The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

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Neil.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Neil. »

I've looked at this week's album chart, and it looks as though 'The Boy Named If' has dropped out of the top 100, having been number 6 last week, unless I missed it scrolling through.

That's a shame, but not a surprise. When you consider that albums don't actually exist for most people, and only tracks are streamed these days, then the album charts really seem to be a marker of who buys what greatest hits package on CD for someone's birthday - the chart is full of greatest hits albums by classic artists like Queen, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder etc. and only a handful of 'new material' albums by mega-sellers like Adele and Ed Sheeran even register.

So the high entry was probably just the shops stocking up with it in the first week, and as it hasn't sold, they haven't restocked. At least, this is what I'm guessing.

I don't say this as any kind of defeat, just trying to work out how the world of the charts works. Although I think this album deserves to be heard by zillions of people, it's not realistic that someone with Elvis's skill set is going to be able to compete with the juggernauts like Adele and Ed.

Still, WE know that this is a classic album even if the world might not - and I'm glad it exists!
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

https://thetop22.com/airplay-and-sales- ... s-1-23-22/

The Top 22 Triple A Radio Songs, Ranked by Audience Reach, for the Week Ending 1-23-22…

Image
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

https://www.repubblica.it/robinson/2022 ... 5723194/[b]

Elvis Costello: "Non guardiamo al passato, il futuro è rock"[/b]
Nella sua lunga carriera ha fatto di tutto. Qui racconta il nuovo disco, gli amici e i nemici
e anticipa che sta lavorando (sì, di nuovo!) con Bacharach

30 GENNAIO 2022

Quando era bambino, agli inizi degli anni 60, il piccolo Declan Patrick MacManus andava spesso a vedere le prove del padre, che cantava nella Joe Loss Orchestra, una delle più famose d’Inghilterra. Nel 1977, a soli 23 anni, con il nome Elvis Costello pubblicava già il primo disco, My Aim Is True, l’inizio di una lunga serie, ben 34 album con l’ultimissimo, The Boy Named If, uscito pochi giorni fa e arrivato al sesto posto della classifica inglese, il miglior risultato dal 1994. Costello ha fatto di tutto: partito con l’onda punk, è passato attraverso ogni genere, dal rock al pop al country, dal jazz alla musica classica del celebre The Juliet Letter con il Brodsky Quartet, fino alla collaborazione con Burt Bacharach per il disco Painted from Memory che nel 1988 ha vinto un Grammy. Nel 2003 Costello si è sposato con Diana Krall, raffinata musicista jazz canadese con la quale, nel 2006, ha avuto due gemelli. Un sodalizio artistico straordinario per un artista poliedrico e instancabile.

Dove si trova?
«Ora a New York ma all’inizio della pandemia sono tornato in fretta in Canada: ero in tour e non essendo cittadino canadese rischiavo di restare separato dalla famiglia».

Molti erano così depressi durante il lockdown da passare il tempo a fissare il soffitto. Invece lei ha fatto un’incredibile quantità di cose…
«Anch’io le prime due settimane me ne stavo lì fermo a guardare il mare, credo sia stato lo shock. Dopo l’iniziale sconforto ho trascorso la maggior parte delle giornate con la chitarra in mano».

Però la chitarra l’ha usata, e anche molto.
«Con lei le parole vengono fuori più rapidamente. Però a volte, quando ti siedi al pianoforte, scopri musica più insolita. C’è stato qualcosa di immediatamente eccitante nei pezzi di The Boy Named If: le canzoni sono venute fuori con la stessa attitudine musicale e con un tema comune».

Qual è il filo che le tiene insieme?
«Lo sguardo a come si esce dall’infanzia e si lascia dietro di sé una certa meraviglia per altri tipi di magia ed emozioni, ma anche un po’ di turbamenti e sofferenze».

La parola “I.f.” nel titolo indica la possibilità, il fatto che per il bambino in teoria tutto è possibile?
«È un’osservazione interessante. Non avevo in mente esattamente questo quando ho pensato il titolo: “If” sta per “Imaginary friend”, il “bambino immaginario” di cui parlo, ma in effetti il disco ha a che fare con quell’idea. È un’ottima interpretazione».

