Ranking Elvis Costello albums by Stereogum

[WrEtcH]

https://www.stereogum.com/2120586/elvis ... d93rZsjIhA


Agree, disagree?

[Markonomicon]

1. This Year's Model

The end.

[JGJR]

Disclaimer: he is my favorite artist ever. Without going too deep into this or the analysis (didn't read yet), this list is unfortunately about what I expected. There's no way any serious fan who's lived with say, Mighty Like a Rose, for most of the last 30 years would rank it dead last beneath last year's Hey Clockface, for example. Anyway, long story short, MLAR and Goodbye Cruel World are very, very good and very, very underrated. Momofuku is IMO his 2nd best 2000s album (#1 would be When I Was Cruel from 2002) and is ranked way too low on the list. I'd also rank Look Now way lower than other classics like Almost Blue or the polarizing North (which I love), All This Useless Beauty is also ranked WAY too low. Other than that, I'm OK with the rest of the rankings. Any of the first 7/8 could be #1 and the order is kinda interchangeable. I'd also swap Punch the Clock with say, Brutal Youth. I think they rank PTC a little too high.

[JGJR]

1. This Year's Model

The end.

Not me. I celebrate the entire catalog; he's my ride or die.

[scannest]

Elizabeth Nelson is a terrific rock writer (and a pretty good songwriter, too. Check out her band THE PARANOID STYLE). I celebrate her entire catalog.

[JGJR]

Elizabeth Nelson is a terrific rock writer (and a pretty good songwriter, too. Check out her band THE PARANOID STYLE). I celebrate her entire catalog.

I didn't realize that Elizabeth and her husband wrote this piece until just before I saw your comment here. As I said before, I didn't read it yet, but just looked at the rankings. I'm sure even if I disagree with some of the rankings that she'll have something insightful to say about all of those albums. I couldn't agree more with everything you wrote. I interviewed her in 2016 or 2017 and she is an online friend. Her podcast with Amy Rigby is pretty cool, too. I'm behind on it. Here's a recent photo of me in one of her band's t-shirts.

[WrEtcH]

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been collecting the early stuff on vinyl. He’s a musician that I’ve always respected and just simply there were the hits I dug, so I decided to take it further. What’s a trip is even though we’re in a time where used vinyl is ridiculously over priced, you can start an Elvis Costello collection at Amoeba for about $5 a release. We’re talking like the first thirteen albums. Anyways since I’ve listened to about the first six or further, I was curious what’s everyone’s favorites, which is why I posted this.

No spoiler, but not surprised the first four albums are in the top ten or the top five. I really need to go over it again, but my fave either has to be Aim or Model, with Armed in there too. Maybe I should spin all three one day to get the definitive answer

[DelGriffith]

Can’t say I am much of a fan..where does one begin?

[lewdd]

JGJR how is his jazz stuff and do you think I would like it? Other than that, I probably lean more toward his more pop punk stuff from the 70s.

[JGJR]

JGJR how is his jazz stuff and do you think I would like it? Other than that, I probably lean more toward his more pop punk stuff from the 70s.

Knowing your tastes, honestly probably not, but try it anyway. I don't know if he has any releases that I'd classify as "jazz," but he's worked with a lot of jazz musicians throughout his career. The closest he ever got to vocal jazz over the course of a full-length album is probably North from 2003 (which I think is great; the review in the article is pretty fair), but he did jazz vocal/Chet Baker style ballads on various albums before that. Here are a few. I love em, but ymmv (your mileage may vary).





All that said, I'd strongly suspect you'd lean heavily towards the 1st 4 albums and maybe Blood and Chocolate, so try those first, but I think many other later albums would have songs you'd like if you dig the early stuff.

[gregpolard]

Can’t say I am much of a fan..where does one begin?

Paging @JGJR!

[scannest]

A huge fan of most everything he touched through 1986. That said, I stopped paying much attention to his output post-Delivery Man (and never paid much attention to his various side-projects with the Brodsky Quartet, Burt Bacharach, etc.).

My favorites are Blood & Chocolate, Imperial Bedroom, and Get Happy! Hugely important, all of them. I love This Year's Model and Armed Forces. My Aim is True is only a disappointment when you consider how amazing those songs sounded live with the Attractions vs. the hodgepodge of players on the album. Trust, Punch the Clock and King of America all have some fantastic high points. Goodbye Cruel World is strictly okay. Almost Blue is an outlier.

[JGJR]

Can’t say I am much of a fan..where does one begin?

Paging @JGJR!

It really depends on your tastes, previous exposure to his music, et al. What say you, Del?

[JGJR]

A huge fan of most everything he touched through 1986. That said, I stopped paying much attention to his output post-Delivery Man (and never paid much attention to his various side-projects with the Brodsky Quartet, Burt Bacharach, etc.).

My favorites are Blood & Chocolate, Imperial Bedroom, and Get Happy! Hugely important, all of them. I love This Year's Model and Armed Forces. My Aim is True is only a disappointment when you consider how amazing those songs sounded live with the Attractions vs. the hodgepodge of players on the album. Trust, Punch the Clock and King of America all have some fantastic high points. Goodbye Cruel World is strictly okay. Almost Blue is an outlier.

I think GCW would've been a lot better (or at least a lot better regarded by both himself and by critics and fans) had Langer and Winstanely not produced it. I love it as it is and accept it for its flaws, but aside from the singles, their production style is all wrong for the material (which is by and large very good; I actually think it's a better album than Punch the Clock just purely in terms of songs) when you consider that he was envisioning it as a Richard Thompson style folk-rock type of record.

All that said, there are tons of great bonus tracks on some of the CD editions, mostly live stuff, B-sides, demos, many of which are better than the stuff that ended up on the album.

I think Trust and King of America are perfect and was glad to see the former ranked so high on Elizabeth's list.

Post-TDM, I'd only recommend Momofuku unequivocally as I think it's his best full-length since then by some distance.

[lewdd]

Any pop punk songs worth a damn after the 70s? I just downloaded almost his entire discography this past week and trying to figure out where to start (and maybe end)

[JGJR]

Any pop punk songs worth a damn after the 70s? I just downloaded almost his entire discography this past week and trying to figure out where to start (and maybe end)

Try the 1st 4 or 5 albums first; I made a playlist for you a few years back, I think. Tons of great, upbeat B-sides, too. Many are on the compilationsTaking Liberties (in the UK it was called Ten Bloody Marys and Ten How's Your Fathers) and Out of Our Idiot, so check out those collections.

Focus on the following albums past Trust (his 5th album):
Blood and Chocolate
Brutal Youth
When I Was Cruel
Momofuku

He doesn't make very many "back to the old style" or "return to rock" or "comeback" (from what?) kind of records and the above are notable exceptions, but they all add wrinkles and little flourishes that will probably confuse anyone who wants This Year's Model part whatever. Still, you'll likely find some stuff to enjoy on there if you like the early new wave/power pop EC.

[lewdd]

thanks, JGJR

[JGJR]

thanks, JGJR

Anytime; always here for Elvis talk.