Astonished [Still]!

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Jack of All Parades
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Astonished [Still]!

Post by Jack of All Parades »

I was little prepared for the album EC released 18 years ago to this month. I have always been a consistent listener of classical music, leaning probably more to piano based works and the more solid structures of Bach and Mahler. "The Juliet Letters" totally upended me. Here was an attempt by EC to grow and to do it by offering a song cycle, voice with string quartet, that was in a mode I most assiduously avoided in my listening habits. First listens were daunting for me probably most because I found the quality of his vocal in this mode deficient; there was an awkward straining to hit notes and an inadequacy in his voice for whole sections of the material.

The concept of the album I immediately loved; the composition of a variety of letters to a dead fictional character revolving around love and its many quises. I liked the fact that they came from all angles: angry, vindictive, sad, lost, hurt, imploring, humbled, but curiously not joyous. EC was in fine form lyrically. There are moments in songs like "I Almost Had a Weakness", "This Sad Burlesque", "Dear Sweet Filthy World" or "Damnation's Cellar" that lyrically still hold me in awe. The shadings of tone, the multiple voices, the biting sarcasm consistently speaks to me 18 years on. I have always appreciated the fact that he and the Brodsky's made a conscience effort to create multiple voices within these songs, distinct in their pain, hurt and memories. That is quite a feat. I often like it most when EC is able to leave his own persona and write through the eyes and 'history' of another as he does in these letters[ it is the strongest aspic of "National Ransom" for me and I consistently thank PD for bringing that to my attention]. A song that particularly exploits this ability for me is "Damnation's Cellar" with its scabrous depiction of afterlife and its unusual combination of inhabitants[even has an earlier usage of the word 'tallow' presaging its later appearance in "You Hung the Moon"]. Or take the missive "The First to Leave" with its taunting and wounding words from beyond the pale. I have never found these 'letters' mere exercises; they are yet another strong example for me of EC's greatest lyrical strength as a definitive writer about human love and relationships in the late twentieth/early twenty first century.

Melodically the songs also build upon his ample strengths in this regard. Ably assisted by Michael Thomas he developed an ability to express himself in this demanding musical mode, even diligently learning to notate and arrange to four or more 'voices'. I particularly love the melody as found in "Taking My Life in Your Hands", "Who Do You Think You Are" and "I Almost Had a Weakness". The extra gorgeous arrangement of Brian Wilson's "God Only Knows" has always been a 'bonus' for me. What still mars this record for me and keeps me from referring to it as a true success is the quality of his vocals. The music requires him to do too much and it appreciably shows in his straining and pushing to hit notes in whole sections of the pieces. The stridency in the voice can be off putting as one listens. He works best when he is doing the recitatives because then his natural ability to 'act' vocally comes through and he can catch the 'tone' of a character in a given song. It is only in the quieter sections of the material or in quieter songs like "The Birds Will Still Be Singing" that his voice best fits a given song, much like the songs on NR where he tones it down and manages to best fit his vocal to a given song.

I find myself returning to this album with greater frequency as I revisit the EC catalog since my EC card was recharged with the resounding success of NR for me as a listener. It rarely languishes for long in the EC section of my collection. It is not classical music. What it is for me is a strong, viral hybrid of pop and classical that merits repeated listens. It is not a curio; not a 'vanity' piece as well. It is a valid, challenging, engaging work that over eighteen years has grown in musical worth for me. Perhaps more telling for me is that I wish he would return to this musical vernacular more often-"You Hung the Moon" was born here.
"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by jardine »

great post and a great reminder of a great work, c.s. thanks.

it really is wonderful to not treat this or that cd of e.c.'s as some sort of aberrant sideline project or vanity fare. that somebody in today's musical world would try such a thing, let alone succeed so well and fail, in parts, so wonderfully...THIS is why i am a costello fan, and was something i sensed right from mait (even though i could have never imagined what was to come, good and ill): something is going on here with this guy that is worth sticking with.

as posted in another thread lost to memory: a living body of work is a really wonderful thing to be immersed in and, sure, some parts are more viable than others, but it is the whole living body of it that gives me such pleasure and enjoyment.

thanks again for your post!!
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by johnfoyle »

What still mars this record for me and keeps me from referring to it as a true success is the quality of his vocals. The music requires him to do too much and it appreciably shows in his straining and pushing to hit notes in whole sections of the pieces. The stridency in the voice can be off putting as one listens.
A valid point in a excellent piece, thanks Christopher.


