Word: costelloism
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...question Costello has mellowed since those early, angry days. But the temptation has nonetheless lingered to pigeonhole the man, though to his credit Elvis no longer encourages it with infantile posturing. There was the soul-influenced Get Happy--E.C.'s testimony of allegiance to Black music. There was Trust and Taking Liberties and, of course, that much-spat-upon, thoroughly underestimated, straight-from-the-heart paean to Nashville and Elvis's love, country music--Almost Blue...
...Costello did a masterful job keeping the critics guessing and shifting gears, but they finally thought they got him pinned down on Imperial Bedroom. They...
IMPERIAL BEDROOM is a remarkable album, not in what it accomplishes for today, but in what it promises for the future. Of all Costello albums, it is easily the most inaccessible, as Elvis oftentimes suffers from that dreaded malady diagnosed by Robert Christgau as the "Jackson Browne syndrome"--boringness. You must listen to this record repeatedly and almost painstakingly to appreciate the full flavor of the minutiae and detail Costello has packed. It's worth the effort, but you have to sweat mighty hard to get there...
...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...