Infatti in un altro brano, “The Death of Magic Thinking”, si parla dell’attimo in cui ti rendi conto che non puoi realizzare ogni tuo desiderio. Le è capitato di vivere un momento simile?
«La canzone è lunga tre strofe e ciascuna descrive un momento di grande possibilità, di riconoscimento che quel cambiamento inevitabilmente avviene e non è sempre buono, mentre il ritornello descrive un momento dell’infanzia in cui una ragazza leggermente più grande prende un po’ in giro un ragazzo. Perché lei sa alcune cose del sesso che lui non sa. Così lo coinvolge in un gioco che lo spaventa (“prende la mia mano in un esperimento/ la mette dove non dovrebbe stare/ sotto il suo vestito/ e sta a guardare/ io non sapevo cosa fare/ non sapevo cosa dire/ immagino fosse un gioco/ un gioco a cui non sapevo giocare”, ndr) e probabilmente anche lei in realtà non sa bene cosa sia quel gioco. A 14, 13 anni è così. Gli artisti a volte riescono a mantenere la connessione con quel mondo magico ma anche questo non è del tutto positivo perché può renderti egoista».

Lei è molto amico di Elton John, tanto che è stato lui a fare il discorso di presentazione per la sua ammissione alla Rock’n’roll Hall of Fame nel 2003: come e quando l’ha conosciuto?
«È una strana storia perché nel 1978 gli era stato conferito un premio e nel discorso di accettazione disse che non doveva andare a lui, ma a me. Il che era assurdo perché io avevo appena iniziato e la distanza tra noi era siderale. Non ho incontrato Elton fino al 1999 ma lui conosceva Diana, che poi sarebbe diventata mia moglie, erano già amici e lo sono diventato subito anch’io. È una delle persone più generose che conosco».

Uno dei primi dischi che ho comprato è stato “Armed Forces”, nel 1979, perché veniva collegato al movimento punk. Musicalmente non c’entrava molto ma lo spirito era quello. Mi sono sempre chiesto una cosa però: cosa significa la scritta “Emotional Fascism” sulla busta del vinile? Era una provocazione?
«Emotional Fascism era il titolo originale del disco perché nella mia testa di 23-24enne il concetto del disco stava nel trovare ciò che io consideravo il passaggio tra la stanza della guerra e la camera da letto, perché qualche volta sono la stessa cosa (ride) e ci sono davvero persone che gestiscono come dittatori le loro relazioni amorose: questo dunque era per me il “fascismo emozionale”. La casa discografica mi convinse che nessuna radio avrebbe mandato in onda un disco intitolato così e alla fine optai per Armed Forces. Le canzoni hanno testi allarmanti che oggi non riscriverei allo stesso modo, ma quando hai 24 anni sei molto sopra alle righe. Però non ne sono imbarazzato. Penso che le persone debbano ascoltare le parole per quello che volevano significare senza isolare i concetti, ignorando il contesto complessivo e dicendo: “Questo è oltraggioso!”».

Ho sentito della polemica sul testo di “Oliver’s Army”, un brano di quel disco, che dice: “One more widow, one less white nigger”. È chiaro che quando lei parla di “white nigger” associa gli irlandesi come suo nonno, che venivano chiamati così dai soldati inglesi, e i neri perseguitati per il colore della pelle: il contrario del razzismo di cui il brano viene accusato. Mi sembra folle.
«Non è folle: io capisco che la presenza della parola con la “n” può offendere mortalmente se uno sente la canzone in fretta, senza prestare attenzione al reale senso del testo. La parte folle però è quando qualcuno si pone l’attenzione solo su un termine collocato in una frase di due parole, “white nigger”, che ha un significato completamente diverso da quello di una sola parola. Canto questa canzone da 45 anni e ho deciso di smettere di farlo. Ho detto che avrei preferito che le stazioni radio non la trasmettessero affatto e scegliessero una delle altre 600 del mio repertorio, piuttosto che riprodurne una che apre la porta a insulti che non erano mai stati pensati. Le persone che affermano che sono un ipocrita e che questa è una reazione alla cultura “woke”, qualunque c***o di cosa sia, possono andare a farsi fottere. Grazie a Dio, queste sono le mie canzoni. Le canto e le canterò quando c***o voglio. Dirò sempre ciò che voglio, come voglio. E ora entriamo nel futuro e vediamo se c’è qualcosa di nuovo che valga la pena di fare. Smettiamo di vivere nel passato. Ah, e aspetta: io sono sempre completamente sveglio! Grazie mille, non ho bisogno di svegliarmi (il riferimento è sempre all’ideologia “woke” che indica l’idea di “stare svegli” di fronte alle ingiustizie razziali, ndr)!».

