Pub Rock & Booze [Import]

Pub Rock & Booze [Import]

Track Listings

1. Rolling And Tumbling

2. Sneaking Suspicion

3. Charlie Was A Good Boy

4. No Way

5. High School

6. Have You Seen My Babe

7. Little Queenie

8. Twenty Four Hours Of Lies

9. Little Latin Lupe Lu

10. Oil City Rockers

11. Hard Drivin Man

12. Double Chekin Woman

13. Living In The City

14. Speedballs

15. Something Going On

16. Train Train

17. Truth Drug'

18. Fireball

19. Chainasaw Boogie

20. Till The Night Is Gone

Tracks:

Across The Great Divide
Rag Mama Rag
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
When You Awake
Up On Cripple Creek
Whispering Pines
Jemima Surrender
Rockin' Chair
Look Out Cleveland
Jawbone
The Unfaithful Servant
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
Get Up Jake (Outtake-Stereo Remix)
Rag Mama Rag (Alternate Vocal Take-Rough Mix)
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Alternate Mix)
Up On Cripple Creek (Alternate Take)
Whispering Pines (Alternate Take)
Jemima Surrender (Alternate Take)
King Harvest (Has Surely Come) (Alternate Performance)

Amazon.com essential recordings

Popularly known as the "Brown Album," this is the collection people first think of when this august outfit's name is mentioned. The four-parts Canadian, one-part Arkansan quintet's sophomore effort boasts more soon-to-be-staples than any other Band studio recording, what with the likes of the Joan Baez hit "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Across the Great Divide," and "Up on Cripple Creek" standing out among the dozen uniformly memorable tracks. Lesser-known group originals such as the achingly lovely "Whispering Pines" and the cryptic "Unfaithful Servant," however, play crucial roles in giving this 1969 classic its unique flavor. Given the high standard established by The Band and its better-still 1968 predecessor, Music from Big Pink, it's not surprising the Band peaked early as a recording group. As with all the 2000 Band reissues, this remastered reissue boasts a number of bonus tracks, though all but "Get Up Jake" are alternate takes of album selections. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

The Band's greatest album.......2007-07-26

A whole pile of great albums came out in 1969, and this is up there with every one of them. A bunch of powerful slices of Americana like the trucker's anthem Up on Cripple Creek (which is damned FUNKY - listen to that synthesizer! It's so cool!! AND it's my pick for the best Band song), the gentle, swaying anthem The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, with an enormously catchy sing-along chorus and very vivid imagery; the down-and-out Great Depression worker's anthem King Harvest (Has Surely Come), which is an awesome folk song; and the backwoods jam Rag Mama Rag, which is just pure, joyous, unbridled fun. You know what else is fun? I'll tell you. Across the Great Divide, Jemima Surrender and Look Out Cleveland. Great, GREAT songs with great, GREAT vocals, solid melodies, and fun piano parts. Love 'em both. They also tackle weightier songs quite well, with two unbeatable ballads: the haunting classic Whispering Pines and more underrated When You Awake. I've seen the latter of the two criticized a bit, but I like it very much - it's not one of the album's absolute highs, but it's not an unbearable piece of crap either. And the vocals are very strong, very chilling, etc. Now, it's not without its tiny little faults - I'm not a fan of Rocking Chair, its nostalgic lyrics strike me as being close to parody ("Ragtime Willie"? Come now, Robbie, you can write some GREAT lyrics, but this isn't an example...). But that's one loser out of a bunch of winners. Easily my favorite Band album. Easily.

THE Band.......2007-07-06

With 3 Lead vocalists, that played more than half a dozen instruments between them. A lead guitarist and songwriter of the highest quality, and a multi-intrumentalist/keyboard player The Band were, and still remain quite unique to this day.

This album still sounds completely original now. In 1969 it would have been from another planet. Everybody was into acid and anti-establishment, Flower Power, Hendrix psychedelia were hip then. The Band went backwards and embraced a bit of country, Ragtime, Gospel and Rock N Roll of course.

Highlights - well the only only minor hit single they ever had "Rag Mama Rag" is a track that demonstrates their versitilty. Rick Danko (the usual bass player) is playing fiddle, theres some fiendish Piano Playing from Garth Hudson and virtually everybody is playing something different from usual.

The other well known track is The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (which sounds as though it was written in the 19th Century). This was covered by Joan Baez. However, my favourite is probably King Harvest (has Surely Come). Richard Manuels lead vocal is anguished, Robbies guitar solo, brilliant but understated. If you've seen the classic albums program on this album you'll understand.

Believe it or not this album influenced Eric Clapton and Elton John. Hard to believe. When Clapton first heard this record he stopped wanting to be a guitar hero and wanted to get back to writing quality songs. Listen to Elton Johns Tumbleweed Connection album and it reeks of the first two Band records (and its a great album in its own right).

Sadly Richard Manuel committed suicide in 1986, and Rick Danko died in the 1990's. We will never see The Band perform again in its original line-up and to me this is as sad as The Beatles never performing again after the famous roof-top concert. Thats how good these guys were. This album remains an essential purchase 37 years after it was released.

Music from the poolhouse.......2007-02-28

The Unfaithful Servant, King Harvest (Has Surely Come) are among the best songs ever written in the 60's. Amazingly this album was recorded in Sammy Davis Jr's poolhouse. Again, like Big Pink reissue, the bonus tracks are totally unnecessary.

The Band.......2007-02-19

Definately top 5 of all time. Everyone should be isued this recording when they are born--more important then diapers.

Desert Island Album.......2007-01-04

Words can't do justice. I can't add anything to the tributes that others have provided, but neither can I leave this page without throwing in my personal "Amen." This is perhaps my favorite album of all time. I knew a couple of the songs from the Band's 70's hits package when I picked this one up. But -- surprise! -- those were probably the weakest songs on the album. I envy anyone the experience of picking this up for the first time and exploring all the "filler" tracks on here. The first notes of "Across the Great Divide" hooked me, and 30 years later I've found few musical experiences to match. My only caution to new purchasers might be -- well, it can't be quite the same experience on CD. Same incredible music, but this one was made to be an LP. This is one of the coolest looking albums ever. This is not an album to fit in a pocket.

The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years

Average customer rating:

A Casual Fan Semi-Review...
"The Only Elvis That Matters" Done Justice
Same Old Music in Yet Another New Sleeve
how many times can you jump out of the cupboard
+1/2 -- The best early Costello single CD yet

The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years
Elvis Costello
Manufacturer: Hip-O Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OHZJJQ
Release Date: 2007-05-01

Tracks:

(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
Alison
Watching The Detectives
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
Pump It Up
Radio, Radio
Accidents Will Happen
Oliver's Army
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
High Fidelity
Clubland
New Lace Sleeves
Good Year For The Roses
Beyond Belief
Man Out Of Time
Almost Blue
Every Day I Write The Book
Shipbuilding
Brilliant Mistake
Indoor Fireworks
I Want You

Album Description

22 Timeless songs compiled by Elvis Costello from his first 11 albums.

Customer Reviews:

A Casual Fan Semi-Review..........2007-05-29

Being a fan,but not a fanatic of Elvis,I came across this new collection of hits from him and thought it was a great time to buy. I had purchased an old hits of his from the 80's, on cassette.Of course,I know the standard hits.Alison,Pump It Up,Accident's Will Happen and my fave, What's So Funny...,among a couple of others. Noticed a whole bunch of songs I wasn't familiar with and look forward to hearing them,when I receive this new set.Of late,I am digging deeper into many classic artists I listen to.Elvis fits into that. For that reason,I am giving this collection,4 stars.For the songs I know. After listening to the others,perhaps I can raise it to 5 stars.

