Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-1 ... ology.html
ILLUSTRATION: Adam Krueger
Costellology
Walking in the complicated shadows of Elvis Costello’s storied past.
April 11th, 2012 CASEY JARMAN | Music Stories
From angry young man to Burt Bacharach collaborator to talk-show host, Elvis Costello rarely settles down long enough to take in the scenery. These days, though, the 57-year-old songwriter seems to be feeling a little sentimental. He’s relaunched his long-forgotten Spectacular Spinning Songbook tour—which centers on a giant public set list that looks like something from The Price Is Right and requires audience participation to spin—and slimmed down to his 1970s fighting weight. On the eve of his Portland visit, we thought we’d take the opportunity to stroll down memory lane with Costello.
A MAN OF MANY MOODS
Angry: “When England was the whore of the world/ Margaret was her madam/ And the future was as bright and as clear/ As the black tarmacadam” (“Tramp the Dirt Down,” Spike)
Depressed: “Was it a millionaire who said ‘imagine no possessions’?/ A poor little schoolboy who said ‘we don’t need no lessons’?/ The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop/ The pop princess is downtown shooting up” (“The Other Side of Summer,” Mighty Like a Rose)
Funny: “Though he wasn’t tall or handsome, she laughed when he told her/ ‘I’m the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John’” (“American Without Tears,” King of America)
Dreamy: “I might make it California’s fault/ Be locked in Geneva’s deepest vault/ Just like the canals of Mars and the Great Barrier Reef/ I come to you beyond belief” (“Beyond Belief,” Imperial Bedroom)
Showoffish: “All you toy soldiers and scaremongers/ Are you living in this world, sometimes I wonder/ In between saying you’ve seen too much/ And saying you’ve seen it all before” (“Human Hands,” Imperial Bedroom)
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
Allison: A now-married ex whom the narrator may or may not want to have killed.
Veronica: A lovely, but senile, old lady.
This Year’s Girl: A very popular lady, perhaps a pop star, who seems bored with her station in life.
Party Girl: A young socialite whom the narrator adores but does not wish to settle down with.
Sulky Girl: A possible vampire and likely goth who ran away from home at a young age.
Spooky Girlfriend: The narrator’s slutty, obedient dream girl. Almost certainly goth.
Big Sister: “She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish.” Duh.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Trust (1981)
Amazing pop song after amazing pop song. The crown jewel in a stretch of near-flawless late-’70s, early-’80s records. “New Lace Sleeves” just kills.
Blood and Chocolate (1986)
Perhaps the heaviest Elvis Costello record, which finds Costello playing with dark poetry and stringing together some rambling Dylanesque epics.
National Ransom (2010)
After a few ho-hum outings, Costello embraces his inner nerdy American record collector by playing an inspired set of smart, semi-jazzy story songs.
THE BEST OF THE WORST
Almost Blue (1981)
The (fantastic) title track, sadly, isn’t actually on this bland, country-covers album. “Good Year for the Roses” may be the only classic cut here, but two Gram Parsons tunes help its case a bit.
Goodbye Cruel World (1984)
Costello has rightly called this his worst album: It is besieged by plastic ’80s production and cheesy horns. That said, Daryl Hall duet “The Only Flame in Town” has plenty of kitsch value, and the gorgeous “Love Field” is brilliantly retro-futuristic.
Mighty Like a Rose (1991)
Though it’s one of the worst-reviewed Costello outings, I think of it as a fantastic EP with a bunch of shitty bonus tracks. “How to Be Dumb” and “All Grown Up” are classic, theatrical Costello.
SEE IT: Elvis Costello and the Imposters play the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway Ave., on Friday, April 13. 8 pm. $46.50-$86.50. All ages.
ILLUSTRATION: Adam Krueger
Costellology
Walking in the complicated shadows of Elvis Costello’s storied past.
April 11th, 2012 CASEY JARMAN | Music Stories
From angry young man to Burt Bacharach collaborator to talk-show host, Elvis Costello rarely settles down long enough to take in the scenery. These days, though, the 57-year-old songwriter seems to be feeling a little sentimental. He’s relaunched his long-forgotten Spectacular Spinning Songbook tour—which centers on a giant public set list that looks like something from The Price Is Right and requires audience participation to spin—and slimmed down to his 1970s fighting weight. On the eve of his Portland visit, we thought we’d take the opportunity to stroll down memory lane with Costello.