A proposito di futuro: è vero che sta lavorando di nuovo con Burt Bacharach?
«Sì, stiamo lavorando a una monumentale versione di Painted from Memory (l’album realizzato insieme nel 1998, ndr) che uscirà alla fine del 2022 o l’anno dopo. Volevo avere qualcosa di veramente bello da metterci dentro, abbiamo ancora molte grandi canzoni non ancora registrate: così sono andato in studio la scorsa estate, con un’orchestra di trenta elementi diretta da Vince Mendoza, e Burt era lì, assolutamente vivace e partecipativo. È stata una delle cose più elettrizzanti che mi siano mai capitate. Mi trovavo nei Capitol Studios di Hollywood, dove ovviamente mia moglie ha inciso molti più dischi di me, e in cui ho assistito a situazioni straordinarie quando ha prodotto Barbra Streisand, per l’album Love Is the Answer, o quando ha fatto gli arrangiamenti di Kisses on the Bottom di Paul McCartney. In questa occasione ho solo cantato e ci sono ancora un po’ di cose da mixare, ma sono stato così felice di aver avuto modo di lavorare di nuovo insieme! Occhio a quando uscirà, credo sarà qualcosa che vale la pena ascoltare!»

————————————
Google translation:

Elvis Costello: "We don't look to the past, the future is rock"
In his long career he has done everything. Here he talks about the new album, friends and enemies
and anticipates that he is working (yes, again!) with Bacharach

JANUARY 30, 2022

When he was a child, in the early 1960s, little Declan Patrick MacManus often went to see the rehearsals of his father, who sang in the Joe Loss Orchestra, one of the most famous in England. In 1977, at the age of 23, with the name Elvis Costello he already published his first album, My Aim Is True, the beginning of a long series, 34 albums with the very latest, The Boy Named If, released a few days ago and arrived in sixth place in the English rankings, the best result since 1994. Costello has done everything: he started with the punk wave, he went through every genre, from rock to pop to country, from jazz to classical music of the famous The Juliet Letter with the Brodsky Quartet, up to the collaboration with Burt Bacharach for the album Painted from Memory which in 1988 won a Grammy. In 2003 Costello married Diana Krall, a refined Canadian jazz musician with whom, in 2006, he had twins. An extraordinary artistic partnership for a multifaceted and tireless artist.

Where is he?
"Now in New York but at the beginning of the pandemic I quickly returned to Canada: I was on tour and not being a Canadian citizen I risked being separated from my family".

Many were so depressed during the lockdown that they spent time staring at the ceiling. Instead she did an incredible amount of things ...
"For the first two weeks I too was standing there looking at the sea, I think it was the shock. After the initial discomfort, I spent most of the days with the guitar in my hand ".

But he used the guitar, and a lot too.
“With her, the words come out more quickly. But sometimes, when you sit at the piano, you discover more unusual music. There was something immediately exciting in the pieces of The Boy Named If: the songs came out with the same musical attitude and with a common theme. "

What is the thread that holds them together?
"The look at how one comes out of childhood and leaves behind a certain wonder for other types of magic and emotions, but also a bit of turmoil and suffering".

The word "I.f." in the title indicates the possibility, the fact that for the child everything is possible in theory?
"It is an interesting observation. I didn't have exactly this in mind when I thought of the title: "If" stands for "Imaginary friend", the "imaginary child" I am talking about, but in fact the record has something to do with that idea. It's an excellent interpretation ".

In fact, in another song, "The Death of Magic Thinking", we talk about the moment when you realize that you cannot make your every wish come true. Have you ever experienced a similar moment?
"The song is three verses long and each describes a moment of great possibility, of recognition that that change inevitably happens and isn't always good, while the chorus describes a moment from childhood in which a slightly older girl takes a little ride a guy. Because she knows some things about sex that he doesn't know. So it involves him in a game that scares him ("he takes my hand in an experiment / puts it where it shouldn't be / under his dress / and watches / I didn't know what to do / didn't know what to say / I guess it was a game / a game I didn't know how to play ”, ed) and probably she doesn't really know what that game is. At 14, 13 is like that. Artists sometimes manage to maintain the connection with that magical world but even this is not entirely positive because it can make you selfish ».

