Music Banter - View Single Post - Bulldog's Armchair Guide To Elvis Costello

Bulldog · 11-20-2008, 04:20 PM

Almost Blue
1981, F-Beat Records, Nashville Tennessee

It always happens at some point doesn't it? Well, maybe not really, but I can think of a fair few examples of a prolific singer/songwriter taking to the studio to record a covers album and naturally Elvis Costello fits nicely into this category. The idea behind Almost Blue, though, represents another artistic departure from his old sound. Basically, having written songs like Stranger In the House, Radio Sweetheart and Different Finger, it doesn't really take much brains to figure out that he was and still is a real lover of country and western music. Taking the Attractions to Nashville Tennessee in order to tape a bunch of C & W standards in a frenzy of recording (a grand total of thirty songs were cut) was as good an indicator of this as any.

The result is an album that's very hard for any non-country fans to truly love, as we're presented with a sincere and faithful covers album.

1. Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)?
The opening item though is the one exception to this rule, Costello and the Attractions tearing through a sped-up, punkish rendition of the old Hank Williams standard. Yet another Elvis Costello album starts with a real bang. 8/10

2. Sweet Dreams
And there's a sharp contrast between that and the more faithful re-reading of this Don Gibson ballad. There's nothing wrong with the playing, but it's just all a little too schmaltzy for me (complete with a backing choir and some syrupy string arrangements et al). On top of that, it's one of a few examples on this album of the Attractions' performances being far too subdued for the song's good, and it's not exactly one of my favourite Costello cuts for it. 4/10

3. Success
This, on the other hand, is. A soothing, gently played song about lost love which is guided along by some sublime piano-playing from Steve Nieve (with a wonderful solo t'boot!). A much more uncluttered affair than Sweet Dreams. 9/10

4. I'm Your Toy
One of a couple of Gram Parsons tunes to show up on this album, it's another slow country ballad this time emphasising John McFee's pedal steel guitar. Another not-so-overcooked affair, it's a decent enough tune all-round, though not a patch on the original. 7/10

5. Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down
And what follows is a much faster, footstomping cover of Merle Haggard's song. Nieve again really shines with his performance behind the piano, as does McFee's pedal steel. It's good enough but nothing extraordinary. 7/10

6. Brown To Blue
And here's another one of the more tame tracks on the album. It's a meandering, slightly dull wonder through a George Jones original. 5/10

7. Good Year For the Roses
As Costello's last top 10 hit in the UK, Good Year For the Roses has since become one of his most well-known and best-loved releases and it's entirely justified for me. It ticks all the right boxes where Sweet Dreams before it got them all wrong, and is probably the best song on the album for it. 10/10

8. Sittin' and Thinkin'
Another one of the much better cuts here, this Charlie Rich cover gets by again on some more sublime work from Nieve and McFee, propelling one of the catchier songs around here onward and upward. 9/10

9. The Colour Of the Blues
As the pace of the record slows down again, we're handed some more subdued and un-noteworthy from the Attractions and John McFee as well as Costello himself, and therefore another one of the more mediocre tracks. 5/10

10. Too Far Gone
Again, one of the slower country ballads on the record (boasting Emmylou Harris among its many performers down the years), but in this case we hear a bit of an improvement on others before it. A catchy little pedal steel riff and a memorable chorus make for another decent (yet unspectacular) cut. 6/10

11. Honey Hush
This Lou Willie Taylor song was also covered by some bloke called Paul McCartney. Costello's rendition takes the speed up a few notches before the album reaches its climax, but at the same time features more sludgy and meandering playing from the Attractions. 6/10

12. How Much I Lied
But it all ends on another real highlight in Costello's back-catalogue. With the lack of any steel guitar, strings or backing vocals, Elvis Costello and the Attractions are given their space to really shine bright in this gorgeous, piano-led rendition of Gram Parsons' original. A truly great song which ascends the country tag of this album nicely... 10/10

...that's not to say that I personally dismiss this album as sub-country mediocrity. That's not the case at all - I do think each cut has its own merits and can actually sit through them and enjoy even the weakest moments every now and then. It's also true to say that, while this is far, far away from my favourite Costello album, it was without a doubt one of the most influential on my musical tastes. After all, if it weren't for my picking up a copy of this and being pretty shocked to hear some country music blaring out from my stereo, I'd never have thought albums like the Gilded Palace Of Sin, Grievous Angel, White Light, Sweetheart Of the Rodeo and Pieces Of Sky had any merit to them (all of which now rank among my absolute favourite albums). So, basically, while it's nowhere near among my favourite albums of all-time, Almost Blue here was a real eye-opener for me, shedding light on an area of music that so many (particularly here in England) overlook. When all's said and done though...

6/10

PS - In case you're wondering where the outtakes section is, there's a grand total of twelve of them and, honest being honest, I never really listen to them enough to want to write something about them in particular. I might come back and go through them later if I can be bothered.

