Why Elvis Costello Matters

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Everyone I have ever talked to who knows anything about music says they like Elvis Costello, everyone from punk kids to classical lovers to new new wave assholes. And I absolutely adore him too, especially My Aim Is True....so why is it that we all love him? And is he the greatest living songwriter (i don't care what Paste says so don't bring that thread up)?

― Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:01 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't you get the memo about Sufjan?

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:06 (nineteen years ago)

memo about sufjan? what's this all about? do people now thing HE is the greatest living songwriter?

― Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:11 (nineteen years ago)

memo about sufjan? what's this all about? do people now think HE is the greatest living songwriter?

― Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:11 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.stones.at/stones/mj/memo.jpg

― timmy tannin (pompous), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:18 (nineteen years ago)

Hahahahaha, Ned to thread.

― Marmot 4-Tay: what those guyz make music 4. (marmotwolof), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:22 (nineteen years ago)

ao no one is actually going to answer this thread. oh well.

― Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:24 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not a terribly big fan of EC -- Aim is a decent bit of bar-rock flubber -- but he's about 1000x better at songcraftery than Sufjan. I may not like EC's songs, but they're definitely SONGS. Sufjan mostly has "moods". Er, "mood".

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Friday, 14 July 2006 02:26 (nineteen years ago)

Hahahahaha, Ned to thread.

I'm sorry, I just belched.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 14 July 2006 03:27 (nineteen years ago)

EC is a bore but he has a couple of nice tunes

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Friday, 14 July 2006 03:29 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sorry, I just belched

And it still sounded better than anytrhing EC's produced in the last 10 years.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Friday, 14 July 2006 03:37 (nineteen years ago)

I'm getting sleeping just thinking about EC.

― Marmot 4-Tay: what those guyz make music 4. (marmotwolof), Friday, 14 July 2006 03:42 (nineteen years ago)

Sleepy. He seems to affect my grammar as well.

― Marmot 4-Tay: what those guyz make music 4. (marmotwolof), Friday, 14 July 2006 03:42 (nineteen years ago)

elvis costello has enough songs that at least one of them should appeal to pretty much anyone. and at least one of them will make pretty much anyone want to go deaf

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 14 July 2006 03:49 (nineteen years ago)

Although it's something that has worked against him in the long run, Elvis developed a pretty omnivorous approach to influences and styling. New wave, soul, chamber pop, country/folk/rock, etc. and being essentially sraight singer-songwriter, he tried them all. It kept us interested. Plus he started off with a run of fantastic albums with a unique lyrical voice, and enough melodicism o keep those overlong lines of his bound up in a pop structure. In other words, not always the easies lisening but still hooky.

And, as we've gotten older, EC has emerged one of thse artists whose voice I simply enjoy hearing.

That's my take.

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Friday, 14 July 2006 04:14 (nineteen years ago)

At least the opening post wasn't a link to your blog...

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 14 July 2006 04:17 (nineteen years ago)

Does Elvis Costello even actually exist?

I say, no--not really.
And here's why:
http://www.gallaghersmash.com/

― Marmot 4-Tay: what those guyz make music 4. (marmotwolof), Friday, 14 July 2006 04:37 (nineteen years ago)

was waiting for the first glibly dismissive post, and the first ned post. looks like a got a twofer!

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 14 July 2006 04:58 (nineteen years ago)

Bet you weren't expecting a link to Gallagher's website.

― Marmot 4-Tay: what those guyz make music 4. (marmotwolof), Friday, 14 July 2006 05:00 (nineteen years ago)

that was pure frosting

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 14 July 2006 06:28 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think Ryan is amused:
Why this message board blows

― Marmot 4-Tay: what those guyz make music 4. (marmotwolof), Friday, 14 July 2006 06:30 (nineteen years ago)

Another troll in the wall, part 2.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 14 July 2006 06:45 (nineteen years ago)

Ryan, I'm a huge Costello fan, but you might search the 1000 threads we've done on him before you dismiss the board for not giving a shit.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 14 July 2006 07:49 (nineteen years ago)

Elvis Costello doesn't matter, he materializes

― Rev. PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie 2), Friday, 14 July 2006 13:23 (nineteen years ago)

He's been doing stuff with Allen Toussaint lately--they're playing a show next week and charging 60 bucks a head. This is sort of what I like and hate about EC, the drive to keep doing interesting stuff (even if a lot of it ends up sucking majorly) but doing that stuff in a lame and self-serving way that limits his audience to the chin-stroky NPR crowd.

― adam (adam), Friday, 14 July 2006 13:31 (nineteen years ago)

fuck "Ned to thread," where the hell is Andy Kellman?

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Friday, 14 July 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

This ain't Paste: Elvis Costello: The Exact Moment When This Balding Fat Fucker Jumped The Shark

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 14 July 2006 15:55 (nineteen years ago)

lol Elvis Costello

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 14 July 2006 16:18 (nineteen years ago)

haha you can't make this shit up

― FAN DEATH (teenagequiet), Friday, 14 July 2006 16:18 (nineteen years ago)

Elvis Costello is....
http://www.indymedia.org/images/2005/09/825042.jpg

― trees (treesessplode), Friday, 14 July 2006 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

he's not but, alas, his voice makes him sound like he is.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 14 July 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

saw this. it was good, but def not worth the 69.95 it (would have) cost. it was a toussaint-arranged retrospective with full horn section, which started to get a bit samey after about 45 minutes. speaking of the crowd...i was twice asked "could you please move, there's people behind you" -- once when i was sitting down in my seat. when he broke into watching the detectives, all the white middle-aged couples proceeded to the stage as if transfixed, and then started moving in ways reminiscent of those battery-operated flowers with sunglasses that wiggle when you clap your hands.