You are very close friends with Elton John, so much so that it was he who gave the introductory speech for his admission to the Rock'n'roll Hall of Fame in 2003: how and when did he meet him?
“It's a strange story because in 1978 he was awarded an award and in the acceptance speech she said it shouldn't go to him, but to me. Which was absurd because I had just started and the distance between us was sidereal. I didn't meet Elton until 1999 but he knew Diana, who would later become my wife, they were already friends and I immediately became one too. He is one of the most generous people I know ».

One of the first records I bought was "Armed Forces", in 1979, because it was linked to the punk movement. Musically it didn't matter much but the spirit was that. I've always wondered one thing though: what does the word “Emotional Fascism” on the vinyl envelope mean? Was it a provocation?
"Emotional Fascism was the original title of the record because in my 23-24 year old mind the concept of the record was to find what I considered the transition between the war room and the bedroom, because sometimes they are the same thing (laughs ) and there are indeed people who manage their love affairs as dictators: this was therefore "emotional fascism" for me. The record company convinced me that no radio would air a record titled like this and in the end I opted for Armed Forces. The songs have alarming lyrics that I wouldn't rewrite the same way today, but by the time you're 24 you're way over the top. But I'm not embarrassed. I think people have to listen to the words for what they meant without isolating the concepts, ignoring the overall context and saying, 'This is outrageous!' '

I heard about the controversy over the lyrics of "Oliver's Army", a song from that record, which says: "One more widow, one less white nigger". It is clear that when you talk about the "white nigger" you associate the Irish like your grandfather, who were so called by the English soldiers, and the blacks persecuted for the color of their skin: the opposite of the racism of which the passage is accused. It seems crazy to me.
«It's not crazy: I understand that the presence of the word with the" n "can be mortally offensive if one hears the song quickly, without paying attention to the real meaning of the text. The crazy part, however, is when someone pays attention only to a term placed in a two-word sentence, "white nigger", which has a completely different meaning from that of a single word. I've been singing this song for 45 years and I've decided to stop doing it. I said that I would rather have the radio stations not broadcast it at all and choose one of the other 600 in my repertoire, rather than reproduce one that opens the door to insults that had never been thought of. People who claim that I'm a hypocrite and that this is a reaction to the "woke" culture, whatever the fuck it is, can go fuck themselves. Thank God, these are my songs. I'll sing them and I'll sing them when I f ** k. I will always say what I want, how I want. And now let's enter the future and see if there is something new that is worth doing. We stop living in the past. Ah, and wait: I'm always wide awake! Thank you very much, I don't need to wake up (the reference is always to the "woke" ideology which indicates the idea of ​​"staying awake" in the face of racial injustices, ed)! "

Speaking of the future: is it true that you are working with Burt Bacharach again?
"Yes, we are working on a monumental version of Painted from Memory (the album we made together in 1998, ed) which will be released at the end of 2022 or a year later. I wanted to have something really nice to put into it, we still have a lot of great songs not yet recorded: so I went to the studio last summer, with a thirty-piece orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza, and Burt was there, absolutely lively and participatory. It was one of the most thrilling things that ever happened to me. I was in the Capitol Studios in Hollywood, where obviously my wife has made many more records than me, and where I witnessed extraordinary situations when she produced Barbra Streisand, for the album Love Is the Answer, or when she made arrangements for Kisses on the Bottom by Paul McCartney. On this occasion I just sang and there are still a few things to mix, but I was so happy to have been able to work together again! Watch out when it comes out, I think it will be something worth listening to!
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

A (deep) conversation with Elvis Costello
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/31/10770148 ... s-costello

I've been listening to the music of Elvis Costello since his very first album in 1977 and was stoked to talk about his new record, The Boy Named If, for this interview. It's a lyrically brilliant album, often upbeat, and always intriguing. I picked some songs to play and was hoping for his insight into The Boy Named If. But after more than an hour of chatting, we barely got to the new music. Elvis was more excited to talk about his mom and dad meeting at a record shop, how she refused to sell one of the very first portable record players to... ...actually I don't want to spoil the story. But we hear how the sounds of Peggy Lee shaped his childhood and how one of her songs was later reimagined by Elvis Costello's wife, Diana Krall. We also hear tales of collaborations with trumpeter Chet Baker, T. Bone Burnett, Nick Lowe, Steve Nieve, Michael Leonhart, and Paul McCartney, as well as Elvis Costello's passion for Motown.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by johnfoyle »

