Welcome to the Working Week
Here’s a little Declan MacManus for an open thread. The first song is the first track of the first Elvis Costello album, and it clocked in at 1:22. Good songs don’t need to be long.
November 29, 2011 9:19 am
Posted in: Open Thread
23 Comments
23 Responses
geg6 - November 29, 2011 | 9:21 am · Link
Oh gawd, mm. I’m gonna be singing Elvis all day now. In my head, just to spare those around me. ;-)
The only worse choice (for those who must listen to my singing) would be if you had two threads with the Clash going. I’d be in ecstasies.
Comrade Javamanphil - November 29, 2011 | 9:31 am · Link
Tell that to the Flaming Lips.
Rosalita - November 29, 2011 | 9:31 am · Link
@geg6: Rock the casbah!
J Frank Parnell - November 29, 2011 | 9:34 am · Link
“My Aim is True” has a fantastic sing-along quotient.
geg6 - November 29, 2011 | 9:40 am · Link
And for your listening pleasure, the infamous SNL “Radio, Radio” performance (can’t embed, but can link only because NBC is a bunch of douches):
http://videosift.com/video/Elv.....-Radio-SNL
J Frank Parnell - November 29, 2011 | 9:47 am · Link
@geg6: Fantastic – makes me hate Lorne Michaels all over again!
geg6 - November 29, 2011 | 9:50 am · Link
@J Frank Parnell:
Heh.
I remember watching this when it happened. Made me love Elvis all the more.
Lex - November 29, 2011 | 9:51 am · Link
Best first lines of best first song of best debut album EVAR.
(Pretenders’ “Precious” is second-best first song of debut album ever.)
And I know I’m dating myself when I say this, but I, too, watched that “SNL” performance. Rocked my world harder than anything since CCR’s “Fortunate Son.”
Let the arguing commence. ;-)
Ordovician Bighorn Dolomite (formerly rarely seen poster Fe E) - November 29, 2011 | 10:05 am · Link
I dunno, I have a lot of respect for Elvis Costello—bioth as a perfomer and a person, but calling this a “song” is sort of stretching it. It’s pretty much poetry with unconnected chords and no real rhythymic flow going on at the same time.
I fully understand that I am in the minority, but I think I’d have preferred this as a spoken word thing.
Mnemosyne - November 29, 2011 | 10:40 am · Link
This is the ringtone on my phone and has been for a year or so. (Unless G calls me, in which case it’s “Wonderboy.”) But, then, I love me some Costello. I noticed the “King of America” reference the other day but the thread was too long to point it out by the time I was online.
Mnemosyne - November 29, 2011 | 11:04 am · Link
@Ordovician Bighorn Dolomite (formerly rarely seen poster Fe E):
It’s kind of funny that you say that, because when Dave Edmunds did a cover of Costello’s “Girls Talk,” he added in an extra repeat of the chorus. So clearly you’re not the only one thinking, “Dude, too short!” about Costello’s early songs.
ETA: Sorry, listening again I think Edmunds added a repeat of the first verse, not a repeat of the chorus. But I have no musical talent whatsoever, so I get these things confused.
canuckistani - November 29, 2011 | 11:05 am · Link
Declan MacManus? The notorious art thief?
burnspbesq - November 29, 2011 | 11:06 am · Link
I’d say that Mr. McManus mostly passed his sell-by date around 1985. Except for a couple of interesting curiosities (the album with Anne-Sofie von Otter, and the album of Burt Bacharach songs), the fire’s been out.
His principal function now is to keep his lovely and uber-talented bride happy. She’s still making good records.
Mnemosyne - November 29, 2011 | 11:36 am · Link
@burnspbesq:
Feeling trollish today, are we?
You’re just cranky because Costello re-formed the Attractions without Bruce Thomas.
(another) Josh - November 29, 2011 | 11:57 am · Link
Hey, let’s play “When did [Elvis Costello/Lou Reed/John Lennon/Samuel Delany] start going downhill!” Or not.
burnspbesq - November 29, 2011 | 12:06 pm · Link
@Mnemosyne:
Only on days that end in y, and only in response to abject stupidity or foolish deification. Look, the guy’s a perfectly adequate pop singer-songwriter, but let’s not treat him like he was Bach or Coltrane.
piratedan - November 29, 2011 | 1:11 pm · Link
@Mnemosyne: and EC supposedly loathed Dave interpretation of his song as he sped it up, much like EC did to Lowe’s What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?. I listen to all three artists and don’t worry about it while I enjoy the music.
@burnspbesq: for that timeframe of 77 to 85 he was prolific and his sound and attitude helped define a generation and fronted a movement in popular music. For my generation, he was our Bach or our Coltrane.
Mnemosyne - November 29, 2011 | 1:29 pm · Link
@piratedan:
I can believe it—no one ever said Costello isn’t a prickly asshole, especially back when he was still drinking heavily. Though he can’t have hated it that much since he, Edmunds and Lowe kept working together throughout the 1980s.
I have an old interview with him from the mid-90s where he jokes about the “curse of Costello” and claims that everyone who’s done a cover of one of his songs has had their career ruined.
Mnemosyne - November 29, 2011 | 1:31 pm · Link
@burnspbesq:
Yes, all us damn kids should get off your lawn for thinking that pop music doesn’t have to be mindless Katy Perry crap.
Monte Davis - November 29, 2011 | 1:52 pm · Link
Costello had to outgrow Lowe, but damn if the first four albums didn’t show everything power pop ought to be, with memorable lyrics as sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet frosting
Nellcote - November 29, 2011 | 2:18 pm · Link
Oh please let this be Elvis Costello theme week!
And I love “Juliet Letters” w/Brodsky String Quartet.
NobodySpecial - November 30, 2011 | 12:46 am · Link
@Ordovician Bighorn Dolomite (formerly rarely seen poster Fe E): Funnily enough, the definition of ‘song’ stretches to cover even stuff that doesn’t rhyme. (examples: Chicago’s “Colour My World” and Crowded House’s “World Where You Live”). Plus, you know, stuff like Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock”, which clocked in at right around 1:48.
Just sayin’.
Ordovician Bighorn Dolomite (formerly rarely seen poster Fe E) - November 30, 2011 | 2:37 pm · Link
@NobodySpecial:
Okay, okay, I’ll come clean: I don’t really have a problem with calling this a “song” becasue of it’s structure, I just really, really hate it.
I was just trying to thread a needle where I could throw a little water on the adulation without just pointlessly pissing people off. I knowm, I know, that’s not what the internet is for, but it is kind of my style.