"The Only Elvis That Matters" Done Justice.......2007-05-20

In my opinion, this is the best single-disc Elvis Costello compilation anyone has ever released. In fact, it may even be the best introduction to E.C. out there (He's so stylistically diverse that no single album is an effective introduction, and both of the more extensive collections - "Girls Girls Girls" on Columbia and "The Very Best of Elvis Costello" on Rhino - would probably be overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with the majority of his work). Also, the collection "Rock and Roll Music," as is evident in the title, ignores his non-"Rock and Roll" songs.

But this disc finally gets it right. There was a "The Very Best of Elvis Costello & the Attractions" single-disc issued on Rykodisc in 1994 that came close, but as good as that disc was, this collection makes three substitutions that are actually improvements: "(The Angels Want to Wear My) Red Shoes," "New Lace Sleeves," and "Almost Blue" replace "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field."

Not only are the substitutions slightly better songs in my opinion, they also paint a more complete picture of Elvis Costello as an artist and writer. Especially "Red Shoes" - if you'd only heard the ballad "Alison" and the reggae-influenced "Watching the Detectives" from his debut album, you'd have no idea what to expect from the rest of the CD, but "Red Shoes" really sets the tone for the rest of that disc (and it's just an amazing song). Some people complain that these songs have been repackaged too many times, but I have a hard time arguing with the final result.

The remastering of this collection sounds as good as the Rhino remasters (which managed to be a slight improvement over the already great-sounding Rykodisc versions), and I really don't understand why some people complain about the sound (but I never owned any of the vinyl records, so maybe I am missing something). Still, the sound is the best that I've heard on CD, and in terms of song selection, this is a near-perfect set. For some, this will be all the Elvis Costello they ever need. For others, it will be the beginning of a long journey into the career of one of the best, most insightful and most interesting singer-songwriters in popular music. Either way, it's hard to go wrong with this collection.

Same Old Music in Yet Another New Sleeve.......2007-05-15

Now that thirty years has passed since his debut, it is apparent to me that Elvis Costello has a lot more in common with his namesake than a singing career. Case in point - Almost immediately upon his arrival at RCA, Elvis Presley's recordings were packaged with little regard to the consumer, and then re-packaged so relentlessly that nobody except the most dedicated, wealthy, and mentally unbalanced collector could possibly hope to amass all of Presley's catalog. With blithe regularity, RCA executives would abuse their position as the historic caretakers of a rock and roll legend by digging deeper and deeper into obscurities, then packaging them with recycled classic recordings. Very, very little was genuinely `new' except the package itself. These collections are innumerable, and I pity the poor soul who suffers the disease of being a completist collector, because it can cost you your bank account, your house, and maybe even your marriage, all in the pursuit of owning all that is Elvis.
It now appears as though the same type of abuse has befallen the recorded works of Elvis Costello. I should know. I was one of those `mentally unbalanced' individuals who felt the need to own every Elvis Costello item released on the marketplace. In the beginning, it was kind of fun. Costello had numerous singles with non-LP b-sides, and plenty of `alternate' versions to keep fans quite busy. I was a part of that vinyl junkie set, a cult of obsessed lunatics who lived to find the rarest single, or an alternate package. After three years and hundreds of dollars spent, I remember feeling betrayed when Columbia issued "Taking Liberties," a collection of Elvis' rare b-sides. In an instant, one five-dollar album made twenty rarities commonplace. Nevertheless, I soldiered on; buying 10" collector's singles, alternate mixes, and all sorts of oddities. Then, the CD era began, and it started to happen all over again. Elvis changed labels (from Columbia to Warner Brothers), and his catalog albums were subjected to not one, not two, but three separate repackagings, each of them containing unique `rarities' that could be obtained nowhere else. A dedicated collector would require four versions of each Elvis Costello album. At this point, I finally surrendered, but I already spent enough to finance a Hawaiian vacation for some record executive and his family of four. Nowadays I simply stand by, amazed as the repackaging craze continues unabated. By my count, the above named collections represent the 10th and 11th re-compilation of Elvis Costello's `hits'. I'm not saying they are bad collections. The booklets contain song lyrics, which is a nice touch, especially for the older material. Naturally, the songs are great and I should know, because I bought each of these tracks at least a half-dozen times already. If you still don't own them, then go ahead and buy them. You will enjoy them. I, however, will stare at my room full of Elvis-related plastic and acknowledge the reason that I never made that trip to Hawaii myself.
B+ Tom Ryan

how many times can you jump out of the cupboard.......2007-05-12

i swore i wouldnt buy the elvis cannon again=LPs,Singles,3 sets of CDs etc., unless it was on SACD,and i wont.But the 2 comps were worth a listen,rock and roll for the unreleased stuff{how is it possible?}and 10 years for the 4th remaster.Seeing Elvis's Lexus commercial with him enjoying surround sound just makes me sad for what could have been.Rock on,EC!

+1/2 -- The best early Costello single CD yet.......2007-05-09

You can't hardly swing a dead cat without hitting Costello's early material in reissue form. With Ryko and Rhino both having taken ever-lengthening passes at his albums, Hip-O picks up the catalog years of 1977-1986 for another round. In addition to a new pair of compilations (this one and "Rock and Roll Music") that skim the initial decade's eleven albums, their May 1 release date also marks the re-re-re-reissue of the albums on CD and the catalog's digital download debut (initially from iTunes, later from addtiional services).

After so many Costello reissues and compilations, this collection is mostly a retail shelving refresher and a beacon for Hip-O's album reissue and digital programs; all 22 of these tracks have been available on CD before. And as with other single-disc Costello anthologies such as Sony's 1990 19-track "Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions" and Ryko's 1994 22-track "Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions," there's simply too much worthy material in Costello's initial eleven albums (not to mention assorted singles and B-sides) to fully essay in 80 minutes.

What you get here is a well drawn sketch that provides the neophyte a sense of Costello's incredible torrent of early creativity, the sustain of his first few years, a few missteps in the mid-80s, and a stronger-than-ever comeback with 1986's "King of America" and "Blood & Chocolate" LPs." Though fans of the albums will mentally flinch at the inter-album segues (and thus the missing classics), condensing Costello's career arc does demonstrate how his punk-era angst and blistering song-writing aged and then reasserted itself in a more mature, but no less powerful form a decade later. Reducing 10 years to a single CD also creates a bit of genre whiplash as Costello applied himself to rock, punk, pop, soul, R&B blues, and jazz.