Interview on RRR: https://www.rrr.org.au/on-demand/segmen ... ord-part-1
A two part interview with Elvis, from Australian radio

Pt. 1

https://www.rrr.org.au/on-demand/segmen ... ord-part-1

Pt . 2 (about a hour into this )

https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs ... nuary-2022
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
Hawksmoor
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

A nice piece, and I was struck by this line: 'the liveliest album he's recorded with the Imposters so far. As a well-rehearsed team, the quartet has deliberately designed its latest work to be lively, spirited and powerful'. It reminded me that Davey Faragher has been in this band for two decades now - and longer than Bruce was part of the Attractions.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Only in Canada: Elvis Costello & The Imposters — enter for a chance to win 'The Boy Named If' on vinyl plus a signed copy of 'Magnificent Hurt'.

https://exclaim.ca/contests/article/elv ... 4Jhjy9nADs
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Miclewis »

I really like Elvis' cover of Truth Drug on the Japanese import. If I were to put it on the album, I would put as track 10 - between Magnificent Hurt and The Man You Love To Hate. Interestingly, it has a count off in the fade-out like it was recorded at a tour rehearsal. I wonder what else was recorded at the session.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Man out of Time »

Miclewis wrote:I really like Elvis' cover of Truth Drug on the Japanese import. ... Interestingly, it has a count off in the fade-out like it was recorded at a tour rehearsal. I wonder what else was recorded at the session.
It was recorded at Memphis Magnetic Studio in October 2021. Elvis and The Imposters (and Charlie Sexton) gathered there to rehearse for the subsequent Hello Again Tour. Three other tracks (that we know of) were recorded there:
  • * Magnificent Hurt
    * Everyday I Write The Book and
    * (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
Details are here - Memphis Magnetic Recording Session - October 2021

MOOT
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

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https://audiophilereview.com/audiophile ... into-2022/

Listening Report: Elvis Costello’s The Boy Named If Rocks Madly Into 2022

Mark Smotroff gets happy all over again…

The release of a new album by Elvis Costello is a cause for celebration on many fronts. For me, as a fan since pretty much the beginning of his career I always get excited and try to dive in as soon as I can. For others who are perhaps a bit more narrowly focused when it comes to their fandom, I know that some have a wait and see approach these days to hear whether the album rocks before they will buy it.

If I might repurpose a phrase from Duke Ellington, it does rock… madly!

Called The Boy Named If, this new Elvis album is a joy, chockfull of instantly gratifying ear-worms and an urgent sense of hard-rocking purpose right from the opening riffs of “Farewell OK.”

Something of a concept album, from his official press release for the album Costello offers some clues as to what it is all about: ”The full title of this record is ‘The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories).’ ‘IF,’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own. You can hear more about this ‘Boy’ in a song of the same name.”

Lyrical continuity aside, one focus that jumped out at me listening to The Boy Named If is that it not only is a great rock ‘n’ roll record but in many ways it is a handy sampler of the many musical flavors Elvis has explored over the years. I’m just guessing, of course, but it seems that there are conscious references back to earlier works.

Some songs sound like they could fit on Get Happy and Trust. Others are more theatrical, akin to the storytelling pieces from 1989’s Spike collection. Heck there’s one song – – “The Difference” – – which if you read the lyrics separated from the music feels like it could be an old English murder ballad (albeit with a somewhat 21st-century twist). Yet the song is about as rock ‘n’ roll as you can get (imagine “Clubland”-esque chords mashed up with Imperial Bedroom style pop glory).

One of my favorite songs on the album so far is “Penelope Halfpenny” — pronounced “hay-penny” for all you non-Anglophiles reading this — a wonderful slice of British invasion-fueled driving power pop. Pete Thomas’ drums on this are especially tremendous in all their Keith Moon-meets-Motown glory.

The Boy Named If is one of Elvis’s strongest collections of pure rock ’n roll vibe in some time, perhaps since Momofuku (which perhaps not surprisingly was the last album he did backed entirely by his band The Imposters).

For those of you who yearn for the days of Elvis’s “original” band — The Attractions — it is perhaps time you stopped to smell the roses and realize that The Imposters are The Attractions in all but name (one member changed but everyone else is the same as in 1978). And they are sounding as great as ever, maybe even better than ever (if you’ll pardon my gushing exclamation points)!!