The few pieces from TJL that Elvis did as part of his shows with The Quartet in the U.K. in '09 were superior to the 1992 studio performances. Over the years Elvis had clearly developed the vocal technique required. Back in '92 it's possible that his enthusiasm for the doing the pieces , combined with his newly acquired proficiency in musical notation, made him try too hard. In '09 they came across as much more measured and driven, getting better as the the six shows (all of which I saw) progressed.

All the same he did only do the few pieces. They were

For Other Eyes
I Almost Had A Weakness
Romeo's Seance
I Thought I'd Write To Juliet
Jacksons, Monk And Rowe
The Birds Will Still Be Singing


( Deliver Us,Last Post , instrumentals, were both done by The Quartet)

It would be fascinating to hear more mannered performances of , say , Swine ( not done since Meltdown in '01) and This Sad Burlesque( Sydney , '06 , last outing). I remember them as being highlights of the show I saw in Dublin in 1992. Hopefully Elvis will feel up to doing them again soon.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by Jack of All Parades »

Thank you both for taking the time to read and comment. John, I wish I could have attended the '09 shows you saw. I remember being struck at the show I saw in NYC initially in support of the album how ill suited his voice was to much of the material. Given as you say his vocal growth in ensuing years would be fun to hear him revisit this material and hear for myself what time has wrought to his vocal with this material.

I wish, as I said, that he would revisit this type of composition more often. I think his lyric talent is suited to the song cycle. I know he joked recently during his appearance on the Prairie Home Companion radio show last December that his next release would be a version of "Kindertotenlieder", not certain I want to hear his take. But I would welcome a cycle that incorporates lieder say for children. It would be nice to see him come off the 'grid' and put his talent and energy into such a project or any such song cycle as catches his fancy.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Good post Christopher. I wish I had the intellect to fully appreciate your comments.

I agree with John that Elvis was probably trying to hard and was over enthusiastic when TJL first came out. I am not a fan of the album (due to my own ignorance) and rarely play it but I can appreciate it more in live performances with the Brodskys.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by migdd »

I loved TJL when it was first released and played it constantly. Haven't revisited it much in recent years but plan to very soon. Chris, your thoughtful post is spot-on about my feelings towards the album, particularly your comments concerning EC's over-reaching vocals. But you know, it was that stretch that propelled his singing to the next level in the years that ensued. It's great that so many years later, he has alluded to the things he learned while recording TJL (and all the rest since then) and fused those lessons into his latest album. It's a winding road where lessons are learned.


verbal gymnastics wrote:Good post Christopher. I wish I had the intellect to fully appreciate your comments.
Yeah vg, me to . . .errrrr two. . . errrrr. . . :lol:
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by alexv »

christopher, I'm going to put in a dissenting voice on this one. TJL is one of my least favorite EC records. When I was doing the skippable songs exercise on the other thread I went back over the record and found only two or three songs that I bother listening to. Although Birds is such a magnificent song that it's worth the whole damn exercise.

Here's the thing, I have nothing against EC stretching, expanding his musical horizons and all that jazz. As I recall, around this time he had learned to read music, and had been immersed in all things classical. In typically obsessive fashion, I think he ended up following some diva around Italy. This was also the time he fell in musical love with the For the Stars singer. Ever the music fan. So, of course it's time to do a classical album, but with all the expected caveats about this not being a vanity project. What did he call it? "a song sequence for voice etc., but not a rock opera". Of course it turned out to be, like a lot of his forays, a one time affair. He did it; nothing came of it; he never did it again. Brutal Youth followed, naturally. And the classical obsession was replaced by the tin pan alley obsession, in turn quickly replaced by the loud guitar obsession; and the blues obsession; and the Allen Touissant obsession; and bluegrass and...