A MAN OF MANY MOODS
Angry: “When England was the whore of the world/ Margaret was her madam/ And the future was as bright and as clear/ As the black tarmacadam” (“Tramp the Dirt Down,” Spike)
Depressed: “Was it a millionaire who said ‘imagine no possessions’?/ A poor little schoolboy who said ‘we don’t need no lessons’?/ The rabid rebel dogs ransack the shampoo shop/ The pop princess is downtown shooting up” (“The Other Side of Summer,” Mighty Like a Rose)
Funny: “Though he wasn’t tall or handsome, she laughed when he told her/ ‘I’m the Sheriff of Nottingham and this is Little John’” (“American Without Tears,” King of America)
Dreamy: “I might make it California’s fault/ Be locked in Geneva’s deepest vault/ Just like the canals of Mars and the Great Barrier Reef/ I come to you beyond belief” (“Beyond Belief,” Imperial Bedroom)
Showoffish: “All you toy soldiers and scaremongers/ Are you living in this world, sometimes I wonder/ In between saying you’ve seen too much/ And saying you’ve seen it all before” (“Human Hands,” Imperial Bedroom)
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
Allison: A now-married ex whom the narrator may or may not want to have killed.
Veronica: A lovely, but senile, old lady.
This Year’s Girl: A very popular lady, perhaps a pop star, who seems bored with her station in life.
Party Girl: A young socialite whom the narrator adores but does not wish to settle down with.
Sulky Girl: A possible vampire and likely goth who ran away from home at a young age.
Spooky Girlfriend: The narrator’s slutty, obedient dream girl. Almost certainly goth.
Big Sister: “She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish.” Duh.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Trust (1981)
Amazing pop song after amazing pop song. The crown jewel in a stretch of near-flawless late-’70s, early-’80s records. “New Lace Sleeves” just kills.
Blood and Chocolate (1986)
Perhaps the heaviest Elvis Costello record, which finds Costello playing with dark poetry and stringing together some rambling Dylanesque epics.
National Ransom (2010)
After a few ho-hum outings, Costello embraces his inner nerdy American record collector by playing an inspired set of smart, semi-jazzy story songs.
THE BEST OF THE WORST
Almost Blue (1981)
The (fantastic) title track, sadly, isn’t actually on this bland, country-covers album. “Good Year for the Roses” may be the only classic cut here, but two Gram Parsons tunes help its case a bit.
Goodbye Cruel World (1984)
Costello has rightly called this his worst album: It is besieged by plastic ’80s production and cheesy horns. That said, Daryl Hall duet “The Only Flame in Town” has plenty of kitsch value, and the gorgeous “Love Field” is brilliantly retro-futuristic.
Mighty Like a Rose (1991)
Though it’s one of the worst-reviewed Costello outings, I think of it as a fantastic EP with a bunch of shitty bonus tracks. “How to Be Dumb” and “All Grown Up” are classic, theatrical Costello.
SEE IT: Elvis Costello and the Imposters play the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway Ave., on Friday, April 13. 8 pm. $46.50-$86.50. All ages.
Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Any reports out there?
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
I'll be there and post reports/photos from the show on Twitter, when I can.
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Craig has posted a pic of the wheel.
http://twitpic.com/99gy1j/full
I don't see any big surprises. "God Give Me Strength," "End of the World," "This Wheel's on Fire," "Turpentine," and "Accidents Will Happen" have been dropped in favor of "Oliver's Army," "Episode of Blonde," "Long Honeymoon," "Country Darkness," and "Clubland."
http://twitpic.com/99gy1j/full
I don't see any big surprises. "God Give Me Strength," "End of the World," "This Wheel's on Fire," "Turpentine," and "Accidents Will Happen" have been dropped in favor of "Oliver's Army," "Episode of Blonde," "Long Honeymoon," "Country Darkness," and "Clubland."
Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Isn't Just About Glad a new addition? Or have I been missing it?
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
It was on the wheel in Vancouver and Seattle, but it hasn't been played yet.
I'm still not sure about the new jackpots which debuted in Seattle and remain in Portland. The one I thought was "Big Dog Small Dog" or "Big Hog Small Dog" is starting to look to me more like "Big Hog Small Bog."
Setlist (from Craig's tweets):
01. Pump It Up
02. Heart Of The City
03. Mystery Dance
04. Uncomplicated
05. Radio, Radio
06. I Want You (1st spin)
Time jackpot (2nd spin)
07. Strict Time
08. Clowntime Is Over
09. Out Of Time
10. Man Out Of Time
11. No Particular Place To Go (3rd spin)
12. Stella Hurt (4th spin)
13. Clubland (5th spin)
Joanna jackpot (6th spin)
14. Just A Memory
15. Talking In The Dark
I'm still not sure about the new jackpots which debuted in Seattle and remain in Portland. The one I thought was "Big Dog Small Dog" or "Big Hog Small Dog" is starting to look to me more like "Big Hog Small Bog."