As on Ryko's 1994 collection, Costello aided in the track selection. No surprise then that there are 19 tracks in common with Ryko's earlier release. The three substitutions add the essential "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Almost Blue," and "New Lace Sleeves" in place of the expendable "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field," making this the best single-disc Costello anthology on the market. Costello fans are better off making their own anthologies from the original albums, but those just coming to his work decades after the fact will find this an excellent primer. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Average customer rating:

Not bad but....
fantastic compilation
meek violent dance
Hate when CD versions delete selections from the original LP!
Saturday and Sunday, Everybody Rocks

Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Seconds of Pleasure
From Small Things: The Best of Dave Edmunds
The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy
At My Age
The Impossible Bird

ASIN: B0000026V1
Release Date: 1989-09-20

Tracks:

So It Goes
Heart Of The City
(I Love The Sound Of) Breaking Glass
Little Hitler
No Reason
36 Inches High
Marie Provost
American Squirm
Cracking Up
Big Kick, Plain Scrap
Born Fighter
Switch Board Susan
Without Love
Cruel To Be Kind
When I Write The Book
Heart
Raging Eyes
Time Wounds All Heals
Maureen
Half A Boy And Half A Man
7 Nights To Rock
She Don't Love Nobody
The Rose Of England
I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock 'N' Roll)
Lovers Jamboree

Amazon.com

Having apprenticed with '60s band Kippington Lodge and '70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe became a shining beacon of traditional pop values--wit, concision, unbanishable tunes--amidst the punk furor of the late '70s. This collection is a generous 25-song single-CD selection from eight albums and a few stray singles spanning almost a decade. It may be too generous--the inclusion of a number of so-so songs and failed experiments hampers its playability. But there are still well over a dozen gems here, including his sole hit, the sparkling, textbook classic-pop masochist's anthem "Cruel to Be Kind;" the ominous voodoo breakdown "Cracking Up;" and the delightfully perverse "Marie Provost," a sumptuous power-pop tune affixed to the horrific tale of a silent-film actress who dies alone and is eaten by her starving dog. There are also at least two songs exploring Lowe's strange obsession with backstage guest lists (first single "So It Goes" and the stately "Little Hitler"), the best version of the pub-rock classic "Switchboard Susan" (containing every conceivable phone/sex double entendre), and a number of crisp rockers abetted by Rockpile, the brilliant band that, credited or not, played on much of members Lowe and Dave Edmunds's best work. --Ken Barnes

Album Description

Nick's finest moments on one CD.

Customer Reviews:

Not bad but...........2007-02-16

Some very poor selections on here. It also almost ignores his two best CDs-The Rose of England and Cowboy Outfit. (And what is "Maureen" doing on here? uggg--where are Wishing Well, I Got the Love, Luck Dog, LAFS, etc.) 14 of these songs are from his first two albums--too much in my opinion.

But the real gripe is that the bulk of this man's CDs are unavailable. No one should have to settle for this collection when you think of what he did from about 1978 to 1990. Some truly great stuff is lost. I think he is the most underrated musician in all of rock. Bar none.

fantastic compilation.......2006-08-29

This cd does a great job in sampling Nick Lowe. I was a fan of the Rockpile, Jesus of Cool and Labor of Lust albums (the 70's work). This compilation effectively takes the cream from all of the works and crams them onto a comprehensive work. There is a lot of music here. Before I bought this, I was only familiar w/the 70's work but now I have just as much of an appreciation for the 80's and 90's stuff as well. This cd does what a good compilation should do...give an overview of all the work, push the familiar and promote the new stuff.

This is an underappreciated artist that is very worthy of a greatest hits package.

meek violent dance.......2006-08-05

Last Halloween I was out to see local (Minneapolis) band Revolver Modele and when we got to the Venue (Varisty Club), there was this black guy doing dj work to get the crowd in the mood for a night of music.

Before and in between each stage act, he played this violently vigorous funk-based rhythm and blues that sounded like it was being performed by some of the most happily tormented people ever to come out of the rock n' roll clubs of Africa.

The tunes ripped it up wildly with so much soul that it got me and the two others I was with out on the dance floor by ourselves in a room filled with, I don't know, 200 people lounging around, drinking, and waiting for the next live act.

This was probably the wildest music I'd ever heard and made the live acts of the evening boring.

There are some tunes on this cd by Nick Lowe that have that same, I would say, Violent, touch. Coming from a place so deep down that it's a little unsettling. It's just that Nick Lowe is a different person than those who performed the African funk R & B that disc jockey played last Halloween. So the violence sounds different but there is a very similar spirit working in both.

Lowe seems to be more of a mellow physical person (maybe a bit like Tom Petty) but his spirit doesn't seem to line up with his more normal, outward personae. The dwellings of the spirit will show differently, depending upon the body one was born to inhabit.

For who Nick Lowe seems to be (and I'm just perceiving from a distance; I could be so wrong), there is a lot going on in his head and heart, and when he wants to, he can do rock n' roll at its purified best.

Pleae note this review applies to only about 30 % of this cd. The rest is pretty good, too, but he's going for something completely different than what I'm writing about here.

Hate when CD versions delete selections from the original LP!.......2006-07-18

Business as usual: There are selections missing from the original double LP edition. In my LP version of this compilation, is included "Long Walk Home", one of the best instrumentals I've ever heard with a neat 50s sound.. In this CD, is gone! WHY???

Saturday and Sunday, Everybody Rocks.......2005-12-15

It's probably reflective of the broad range of artists he's produced over the years, but there's a touch of almost every style to Nicke Lowe, and this generous compilation of his work from 1976 to 1988 touches all the bases. There are times when he'll remind you of Elvis Costello (whose work he has produced), times when he'll make you think of Dave Edmunds (with whom he's worked extensively), times when he sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry, times when he resembles rockabilly, times when he's almost punkish, "So It Goes" kinda sounds like Thin Lizzy, there's a tinge of country to "Without Love," "Heart" is a bit of ska, and "I Knew the Bride" was produced by Huey Lewis.

Every kind of element is there, yet it all comes together to form something uniquely Nick. Mostly it's just great stuff; good, fun, old-fashioned, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll. "Cruel to Be Kind" was the big hit, but check out the soundbites for "Half A Boy & Half A Man," "When I Write the Book," and "7 Nights to Rock," as well. If you like rock, real rock, this is a can't-miss.

Average customer rating:

The World Was Waiting!
Rock and roll blasphemy?
Plain and simple
Elvis Costello: The Real King
Great Debut

My Aim Is True (With Bonus Disc)
Elvis Costello
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Trust

ASIN: B00005MLU0
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Tracks:

Welcome to the Working Week
Miracle Man
No Dancing
Blame It on Cain
Alison
Sneaky Feelings
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
Less Than Zero
Mystery Dance
Pay It Back
I'm Not Angry
Waiting for the End of the World
Watching the Detectives

Tracks:

No Action
Living in Paradise
Radio Sweetheart
Stranger in the House
I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself
Less Than Zero (Dallas Version)
Imagination (is a Powerful Deceiver)
Mystery Dance (Honky Tonk Demo)
Cheap Reward (Honky Tonk Demo)
Jump Up (Honky Tonk Demo)
Blame it on Cain (Honky Tonk Demo)
Poison Moon (Honky Tonk Demo)

Amazon.com

Elvis Costello kicked off his debut album with a formal device that would also serve his next two long-players well: the first thing you hear is his voice. That opening phrase--"Now that your picture's in the paper..."--was more than sneakily, if not intentionally, appropriate, since Costello was quickly declared the second coming. It's become de rigueur to dis the pub-rock backing of U.S. band Clover, but their work here is satisfactorily edgy; guitarist John McFee makes some of the arrangements with his wailingly articulate fills. The remastered Rhino reissue includes a full second disc of demos and rarities. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

The World Was Waiting!.......2007-07-28

I was lucky enough to have been there to witness the arrival of one of rocks' greatest artists.To fully understand the impact EC had you would have had to be.Still grieving the loss of The Beatles I thought that nothing was ever coming to jump start music again.My Aim Is True was the best thing to come along in a very long time.The melodies and lyrics set him apart from the rest.No one hit wonder here.Elvis stayed on fire from start and there seems to be no finish. I hope there never is.

