Conference marvin::uk_music

I bloody hope so.

N Dynamite

    Me some too!
    
    
    T.F. Eccles
    

    I don't.

    
    
    	Niether do i, SPIKE was crap.

re. SPIKE was crap.

There are three reasons that one would say this:

1) One really means it. (Highly unlikely!)
2) One is interested in causing trouble.
3) One is a lunatic!

2 follows from 1, really - but I think 3 is the true answer.

SPIKE is probably the best album of the 80's (and maybe beyond).  The only one's
that come close to chalenging it are other Elvis albums, like for instance 
Imperial Bedroom.

I was looking at the music for SPIKE the other day - bloody genius!  He's fooling
around with all sorts of stuff but it's not just plain fooling - like some of the
bands did in the 70's - it's directed, arranged MUSIC.  He has a measure of 15/8
in the second ending of the first verse of KING'S RANSOM (I think) just to fit
in the words he couldn't resist singing.  Incredible.

John

    
    
    	Ok, i admit i was trying to initiate some banter ;-)
    
    	But i do think that SPIKE was not upto the standard of
    	previous Costello works, and i guess it all comes down
    	personal taste at the end of the day.
    
    
    	As for being best album of the 80's ???? No way.
    
    
    
    	Cheers Grub.....

    Ya, if ya don't like 'em, why ya post here?????
    
    
    T.F. Eccles
    

    
    Elvis C. a genius ? 
    
    ...ahem...

             <<< Note 812.8 by CHEFS::DALLISON "Stick it to ya!" >>>
                                  -< Re. .5 >-

    
>    Elvis C. a genius ? 
    
>    ...ahem...



E.C is for my money the best *song* writer living.


The man, not content with turning out product to a formula, has taken risks.
He did a *country* album , he wrote songs with McCartney, he touched on 
subjects which most people wouldn't dream of writing about.

Ok, so originality, talent, good melodies , and some of the finest lyrics
ever written might not make him a genius, but I can think of few who can
even come within a mile of him.


The Voice of Reason

    
    Different horses for different courses.
    
    In my humble opinion, all of his songs sound the same. His voices is a
    whining drone (as is his constant beating on that Fender Strat) and his
    lyrics are nothing short of boring.
    
    Having said that, I very much doubt that you'd appreciate some of my
    favourites musicians.
    
    -Tony

            <<< Note 812.10 by CHEFS::DALLISON "Stick it to ya!" >>>

    
>    Different horses for different courses.
 
    I violently agree.
     
>    In my humble opinion, all of his songs sound the same.
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
    
     From "My Aim is True" to "Spike" E.C covers a whole range of different
     musical styles.

>                                                        His voices is a
>   whining drone (as is his constant beating on that Fender Strat) and his
 
    Forgive the comparison, but you sound like my ex, she said the same about
    his voice but after getting her to listen to more than just his singles
    she is now apprciates his music. 

    By the way his favoured instrument was a Fender Jazzmaster.

>   lyrics are nothing short of boring.
 
    Somewhat subjective. I think if you *listen* to his lyrics ( Tramp the
    Dirt Down being a good example )   you will find he has ventured beyond
    "I love ya baby" or "The Devil ripped my love-staff off" school of
    writing.


>    Having said that, I very much doubt that you'd appreciate some of my
>    favourites musicians.
    
>    -Tony


     Not being au fait with what you listen to, I feel unable to comment.

     Stuart


    BTW I believe that anyone who can come out with lyrics like "They call her
        Natasha but she looks like Elsie" has a talent most can only dream of.

 >>      <<< Note 812.11 by YUPPY::PANES "Rico Skeil - Oxo appeal" >>>

 >>  BTW I believe that anyone who can come out with lyrics like "They call her
 >>  Natasha but she looks like Elsie" has a talent most can only dream of.
    
    ...Er....is this comment a joke ?
    
    -Curious

    I must agree with Stuart here, particularly with regard to Tramp the
    Dirt Down, one of the most moving, bitter, angry, tragic, sad songs
    ever written by anyone, ever (and his baby hadn't just left him,
    either). 
    
    As well as comparing, say, Almost Blue to Spike, just try comparing
    some of the individual compositions on Spike itself, there is a whole
    range of musical styles, instrumentation and arrangement on the one
    album alone. 
    
    These days, as well as his beloved Fender electric, Elvis favours
    either a Martin or Gibson acoustic (two very different-sounding
    guitars), so obviously his songs cannot 'all sound the same' by any
    stretch of the imagination.
    
    As regards appreciation of other types of music; I agree, but then
    appreciating something doesn't necessarily mean I am going to like it.
    I can appreciate someone like Eddie van Halen is a talented and
    innovative guitarist, but personally I have never been over-fond of his
    music.
    
    
    Charles Shaar Murray.

    
    
    re -1
    
    >> These days, as well as his beloved Fender electric, Elvis favours
    >> either a Martin or Gibson acoustic (two very different-sounding
    >> guitars), so obviously his songs cannot 'all sound the same' by any
    >> stretch of the imagination.
    
    Oh be serious! Are you telling me that your average Joe Public could
    tell the difference between the recorded/processed sound of a Martin 
    and a Gibson acoustic guitar ? I think not!! Just because a different 
    make of guitar is used on a different cut, it doesn't mean its going to
    turn out to be a different type of song.
    
