Word: costello
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...unlike most of his late '70s counterparts, Jackson has moved beyond the New Wave angry-young-man style. He recently denied being a rock and roller at all. He may be right. He may be more. Like Elvis Costello--a comparison which hounded him for years--Jackson has shown a depth and diversity of musical talent. He has experimented with old forms and concocted new ones. He marked his departure from pure New Wave with products like the reggae-in-spired Beat Crazy and Jumpin' Jive, a collection of '40s-style swing tunes. While bands like The Clash continue...
...recording artist, lavish praise and comparisons to heroes past or present can mean sudden death. The problem, simply put, is unfulfilled expectations. Robert Palmer and John Hiatt (remember "the American Elvis Costello"?) didn't survive them. Countless other saviors, long since forgotten, were also victims. And even Bruce Springsteen needed time to recover from critic Jon Landau's infamous "I have seen the future of Rock 'n' Roll" line...
...Blue was entirely country covers--and Elvis has never appeared more urgent, more frantic simply to get his ideas spilling out. The album is terribly passionate, loaded with sharp commentary about out-of-touch English aristocracy, the dilemma of getting your girlfriend pregnant, and broken marriages. What's more, Costello goes crazy on the overdubbing of his own voice, on snappy little orchestral hooks with violins, and other assorted studio, song-writing gimmicks. But it is all too much, too soon, with too much to be assimilated in one or even repeated sittings...
These are carping rejections, to be sure, for when judged on absolute terms, the album is damn good Costello's vocal range and song writing skills are intact; songs like "Shabby Doll" and "Town Crier" attest to that. The backing Attractions are as marvelous and tight as ever. And what's more, his soul is still there, as ideas and innovation just sizzle on Imperial...
...Costello once focused the same sorts of ideas and innovation into bitter anger. That approach worked for a while, but Elvis eventually crumbled under the weight of his own expections. It's time for him to focus his loosey-goosey energies once more. You know it's coming, and you have to hope for El's sake that his new tactics aren't as self-destructive...