Rock and roll blasphemy? .......2007-07-23

I admit I'm an anomaly...an EC fan who does not love My Aim Is True. I place it high in a second tier of Costello's standard recordings.

'No Dancing', 'Mystery Dance' and 'Angels' are in my Top 50 EC favorites as is 'Stranger in the House' from the Rykodisc/Rhino reissues. 'Welcome to the Working Week' is enjoyable. I also like 'Radio Sweetheart' and 'Cheap Reward' from the R/R extended discs.

I'm not going to bash the rest of 'Aim'. I simply don't find it as appealing as most of the reviewers here.

A final note...Live versions of 'Aim' songs can be found on some of the second discs of Rhino's reissues and the hard to find 'Costello and Nieve'. They are typically superior to the studio versions and are worth
seeking out.

Plain and simple.......2007-04-10

One of the best debut albums--what they were called back before CDs--ever released. Though Elvis' infamous anger has tempered and he has ventured into an admirable array of musical genres, the depth and urgency of his songwriting skills are evident and prophetic here. Just try to grow weary of repeated plays of "Mystery Dance" and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes." You will fail because they are endlessly listenable. This is a text book of rock music.

Elvis Costello: The Real King.......2007-02-01

More Classic '1977' Gold. This contains some of Declans finest Moments and really none of his banter. Songs like "Blame It On Cain" and "Watching The Detectives" set to Prove that 1977 was the Peak year!!

Great Debut.......2007-01-01

I'm not sure of the exact date, but it was the winter of 77/78, and my friends and I drove thru a blizzard to catch Elvis in a little lecture hall at C.W. Post College on Long Island, N.Y. Did it ever open our eyes, ears and minds. He played most of this album plus some of what was to be "This Years Model".I had purchased "My Aim Is True"after hearing, "Alison" on the radio but that song was only a hint at the rest of what was on the album. Songs like "Watching The Detectives", "Mystery Dance" and "Less Than Zero" are brillant and still stand up some 30 years later. This is one of the all time best debut albums and previewed an incredible output for the next 2 years. I wish that the Attractions had played on this but the playing on it is fine but not nearly as intense as it was live. It's albums and shows like this that remind me why I love rock 'n roll.

Average customer rating:

Very well done...not too over-the-top
Way More than a Joke Band
A Gene-Splicing Experiment Gone Horribly Right
Excellent Mash-Up Music!

Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band

Manufacturer: Oglio Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Circus Diablo
Lez Zeppelin
The Lost Tracks Of Danzig (2CD)
United Abominations
Era Vulgaris

ASIN: B000QUU4XM
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Tracks:

Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band
Revol-Ooh-Tion
Blackened the U.S.S.R.
Sandman
Helvester Of Skelter
A Garage Dayz Nite
Anestesia (I'm Only Sleeping)
Leper Madonna
Ktulu (He's So Heavy)
For Horsemen
Hey Dude
Sgt. Hetfield's
...And Justice For All My Loving

Album Description

2007 debut full length from this band who liberally mix Beatles and Metallica musical milestones together into one stew. Yes, it sounds like Metallica doing Beatles songs (and not the other way around). It's a parody, but it's also a party! Oglio.

Customer Reviews:

Very well done...not too over-the-top.......2007-07-19

There was a time when the mere suggestion of this would have seemed like a sacrilege to me. I guess I've matured to the point where my deep love of the Beatles (and Metallica, too) allows me to accept, and enjoy, the idea of someone trying something new with the music.

It helps that this is exceptionally well done. It's not merely a metal band doing Beatles songs, nor is it a band doing Beatles songs in the style of Metallica...it is a carefully crafted homage to both bands and their songs. Yes, the underlying songs are mostly Beatles songs, however they manage to incorporate so many parts of Metallica songs fairly seamlessly into them. The lyrics are also altered considerably, with a suitably metal edge (lots of mentions of beer, too). They have fun with it, not taking it too seriously (but not to the point of flippancy).

Believe it or not, there are a lot of fairly nuanced references here. Some Metallica flourishes executed perfectly and merged into the songs so naturally that they are, for all intents and purposes, brand new songs. There are also a lot of Metallica 'cliches' in here as well...the heavily reverbed, twinkling acoustic guitar in the slower passages, the Hetfieldesque "UuuAH!" at the end of nearly every verse, the wild bass solo here or there, etc. There are also Beatlesque touches, with excellent backing vocals on some songs (which call to mind Kings X as much as the Beatles). There are also a few great little straight Beatles lifts...like the 10 seconds of perfect Ringo drumming in "...And Justice for All My Loving" (followed shortly thereafter by a section with pounding double-kick...I love it!).

So, does it all work perfectly? Well, there are a few awkward moments, but no more than a few. There are some places where the lyrics are a bit...stretched (Helvester of Skelter?). But, for the most part, it really, really works well (and again, the awkward moments are mostly lyrical, not musical). Again, it's only because they execute it so perfectly that it works at all...just doing the Beatles songs plain in the style of Metallica wouldn't have worked nearly as well as the way they work in lyrical and musical Metallica-isms.

So far, I've listened to this disc fairly closely 3 times. Each time I am discovering new musical and lyrical references I missed before. No doubt, I will continue to find more. It's also holding up well to repeated listening...something that couldn't really be said of Dread Zeppelin (which people insist on mentioning with this), which was far more 'novelty' than this.

Best song so far, for me..."Ktulu(He's So Heavy)". "I Want You" was pretty, well, 'heavy' to begin with, so it really lends itself to this treatment. But they do this SO well, with all of the multiple parts of the Beatles original suitably Metallica-ized. The soft bridge in the middle, done in that reverby acoustic style (think "One"), is especially great.

Pop and metal haven't sounded this great together since the "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska" era of Kings X. If you love the Beatles and Metallica, you will find a lot here to interest you...if you are more fan of one than the other, maybe this will picque your interest in that other band. If you don't like either, well, you'll probably find a lot to ridicule (but you'd be wrong).

I got it because I thought it might be interesting. I will listen to it again and again because it is just plain good.

Way More than a Joke Band.......2007-07-19

I saw this band with friends two years ago in Chicago. It was pure luck that we saw the listing in a local entertainment weekly rag and it caught our attention. It ended up being one of the highlights of a great weekend getaway.

Unfortunately, at the time, the band's unique smash-up could only be heard live or online, and they primarily play live in the Midwest, and I'm in the Northeast. Now, with the release of Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band, everyone can hear this band, and I hope everyone does. This is WAY more than a joke or novelty band. The songs do make you laugh the first time you hear them, simply because of the brilliant way they twist the melodies of the Beatles into the stylings of Metallica and then rewrite the lyrics to be a perfect smash up of both.

What ends up happening is that once you get past the initial bizarreness, you find yourself genuinely enjoying the songs, all of which rock hard. If you like the energy of heavy metal but want a little more melody, Beatllica is a legitimate option for you, since that is basically what they turn out: melodic heavy metal that sounds just like if Metallica covered the Beatles, but without the pretentiousness.