Again, Pete Thomas’ drums pack a powerful wallop on The Boy Named If. Steve Nieve’s keyboards are as inventive as ever. The most recent addition to the band – – if you can call 20-plus years in the group recent– Davey Faragher is as powerful a player as Bruce Thomas ever was yet possibly more thoughtful in some ways. There are quite a number of showcases for each of The Imposters on this new album and the performances are exemplary.

As I’ve noted previously in past reviews, Elvis’ guitar playing has really come a long way since 1977 and he is now quite masterful at what he does. Some of his solos are absolutely ripping on The Boy Named If, yet always musically inventive. For a quick example, just listen about a minute and a half into the 3/4-time rock ’n roll waltz “What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?”

I decided to spring for the spiffy colored vinyl version of The Boy Named If — available only at independent record stores. I’m really quite pleased with it in all its (I’m assuming) 180-gram glory. The records are well centered and quiet which is all an audiophile can really hope for from vinyl pressings these days. Pressed opaque vinyl instead of translucent colors, it sounds just about as fine as a modern (likely digital) rock record is going to sound. In my experience (and which I’ve reported on before, a two part series, click here and here) the difference between that and a traditional black vinyl record are negligible. So kudos to whomever was watching the quality controls on manufacturing this release.

You can find The Boy Named If streaming on Qobuz (click here) and Tidal (click here), both in high resolution formats (you’ll need a good DAC to decode it, otherwise you’ll only hear it in CD quality which is still better than what that other popular platform — which shall remain nameless — puts out)

Kudos must also go out to co-producer Sebastian Krys who has successfully captured the essence of Elvis’ production styles across many periods of his career, yet somehow made it all feel integrated and whole. This is all the more amazing given that the four musicians were recording remotely in different studios, literally from France to California and probably other places betwixt and between.

To better appreciate this, imagine making a playlist of tracks from Imperial Bedroom, This Year’s Model, Spike, Get Happy and so many others from Elvis’ catalog. Of course the songs will be great but the sound will change dramatically given the studios recorded and other production nuances. Yet, somehow because of the way this album was crafted and mixed, it feels like all classic Elvis and yet it it is simultaneously like none of them. Ultimately, The Boy Named If sounds like exactly how Elvis Costello should sound in 2022.

I have a feeling The Boy Named If is going to be one of my favorite albums of the year already. I can’t offer a much better complement than that. So, thank you Elvis for being there when we all needed you. This is just the dose of rock ‘n’ roll we needed to power through these strange days, indeed.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
JPadoo
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by JPadoo »

Ok, so after a brief break from the record of a week to ten days, and a full month now after release, I returned to listen with a set of fresh ears. The verdict? A great record, and an absolute keeper. Could have been the follow up to Trust in sound and feel if Imperial Bedroom didn’t exist with at least half a dozen songs could that make my all time EC mixtape. Incredible….starts to really kick in on The Difference and never lets up. The best tracks are so good that it feels like they’ve been around forever, if that makes any sense, and even though the reviews have been universally positive, I do suspect this will be yet another of Elvis’ ridiculously underrated albums. Doesn’t really matter, I guess. He is at the top of his game. A gem, a 9 out of 10.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by sulky lad »

JPadoo wrote:Ok, so after a brief break from the record of a week to ten days, and a full month now after release, I returned to listen with a set of fresh ears. The verdict? A great record, and an absolute keeper. Could have been the follow up to Trust in sound and feel if Imperial Bedroom didn’t exist with at least half a dozen songs could that make my all time EC mixtape. Incredible….starts to really kick in on The Difference and never lets up. The best tracks are so good that it feels like they’ve been around forever, if that makes any sense, and even though the reviews have been universally positive, I do suspect this will be yet another of Elvis’ ridiculously underrated albums. Doesn’t really matter, I guess. He is at the top of his game. A gem, a 9 out of 10.
Exactly what I feel almost to the letter - it reminds me of Trust with the various styles but with a couple of exceptions the songs are stronger on TBNI. It’s an awesome achievement at this stage in Elvis career , I love it to bits !!
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by heyhermano »

My experience after a break, too. What a capper to these three awesome Krys-produced albums. For me, it's not just his best record with the Imposters (which is saying something), but his best of the new millennium, period. It all clicks together in such a pleasurable way.