11-20-2008, 04:20 PM	#25 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Almost Blue 1981, F-Beat Records, Nashville Tennessee It always happens at some point doesn't it? Well, maybe not really, but I can think of a fair few examples of a prolific singer/songwriter taking to the studio to record a covers album and naturally Elvis Costello fits nicely into this category. The idea behind Almost Blue, though, represents another artistic departure from his old sound. Basically, having written songs like Stranger In the House, Radio Sweetheart and Different Finger, it doesn't really take much brains to figure out that he was and still is a real lover of country and western music. Taking the Attractions to Nashville Tennessee in order to tape a bunch of C & W standards in a frenzy of recording (a grand total of thirty songs were cut) was as good an indicator of this as any. The result is an album that's very hard for any non-country fans to truly love, as we're presented with a sincere and faithful covers album. 1. Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)? The opening item though is the one exception to this rule, Costello and the Attractions tearing through a sped-up, punkish rendition of the old Hank Williams standard. Yet another Elvis Costello album starts with a real bang. 8/10 2. Sweet Dreams And there's a sharp contrast between that and the more faithful re-reading of this Don Gibson ballad. There's nothing wrong with the playing, but it's just all a little too schmaltzy for me (complete with a backing choir and some syrupy string arrangements et al). On top of that, it's one of a few examples on this album of the Attractions' performances being far too subdued for the song's good, and it's not exactly one of my favourite Costello cuts for it. 4/10 3. Success This, on the other hand, is. A soothing, gently played song about lost love which is guided along by some sublime piano-playing from Steve Nieve (with a wonderful solo t'boot!). A much more uncluttered affair than Sweet Dreams. 9/10 4. I'm Your Toy One of a couple of Gram Parsons tunes to show up on this album, it's another slow country ballad this time emphasising John McFee's pedal steel guitar. Another not-so-overcooked affair, it's a decent enough tune all-round, though not a patch on the original. 7/10 5. Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down And what follows is a much faster, footstomping cover of Merle Haggard's song. Nieve again really shines with his performance behind the piano, as does McFee's pedal steel. It's good enough but nothing extraordinary. 7/10 6. Brown To Blue And here's another one of the more tame tracks on the album. It's a meandering, slightly dull wonder through a George Jones original. 5/10 7. Good Year For the Roses As Costello's last top 10 hit in the UK, Good Year For the Roses has since become one of his most well-known and best-loved releases and it's entirely justified for me. It ticks all the right boxes where Sweet Dreams before it got them all wrong, and is probably the best song on the album for it. 10/10 8. Sittin' and Thinkin' Another one of the much better cuts here, this Charlie Rich cover gets by again on some more sublime work from Nieve and McFee, propelling one of the catchier songs around here onward and upward. 9/10 9. The Colour Of the Blues As the pace of the record slows down again, we're handed some more subdued and un-noteworthy from the Attractions and John McFee as well as Costello himself, and therefore another one of the more mediocre tracks. 5/10 10. Too Far Gone Again, one of the slower country ballads on the record (boasting Emmylou Harris among its many performers down the years), but in this case we hear a bit of an improvement on others before it. A catchy little pedal steel riff and a memorable chorus make for another decent (yet unspectacular) cut. 6/10 11. Honey Hush This Lou Willie Taylor song was also covered by some bloke called Paul McCartney. Costello's rendition takes the speed up a few notches before the album reaches its climax, but at the same time features more sludgy and meandering playing from the Attractions. 6/10 12. How Much I Lied But it all ends on another real highlight in Costello's back-catalogue. With the lack of any steel guitar, strings or backing vocals, Elvis Costello and the Attractions are given their space to really shine bright in this gorgeous, piano-led rendition of Gram Parsons' original. A truly great song which ascends the country tag of this album nicely... 10/10 ...that's not to say that I personally dismiss this album as sub-country mediocrity. That's not the case at all - I do think each cut has its own merits and can actually sit through them and enjoy even the weakest moments every now and then. It's also true to say that, while this is far, far away from my favourite Costello album, it was without a doubt one of the most influential on my musical tastes. After all, if it weren't for my picking up a copy of this and being pretty shocked to hear some country music blaring out from my stereo, I'd never have thought albums like the Gilded Palace Of Sin, Grievous Angel, White Light, Sweetheart Of the Rodeo and Pieces Of Sky had any merit to them (all of which now rank among my absolute favourite albums). So, basically, while it's nowhere near among my favourite albums of all-time, Almost Blue here was a real eye-opener for me, shedding light on an area of music that so many (particularly here in England) overlook. When all's said and done though... 6/10 PS - In case you're wondering where the outtakes section is, there's a grand total of twelve of them and, honest being honest, I never really listen to them enough to want to write something about them in particular. I might come back and go through them later if I can be bothered.