A Gene-Splicing Experiment Gone Horribly Right.......2007-07-14

What can I say, except that in some strange, bizarre way, I think this whole concept works. Beatallica basically sounds like music from a parallel universe, where the Beatles were a metal band fronted by James Hetfield. Sort of something you have to hear to get. Call it genre surgery. I first heard of the album on an XM radio show, and just couldn't resist. Glad I picked up the album.

I think the surprising thing about the record is that it's actually something you might want to listen to over and over again. Projects like this can fall into the one-trick-pony category very easily: good for a couple laughs, but beyond that, who cares. But this album is founded on great songs, and just like the Easy Star All Stars' reggae/dub versions of OK Computer and Dark Side of the Moon, the genre fusing just comes of as an alternate way of experiencing great music.

If you like Metallica, and you like the Beatles, it's a no-brainer.

Excellent Mash-Up Music!.......2007-07-10

Don't be too quick to write these guys off as a parody/novelty/joke band. Like the masters of mash-up, Dread Zeppelin, Beatallica are truly talented musicians who reinvent the music and lyrics they're performing and don't just make fun of them. Sure it's tongue in cheek and they're having a great time, but that doesn't take away from its listenability.

You can sample some of their stuff on their MySpace page, then once they've won you over, come back here and show them some support!

Average customer rating:

One of the best CDs ever recorded!
Great Pop Music!
pub rock's supergroup
+1/2 -- Swansong from legendary UK rock 'n' roll quartet
Still a great big pile of rock (and then some)

Seconds of Pleasure
Rockpile
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe
From Small Things: The Best of Dave Edmunds
Repeat When Necessary
The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy
Tracks on Wax 4

ASIN: B0001Z3U56
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Teacher Teacher
If Sugar Was As Sweet As You
Heart
Now And Always
A Knife And A Fork
Play That Fast Thing (One More Time)
Wrong Again (Let's Face It)
Pet You And Hold You
Oh What A Thrill
When I Write The Book
Fool Too Long
You Ain't Nothin' But Fine
Take A Message To Mary
Crying In The Rain
Poor Jenny
When Will I Be Loved
Back To Schooldays
They Called It Rock
Crawling From The Wreckage

Amazon.com

Though Rockpile managed only one, nigh-perfect album at the height of the '80s new wave boom, its members--Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner, and Terry Williams--had played together in various incarnations, in some instances for over a decade: Edmunds and drummer Williams had been in the '60s power trio Love Sculpture; all had played on Lowe's '78 album Jesus of Cool and Edmunds's '79 collection Repeat When Necessary. But Seconds of Pleasure became their most complete and satisfying pop statement--if their ironic swan song, as well. This newly remastered collection features the complete original album, as informed and vibrant a tribute to American rockabilly and R&B roots (with an amped-up take of Joe Tex's "If Sugar Was as Sweet as You" and inviting reworkings of Gene Chandler's "Teacher Teacher" and Chuck Berry's obscure "Oh What a Thrill") as any contemporary group has ever managed--especially considering three quarters of the material is either Rockpile originals or contemporary compositions, like "Wrong Again" by Squeeze songwriters/mainstays Difford and Tilbrook. The generous slate of bonus tracks features all four acoustic, live-in-the studio tracks from the Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds Sing the Everly Brothers tribute EP distributed with initial pressings of the LP; two fine live BBC recordings from '77; a cover of Graham Parker's "Back to Schooldays"; a band original, "They Called It Rock"; and a blistering live rendition of Parker's "Crawling from the Wreckage" from one of the band's last appearances together at the Concert for Kampuchea. Though Lowe may now downplay them as "a posh bar band" who "specialized in playing Chuck Berry music four times faster than anyone else," Rockpile was truly one of the great rock bands of their--or any--era. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

One of the best CDs ever recorded!.......2007-05-12

I have heard songs off of this albums since it came out when I was only a school boy. I never putt it together that this was a super-group or even that these songs were on the same album. When I was old enough to put this together it then became impossible to find this recording. Now that I have and I have it, I realize it's even better then the few songs that infected me earlier in life. I love the up-beat rockabilly songs like "Heart", "Teacher, Teacher", and "Play That Fast Thing", but I also love the less rocking numbers as much. Add to all of this the bonus material now available on the CD and "Seconds of Pleasure" now translates into hours of pure listening pleasure!

Great Pop Music! .......2007-01-15

What happens when you merge the incredible talents of Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe, 2 of the seminal Pop music artists of the '70's-'80's-'90's? Happily, you get great pop music that creates a party atmosphere anywhere it's played. Along with the fun melodies and beats are witty tongue-in-cheek lyrics that have you laughing while you are dancing. Seconds of Pleasure is a classic CD that deserves to be discovered by new generations of music listeners for years to come.

pub rock's supergroup.......2006-03-20

This record holds up really well, and as an example of accomplished musicians playing music that they obviously love, drawing on influences ranging from Chuck Berry to the Everly Brothers, and putting egos aside (at least temporarily) so as to function as a true group, in which each member contributes much, with fantastic results. The end result here is a wonderful, warm, deeply catchy record that rocks steadily; they called it rock, indeed!

+1/2 -- Swansong from legendary UK rock 'n' roll quartet.......2005-09-28

When first issued in 1980, this was the culmination, and ultimately the final statement from a quartet that had variously backed Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds on their "solo" albums. In a large sense, this album is the pay-off on both Lowe's and Edmunds' years as producers and artists, deftly combining Lowe's pub-rock and basher-pop esthetics with Edmunds love of retro-rock and R&B. The band's history as a power stage act also pays dividends in the live feeling they gave to these studio recordings. The result is a celebration of all things rock 'n' roll, with a joyous tone that belies the apparent turmoil that was destroying the group as they recorded this swan-song.

I've gone back and forth on this LP. I found it disappointing upon first hearing it, feeling it didn't compare favorably to Lowe's "The Jesus of Cool" or Edmunds' "Tracks on Wax 4." But over the years I've found the songs to grow on me, and though the CD reissue (and perhaps the original LP) has a somewhat pinched, barely-stereo mix on many tracks, the performances and arrangements hold up. Columbia's Legacy reissue sweetens the original eleven tracks with seven worthy bonuses, including the essential quartet of Everly Brothers songs that were included on a 7" with the original LP. An additional trio of live tracks ("Back to Schooldays" "They Called it Rock" "Crawling From the Wreckage") show how powerfully sloppy the band was as a live act. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

