[Otis Westinghouse]

Nice one! Recommended to all. Listen hard and you can hear me cheering and clapping.

[docinwestchester]

Thanks so much:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=343915

Invisible Man > Town Cryer is a very nice segue, especially with the horns.

[Ypsilanti]

I avoided PTC for a long time because I assumed the '80's poppiness would not be to my taste...and the very notion seemed so anti-Elvis. But I was totally wrong! I love this record and listen to it often. And while it has some
'80's vibe, it's miles above all that Duran Duran/Fixx/Flock of Seagulls/Thompson Twins etc, etc, etc bullshit of that era. It's a really good, worthy, enjoyable record.

But I'm going to disagree a slightly with this...

"EC has an economy of line within many of the songs that is breathtaking in its execution and near purity- there is a lyric writing class going on in songs like "Let Them All Talk", "The Greatest Thing" and "Mouth Almighty". It is the last time I think that he so naturally and playfully worked lyric lines and rhymed with such felicity".

Sort of shocked to see this from Chris, since he frequently complains about Elvis' lack of lyrical economy. For me, this is the record that is stuffed to the gills with
words --more than any other. Not saying it's a bad thing, really, but many of the songs are so crammed with words Elvis verges on not being able to spit them all out. I need printed lyrics in front of me to follow "The Greatest Thing, for example (and several others).

"The little girl you dangled on your knee without
mishap
Stirs something in your memory and something in your lap"
One of EC's creepiest lyrics.

Absolutely!
And I could also do without "I wish you luck with a capital F". That's something a 9 yr. old would say.

[Jack of All Parades]

Nice to read your notice, Ypsilanti, of my notice of the Lyrical content and as you say not a surprise coming from me as it is ultimately where I focus in EC's work. This is 'economical' writing par excellence and anytime that can be pointed out it is a good thing in my 'book'. But obviously my earlier postings on other threads about lyrical line and 'economy' of form were miraculously transformed by your memory into a concern over EC's entire body of song lyrics in your reading of them. Truth is I have never had a problem with what Alex calls 'the golden age' period up through this album. It is those albums and particularly the holy triptych that I continuously cite as examples of his exemplary skill at this craft. I have consistently noted that it is the later work starting with "King of America" and spreading into "Spike" and "Mighty Like a Rose" and into ATUB and SP&S where I have always felt he has gone off the tracks. I have always cited the work from that earlier time period as the EC lyrical line I most enjoy. As PD says about this record- 'oh the songs, the songs!

As has been expressed by so many board members who saw concerts at that time- those shows were extremely special. One aspect for me, and it can never be repeated enough, was the apparent joy EC took in singing that material. He chewed those songs up with glee. Where you state you need a lyric sheet to follow them I am the reverse as I need such an aid when I listen to MLAR, SP&S, Spike or any number of the latter albums. Not the case with this record for me. These songs will always be pretty close to 'pop' heaven for me with their insouciant word play and tight, crisp line, reminiscent of the best pop- dare I say it like a Beatle lyric.

[sulky lad]

As Christopher so eloquently states, there is a joy about Elvis singing at this time, which for me started when the 1982 tour suddenly became an opportunity to play more than just material that "promotes the product" but rather to show the versatility of his band and his own vocal prowess. Sadly I didn't see the 1983 tour, something I've regretted ever since but listening to the shows that I do have recorded,these were grand gestures of a pop sensibility being filtered through the cynical Elvis approach without being compromised by the need to have that "let out clause" For example "The Greatest Thing" seemed like the simplest love song he'd written ever yet with such a joyful chorus that you can't help bellowing (or trilling) along and apart from a few honourable mentions (KOA in particular) I feel PTC represents probably the last time he wrote a large number of songs with accessible melodies - up until NR, certainly.

[bronxapostle]

yeh...a GREAT song! and a great tour for certain. man...i miss the days of getting boots in the mail. i gotta reconnect with somw old trader friends. so sorry AM!!!

[Neil.]

True about the poppiness!

I remember this being Melody Maker's album of the year that year - I seriously doubt it was the best album of that year - but they were right in their choice of putting Blood And Chocolate as album of the year in '86 - much to the chagrin of Smiths fans (this was the year of The Queen Is Dead)

[FAVEHOUR]

and after three more GREAT shows in the following ten days in nyc and jones beach...i too had to go for one more and did the excellent asbury park august 14th show. i remember steve tinkering with "i'm a rocker" somewhere during the night in homage to springsteen. so, 1983 was the first time i went to five shows on anyone's tour and cemented the obsession all these twenty eight years since.

Wasn't there, but that August 7, 1983 show at Pier 84 is a phenomenal bootleg. Love them TKO horns on Let Them All Talk > Possession > Watching the Detectives > Secondary Modern > The Greatest Thing, among other things.

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=318928

This torrent seems to be dead. Can anyone reseed this show?

dave

[docinwestchester]

and after three more GREAT shows in the following ten days in nyc and jones beach...i too had to go for one more and did the excellent asbury park august 14th show. i remember steve tinkering with "i'm a rocker" somewhere during the night in homage to springsteen. so, 1983 was the first time i went to five shows on anyone's tour and cemented the obsession all these twenty eight years since.

Wasn't there, but that August 7, 1983 show at Pier 84 is a phenomenal bootleg. Love them TKO horns on Let Them All Talk > Possession > Watching the Detectives > Secondary Modern > The Greatest Thing, among other things.

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=318928

This torrent seems to be dead. Can anyone reseed this show?

dave

I'll do it tonight.

[FAVEHOUR]

Thanks, doc!

[Harry]

I've always liked Punch The Clock and I think the bonus disc of acoustic demos is great.
I'm mates with Paul Speare (from The TKO Horns). He's a fantastic fellow and a great sax player. Have a listen to some of these:
Le Prince (written by Madness) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSspDTmVk3s
and Trojan Horse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpFviOlt ... re=related

[History History]

Hi Harry,
Have you any stories to share on Paul's experience playing with Elvis? It was a great upbeat time with the PTC shows!

[Harry]

Hello,
Paul likes Elvis and says he was a pleasure to work with. He's proud to have been involved with the Free Nelson Mandela single (that Costello produced) and his memories of the wild Punch The Clock tour are positive.
He talks about sessions he's done on his website:
http://www.paulspeare.com/index_files/page0003.htm

[krm]

Hello,
Paul likes Elvis and says he was a pleasure to work with. He's proud to have been involved with the Free Nelson Mandela single (that Costello produced) and his memories of the wild Punch The Clock tour are positive.
He talks about sessions he's done on his website:
http://www.paulspeare.com/index_files/page0003.htm

Thanks for the link. Interesting reading indeed!

[FAVEHOUR]

Yes, thanks for the link. I really enjoyed this. Paul has a very good memory!