Setlist (from Craig's tweets):
01. Pump It Up
02. Heart Of The City
03. Mystery Dance
04. Uncomplicated
05. Radio, Radio
06. I Want You (1st spin)
Time jackpot (2nd spin)
07. Strict Time
08. Clowntime Is Over
09. Out Of Time
10. Man Out Of Time
11. No Particular Place To Go (3rd spin)
12. Stella Hurt (4th spin)
13. Clubland (5th spin)
Joanna jackpot (6th spin)
14. Just A Memory
15. Talking In The Dark
This crowd is awesome! Blowing Seattle away! Chicago level! Show is incredible!
Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Just a Memory??!! Fantastic!!
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Cash (7th spin)
16. Cry, Cry, Cry
17. Brilliant Mistake
EC and crowd sing Happy Birthday Anna
Hammer of Songs
18. Veronica
19. Watching The Detectives / Help Me
20. One Bell Ringing
Encore 1
21. A Slow Drag With Josephine
22. Jimmie Standing In The Rain
23. Alison (including The Wind Cries Mary / Over The Rainbow)
24. Please Please Me
Encore 2
25. Lipstick Vogue
26. Beyond Belief
27. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
28. Oliver's Army (8th(?) spin)
29. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
16. Cry, Cry, Cry
17. Brilliant Mistake
EC and crowd sing Happy Birthday Anna
Hammer of Songs
18. Veronica
19. Watching The Detectives / Help Me
20. One Bell Ringing
Encore 1
21. A Slow Drag With Josephine
22. Jimmie Standing In The Rain
23. Alison (including The Wind Cries Mary / Over The Rainbow)
24. Please Please Me
Encore 2
25. Lipstick Vogue
26. Beyond Belief
27. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
28. Oliver's Army (8th(?) spin)
29. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
Hello all
I was @ both Seattle and last notes shows, and both were outstanding- the performances equalled the terrific set lists.
Please please me is a terrific add...as is the beauty and beast category on the wheel...
Elvis in good humor and good voice
I am doing the rest of this west coast leg...and hoping there's more to come after japan and Korea, here in the states
I was @ both Seattle and last notes shows, and both were outstanding- the performances equalled the terrific set lists.
Please please me is a terrific add...as is the beauty and beast category on the wheel...
Elvis in good humor and good voice
I am doing the rest of this west coast leg...and hoping there's more to come after japan and Korea, here in the states
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Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
WTD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6H_QOuUWHk
Lipstick Vogue / Beyond Belief: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZP4U4PnQ2o
Alison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSN6stWUJ-A
WTD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DJjUSl-QBo
Lipstick Vogue / Beyond Belief: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZP4U4PnQ2o
Alison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSN6stWUJ-A
WTD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DJjUSl-QBo
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
thanks for these. why does it sound like he is singing very flat on WTD? is this a function of how it was recorded? i find this happens often with these audience recordings, that the vocals sound flat. it may be that i can't get an accurate bead on the key of the playing or something. very odd and consistently so...
ok. listened to the second recording of WTD and it is nowhere near as severely flat sounding......
ok. listened to the second recording of WTD and it is nowhere near as severely flat sounding......
Re: Elvis/Imposters, Portland, April 13 '12
http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.s ... ctacu.html
Elvis Costello review: Spectacular Spinning Songbook dishes out happy surprises at the Schnitz
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Marty Hughley, The Oregonian
After decades of success in the music business, you might find yourself with a common pop-star problem. How do you go on tour and do something other than the predictable greatest-hits show, or the predictable (but less crowd-pleasing) plugging of your latest album?
The great British pop veteran Elvis Costello has solved this dilemma with what he calls the Spectacular Spinning Songbook, which he brought to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Friday night.
Actually, the Spinning Songbook isn’t a new innovation. Costello used it for shows in the 1980s, only a decade or so into a career that now ranks as the most prolific and varied, yet consistent, of any singer-songwriter of his generation. But it’s especially well-suited for the vast repertoire he now could draw on. Even if he doesn’t play your favorite tune, you always can just blame the wheel.
On Friday, the set-up was simple, but colorful -- part conventional rock concert, part midway carnival, part mod-era lounge. At stage left loomed a giant wheel, with song titles and phrases in alternating strips of yellow, red and purple. Nearby sat one of those contraptions you pound with a hammer to ring a bell and win a prize. At stage right, was a go-go dancer’s cage and a small bar with high stools.
Costello and his band the Imposters (keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, both from his great early combo, the Attractions, plus bassist/backing vocalist Davey Faragher) took the stage and roared into a batch of uptempo classics including “Pump It Up,” “Mystery Dance” and “Radio, Radio.” Thomas’ piston-like rhythmic drive in particular was in fine form.
With his adoring audience suitably warmed up, Costello donned a top hat, grabbed a walking stick and introduced himself as “Napoleon Dynamite” (a pseudonym that dates back at least to the 1986 album “Blood & Chocolate”). “Shall we just play them all?” he asked, introducing the wheel, and the crowd roared its assent. “But that’s not the way it works!,” he replied.