Still a great big pile of rock (and then some).......2005-09-13

Who said all rock'n'roll tragedies have to be fatal? One of the greatest is the dissolution of Rockpile in 1980, just as they were on the cusp of something really, really big. Four musicians who knew what they were doing, two gifted songwriters (Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) with encyclopedic knowledge and big names of their own, most of them working together for years on Dave and Nick's "solo" albums before the big break came -- and then it all fell apart. At least The Everly Brothers, whom the dynamic duo so lovingly paid homage to, eventually reunited.
What was puzzling to outsiders about the Rockpile breakup was that it was such a contrast to the upbeat, almost joyous music on their only album under the band name. They rumbled out of the gate with that catchy "Teacher Teacher," with Nick singing in that distinctive British wise-owl voice of his (I never knew it was a Gene Chandler tune), straight into Dave and his high-pitched Welsh warble belting out Toe Tex's "If Sugar Was as Sweet as You" as another sing-song soul raveup. And save for a couple of speed bumps, they kept up the pace for a full album, with the high point being the pure, unadulterated, full-on, boyish "Heart," sung in high spirits (and high register) by bassist Billy Bremner. And along the way, there are also the bar-band bounce of "Play That Fast Thing (One More Time)" and "You Ain't Nothin' but Fine," Edmunds driving home the rock'n'roll grind of Difford & Tilbrook's high-rev "Wrong Again (Let's Face It)," a very Berry remake of Chuck Berry's "Oh What a Thrill," and the overreaching heartache of "Now and Always," a tune that wouldn't have been out of place in Buddy Holly's record collection. "Seconds of Pleasure" was one great big lovable pile of rock when I bought it in college and played it over and over, and 25 years later, it still is. The only things that have aged are the musicians and their fans.
And the bonus tracks make it all the better. The live cuts are OK (all said, I wish they could've licensed their version of "Little Sister" with Robert Plant from the Kampuchea album), but the inclusion of the "Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds Sing The Everly Brothers" EP, a limited-edition four-song 7-incher from the early pressings of the LP, is just plain wonderful. They paid loving tributes to Phil and Don without trying to ape them, and just to have pristine versions of their incredibly sweetly sad versions of "Message to Mary" and "Crying in the Rain" is worth the price of the CD.
Y'know, every time I hear or see Nick Lowe these days, I get this feeling of sadness. These days, he kills us quietly with his stellar writing and his acoustic guitar. But I remember too fondly the days of Rockpile -- of this album and previous clever Nicktunes such as "Cruel to Be Kind," "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," "They Called It Rock," "American Squirm" and "Rollers Show" -- and just wish for one more bit of that Rockpile magic. And having the enhanced CD brings back the very same feeling.

Average customer rating:

"Elvis, The living one?"
Oh, I just don't know where to begin.....
Blown Out!
The very nearly Very Best of Little E
I've Heard More About Costello Than Hearing Him; I'm Glad To Have Heard His Music Finally.

The Very Best of Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Best of Talking Heads
Steppin' Out/Very Best of Joe Jackson
Best of Bowie
Squeeze - Greatest Hits
Essential Clash

ASIN: B00005ARFU
Release Date: 2001-04-17

Tracks:

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding
Oliver's Army
Watching The Detectives
Alison
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
Accidents Will Happen
Pump It Up
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
Radio Radio
Clubland
Good Year For The Roses
Man Out Of Time
I Wanna Be Loved
Everyday I Write The Book
Brilliant Mistake
The Other Side Of Summer
Tokyo Storm Warning
Sulky Girl
So Like Candy
Veronica
She

Tracks:

Big Tears - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Beyond Belief - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Lipstick Vogue - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Green Shirt - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Pills & Soap
Tramp The Dirt Down
Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
High Fidelity - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
New Lace Sleeves - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
(The Angels Wanna Hear My) Red Shoes
Talking In The Dark - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
New Amsterdam
I Hope You're Happy Now - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Riot Act - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
My Funny Valentine
Indoor Fireworks - The Costello Show
Almost Blue - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
I Want You - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
God Give My Strength
That Day Is Done
I Want To Vanish - Elvis Costello/Steve Nieve

Amazon.com

The debate over whether he is punk or new wave is long over; today Elvis Costello is less likely to be found on a list with Strummer and Scabies than he is with Bacharach and David and Jimmy Webb. Lauded initially for his energetic and literate attacks on the social ills of Thatcher's England, he has become a peerless master of the popular song. The evolution of Costello's craft as a songwriter and performer, from the early high-octane polemics, through his stylistic experiments with country and soul, and on to standards written for others, is splendidly documented on this elegant two-disc set. Chronology is ignored in favor of a thoughtful program that catalogs the jewels from his prolific output and a sprinkling of covers that demonstrate the maturing of his singing voice. The 42 tracks here lean generously to the first 10 years with the Attractions, but also collects the best of his subsequent collaborations with the cream of America's session musicians and on through to "She," his contribution to the soundtrack of 1999's Notting Hill. --Rob Stewart

Customer Reviews:

"Elvis, The living one?".......2007-06-08

I don't like reviewing music as it's more often than not a matter of taste. "watching the detectives is one of my all time favs. Great reggae rythem and great lyrics" A handful of other songs are ok but it's a 2 CD set and not cheap and boy oh boy do I wish I had just bought the original CD with "W.T.Detectives" The hand full of (small baby hands) will be ripped to PC & the rest can gather dust on a shelf. Yawn!

Oh, I just don't know where to begin............2007-05-29

While virtually impossible to come up with a "Best of" collection that will satisfy everyone, this compilation comes about as close as you can get. Pair this up with the 2-disc Armed Forces (E's best...IMO) and you'll be all set for a two hour tour-de-force through the catalog of a true 'Man Out of Time'.

Blown Out!.......2007-05-28

The RE-Mastering on this "Best of" is terrible. The sound is blown out and distorted. If SOUND QUALITY is an issue for you then don't buy this album.

The very nearly Very Best of Little E.......2007-05-22

This I believe is the most complete collection of Costello's work to date. It's great in quantity (42 songs), and the selection is almost inarguable...and yet it's still imperfect. The problem with any Elvis compilation is that while he performed perhaps only ten or so truly great songs, there are at least 50 that could be included in a "best of" set. Why not "Welcome to the Working Week," "My Mood Swings," or even a few more Warner Brothers tracks like "Clown Strike"? They're at least as fun as "My Funny Valentine," a marginal cover of an already exhausted classic.

I do appreciate the arrangement, though. The rolling mood is a nice break from the common chronological order of hits albums. And the older tracks seem to have been cleaned up and equalized well, considering how badly most magnetically recorded stuff sounds 20 years later. For a great selection of Elvis's finest, this is the best to date, though I feel the ultimate collection is down the road when higher density discs can store more data.

I've Heard More About Costello Than Hearing Him; I'm Glad To Have Heard His Music Finally........2007-03-29

Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello. One is a musical pioneer, a musical genius, whose music I enjoy listening to, head and shoulders above the other Elvis as well as most other entertainers. The other one is referred to as the King.

I heard about Elvis Costello since I was a teenager, when Costello was starting out and billed as the prototype of '80's music (this was the late '70's). I since heard his Saturday Night Live performance, but I never heard enough of his music to be familiar with him.

This project has fulfilled that. The songs I most enjoyed were "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding", "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea", "Radio Radio", "The Other Side Of Summer", "Sulky Girl", "She", and "God Give Me Strength".

One comment. I did enjoy the sound of this album, and for listening pleasure I think the approach was the best. However, to get a sense of his career, I would have preferred the chronological approach.

Average customer rating:

A rock classic beautifully rendered on cd
elvis's 2nd album, one of the best by about anyone
Well worth re-buying
His masterpiece enhanced by second disc
I think this is Costello's best...