I remember going to see him do the Letters at Town Hall. Just like in the video, he spent the night holding on to his "book", and preciously singing the songs, as if we were all in a real classical music concert. He was actually in very good vocal form, but the biggest hand was for the Beach Boys cover, which I'm sure he didn't have written down in his lyric book. And Christopher, apropos of your comments on the pain, etc. in the lyrics, time and time again the NYC crowd was in stitches over those same lyrics. Don't get me wrong, it was a great night. I loved the concert. He is a true pro, and kitschy Elvis is still tops, in my book.

All that aside, however, for me the weakness is in the songs. Leaving the great Birds aside (this song is one of my all time Ec favorites, and bookends nicely with Couldn't Call It Unexpected as a great album ender), there are very few melodic songs in the thing. Jackson, Weakness and Who are the only other songs with hooks, that I can hear.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by pophead2k »

I've been a fan of TJL since it first appeared. I was a relatively new fan, having first gotten into Elvis with Spike. I was pretty obsessive at that point and was very unsure what I would be getting into. Of course now we are very used to EC's genre-jumping, but in 1993 this was pretty new territory.

While there are a few songs I don't enjoy for one reason or another, I find myself humming the tunes from this album quite often, particularly the earlier mentioned 'Birds', 'Jacksons Monk and Rowe', 'Weakness', 'Who Do You Think You Are', 'Taking My Life', 'For Other Eyes', and 'The Letter Home'. In short, I find hooks aplenty.

At the time, I was also put off by some of the vocal stretches, but no more so than I was by some of the same in Painted From Memory, another favorite. Still, without TJL, EC certainly would not have had the musical notation chops to sit shoulder to shoulder with Bacharach, Toussaint, etc. or to compose North in the style that it is presented in. It really is the album that made the second part of Elvis' musical journey (and therefore, my own) so entirely possible.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by taramasalata »

Great to open this thread by you, Christopher, in honor and praise of TJL, a record that, in my own EC canon, ranks among his best and moreover, as you pointed out so precisely, is one more proof of his complete dedication to music, with a nearly self-offensive tendency to take no prisoners and just go for it at all risks. Including the risk of maybe not hitting every note perfectly, although as strained as his voice may be on some of the songs, I can hardly hear any real "wrong“ tones in his singing. Even in the wonderful "Taking my life in your hands“ I can easily forgive him the high pitched "if you didn’t disappear with the dawn“-line while falling at his feet when he’s entering the chorus!
I listen to quite a variety of music styles, though in opposite to some of you, I hardy ever listen to classical music , so I had or better could listen to TJL without a critical classical attiude, though I definetely wondered (critically!) in first place, like many others, what the hell made him wanting to record music for voice and string quartet. And that’s what made TJL to me even more astounding: this record stood up for it itself very much, it has as many lyrical, sentimental (in the best sense!) moments as it offers great POP!
I remember listening to it then with doors wide open in my students flat at our university dorm, attending quite a lot of attention from flatmates who not only not knew about EC but hardly listented to „popular mucic“ at all and who really were drawn to TJL a lot! So he may have one more shocked some of his followers still sticking to that „angry young man“-cliché of his first three records, but he’s definitely opened up himself and his listeners to a vast field of more musical variety to come.
For me TJL is a true masterwork and I don’t know of another "pop“ musician who tried anything close to this ......and did suceed!
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by Jack of All Parades »

It is nice to hear of yet another person who enjoys this record, Taramasalata. Like Pophead and Migdd, I concur that TJL paved the way for other disparate musical adventures.

