King of America reissue

[spooky girlfriend]

WSS, I don't know. I love Juliet Letters, but came into it years after it was released the first time. Lucky for me that Doc had a copy of it. I would probably buy TJL re-release if it had a lot of extra material. I enjoyed the liner notes from that one as well.

You know, of all the people on this board, there's probably no one who loves KOA any more than I do. I have for so long clung to the 1995 release that I don't know if I can unattach myself from it to go to the reissue.

There has been much discussion on Listserv that if you have that '95 version, that this reissue is not drastically different. I know a lot of people have been lacking a CD copy for a long while and were thrilled about this re-release, but I am kind of attached to this.

Silly, isn't it?

Does anyone think I should buy the re-release anyway?

[noiseradio]

I had heard (and still hope) that JL and possibly Taking Liberties were still possible. I can't imagine what a Taking Liberties reissue would accomplish, but I'd love a Juliet Letters reissue. It would give me a chance to really understand that record, which I've never much liked.

[Who Shot Sam?]

There has been much discussion on Listserv that if you have that '95 version, that this reissue is not drastically different. I know a lot of people have been lacking a CD copy for a long while and were thrilled about this re-release, but I am kind of attached to this.

Silly, isn't it?

Does anyone think I should buy the re-release anyway?

Well for me it's an easy choice. I'm upgrading from the old Columbia CD.

[spooky girlfriend]

Yeah, WSS, that I can understand.

What a great album.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Yep, definitely one of my faves. I was so happy that he performed Our Little Angel and Poisoned Rose in New York.

[normabuel]

Spooky, if you have the Ryko re-release (like I did), you can probably sit this one out. This is my take on the "new" material after one or two listens. It is possible, however, that the stuff may grow on me -- I've been known to change my mind.

The liner notes are the same, with a few augmentations, including two paragraphs of rebuttal to something Bruce Thomas must have written. Elvis, please, just let go.

There are some demos of songs that don't really bring any new light to them (Indoor Fireworks, Poisoned Rose, etc.). There is a very regretful acoustic reading of I Hope You're Happy Now which is by no means better than the "real" version on B&C, but at least it is different.

The covers of End of the Rainbow and True Love Ways are not, to me anyway, really worth the price of a new disc. There is also "Having It All," which in my opinion is an unremarkable piano song.

There are early versions of the Deportee Club (Deportee) and Tramp Down the Dirt (Betrayal). After my first listen or two, my reaction is "Oh, that's interesting." And will probably never listen to them again.

The REALLY good stuff: Suffering Face, King of Confidence, The Coward Brothers' songs, the Confederate concert -- are on the previous re-release.

Maybe wait a few years, he's bound to release this again, with more notes and more songs.

[And No Coffee Table]

Yes, there will be a two-disc reissue of The Juliet Letters, and it is scheduled to come out before the end of the year.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Yes, there will be a two-disc reissue of The Juliet Letters, and it is scheduled to come out before the end of the year.

Thanks. Where do you get this information?

BTW, I really like that slow, reflective demo of "I Hope You're Happy Now", sort of the flipside of the B&C version.

"Suffering Face" is a strange one too. EC talks about it in the liner notes as being an early version of "The Crimes Of Paris", and that is obvious from the lyrics, but melodically it sounds an awful lot like "Worthless Thing" from GCW.

[noiseradio]

Spooky,

Call me old-fashioned, but I like having the songs from the original KOA as one album and the extra tracks on a separate disc. I know that position makes less and less sense in the age of iPod, but I think the new reissue sounds better than ever. But I agree that the picture looks stupid. There's a cure for that: scan the cover of the one you like, print it out and slide it in the case over the Ted Turnerized new picture. Good as new.

[pophead2k]

Just picked up the new one yesterday, and I do think its worth having for non-repeated songs. I'm a big fan of Having It All (it was on the first EC boot I ever got and I have longed for a better recording ever since). I'm also with Noise as an old vinyl fan- I like the album on one disc, the bonuses on another. Tell you what Spooky, what if I just order it for you and send it to you? That way you won't have made a $ investment and you can still groove on the newer stuff. PM Me.

[spooky girlfriend]

It's not a money issue at all, pophead, although you're so sweet to mention the idea at all. It's just that I have sentimental attachments to this particular cd. Doc bought it while we were in the process of getting back together. I used to listen to it when I missed him and we weren't together - even before I was an Elvis fan. I listened to it because it reminded me of him. When I had my Elvis epiphany, the cd became my most treasured of all.

Every time I listen to it, it's an energy booster for me. Doc still has the original KOA on album, which he got Elvis to sign at the Ryman show in March 2004, and that's special to him. The '95 release is special to me. It's really silly, but I just didn't know if I wanted to replace something that was so special to me for emotional reasons.

[pophead2k]

Its not silly at all Spooky! No need to justify emotional attachments- I think its awesome that KOA, in whatever form, means so much to you! It has only deepened a lot of other people's apprectiation for this album.

[strangerinthehouse]

Spooky

You can always buy the rhino reissue and keep the 1995 version. I had the same problem with my copy of brutal youth, even though that bonus disc was lacking so much, i ended up with both on my cd tower.

[VonOfterdingen]

Spooky, I got the latest reissue of KOA together with the Almost Blue bonus-disc.
I must say that all though KOA is my favorite the bonus expansion treament of AM is much better than the one of KOA. I still think it's worth buying because of the acoustic "I hope you are happy now" - "having it all" is also nice.