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Friday, 14 July 2006 16:59 (nineteen years ago)

Well, I've never liked him-- could never understand the appeal

― trees (treesessplode), Friday, 14 July 2006 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

That's funny, just an hour ago I read this funny Patton Oswalt story about Costello:

http://www.pattonoswalt.com/ht/spew7.html

― darin (darin), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

It's hard to hate the guy who wrote "Less Than Zero" and "Alison" and "Radio Radio" but post-1980, it's hard to care.

― milo z (mlp), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:10 (nineteen years ago)

getting excited about a new elvis costello album is like getting excited about a new william friedkin film

― gear (gear), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

i thought "when i was cruel" was okay.

― M@tt He1geson, Rendolent Ding-Dong (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:17 (nineteen years ago)

And around we go:

The rolling "Elvis Costello's new album is fucking awful." thread

― righteousmaelstrom (righteousmaelstrom), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

I reckon Armed Forces to Blood and Chocolate is a tremendous run of goodness, but after that his career almost looks like wilful self-sabotage.

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:20 (nineteen years ago)

even friedkin had his mid-period 'to live and die in l.a.'

'the hunted' was reasonably entertaining as well. willy's a pro, though, he knows his moves.

― gear (gear), Friday, 14 July 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

i was surprised/impressed by him at bonnaroo. he was with allen toussaint (and steve nieve), and he sounded great. mostly doing greatest hits, which was fine by me since that's what i mostly like by him. (one thing about ec, the chasm between his good and bad stuff is pretty humungously wide -- unforgivably so, really, since anyone who can write songs as good as his best ones should be able to tell how bad the bad ones are.) but his voice was strong, and he actually rocked.

why he matters, tho, is a question i can't really get my head around. i'm not sure he does.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 14 July 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

I'll bet you a pancake with syrup he wins a grammy this year.
Not sure what that proves, but just sayin'.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Friday, 14 July 2006 21:46 (nineteen years ago)

Elvis Costello is the Billy Joel of the UK

― banana nutrimunt (dayvidday), Friday, 14 July 2006 21:51 (nineteen years ago)

OH MY GOD I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT ANALOGY BEFORE!

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 14 July 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

One of the few rock'n'rollers who can get me to listen to his lyrics and think for a moment or two if they're about something, or at least enjoy the fact that he manages to rhyme with vocabulary most people can't employ in any context.

― I.M. (I.M.), Friday, 14 July 2006 22:11 (nineteen years ago)

Elvis Costello is the Billy Joel of the UK

Not bad, altough I would argue that Elvis has never been as cheesy as Billy ("Tokyo Storm Warning" vs. "We Didn't Start te Fire") nor was e ever pointlessly MOR like Joel. Elvis has always been too ambitious/pretentious. Plus he hasn't repeatedly gotten arrested for DUI and driving his car into a tree.

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Saturday, 15 July 2006 04:03 (nineteen years ago)

pump it up is still one of my fave jock jamz.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 15 July 2006 04:16 (nineteen years ago)

your music makes a cake in my soul

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Saturday, 15 July 2006 05:14 (nineteen years ago)

doods cmon he gave birth to THE NEWS of HUEY LEWIS AND THE fame!

― Moonwalkbjrain (chaki), Saturday, 15 July 2006 05:25 (nineteen years ago)

the verse of "pump it up" kinda sounds like the verse of "we didn't start the fire."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 15 July 2006 06:08 (nineteen years ago)

If I could make a doll out of some of your clothes, and your hair, and your actual eyes, that I could look at in the morning when I’ve been awake all night crying, I’ll bet I’d know. What’s in those eyes.

hahaha

― kyle (akmonday), Saturday, 15 July 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

altough I would argue that Elvis has never been as cheesy as Billy

Listen to Mighty Like a Rose's "Sweet Pear." The disparity between what he's trying do with the soul horns and his voice and what he actually achieves are stunning to behold.

was e ever pointlessly MOR like Joel

"The Only Flame in Town"? (I like it though)

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 15 July 2006 15:09 (nineteen years ago)

http://gallery.elvado.de/albums/structure/USER-RELATED/go%20away/normal_GetOffMyInternet-ba.jpg

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Saturday, 15 July 2006 15:19 (nineteen years ago)

One of the most important songwriters of the past 50 years. He undeniably has the greatest range of musical styles. IMO,m This Years Model is his greatest accomplishment.

― Addison Braden (Forensic Scene), Saturday, 15 July 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

Eh, he's no Joe Jackson.

― js (honestengine), Saturday, 15 July 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

doods cmon he gave birth to THE NEWS of HUEY LEWIS AND THE fame!

no he didn't; they were already together when they played on the debut. can't blame Elvis for that one!

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Saturday, 15 July 2006 18:21 (nineteen years ago)

Ah they were not. That was "Clover" there, and Huey was not in the studio at the time.

If he was away forming "The News" behind Clover's back, then fair enough.

― mark grout (mark grout), Saturday, 15 July 2006 18:25 (nineteen years ago)

right, that's what I meant. the band existed, just under a diff't name.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Saturday, 15 July 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

Listen to Mighty Like a Rose's "Sweet Pear."

I would do anything for love, but i won't do that, no i won't do that.

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Saturday, 15 July 2006 18:48 (nineteen years ago)

The River in Reverse, his collab with Allen Toussaint, is one of the best things he has done in years.

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Monday, 17 July 2006 00:26 (nineteen years ago)

The River in Reverse, his collab with Allen Toussaint, is one of the best things he has done in years.

which proves that ... elvis matters as much in 2006 as he did in, say, 1996??

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 17 July 2006 02:24 (nineteen years ago)

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