I'm starting to lose track of the lines and phrases that pop into my head for no reason and get stuck there: "She's tattooed from her head to toe/She's inky like a girl I know"; "What if this is true love?/Not some town hall certificate"; "Don't you need me, baby?/Not one little bit?/Don't fix me with that deadly gaze/It's a little close to pity"; "I'm a one party state/The man you love to hate"; pretty much all of "The Death of Magic Thinking"; and, of course, "I wonder where my honey has gone..."
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

heyhermano wrote:My experience after a break, too. What a capper to these three awesome Krys-produced albums. For me, it's not just his best record with the Imposters (which is saying something), but his best of the new millennium, period. It all clicks together in such a pleasurable way.

I'm starting to lose track of the lines and phrases that pop into my head for no reason and get stuck there: "She's tattooed from her head to toe/She's inky like a girl I know"; "What if this is true love?/Not some town hall certificate"; "Don't you need me, baby?/Not one little bit?/Don't fix me with that deadly gaze/It's a little close to pity"; "I'm a one party state/The man you love to hate"; pretty much all of "The Death of Magic Thinking"; and, of course, "I wonder where my honey has gone..."
Me too. But what I'm really laughing at now is the idea that's done the rounds in recent years: 'sure, he's still the greatest lyricist, but has he lost his knack for a great tune?' TBNI is an incredible refutation of that idea. It's packed with great melodies, soaring choruses and middle-eights, catchy hooks and brilliant tunes that you can't help singing along to. To the point where you think 'should I be driving a car while I'm listening to this?' :)

The 'do you know, do you know?' in The Difference, 'dance a little jig' in My Most Beautiful Mistake, the 'yeah, yeah yeah' in Mistook Me for a Friend...we could go on all night. And the Imposters are on fire - you can tell they're musically inspired by what's going on here. Sure, the lyrics are brilliant, but you kind of expect that from the world's greatest lyricist. But this time...boy, the tunes, the melodies, the hooks...just knock it out of the park. This is a ridiculously good LP for a 67 year-old (30+ LPs into his career) to make.

Easily Top 5 for me, and I'll be honest, it's eyeing up that Number 1 spot. It's the culmination of everything we always knew he could do, packed on to one LP, and I can't stop playing it.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Arnie »

The "yeah, yeah, yeah," and "dance a little jig" . . . embarrassingly BAD moments in the canon of anything Elvis has ever done. Mistook me for a friend is painful for me to listen to.

The album has bright spots, but I would put it equal with Clockface and Don't Look Now. Delivery Man and Momo were much better as Imposters Albums go. But I do hear lots of great moments from the band in this album. It just won't crack my top 15 of his 30. Sorry.

His rockers fail to rock for me anymore. Feel mostly contrived, except when he strips it down solo. HIs ballads have gotten WAY better though, and I think this is the new voice he feels more comfortable/natural in and should embrace.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

Arnie wrote:The "yeah, yeah, yeah," and "dance a little jig" . . . embarrassingly BAD moments in the canon of anything Elvis has ever done. Mistook me for a friend is painful for me to listen to.

The album has bright spots, but I would put it equal with Clockface and Don't Look Now. Delivery Man and Momo were much better as Imposters Albums go. But I do hear lots of great moments from the band in this album. It just won't crack my top 15 of his 30. Sorry.

His rockers fail to rock for me anymore. Feel mostly contrived, except when he strips it down solo. HIs ballads have gotten WAY better though, and I think this is the new voice he feels more comfortable/natural in and should embrace.
Heh. I seem to recall from a previous post that you were averse to the 'yeah, yeah, yeah's (apologies if I'm misquoting you and that was somebody else). I love the 'yeah, yeah, yeah's, and I think the 'dance a little jig' is funny, clever and catchy. It even reminds me of the delightful 'dancing the hesitation [pause] waltz' gag at the end of 'Josephine'. I'd even go further and suggest that the drum-fill on 'dance a little jig' is approximately the same one Pete plays on 'Night Rally', so that's a nice link.

But it looks like we're on opposite sides of the tracks anyway - and that's fine. 'Mistook Me for a Friend' is the track I'm returning to most often at the moment. I love the way he spits out 'poverty row' - classic old-school Elvis, for me. And given what we think we know about the order of contributions (ie Steve last), the keyboards are phenomenal, and bring a big smile to my face. And the Imposters swing. I know he's always had this thing about 'rock music = bad/rock'n'roll = good' (because it 'swings'), but you can really hear it on this LP.
Arnie wrote:His rockers fail to rock for me anymore. Feel mostly contrived...HIs ballads have gotten WAY better though.
And as for this...I mostly agree, but I'm going to pedantically pick up on 'contrived', which is a bête noire of mine whenever anybody uses it of a book, a song, a film, whatever. 'It's contrived'. And? What did you expect? This is an artist, working away to create and polish a piece of work which they want to appeal to the most people. 'Contriving' is the day job :).

