Get Happy!! (Side B)
1980, F-Beat Records, Wisseloord Studios



11. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
Side B opens with a frenzied rendition of one of the more obscure Sam and Dave songs. This 'ere song is the prime example of how covers should be - ie the artist in question just completely makes it his own and, certainly in this case, actually improves on the original by turning what was once a mournful soul ballad into a hyped-up and really very uplifting song. 10/10


12. Black & White World
This here is probably the only song on show here which sounds like it wasn't recorded last Thursday - a little dated with the organ flourishes basically. The band performance makes it sound a bit skewiff as they meander through the number. It's not a bad song any stretch of the imagination, but the weakest part of the album for sure. 5/10

13. 5ive Gears in Reverse
Driven by Costello's catchy rhythm guitar, the rest of the song doesn't really live up to the promise of its opening and is therefore another one of the more unremarkable and less adventurous cuts. 6/10

14. B Movie
A sentiment which is more than made up for the track which follows it. In a very similar ball park to Watching the Detectives before it, it's another reggae-styled piece of songwriting punctuated by a frankly brilliant bassline as well as some tight performances from the rest of the Attractions. 10/10

15. Motel Matches
And the stylistic tour de force of the second side continues here with a down-tempo and emotional piano-led ballad. Again, wonderfully written and performed all-round. 9/10


16. Human Touch
Clearly inspired heavily by Costello's work with the Specials of yesteryear (having occupied the producer's chair during the sessions for their debut), we're handed an infectious, bouncy and totally convincing slice of ska... 10/10

17. Beaten To the Punch
...which precedes the angriest and therefore heaviest cut around these parts, and the one which bears the strongest resemblance to the punkier sounds of This Year's Model. I just love the the anger in the lyrics here as well ('you're looking for somebody new that you can knock about, you are almost beaten to the punch' and 'your body speaks so much louder than your voice, you let it do the talking so I don't have any choice' are a couple of personal highlights of mine). 10/10

18. Temptation
Smooth, r'n'b-flavoured, superbly catchy guitar and bass motifs, it's a song which finds its way onto about nine out of ten of the compilations I make for people. Another well-earned ten - I implore you to go and listen to it yourselves! 10/10

19. I Stand Accused
Could easily have been a hit single this. Obviously though, this furious new-wave update of the Merseybeats' I Stand Accused missed out on that particular honour. It is though an example of Costello and his band recording a cover which improves on the original, and is a highpoint on the album for it (as if there weren't enough of those lying around). 10/10

20. Riot Act
And to put the lid on an album such as this as a sequence of four 10s in a row takes a very special song indeed. This isn't quite what's accomplished here, but it does bring the pace down a few notches into torch-song mode (with added contemporary twists!). A good enough song, but not a touch on a few of the ones which came before in my opinion. 7/10

The Outtakes. [there are quite a few of these, so I'll try and keep this brief]

So Young: A cover recorded very early on in the making of this album, it's a cute little slice of pop-rock, but really nothing remarkable.

Clowntime Is Over 2: Same lyrics as the album cut but just whole lot slower. Decent enough as B-side material.

Girls Talk: Of the two recorded versions available, the thrashier (I know, it's not really a word) rendition is my personal preference. The pumping, repetitive bassline puts this song well above mediocrity.

Getting Mighty Crowded: Easily the pick of the litter. A wonderfully jovial recording of Betty Everett's tune which should probably have made the album.

From a Whisper To a Scream, Watch Your Step and New Lace Sleeves: All three of these would be given the full studio treatment during the sessions for this record's follow-up and, naturally, heavily improved on.

Dr. Luther's Assistant, Ghost Train and Hoover Factory: These particular items sound a lot more like outtakes from Armed Forces than ones worthy of consideration for this album, and are therefore justified choices as B-sides.

Just a Memory: A beautiful soul ballad which, upon rejection here, was later given to Dusty Springfield. Steve Nieve's gorgeous piano line make this one of Costello's more obscure gems in his back catalogue.

I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down (alt. version): Much more faithful to Sam and Dave's original than the album cut, this particular re-reading is just as well-performed as the aforementioned one. Very hard to pick a favourite between the two.

So, summing then...
A truly fascinatingly experimental genre-hybrid of an album, delivering a mix of new-wave, soul and r'n'b. One of the peaks of Costello's career which shows him really starting to come into his own as a writer and musician. Any doubters of the quality of the man's post-My Aim Is True output need pointing in the direction of this magnificent album. It's a bit much to swallow at first, being 20 tracks long and all, and even if you don't appreciate it all the shortness of each song allows the more mediocre moments to just fly by, all unimposing-like! Unfortunately, the same can be said of the best moments here too, which is I feel the following rating is pretty fair...

9.5/10