Rank E.C's albums - Detailed

Chrille · Post by **Chrille** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 9:42 am

Seeing as ranking E.C's works is so popular on these boards at the moment, here's another one that might take a bit more time to answer.

Rank all E.C albums you own with a score from 1 * to 5 *'s. Also, motivate the rank you set if you feel like it.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 12:34 pm

... and could we rank them chronologically at the same time? Did people buy the essential albums first and, like me, saved some of the lesser loved ones for a last buy?

Chrille · Post by **Chrille** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 12:47 pm

Sounds like a good idea. Also, keep in mind you don't have to rank them all at once, you could just fill in the rest later using the Edit post function.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 3:21 pm

Okay - here goes. From my first record in 1994, Brutal Youth, to the last one I bought, Punch the Clock, last month.
Ratings are in costello terms - otherwise nearly all albums would be 4 to 5 stars compared to much other music.

Brutal Youth ****
Spike ***
Mighty Like a Rose ***
Kojak Variety **
(very best of E.C. and the attractions *****)
All this useless beauty ****
When I was Cruel ****
Blood and Chocolate *****
King of America *****
Imperial Bedroom *****
Trust *****
Get Happy *****
North ***
My Aim is True *****
Armed Forces ****
The Delivery Man ****
Il Sogno ***
Goodbye Cruel World **
Painted from Memory ***
Almost Blue ****
This Years Model ***
Punch the Clock ***

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:25 pm

You know the problem with this type of rating system (and precisely WHY I didn't use it for my own ranking thread) Crille? No Costello fan (especially if they're fans so crazed on him they're devoted to a site) would rank a Costello album lower then a 2 or, more accurately a 3. Why? Firstly, It's frekin' Elvis Frekin' Aloysius frrekin' Cos-frekin'-tello...THERE'S NO ALBUM HE'S EVER DONE, PRODUCED, CO-PRODUCED, BEEN A PART OF OR BAUGHT THAT ISN'T 10 TIMES BETTER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE ON OUR RECORD SHELVES! And 2, this site is made for people who'll give 10 stars out of five for every record. So, I hope this isn't too discouraging, but while your thread is still young, I think you should re-think the ratings (I don't want to sound harsh and unapreciative, but c'mon am I right or wrong?!?!?!?!)

! Good luck,Thomasso!

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:36 am

thomasso wrote:You know the problem with this type of rating system (and precisely WHY I didn't use it for my own ranking thread) Crille? No Costello fan (especially if they're fans so crazed on him they're devoted to a site) would rank a Costello album lower then a 2 or, more accurately a 3. Why? Firstly, It's frekin' Elvis Frekin' Aloysius frrekin' Cos-frekin'-tello...THERE'S NO ALBUM HE'S EVER DONE, PRODUCED, CO-PRODUCED, BEEN A PART OF OR BAUGHT THAT ISN'T 10 TIMES BETTER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE ON OUR RECORD SHELVES! And 2, this site is made for people who'll give 10 stars out of five for every record. So, I hope this isn't too discouraging, but while your thread is still young, I think you should re-think the ratings (I don't want to sound harsh and unapreciative, but c'mon am I right or wrong?!?!?!?!) ! Good luck,Thomasso!

Well, first of all I explained that I did my rating in costello terms. Second there are quite a few albums by other artists that rates higher or just as high as EC.

And maybe you don't now, but this side is thankfully not filled with people "who'll give 10 stars out of five for every record", far from. They can tell a good record from a lesser good, even though it's elvis costello

Chrille · Post by **Chrille** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:38 am

Hehe, well then maybe these forums aren't for me. I love Elvis but I don't think his albums are "10 times better than everything else out there!!!". I just think he's done several great albums and that's why I'm here. When I rank the albums it will be based on what I think of the album and I think that's what people should do, even if that means all albums will be getting 5 out of 5 *'s.

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 5:08 pm

...then i guess i'm the odd one eh?? Maybe I am too big a fan. Ranking in costello terms is better than in international terms. i don't think any Costello album can be ranked side by side with, say, a Nelly or a 50 cant record or osme other crap like that. All Costello albums are 5-star, even in Costello terms...it's just impossible for that man to do ANYTHING bad at all (except keeping a long term marriage, having an affair prone realtionship, keeping 1 musical style and being open to the media). ut one thing you can do, is say which costello albums beats which costello albums. that's a good choice. Well anyway since I've been so actice here goes my rating:

MAIT **
TYM **
AF ***
GH!! ***
TR ***
AB ***
IB ***
PTC ***
GCW **
KOA ****
BAC ****
SP **
MLAR *****
TJL **
BY ***
KV **
ATUB ***
PFM ***
WIWC ****
NO ***
TDM **

wardo68 · Post by **wardo68** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 11:13 am

This week:
MAIT ***1/2
TYM ****
AF ***1/2
GH ****1/2
(TL/10BM ***1/2)
T ****1/2
AB ***
IB ****1/2
PTC **1/2
GCW **1/2
KOA ****1/2
B&C ****1/2
(OOOI ****)
S **1/2
MLAR ****
TJL ****
BY ***
KV **
ATUB ***1/2
PFM ****
WIWC **
(CS **)
N ****
TDM **** (DE ****)

These do not include bonus tracks. The selections in parentheses should cover most of it.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:14 pm

thomasso wrote:You know the problem with this type of rating system (and precisely WHY I didn't use it for my own ranking thread) Crille? No Costello fan (especially if they're fans so crazed on him they're devoted to a site) would rank a Costello album lower then a 2 or, more accurately a 3.