On the other hand, I've always preferred the ballads to the rockers (give me 'You Tripped at Every Step' over '20% Amnesia' every day). But a lot of the rockers are still great, and there are some rockers on this LP as good as any rockers he's done, in my opinion.

I loved Hey Clockface, and probably played it pretty much every day through the lockdown - it got me through. But I think this is better. Lyrics are great, great tunes and memorable hooks everywhere, and the Imposters are on fire. I'd seriously put it up there with his very best.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by verbal gymnastics »

I haven’t repeatedly played a new Elvis album for a long time. It gets better with each hearing.

It also strikes me how prominent Pete is on this album.

Trick out the truth and The man you love to hate are my least favourites but they’re not skippable tracks.

I’ve elevated Mr Crescent to top spot with What if I can’t give you anything but love?

I like Look Now but I’m not a big fan of Hey Clockface (although it has its moments).
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Arnie »

You have it right, Hawks. That was me about the yeah, yeah's.

The classic old-school Elvis comment is exactly what I mean about "contrived" on tracks like Mistook Me for a Friend. It feels like he is trying too hard to channel that spirit, and for me, it just doesn't work. It sounds forced. The Imposters sound great, don't get me wrong. Especially, Pete for sure. I just don't think this is his natural voice anymore. Speaking of natural voice, do I detect auto-tune on Penelope Halfpenny? I hate that crap, but it actually works well as mildly applied on this track. Pete rocks the crap out of the kit on this. As a yank though, I don't quite understand the pronunciation of halfpenny as hate-penny. Help.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

Arnie wrote:You have it right, Hawks. That was me about the yeah, yeah's.

The classic old-school Elvis comment is exactly what I mean about "contrived" on tracks like Mistook Me for a Friend. It feels like he is trying too hard to channel that spirit, and for me, it just doesn't work. It sounds forced. The Imposters sound great, don't get me wrong. Especially, Pete for sure. I just don't think this is his natural voice anymore. Speaking of natural voice, do I detect auto-tune on Penelope Halfpenny? I hate that crap, but it actually works well as mildly applied on this track. Pete rocks the crap out of the kit on this. As a yank though, I don't quite understand the pronunciation of halfpenny as hate-penny. Help.
It's just a quirk of UK/English pronunciation. Over a long time (certainly decades, maybe centuries, I guess) the pronunciation shortened from 'half penny'. Now it's not even 'hay-penny' - it's more like two syllables: 'hape-ny', something like that. Used in a variety of English phrases, usually to mean something cheap. Two pence was similarly shortened to 'tuppence', so for example, something described as 'tuppence-ha'penny' was something cheap (and therefore low quality).

It retains nostalgic value in the UK, as a concept and as a pronunciation, despite having been withdrawn from circulation in 1984 - nearly 40 years ago. When I was a kid I used to work on a milk delivery round, and at that point, a pint of milk cost 12-and-a-half pence. When you were collecting the weekly payments door-to-door, you had to be well-versed in the various multiples of 12-and-a-half!
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Top balcony »

This is interesting discussion. I always hear his Scouse roots coming out in this pre-decimalisation pronunciation and on 'there's a tuppenny-ha’penny millionaire, looking for a fourpenny one' from Man out of Time.
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Re: The Boy Named If, new album by Elvis & The Imposters, January 14, 2022

Post by Hawksmoor »

Top balcony wrote:This is interesting discussion. I always hear his Scouse roots coming out in this pre-decimalisation pronunciation and on 'there's a tuppenny-ha’penny millionaire, looking for a fourpenny one' from Man out of Time.
It is interesting, and I confess that when I was describing the UK pronunciation of halfpenny/ha'p'ny for our American colleagues, I'd forgotten about Man Out of Time! But you can hear the same (English/scouse) intonation in the next line. It's spelled 'fourpenny one' but Elvis pronounces it (as any English person would): 'fourp'ny one'.

In fact, while I'm on it, another bit of trivia that UK listeners will know, but that may be of interest to friends in the US: we used to have a 3pence coin over here, and that was colloquially referred to as a 'thrippeny bit'. :)
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