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"My Aim Is True"
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
Elvis 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 Rykodisc CD restores the album's British sequence,
adds the eternal "Watching the Detectives," and kicks
in a slew of bonus tracks, including the intriguing "Honky
Tonk" demos. --Rickey Wright |
Customer review from Amazon
Reviewer: Chris Balla from Austin, TX.
A brilliant songwriter, lyricist, and humorist,Costello deserves
more credit and respect as a musician than he's ever recieved.
His brilliant first album has always been in the list of my favorite
rock albums; right up there with Abbey Road by the Beatles and
Beggar's Banquet by the Rolling Stones. Call it new wave, punk,
or just rock and roll, the music remains some of the best in
my collection. My favorite tracks are many but superb: "Welcome
to the Working Week", "Blame It On Cain", "Alison",
"(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes", "Less
Than Zero", and "Watching the Detectives". Each
has its own individual merit, each has its own story and style.
The extended play tracks on this reissue give the listener a
window into Costello's other musical interests, with two country
numbers (good ones at that), and some great unaccompanied folk
stuff. I encourage anyone who has any taste for rock and roll
to go and buy this album. |
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