VG and Migdd- I am no intellect. Alexv put it best on another thread re: a post I did on a book I liked- some people are just curious; they are omnivores looking to devour experiences in this world. That is where I would place myself. I want to experience as much as I can in the limited time allotted me in my lifetime. For me that means always challenging myself as to what do I know?[which in reality is very little]. I prattle on about Montaigne but he is very important to me. I try to live by his example in his Essays: How To Live a life which means being insatiably curious about every aspect of the world around oneself. To constantly question and evaluate one's world. I simply like reading, listening, looking, tasting, traveling and thinking. Sometimes I even like to share those experiences. I suspect you both do as well.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by the_platypus »

This is the album that really got me into EC. I love it. As a lifelong cellist used to playing in string quartets, this was a great education-- the arrangements are outstanding.

Nothing "kitschy" about this record. These are all world-class musicians, playing beautiful pieces.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by Poor Deportee »

Christopher, that was a very well thought-out post. I completely share your assessment of the vocals, although I find that even in the heart of that weakness there can be harrowing moments, like dramatic swoop from the almost laughably strained "I" to the stunning "live with my regret" in "Expert Rites" (one of my favourite songs on the album). Vocal stretches aside, the album is tonally gorgeous, never moreso than on "Sad Burlesque."

The songs, the songs...what can you say. Most of them are extremely strong - "Swine" might be the only exception - and several of them qualify as great songs in my book (Birds, Rites, Juliet, Bulesque). The album's given me a fair bit of enjoyment over the years, but the very thing you cite as its cardinal strength - the lyrical concept - might be a second element that stops me from embracing it entirely without reservation. The "letter song" idea is neat, I'll grant you, and they certainly wring every conceivable variation from it with verve. But it's also a kind of straightjacket. Given that the album has a strong sonic unity (no eclectic meandering here) I'd have preferred a little more freedom in the lyrics. Now this response may be musicological ignorance on my part, given my lack of schooling in classical forms. Nevertheless, the album displays what I personally find to be one of the weaknesses of EC's "collaboration" period: the tendency to so thoroughly subsume his own identity under the form in which he's working, that the outcome is almost scholastic in nature, lacking in the qualities that make his best work so distinctive; and also work that is oddly monochromatic, in that you have to be prepared to spend 60 minutes in this one place. I have the same problem with PFM and North (although the latter is not a writing collaboration). And I think this is part of what people mean when they talk about "admiring" much of EC's later output more than liking it.

Related to this is a certain mannered quality that creeps in here and there. Like EC holding the lyric book. That scholastic adherence to propriety and form. On the one hand, I understand it. On the other, it can come off as slightly precious. You know: can one not perform and present classical music honestly, without the piousness - ? Not a big deal, but sometimes, an irritant.

On a more general note, I'm not sure how it is that someone like Nick Lowe can be so formalist in his songwriting and yet have his songs convey such effortless freedom, while EC's attempts to write in this vein so often take on this studied, slightly demanding quality. The difference may be that EC is fundamentally an original and he plays against his strengths when he goes too far in the direction of formalism. To brutally oversimplify, he's like a Lennon who keeps trying to be a McCartney.

In any case, I fear that the tone of this post is a lot more negative than I mean it to be. I'm just trying to explain why I don't seem to enjoy TJL quite to the degree that you do - but I *do* enjoy the album quite a bit. If EC's vocals were fully up to the challenge, then these beefs would likely shrink to minor quibbles about a superb record. Still: combine them with at-times-dubious singing and we're left with an album that doesn't quite resound for me as it does for you. Nonetheless, it's very enjoyable and unique entry in EC's canon.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by Jack of All Parades »

PD-nothing like a post from you to get my synapses firing. I can see your points and do not find them to be quibbles. The lack of 'freedom' in the lyrics could be a concern as you cite. That is if I am reading 'freedom' as I presume you intend- full out verbal dexterity. Yes, there is a restraint in the Juliet lyrics but I suggest that may stem from the fact that he is deliberately constraining himself in order to properly inhabit the other 'voices' that occupy these songs. In that sense, I like that he is subsuming his 'voice' and in turn is giving 'voice' to others. I do not find those voices 'monochromatic'- the stresses, the concerns, the syntax exhibits multiple characters for my ears. I think he still manages to keep his own personality within certain of the lyrics, as well. Just take the oddly populated "Damnation's Cellar", for instance.