    -Tony

    Re-1, I agree,  I often appreciate Deryck Guylers deftness of touch
    with the washboard, but his 'Calypso Washboard Favourites' album was
    just uninspired.  Now Rolf Harris' wobbleboard technique...
    
    Mikef

    ohhhhhhh...we getting bitchy....
    
    By the way, yes, differant guitars do sound unalike.  Gibsons do
    not sound like Martins, nor Martins like Guilds, etc.  That's
    why many performers use 2 or more acoustics.  If you think all
    guitars sound alike, try asking a musician.  I've worked for over
    19 years in the Musicial Inst. biz, so I feel I know me stuff.
    
    As far as Elvis being the BEST songwriter, well, I think he is
    far better then most, and much much better then the metal/spandax
    pants/poofter rock out there.  Or, anything disco/rap/techno-pop/
    synth/noise.  Hey, compared with whats on USA radio, he is god.
    
    But, each to his own choice....
    
    Jay Tashjian
    

    Jay, I don't want to take any weight away from your points, but Tony is
    a musician (GIT an' all), so I imagine he can tell the sounds of different 
    guitars.
    
    Maybe it's right, the general public can't tell one guitar sound from
    another, but in the case of Elvis using different acoustics, it's back
    to horses for courses again. He uses his sweeter sounding Martin for
    the sweeter sounding songs, and his more clanky Gibson for the, er,
    more clanky songs.
    
    Bob

It's nice to see that the topic of the original note has been lost in a vast 
forest of great comments!

I would like to say I agree with everything positive that's been said especially:
"E.C is for my money the best *song* writer living."

My two cents worth is that anyone who can put the number of mind boggeling
entendres in such a small number of lines like this:

Falling for you without a second look
Falling out of your open pocketbook
Giving you away like motel matches

must be a genius.  Not to mention the music that goes along with it.

John

    
    Re: .18
    
    
    	Ok, so you like E.C, i like some of early stuff, but
    	find his recent releases dull.
    
    
    	Now, for some music with soul and feeling and a bit of
    	Bo**ocks, check out The Black Crowes, this is what music
    	is about.
    
    
    	Grub.

    Oh, I wasn't dumping on anyone, and am sorry if folks thought so.  I 
    didn't know he was a musician, but again, I wasn't being nasty.
    
    Black crows is a good band, but the lead singer should forget his
    Rod the Mod image.  The Faces did it better years ago.
    
    I look forward to EC's next LP, and hope it's out soon.  Ever since I
    heard the acoustic demo tape of his, I've been hooked.
    
    Jay Tashjian
    

    
    Re: Musicianship
    
    Yes, I know a few chords and have played in one or two bands over the
    years.
    
    
    I love the Black Crowes, good rock n roll band. Nothing much original
    about them but they still rock (lots of Aerosmith and Doors influences
    in there).
    
    -Tony

    Elvis' new lp, "Mighty Like a Rose" is scheduled for release in May,
    with live dates to follow in the summer.
    
    Bob

It will probably be his same old "stick to the formula", no risks, bland,
content-free lyrics, that the sort of person who buys Declan's stuff likes.

I can't wait for it to be released so that I can slag it off without 
hearing it.


Stuart 

    Apparently, it contains one song, 'Broken', written by his wife Cait,
    so your prediction will not be 100% accurate, Stuart. Also, Ross
    Macmanus (who he?) guests on trombone on the song 'Invasion Hit
    Parade'.
    
    Bob

   Chubbles,

   Any news on the release date.

   Stuart

    Nothing exact, Stu, but from what I can gather it's pretty darn soon.
    
    Bob

 I saw the Avenging Dork twice last week. Pretty bloddy brilliant he was
 too.


 Stuart


 BTW He's added some new verses to "Tramp the Dirt Down". I have a suspicion
     that he's not a staunch monarchist.

    Stuart, this is a review that I posted elsewhere. It may be of
    interest. 

    *********************************************************
    Elvis Costello and The Rude 5 - Hammersmith Odeon, London
    *********************************************************

   The joke about the Rude 5 is that they are actually 4.

   EC started with "Accidents Will Happen" which gave him the clever-clever
   opening line "Well I just don't where to begin..." He continued with
   some other chestnuts ("Detectives..", "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror " - I
   thought that this song was about to fall over at one stage, and he did
   that song about meeting God). He then did a brilliant pumped-up version
   of "Watch Your Step". The bassist used to play with Tom Waits so the
   rhythm section was like...tight (very).

   The whole show was extremely metalic and thrashy which made me wonder if
   Our El hadn't maybe OD'd on The Stretcheads or Babes in T. lately.

   The highlight of the show (four encores incidentally) was his lengthy
   version of "Tramp The Dirt Down". This song, as you may know, is about
   how happy EC will be once M.Thatcher is dead. He added some memorable
   new lines this time. One was "She's out of time.\She's the last wave.\
   She should be hounded down into the grave." You know it makes sense.

   - Tim

Has anyone listened to "Brutal Youth" yet? 


Stuart

    I think it's wonderful. Better by far than "Mighty Like a Rose", and
    features those devil-may-care attractions, too.
    
    Piers

    
    Yep! have to agree excellant album...
    
    Neil..

	@ The Hexagon, Reading, Thursday 24 November

grahame