This Year's Model (With Bonus Disc)
Elvis Costello
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

My Aim Is True (With Bonus Disc)
Armed Forces
Get Happy!!
Trust
Imperial Bedroom

ASIN: B00005Y1XZ
Release Date: 2002-02-19

Tracks:

No Action
This Year's Girl
The Beat
Pump It Up
Little Triggers
You Belong To Me
Hand In Hand
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
Lip Service
Living In Paradise
Lipstick Vogue
Night Rally
Radio, Radio

Tracks:

Big Tears
Crawling To The USA
Running Out Of Angels (Demo)
Greenshirt (Demo)
Big Boys (Demo)
You Belong to Me (Demo)
Radio, Radio (Demo)
Neat Neat Neat (Live)
Roadette Song (Live)
The Price Of Love
This Year's Girl (Alt. Version)
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea (Alt. Version)
Stranger In The House (BBC Version)

Amazon.com essential recording

Only months after his initial conquest with My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello delivered an even fiercer diatribe. His first record with the long-running Attractions, 1978's This Year's Model remains one of that blistering rock year's most indelible albums. Orwellian even when not directly alluding to the great man (a sly nod to 1984 on "Living in Paradise"), the 22-year-old and band crashed through the raging anti-party of "Pump It Up" ("When you don't really need it"), the perverted Spectorisms of "Hand in Hand," the punk manifesto "Radio, Radio," and the stylishly anti-fashion "This Year's Girl" (in the season of Suzanne Somers, no less) with no less force than the Clash. Probably his greatest, most elegantly imagined and rendered long-player. The bonus tracks on Rhino's 2002 edition include an "Alison"-style take on Costello's country ballad "Stranger in the House" and a cover of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat," both early proof of the new king's adeptness at outfitting his sets with conceptually brilliant surprises. --Rickey Wright

Album Description

Next batch of Rhino Records expanded reissues, each beautifully remastered and presented with a bonus disc of rarities. Bonus disc material Running Out Of Angels (Demo) 'Greenshirt' (Demo), 'Big Boys' (Demo), 'You Belong to Me' (Demo), 'Radio, Radio' (Demo), 'Neat Neat Neat' (Live), 'Roadette Song' (Live), 'The Price Of Love', 'This Year's Girl' (Alt. Version), '(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea', (Alt. Version) & 'Stranger In The House' (BBC Version).

Customer Reviews:

A rock classic beautifully rendered on cd.......2007-01-30

The merits of this album need not be discussed here. This Year's Model has been widely regarded as a rock classic for over twenty years now. What does need addressing, however, is the sound Rhino has acheived in rendering this recording on cd.

The 'remastering' game that has been going on for the past decade has yielded mixed results. Record companies promising superior sound have come up short more than half the time when it comes to reissuing classics. Lucky for us, that's hardly the case with Rhino's treatment of Elvis Costello's back catalog.

This Year's Model is what every fan hopes for when plunking down hard earned cash for an album he already owns. The sound is incredibly warm with every instrument coming through distinctly. It is as if the Attractions have set up shop in your living room. Seriously, the immediacy of this recording is so impressive that I had to play it on the cheapest stereo in my house just to make sure I wasn't imagining it.

Revisit a classic and hear what you missed the first time around. This Rhino series will be the death of our pocketbooks.

elvis's 2nd album, one of the best by about anyone.......2006-09-13

i had been in a deer hunting accident. i awoke in a hospital and down the hall a boombox was playing this album very loudly. i knew everything was going to be okay.

Well worth re-buying.......2006-04-27

I owned an older CD of this from the 80s, one of his rocking-est albums and my favorite, along with "Delivery Man". The definitely superior sonic remaster (not a lot of obvious re-mixing for a change!), the bonus disc and informative liner notes really made this worth buying. I subsequently bought the other remasters with bonus discs, and now have a huge library of THE Elvis (as I heard him claim on a radio interview in 1977), with loads of demos, alternative versions and tasty goodies.

His masterpiece enhanced by second disc.......2006-03-15

This second album by Elvis Costello is far better than My Aim is True, in my opinion. The tunes are more immediate with much more of a pop flavour whilst the music is also more rhythmically varied and compelling. It marks the transition to his wonderfully accessible Armed Forces masterpiece.

There is even a reggae beat in (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea and a ballad with lovely piano - Little Triggers. My favourites on the original disc are the up-tempo Pump It Up, You Belong To Me and the poignant This Year's Girl, plus of course the pulsating Radio Radio with its subversive lyrics. Night Rally is somewhat dark and disturbing.

The second disc includes a wealth of previously unreleased tracks, demo tracks, live and alternative versions. Not all of these alternate takes are as gripping as the familiar versions but they are certainly interesting and worthwhile, demonstrating various facets of his extraordinary musicianship.

I think this is Costello's best..........2006-01-26

In truth, I've only been exposed to ten or eleven of Elvis' 30+ records. Some are very good. Some are very bad. Still others are just okay. But This Year's Model beats 'em all, except possibly its sequel, Armed Forces.
The first thing you may notice about this album is the difference in bands. Clover, Costello's collaborators on My Aim Is True (his third-best), were just another bar band. Not the Attractions. The Attractions were an anaglam of punk, New Wave and a bit of funk (listen to Bruce Thomas' bass, and you'll know what I'm talking about). They're also far more fierce. They don't just rock, they rock with a vengeance. And everybody adds something important: Bruce and Pete Thomas give a strong, supple, funk-rock rhythm section; Steve Nieve, weird, sometimes cheesy keyboards. And Elvis of course gives the VENOM.
Then there's the songwriting, which is even sharper than it was first time out. The melodies are always strong, whether the song itself is great (the Beatles-like No Action; the cynical This Year's Girl, lightspeed Lipstick Vogue) or just okay (Little Triggers, Hand in Hand). But even the just-okay songs are listenable. And the lyrics. Remember how I talked about venom? It's all over the place. You've got your big, bad, funky anti-hendoist classic Pump It Up (with the ultimate shout-along chorus - arena-ready, but in a good way. And that bass solo!), the nervy, paranoid, very underrated Beat (which I think is my favorite on the album - I love the chorus and Neive's keyboards), the unforgivably nasty, take-no-prisoners attitude of This Year's Girl (Based on the Rolling Stones' Stupid Girl, which it manages to one-up in the anger department); the aforementioned Lipstick Vogue, which again spares nothing in putting down an ex-lover ("Sometimes I almost feel... just like a human being" - great, GREAT lyric), and my second-favorite, (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea, where Costello unloads all his ire against vanity. And it's funky, with Elvis almost rapping over the tight groove. Love it. Oh, almost forgot the Spector-esque protest Radio, Radio. WHAT A SONG! While Costello was mad with everybody, he decided corrupt, payola-influenced DJ's would be another valid target. And while it's essentially whining, who can argue with the brutal lyric "They say you'd better listen to the voice of reason/but they don't give you a choice because they think that it's treason" (or something like that)? Love the video, too. I'm not the kind who sits around watching MTV or VH1 - I saw it at a Hard Rock Cafe - but it was amazing, just so unpretentiously fun - look at Steve Nieve in the background, totally making a fool of himself. (It's worth noting that, right afterwards, GN'R's pompous, unintentionally hilarious video for Estranged came on - no need to ask which one I prefered, I hope). More to the point though, that's a hell of a video.
And this is a hell of an album. Like My Aim is True and Armed Forces, it's all the Costello a beginner needs, along with a compilation of some kind.

