release date: Jul. 22, 1977
format: cd (1993 remaster Extended Play) / 2 cd (2001 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Nick Lowe
label: Demon Records / Edsel Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Welcome to the Working Week" - 2. "Miracle Man" - 3. "No Dancing" - 5. "Alison" (5 / 5) - 6. "Sneaky Feelings" - 7. "(The Angels Wanna Wear) My Red Shoes" - 8. "Less Than Zero" - 9. "Mystery Dance" - 11. "I'm Not Angry" - 12. "Waiting for the End of the World" - *13. "Watching the Detectives" (4,5 / 5)
*Standard track on US issues from '77, on '93 remaster listed as non-bonus material, although not on original UK album.
Studio album debut by Elvis Costello [aka Declan Patrick Aloysious MacManus] originally released on Stiff Records.
I'm quite certain this wasn't the first album I ever heard with Costello, but it may likely have been the second or the third I came across somewhere around 1980. Originally, I had the album on cassette until Demon released it in its Extended Play-series in 1993.
Needles to say, this was something else back in '77, and Costello rocketed all the way to the top in Britain and most of Europe. America was a bit slower in accepting his 'up yours' attitude and angry ironic and sarcastic tone, although, he soon gained wide-spread popularity - also aided by his infamous appearance on SNL show in '78 where he was scheduled to play "Less Than Zero" but stopped the live broadcast to continue by playing "Radio Radio", a song that criticises commercialisation of radio stations, which NBC had forbidden him to play.
My Aim Is True already show us a skilled songwriter, although, he had tried to make a living as a musician for some time and most recently with the band Flip City, but after going solo he sharpened his pen and wrote more direct songs, which in a way was a huge mix of his inspiration in older music, but via Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera, who had only started Stiff Records, he was promoted to fit in with the aggressive punk rock and new wave scene. On this, he is backed by the band Glover, who should later become famous as Huey Lewis & The News and also by producer Nick Lowe. The backing band is not quite as tight as the more staple backing band he got together after the release but the songs are there, and the album is quite deservedly enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
The '93 remastered Extended Play cd issue on Demon is part of a worthwhile series of Costello's back catalogue, although they are all packed to and sometimes challenging the limit of running time of CDs, which made them difficult to play on a regular Hi-Fi-rack [i.e. the last tracks sometimes wouldn't play evenly]. The extended version contains 9 listed bonus tracks - the original album issued by Stiff only had 12 tracks, but "Watching the Detectives" was released as track #13 (some issues #7 on the A-side) but figured on US issues already from 1977. The 'Extended Play' issue has a total of 22 tracks, and the short booklet is fine reflecting the choice of extra material by Costello himself.
The 2-disc 2001 remaster issued on Edsel is almost identical but contains 26 tracks and is only a slight improvement from the '93 remaster. The original standard album is reserved on disc 1 and the selection of bonus material on disc 2 are the same tracks (and exact versions) as found on the '93 album, only an additional four tracks have been added. Seven out of the 13 bonus tracks are a mix of outtakes and alternate versions, and two live recordings, and then the last six are all labelled "Honky Tonk Demo", although they're the same demos as found on the '93 re-issue.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Uncut 5 / 5 stars ]