I agree with you[and to a lessor extent with Alexv] that there can be a perceived 'mannered quality' to some of the material, particularly if you are viewing the photos in the cd booklet. The holding of the lyric book is obvious but I would also note that the other players are appropriately holding their instruments and this leaves EC with only his lyric book, which represents his instrument, his voice. They are, as well, very stylized photos with their sepia tone and hint of the tomb with binding sheets and scattered dry leaves. I find more irritating the fact that he is consistently hid behind chairs or people in most of the photos as this was the start of corpulent EC[as opposed to corporate EC] and I would much prefer that he not have tried to hide his girth. Could they not have outfitted him in a better fitting suit? The high watered pants in the middle booklet photo are laughable.

Your comment relating to Nick Lowe's seeming ability to thrive in his 'formalist' songwriting efforts with an obvious 'natural freedom' as opposed to EC's attempts which take on a studied and slightly demanding quality losing their 'freedom' is thought provoking. The difference may well be that EC perhaps has never been comfortable in his own skin and Mr. Lowe may be most comfortable. A poster in another thread on the recent Barney Bubbles exhibit in London noted how he ran into Nick and his wife outside the exhibit and that they could not have been nicer and more normal, joking and taking the time to talk with him, a complete stranger. No Freudian, but it has always struck me funny that he continues to perform behind a pseudonym; that he has struggled over the years for a look that he can be comfortable in. It has always been noticeable to me that he has consistently developed a persona in his writings as well. Witness his many guises on his website and the frequent usage of archaisms and effected speech to hide behind[ but hell, I do that as well]. Your metaphor of a Lennon trying to be a McCartney is quite telling. After all was it not Lennon who questioned how his former partner could sleep? I think Nick can sleep at night quite comfortably; EC has trouble doing so. I think Nick just lets it roll; EC struggles with his creativity just as Lennon struggled with his and clearly was uncomfortable in his own skin. Just some thoughts your nice post has stimulated.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by alexv »

PD, that’s a great point about Lowe and EC. I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about EC’s originality as an artist, which is both his strength and weakness. As between the two, I’ve always loved EC’s work way more than Nick’s. It’s tough to explain sometimes what makes a fan, or what generates that connection with an artist. It’s just there.

But I would say that, despite that affection, I would be hard pressed to argue that Nick’s greatest songs are not in fact more accessible than Ec’s. And I would argue that this accessibility is directly attributable to the effortless freedom you mention.

Nick is a natural, like McCartney. I agree with you that, with very rare exceptions, EC’s lyrics have that studied, quirky quality that ultimately limits the power to connect with the general public.

He is an original, and I would argue most definitely not a natural, and that ultimately is what gets the better of him when he strays in places where you really have to be a natural. The musicality that flows from Nick is just not there. Paddy McAloon many years ago made a similar point about Ec, something about him not have the “grace”. I forget the direct quote, and it came across as pretentious at the time, but I’m not sure he was wrong.

What EC had, and has, is a unique talent. I think all of us here know what that is, and if he doesn't have McAloon's easy musicality, he's certainly made the most of what he has. And he hit upon a style to put forth his songs. That is what made those early records so great, and why when all is said and done they will stand as his defining work, no matter how much he’s developed as a musician.

I’m not sure about the Lennon/McCartney comparison. Ec’s work, right from the start had amazing melodies. I think he’s always had a lot of McCartney in him. Never had the voice though.

I think it’s more that EC is a musical obsessive with no sense of boundaries. He has the wherewithal to go where he pleases, and his limitations, more and more substantial as his aim gets bolder, get the best of him.

But back to the EC/Nick comparison. I think Nick’s stuff has always suffered from his laid back approach, even as to delivery. EC has always been able to present his songs aggressively, to generate that anthemic quality. And of course, he works like a dog, and Nick takes a decidedly more leisurely approach to his career. EC works to get the attention and gets it.