Actually, I'd rank Goodbye Cruel World a 1. And Punch the Clock is barely a 2 for me.

Emotional Toothpaste · Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:31 pm

MAIT *****
TYM ****
AF ****
GH!! *****
TR *****
AB ****
IB ****
PTC *
GCW *
KOA *****
BAC *****
SP **
MLAR **
TJL ***
BY ****
KV ****
ATUB *****
PFM ****
WIWC ****
NO ***
TDM ****
IL*

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:53 pm

OK, I'll give it a go. Like others on here, these rankings are relative. Even though Brutal Youth, for example, is not my favorite EC album, it's still so much better than most of the other crap out there.

MAIT ****
TYM ****1/2
AF ***1/2
GH!! *****
TR ****
AB ***
IB *****
PTC ***
GCW *1/2
KOA *****
BAC ****
S **1/2
MLAR ***1/2
TJL ***
BY ***
KV *1/2
ATUB ***1/2
PFM ***1/2
WIWC **
N ***
TDM ***1/2

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 5:21 pm

I'm ranking them in relation to one another. I consider GCW his worst, so that's a 1 star album. My favorite is TYM, so that's 5 stars. I dont' remember the order I bought them in exactly, so this is just star ratings. They are in the order that I prefer them, from best to worst. Of the bottom ones, I almost never listen to anything from Juliet Letters down. Also, I'm not taking bonus discs or tracks into consideration, with the exception of Detectives on MAIT and Radio Radio on TYM:

This Years Model *****
Trust *****
Blood and Chocolate *****
Armed Forces *****
Get Happy ****1/2
King of America ****1/2
The Delivery Man ****
Imperial Bedroom ****
When I was Cruel ****
Brutal Youth ****
My Aim is True ****
Taking Liberties****
Costello/Nieve ****
El Macambo****
Girls Girls Girls ****
All this useless beauty ***1/2
Almost Blue ***
North ***
Il Sogno ***
Out of Our Idiot ***
Spike **1/2
Kojak Variety **1/2
Juliet Letters **
Mighty Like a Rose *1/2
Punch the Clock *1/2
Painted from Memory *1/2
Goodbye Cruel World *

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 8:17 pm

MLAR gets 1 and a half?? O c'mon man! I just can't realte. I don't oppose opinion, but if you're a fan to somebody who changes in musical direction every year and you still glorify 1 musical style he releived himself from years ago, then maybe The Sex Pistols are a better choice. Any Costello fan who baught every record after TRUST simply to burn them really dosn't understand what Costello is all about, and henceforth, dosn't like the REAL musician he is.

lawngnome · Post by **lawngnome** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 8:36 pm

Oh what the hell, its better than student loan applications...
Imperial Bedroom***** (they're arent enough stars in the world, I picked this up for the cover art and it changed my life)
Very Best of****(good comp, but a little short on the early albums (just a little))
This Years Model****1/2 (a little angsty for me, but I get it... kinda)
Armed Forces*****(again, not enough stars in the world, or anywhere else)
Spike***(Picked this up in the bargin bin at FBC, no idea why...)
Mighty Like a Rose***1/2(This was a bday gift from an ex a week before we ended it. Appropriate, huh?)
Punch the Clock1/2 (I hate hate hate this album. I don't know why, but I jsut do. Wait, I do know- Its bad!)
WIWC****(this was different for me, and I love it. Re-awoke my Prince obsession too, just in time for the best concert of my life...)
The Juliet Letters*****(I just loved the concept of this, even if it was a little shakey. A 'rock' artist willing to do this (and doing it pretty well) is top shelf in my cellar)
The Delivery Man*****(When I was a kid I was a closet Garth Brooks fan, so this was a real cleansing situation for me.)
North***(I totally forgot this one until now... I kinda like it. good 'romantic' music)

well, thats all for now, but I'm looking at the KoA reissue and Girls Girls Girls and wondering if I need college all that badly...

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:52 am

I learned more from a three minute record than I ever learned in school.

lawngnome · Post by **lawngnome** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:20 am

You're not supposed to encourage me to drop out...

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:32 am

My Aim Is True ****
This Year's Model *****
Armed Forces ****
Get Happy!! *****
Trust ****
Almost Blue ****
Imperial Bedroom *****
Punch The Clock ***
Goodbye Cruel World **
King Of America ****
Blood And Chocolate ***
Spike ***
Mighty Like A Rose ***
Brutal Youth ***
Kojak Variety **
Painted From Memory **
When I Was Cruel ***
North **
The Delivery Man **

Chrille · Post by **Chrille** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:51 pm

I started listening to E.C after downloading a pack of records off the web, MAIT, TYM, AF and IB (great introduction

) and I have listened to 2-3 albums in mp3 format before buying them since then, but I'll list the order in which I actually bought the albums anyway. I'd like to use 1/2's but I'm going to keep it simple, even though it will be harder.

