Elvis Costello: Girls Girls Girls POLL

chelsea

though appreciation is also extended to wild side

I'll give it to track 1 there.

Up till then, his stuff was exactly like you'd expect from the pic: nervy angular new-wave.

Not only was "Detectives" cod reggae, it was way better (i.e. more bass-heavy) than anyone elses.

"Green Shirt" for me. Great music, but also the greatest concentration of clever lyrical turns in, perhaps, his whole repertoire.

Tough one. "High Fidelity" and "Motel Matches" are the frontrunners for me.

chelsea vs. big tears vs. green shirt vs. new amsterdam vs. indoor fireworks vs. brilliant mistake

Where is "Radio Radio" band?

"Hope You're Happy Now"

there are at most 5 songs on here that aren't great. this is a tite compilation.

I went with "Green Shirt", which I was brought to love by the demo version on the Ryko rerelease of This Years Model. Great version!

"New Lace Sleeves," for no particular reason other than it's really creepy.

"Lover's Walk" - 'cause it doesn't get enough love.

Lost my first disk of this some years back ... always kinda bummed, cause the two disks together make it a real keeper comp (way better than that atrocious green yellow cover one that came out a few years back).

Oh - and just what is the riddle answer from the icons on the sleeves?

how are the liner notes?

Weren't there different tracklistings (mostly pretty similar but with some quite astonishing inclusions / omissions from one version to another) for this depending on whether you bought it on vinyl, cassette or CD?

Canny marketing by EC to ensure that casual "I just want one with all the good stuff on it" buyers have to buy less than casually. There was a very good 2CD Very Best Of in 1999 or thereabouts which covered all the bases pretty thoroughly but I don't think EC had anything to do with its compilation.

Phh, I was going to do a "this format adds, and this format subtracts" but MAN!

Anyroad, the LP version has 30 tracks
the CD version has 47 tracks
the Cassette version has 51 tracks.

So, go cassette!

i would go with "I Want You" if it weren't the single version. But it is, so i voted for "Green Shirt" on account of the awesomeness.

"Lipstick Vogue, cuz it's so frantic.

It's a fib: There is no "other" version, the 7" single version of "I want you" is the full seven minute version.

I'm going with "Beyond Belief" with "I Hope You're Happy Now" as a close second.

Beyond Belief for me, too. At least 10 songs in close second.

My favourite EC release, and just about the only one I need. ('You' may need more, but not me.)

Liner notes are great, Alfred - song-by-song drollery in the tradition of Decade and No Remorse and whatever else. ("Pump It Up": "Written in a vodka-&-amphetamine frenzy in a hotel stairwell")

the Cassette version has 51 tracks.

I THOUGHT there was some stuff missing on the cd! I had the cassette version when this first came out, but it was sold off with the rest of my cassettes and now I've only got mp3s from the cd copy I checked out of the library.

"Brilliant Mistake" easy

"Uncomplicated" tonight for me.

This "I Want You" does omit the "Oh my baby baby" intro. On the CD, anyway.

So much to choose from here, but I went for "Almost Blue". "Shipbuilding" is also an ace track from an otherwise not so ace album.

POSSESSION!

"I Don't Wanna Go To Chelsea"

This "I Want You" does omit the "Oh my baby baby" intro. On the CD, anyway.

Oh really? Well that explains that then. I do have the 7" single of this but I don't recall if it had that intro or not (played the album more)

Tokyo storm warning was one of those that really impressed on 1st hearing but when it clicked it was purely verse/chorus/verse/chorus/etc without any middle8/instrumental/actually a second chord would have been nice.. no.

They really should have just skipped that one as a single and gone straight for "I want you"

I know what you mean about TSW but he does resolve it with a third chord on the line 'we're only living this instant' (IIRC that's the lyric). I didn't like it much for years, but it does work kinda like Pump It Up does.

'New Amsterdam'

This Year's Girl is my favorite with I Hope You Are Happy Now coming in a close second.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Although I own lots of EC, this comp tempts me to throw all the albums away and keep it instead.

Oliver's Army.

"party girl"

(always thought it was kind of gyp "girls talk" isn't on this, given the title and all)

Uuuuuun com plicat ted

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I'm glad someone voted for Man Out of Time. I'd hate to see it get no love at all. (was my second choice behind Green Shirt)

Apparently I missed a free secret show by Elvis Costello last night at the El Rey…

Even if this one CD (two CDs, but just one jewel box, I guess) is the only Elvis Costello you own, you can still say "I really like Elvis Costello" and not sound like a putz.

not with my speech impediment i can't

currently rather annoyed that I can't seem to find a .jpg of the 'DON'T JOIN' poster featuring Elvis with a machine gun barrel in his mouth. figured this was a more famous/iconic image than it actually is, I guess