Christopher, my comments about the holding up of the book had nothing to do with the cover of the album or his girth. It had to do with what he did at Town Hall and how he carried himself in that concert. Just like when he entered his Tin Pan Alley phase, and at the Radio City concert with BB, he regaled us, after every song, with a recitation on the “original arrangements” of each song.

If Tony Bennett took the time to tell me about the original arrangement I wouldn’t blink an eye. He earned the right to do it. He lived this music.

But, Christopher, although JL is low in my EC totem pole, it has one spectacular song, and a few others that are hummable gems, so my criticism of this effort is always conditioned by the fact that it’s wonderful that, for whatever reason, he went and did this.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by FAVEHOUR »

Enjoying this discussion of one of my top 3 Elvis records. But as to the holding of the folio while singing, the simple answer may be that it gave him something to do with his hands! Without the guitar, EC can be very uncomfortable. If you've ever seen the Tonight Show performance of "Taking My Life...", where he's not holding a book, his hands are so distracting it's hard to watch.

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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by pophead2k »

alexv wrote:PD, that’s a great point about Lowe and EC. I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about EC’s originality as an artist, which is both his strength and weakness. As between the two, I’ve always loved EC’s work way more than Nick’s. It’s tough to explain sometimes what makes a fan, or what generates that connection with an artist. It’s just there.
Beautifully stated. Sometimes you have to work a little bit to get comfortable with EC. I think one of the reasons that people love the early albums so much is that they feel more organic. Once you get into the later 80s and beyond, they feel (with several notable exceptions) slightly labored. That doesn't mean that they are not passionate, heartfelt, or honest. They just sound as if they weren't born as easily. I love all of Elvis' work, but I can hear the difference. Having said that, I prefer it this way. If Elvis was still making TYM or even IB, I would be very bored by now.
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by charliestumpy »

In deedio - although I am always very happy to hear anything new or old EC randomly on FM radio...
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Re: Astonished [Still]!

Post by Ypsilanti »

I don't necessarily have a problem with Elvis' voice on TJL--it is what it is, for that recording--of that specific material--at that time. I give him massive, unending props for making every effort to record the vocals in as "live" a manner as could be devised in the studio. I also don't find the songs hookless or unmelodic. The thing that holds me back a little bit with TJL are the lyrics, which, for me, are a little dense and inaccessible and even confusing. For example, "Jacksons Monk"...Two verses about tracking down far flung siblings (for reading a will?) and then the third is suddenly about divorce proceedings. What? Or do I misunderstand it all together? I have the same problem with several others, including "I Thought I'd Write To Juliet" & "Why".

But of course, the main thing I'd say about The Juliet letters is...Man! That Elvis Costello! Does he have balls, or what? He is one fearless son of a bitch! Again and again he challenges himself in ways that would make other humans cringe. Quibbling about the results makes me feel kind of petty and small because I would never have the guts to push myself in this way. He actually made this record. It's an amazing achievement. Hats off!
alexv wrote:I remember going to see him do the Letters at Town Hall. Just like in the video, he spent the night holding on to his "book", and preciously singing the songs, as if we were all in a real classical music concert. He was actually in very good vocal form, but the biggest hand was for the Beach Boys cover, which I'm sure he didn't have written down in his lyric book. And Christopher, apropos of your comments on the pain, etc. in the lyrics, time and time again the NYC crowd was in stitches over those same lyrics. Don't get me wrong, it was a great night. I loved the concert. He is a true pro, and kitschy Elvis is still tops, in my book.
If there's one concert I most wish I could have seen, it's this one. The tracks from the Town Hall show which appear on the excellent and enjoyable Rhino bonus disk are among my favorites--"More Than Rain", "God Only Knows", "They Didn't Believe Me"--WOW!!! And also a special shout out for the Elvis/Brodskys version of "Lost In The Stars", which closes that wonderful disk.
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