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| org. cover |
release date: Mar. 17, 1978
format: vinyl / cd (1993 remaster Extended Play)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,38]
producer: Nick Lowe
label: Smash / Demon Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "No Action" - 2. "This Year's Girl" - 4. "Pump It Up" - 5. "Little Triggers" - 8. "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea" (live on later 2002) - 9. "Lip Service" (live) - 11. "Lipstick Vogue" - 12. "Night Rally"
2nd studio album by Elvis Costello released only eight months after his debut is like that produced by Nick Lowe and it was originally released by the newly-founded Radar Records. It follows closely the recipe of his first attempt, but it also adds more than just another layer to his repertoire. This is the first time Costello is backed by The Attractions consisting of bassist Bruce Thomas, Steve Nieve on piano and organ, and Pete Thomas on drums. The trio was founded by Costello in the fall of '77 as backing group for his live performances. The '93 Extended Play remaster series on Demon (issued by Rykodisc in the US) contains six bonus tracks including "Radio Radio", which had only been released as a standalone single, though included on the US version of the album.
The album was my first acquisition with Costello, and I think of it as one of his absolute best. He has written all songs on the album and compared to the highly original debut this is simply more of the same, and more on top of that. It has that certain Costello sneer-at-conformity, which made it perfect in a music world of punk rock rebelling against 'the old world', but it wasn't really - and Costello never was punk. His music shared the energy and simplicity with punk, but it was something else, which would soon be known as new wave - and that style was a broad term. Something that later would also come to describe Costello's early albums is power pop. A term I never quite understood as it's mostly used to categorise a particular form of energetic rock that is anything else than what people usually think of when speaking of pop music. Calling it power new wave or just something else would be better than using the term pop, which I guess all artists of new wave was rebelling against. Anyway, with This Year's Model Costello was on everyone's lips. Lyrically, the songs are witty and intelligent songwriting and at the same time, the music itself is so powerful and uniquely composed.
The album was met by critical acclaim and time has only stressed its importance as one the best British albums ever produced. It's naturally enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and in 2000, Q magazine placed the album at number 82 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever". Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 11 in 1987 on its list of the best albums of the period 1967-1987, and in 2003, the album was ranked number 98 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, Rolling Stone, Uncut 5 / 5 stars ]
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| Alternate '78 vinyl cover on Smash Records | US vinyl cover on Columbia Records |
. . .
"I was seriously thinking about hiding the receiver
when the switch broke as it's old
They're saying things that I can hardly believe
they really thinking we're getting outta control
Radio - is the sound salvation
Radio - is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don't give you any choice
'cause they think that it's treason
So you had better do as you're told
You better listen to the radio."
when the switch broke as it's old
They're saying things that I can hardly believe
they really thinking we're getting outta control
Radio - is the sound salvation
Radio - is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don't give you any choice
'cause they think that it's treason
So you had better do as you're told
You better listen to the radio."
. . .