From Small Things: The Best of Dave Edmunds

Average customer rating:

Great Collection
You can do better than this odd lot
Edmunds is very underrated.
I like it very much
Gems from one of the greats

From Small Things: The Best of Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe
Seconds of Pleasure
The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy
Squeezing out Sparks
The Anthology (1968-1990)

ASIN: B0001Z3U5Q
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock And Roll)
I Hear You Knocking
Born To Be With You
Let It Be Me
Crawling From The Wreckage
Almost Saturday Night
Warmed Over Kisses (Left Over Love)
From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)
Girls Talk (Live)
Information
Slipping Away
Something About You
Stay With Me Tonight
Ju Ju Man Live
Do You Wanna Dance
Run Rudolph Run

Amazon.com

It's one of pop music's most enduring ironies: The caretakers of America's original rock and blues legacy have as often as not hailed from closer to London than to Louisiana. This 16-track collection of recordings by Welsh-born roots-rock acolyte Dave Edmunds deftly underscores the point with ever-upbeat aplomb, spanning four decades and seven record labels (the first such comprehensive anthology of his work) in the bargain. There's a remarkable 32-year gap between this album's opening cover of Rockpile cohort Nick Lowe's "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)" and Edmunds's breakthrough 1970 American hit, "I Hear You Knockin'," but his vibrant performances suggest that not only does the circle remain unbroken, it's scarcely been dented. Crucially, the rockabilly-besotted singer seldom let slavish devotion get in the way of his own considerable creative drive (the exceptions here are a Beach Boys-fetishized cover of "Do You Wanna Dance" and a precious take of the Everlys' "Let It Be Me" from the soundtracks of Porky's Revenge and Stardust, respectively). But his versions of Graham Parker's "Crawling From the Wreckage," John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night," and Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk" amply display Edmunds's innate ability to make a song his own. He even rises above the patent, synth-driven production of Jeff Lynne on "Information" and "Slippin' Away," turning them into unlikely rockabilly-meets-new-wave successes. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Great Collection.......2007-05-02

Excellent collection of songs. I would recommend this CD to anyone who likes traditional rock and roll. My only regret is I never saw Dave perform when he was on the tour.

You can do better than this odd lot.......2007-01-12

Dave Edmunds was a fine songwriter and a capable interpreter of rockabilly classics, but this hodgepodge really doesn't do him justice. A single-disc best-of assortment is easy to assemble from The Dave Edmund Anthology (which I recommend), but beyond his excellent original hits (about half of this album), most people will have little interest in listening to lackluster covers, movie tracks, and Christmas music.

Edmunds is very underrated........2006-02-19

This CD is a great single disc overview of Dave's career. I would have liked to have seen more stuff from his Swan Song days, but beggars can't be choosey. It's a great repesentation of the different types of music Dave has done over the 30+ years he's been doing it. And be sure to pick up Nick Lowe's best of as well as the one Roickpile CD if you lke this one. Both of those collections get 4 stars as well.

I like it very much.......2005-03-10

Dave Edmunds has his own, distinct style and it's nice to listen to. My favorite song by him had always been "I hear you knocking", but I found that there is so much more to him, than that one song. His songs are like a hybrid of the 50's and 70's, very unique and very good. I loved his cover of The Everly Brother's "Let it be me". All of the songs on this disc are very well done, Dave Edmunds has a real talent for taking older-sounding songs and giving them a fresh, updated sound. I think he's quite underrated as an artist. I would very much recommened this disc to anyone who loves music, in general.

Gems from one of the greats.......2004-12-28

Looking back, the rock era produced few artists of originality and excellence. Edmunds didn't invent the twangy guitar or rockabilly, but he honed them to perfection. For the most part, he had a knack for choosing quirky and interesting songs. His production was second to none, as was his guitar work. Since he often played all of the instruments, it must be said that he was skilled on all of them. Dave also possessed one of the best rock voices. Despite being Welsh, he sounded quintessentially American while singing quintessentially American music. I recommend this set in addition to the Anthology because the latter doesn't contain Dave's version of Chuck Berry's Run Rudolph Run, my favorite Christmas song, and one that captures the essence of Dave Edmunds as well as any other song he recorded. How unfortunate that Dave has stopped recording; he was one of the best.

Average customer rating:

I have to disagree with the less than good reviews....
The most talentless of the "punk/new wave" scene
it is easy to see why he never became famous
greatest unknown stiff (artist)
great music

Greatest Stiffs
Wreckless Eric
Manufacturer: Metro Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Stranger Than Fiction
B.A.B.Y.: The Best of Rachel Sweet
The Good, the Bad & the Queen
Donovan of Trash
Almost A Jubilee: 25 Years At The BBC (with Gaps)

ASIN: B00005A122
Release Date: 2001-02-12

Tracks:

Whole Wide World
Reconnez Cherie
Semaphore Signals
Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)
Pop Song
Personal Hygiene
Tonight (Is My Night)
Hit and Miss Judy
Walking on the Surface of the Moon
Veronica
Let's Go to the Pictures
Waxworks
Broken Doll
Excuse Me
It'll Soon Be the Weekend
Strange Towns
I Wish It Would Rain
Out of the Blue
Grown Ups
Final Taxi

Album Description

Unique compilation featuring the very best of Wreckless Eric's Stiff Years. 20 tracks including the singles, 'Whole Wide World', 'Semaphore Signals' and 'Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)'. Compilation and sleevenotes written by Mojo writer Joe Cushley with input by Wreckless Eric himself. 2001 release. Standard jewel case.

Album Details

Wreckless Eric Gained Notoriety as Part of Stiff Records' Highly Diverse Roster of Punk & New Wave Artists. With his Early Stiff Singles 'Whole Wide World,' 'Semaphore Signals' & 'Take the Cash,' Eric Bashed Out a Series of Chaotic, Three Chord Punk-Pop Singles Driven by his Pent-Up Energy, Distinctive Cockney Whine & a Knack for Melodic, Pop Hooks.

Customer Reviews:

I have to disagree with the less than good reviews...........2007-05-04

I would like to give this CD 5 stars (lets face it there were so many better records made at the time that are simply classic), but I always remember Wreckless Eric with fond memories. In the late 70's, I found a brown vinyl 10" EP burried in the back of my local record store on Main Street (remember those things?). I discovered Wreckless Eric, finding his vocals and music facinating. I subsequently bought all the vinyl released by him and just recently while filling my new Zune, I decided I had to add him. Eric created a raw, pub room pop that I could just envision at a local pub in seedy inter-city section of England in 1979. I know Wreckless Eric could never have been a top of the charts kind of artist, but for a raw pop sound that is just down right great to listen to, the late Wreckless one is worth spending a couple of bucks.

The most talentless of the "punk/new wave" scene.......2006-12-29

Coupla good songs - the rest is beneath mediocre. Should be a one-star album, but raised a notch based on the label's sense of humor....."greatest stiffs" indeed.

The two good songs on this compilation can be found on much better punk-era various artists collections.

it is easy to see why he never became famous.......2006-08-19

2 okay songs and the rest is garbage.

whole wide world, cherie and the rest

He was famous b/c he was with "Stiff", was one of the first new wave guys, and had a drunk, doofus persona.

This is not an artist for any type of serious consideration.

greatest unknown stiff (artist).......2004-09-16

brains wit humor personality soul. great tunes. the very best of wreckless eric. what are you waiting for?

great music.......2004-06-23

Reading a previous review, makes me want to share the fact that very few of my friends every heard of Wreckless Eric.
I bought I listened and I enjoyed all of the music on both albums.......'whole wide world' & 'big smash'.....
had one friend in particular who enjoyed this music along with all the Stiff artists.....at the time.

I couldn't get enough
Can't wait til I get the CD and crank it up...

Don

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