Instead, a blond assistant in garish striped pants selected a series of fans and brought them onstage. On a couple of occasions, Costello himself stepped offstage to stroll around the auditorium, returning with fan in tow. Those thus chosen got to spin the wheel (or wield the “hammer of songs”), take a seat in the “Society Lounge” and maybe do a bit of dancing in the cage.
Some spins resulted in particular songs; others sent things in less obvious directions. “Paul, get ahold of that wheel with a manly grip,” Costello instructed the second lucky participant, and Paul’s spin landed on a “jackpot selection,” the word “Time.” That led to a themed mini-set: the quick-pulsed vivisection of courtship, “Strict Time,” the simultaneously jaunty and jaundiced “Clowntime is Over,” a cover of the early Rolling Stones nugget “Out of Time,” and the melancholy “Man Out of Time.”
When the wheel landed on “Joanna,” Costello explained that that was Cockney rhyming slang for piano -- meaning the next song was the piano player’s choice. Costello then sang the rarity “Just a Memory,” with just Nieve’s piano accompaniment.
Taking over the reins from time to time, Costello still fit in newer material such as 2010’s retro-styled “Slow Drag with Josephine” (“Rock’n’roll like it used to be - in 1919,” he quipped), as well as such hits as “Alison” and Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”
The wheel never did land on the jackpot strip marked “Happy.” But you’d never have known that by looking at the crowd.
Elvis Costello review: Spectacular Spinning Songbook dishes out happy surprises at the Schnitz
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Marty Hughley, The Oregonian
After decades of success in the music business, you might find yourself with a common pop-star problem. How do you go on tour and do something other than the predictable greatest-hits show, or the predictable (but less crowd-pleasing) plugging of your latest album?
The great British pop veteran Elvis Costello has solved this dilemma with what he calls the Spectacular Spinning Songbook, which he brought to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Friday night.
Actually, the Spinning Songbook isn’t a new innovation. Costello used it for shows in the 1980s, only a decade or so into a career that now ranks as the most prolific and varied, yet consistent, of any singer-songwriter of his generation. But it’s especially well-suited for the vast repertoire he now could draw on. Even if he doesn’t play your favorite tune, you always can just blame the wheel.
On Friday, the set-up was simple, but colorful -- part conventional rock concert, part midway carnival, part mod-era lounge. At stage left loomed a giant wheel, with song titles and phrases in alternating strips of yellow, red and purple. Nearby sat one of those contraptions you pound with a hammer to ring a bell and win a prize. At stage right, was a go-go dancer’s cage and a small bar with high stools.
Costello and his band the Imposters (keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, both from his great early combo, the Attractions, plus bassist/backing vocalist Davey Faragher) took the stage and roared into a batch of uptempo classics including “Pump It Up,” “Mystery Dance” and “Radio, Radio.” Thomas’ piston-like rhythmic drive in particular was in fine form.
With his adoring audience suitably warmed up, Costello donned a top hat, grabbed a walking stick and introduced himself as “Napoleon Dynamite” (a pseudonym that dates back at least to the 1986 album “Blood & Chocolate”). “Shall we just play them all?” he asked, introducing the wheel, and the crowd roared its assent. “But that’s not the way it works!,” he replied.
Instead, a blond assistant in garish striped pants selected a series of fans and brought them onstage. On a couple of occasions, Costello himself stepped offstage to stroll around the auditorium, returning with fan in tow. Those thus chosen got to spin the wheel (or wield the “hammer of songs”), take a seat in the “Society Lounge” and maybe do a bit of dancing in the cage.
Some spins resulted in particular songs; others sent things in less obvious directions. “Paul, get ahold of that wheel with a manly grip,” Costello instructed the second lucky participant, and Paul’s spin landed on a “jackpot selection,” the word “Time.” That led to a themed mini-set: the quick-pulsed vivisection of courtship, “Strict Time,” the simultaneously jaunty and jaundiced “Clowntime is Over,” a cover of the early Rolling Stones nugget “Out of Time,” and the melancholy “Man Out of Time.”
When the wheel landed on “Joanna,” Costello explained that that was Cockney rhyming slang for piano -- meaning the next song was the piano player’s choice. Costello then sang the rarity “Just a Memory,” with just Nieve’s piano accompaniment.
Taking over the reins from time to time, Costello still fit in newer material such as 2010’s retro-styled “Slow Drag with Josephine” (“Rock’n’roll like it used to be - in 1919,” he quipped), as well as such hits as “Alison” and Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”
The wheel never did land on the jackpot strip marked “Happy.” But you’d never have known that by looking at the crowd.