()'s = rating with the reissue bonus disc taken into consideration (if it's any different from the original rating).

Get Happy: *****
Trust: **** (*****)
My Aim Is True **** (*****)
This Year's Model: *** (****)
Armed Forces: **** (*****)
Imperial Bedroom: *****
Punch The Clock: ***
Blood & Chocolate: **** (*****)
Spike: ** (***)
Painted From Memory: ****
When I Was Cruel: ***
Goodbye Cruel World: **
The Delivery Man: ****
King Of America: ****

I also have Almost Blue, All This Useless Beauty and North, but I bought them just before I moved to a new apartment so I have to find the box they're buried in. No rush though, I have too much new stuff to listen to at the moment and it would be nice to save some E.C for later.

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:32 pm

lol save some E.C for later! Great Quote!

I wish I could do that...I'm still waiting for a new installement while downloading stage shows and new material (I'm afraid I might get bored if I listen to the same stuff for too long!)

I wish I had some E.C I never heard b4

(WHAT A GREAT FEELING!)

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:42 pm

thomasso wrote:MLAR gets 1 and a half?? O c'mon man! I just can't realte. I don't oppose opinion, but if you're a fan to somebody who changes in musical direction every year and you still glorify 1 musical style he releived himself from years ago, then maybe The Sex Pistols are a better choice. Any Costello fan who baught every record after TRUST simply to burn them really dosn't understand what Costello is all about, and henceforth, dosn't like the REAL musician he is.

So you can't relate to me. Big deal. But a few points:

1. Post-Trust albums I rated highly (I consider anything 3 stars and up to be at least very good).:

Blood and Chocolate *****
King of America ****1/2
The Delivery Man ****
When I was Cruel ****
Brutal Youth ****
Costello/Nieve ****
Girls Girls Girls ****
All this useless beauty ***1/2
North ***
Il Sogno ***
Out of Our Idiot ***

That's 11. I only rated 7 below 3 stars. You should really have paid attention to what I actually wrote instead of shooting your mouth off about me "burning every post-Trust album."

2. I front an Elvis Costello tribute band. We play songs from his whole career, with the exceptions of JL, GCW, PFM, IS, North, and For the Stars, which I don't even own. We play songs from MLAR, Spike, Brutal Youth, ATYB, WIWC, and Delivery Man. I very much value him as a real musician. Probably because I am a real musician. I just don't slavishly value every single offering as highly.

3. Just about the 1st thing out of my mouth was that the albums were ranked in relation to each other. That means, there has to be a best and a worst. Some record has to get 5 stars, and some record has to get one star. Everything else falls in there somewhere. It's not that I don't like MLAR, it's that I like everything else on the list (old and new) better. The only Elvis albums I don't like at all are GCW and For the Stars.

4. Don't call my tastes/fan credibility into question if you don't know the first thing about me. It's a thread about opinions. If you can't deal with mine, don't read them.

5. I've been with this board since it's first incarnation on the Island site (as have a lot of us). We've oulasted that board and two others before this one. Seeing as you've been a member for just under two weeks, maybe you should refrain from trying to insult people you've decided to join online. At least until you get to know us.

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:28 pm

i'm sorry 'bout that. you're completely right. I din't mean to offend. MLAR is just my favorite album and the message I was trying to convey was directed not specificaly towards you but towards those who beleive Costello was nothing more than a 3 album wonder. I do not judge you based on your thread opinions and I'm sorry if that's what I sounded like previously. I guess I jumped to conclusion when I saw the TYM display picture and the high rank you credited to TYM. The truth is, MLAR and TYM are very different things. Personally that album bugs me, the thought of Costello being high on 3 different drugs and having an ffair with Bebe Buell while writting the material bugs me (and the heavy punkish style too). I don't doubt your musician skill nor do I beleive your Costello taste us bad, because any Costello taste is a good taste. My apology again, the message was indirectly pointed at a group instead of you. And always remeber, MLAR ROCKS!!

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 3:16 am

I'm pretty sure Bebe wasn't in the picture when TYM was written, seeing as he played those songs on his first US tour.

However, I think she's in Mighty Like A Rose (Candy), but that's just a guess.

lawngnome · Post by **lawngnome** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 8:35 am

You're right on both counts! They didn't meet till the Armed Funk tour in the US, and Candy was her 'codename.'

lostdog · Post by **lostdog** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 10:09 am

lawngnome wrote:You're right on both counts! They didn't meet till the Armed Funk tour in the US, and Candy was her 'codename.'

Not quite. They met in summer of 1978, and split up at the end of the Armed Funk tour - hence why Get Happy! is the first album that really documents their relationship.

Spot on about 'Candy' though.