[spooky girlfriend]

You guys are all so great to give me your advice. I suppose I will end up purchasing it eventually. I don't know how often I will play it, but being an Elvis fan I guess I will see what it holds.

I never knew I could feel this way about a cd. . . . . . .

[wardo68]

Spooky: I bought all the Columbia CDs, and all the Ryko CDs, and now all the Rhino CDs thus far. While the main rack holds the Rhino versions (as well as Taking Liberties and Out Of Our Idiot and Girls Girls Girls in their chronological spots) I haven't gotten rid of the earlier ones. I hold onto lots of CDs (and records, and tapes) that some may consider redundant, for sentimental reasons, so there's no reason why you should ever replace your KOA.

[laughingcrow]

The most dissapointing reissue....which is a bit of a shame seeing as it's one of the best albums...I have no idea what's going on with the new 'transvestite-look' artwork, but the photos inside are pretty good. Liner notes are more insightful than the '95 CD...but the new songs add nowt. I'd rather they left off the Confederates tracks and had the Wendy James demos as I thought was going to be on here.
Betrayal is quite interesting, and the End Of The Rainbow is a bit clearer than when it appears on bootleg.
Madness...at least the Memphis DVD makes up for it!

[Otis Westinghouse]

I'd rather they left off the Confederates tracks and had the Wendy James demos as I thought was going to be on here.

That would be several years out of kilter chronologically. More suitable on the Juliet Letters reissue!

[sweetest punch]

The most dissapointing reissue....which is a bit of a shame seeing as it's one of the best albums.. ...but the new songs add nowt. I'd rather they left off the Confederates tracks and had the Wendy James demos as I thought was going to be on here.
Betrayal is quite interesting, and the End Of The Rainbow is a bit clearer than when it appears on bootleg.
Madness...at least the Memphis DVD makes up for it!

I think this reissue is more aimed at the less obsessed music fan. And a bonusdisc with only solo demo's (and a few group outtakes) - as heard on the bootleg King Of Americana - would become a bit boring.
But I did hope that he would replace the existing Confederates live tracks by other Confederates live tracks. Or are we gonna get those in a next reissue programme??

[invisible Pole]

This is from Pitchforkmedia :

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-re ... rica.shtml

Elvis Costello
King of America
[Columbia; 1986; r: Rhino; 2005]
Rating: 8.7

Back in the midst of the Thatcher era, it must have been startling to see Elvis Costello staring back from the 12-inch-by-12-inch black-and-white LP cover of King of America, looking much older than the young rabble-rouser on the cover of 1983's Punch the Clock. Instead of the enormous Buddy Holly specs that had been his trademark for years, he continues to sport a pair of understated wire-rimmed spectacles that-- along with that facial hair-- lend his visage a grave, almost academic air. Bedecked with an ornate crown and an embroidered jacket, he hides his recognizable features behind a bushy beard, and his weary eyes manage a wary look.

More surprises awaited eager listeners: On the spine, the artist was listed not as Elvis Costello and the Attractions, but, more puzzlingly, as the Costello Show. Similarly, the songs were credited to Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus, the acoustic guitar parts to The Little Hands of Concrete. In fact, the name Elvis Costello was barely mentioned in the packaging at all, as if MacManus needed a vacation from his alter ego.

These oddities heralded an even more dramatic change within the vinyl grooves. King of America was MacManus's first album without the Attractions since his debut (they appear on only one track, "Suit of Lights"). Instead, through co-producer T-Bone Burnett, he had corralled a strong roster of impressively pedigreed studio musicians (he calls them "my jazz and R&B heroes" in the new liner notes) that includes Jim Keltner, Mitchell Froom, and Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, as well as Ron Tutt, Jerry Scheff, and James Burton from Elvis Presley's T.C.B. band. They lent the songs a professional albeit occasionally slick feel and helped MacManus realize his country and R&B ambitions.

What wasn't different, however, was the barbed wit and acid humor that infuse songs like "Glitter Gulch", "Jack of All Parades", and "Brilliant Mistake". Costello's career to this date is often idealized as perfectly angry-- Costello the scourge-- but it contains a very human number of mistakes and miscalculations committed, on his own admission, by a very confident artist and a very confused man. The 31-year-old singer's anger and outrage had been diluted with disappointment and experience: the band was in turmoil and on the verge of breaking up (and would after one more album); MacManus's marriage had recently ended; he had been playing innumerable live shows to counter legal woes; his previous album, GoodBye Cruel World, had been a flop (he refers to it as his worst).

The result of all this angst is a complex and conflicted album that, despite all the spit and polish, sounds lively and raucous. Intense romantic embitterment informs the wordplay of "Lovable", the willful caution in "Poisoned Rose", and the extended metaphor of "Indoor Fireworks", which is all the more devastating for MacManus's straight-faced delivery. Likewise, the idea of America-- his adopted homeland, if only temporarily-- simultaneously repulses and attracts him. On the powerful "American Without Tears", he compares his own loneliness and alienation with that of two World War II G.I. brides, as Jo-El Sonnier's accordion plays over the chorus.

Not knowing exactly what to do with such a bristly, ruminative album, Columbia Records unenthusiastically released the cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" as the first single, then promptly forgot about King of America, as did most listeners. A proper (and final) Elvis Costello and the Attractions album, Blood & Chocolate, was released before the year was out (on which Costello credited himself as Napoleon Dynamite). Rykodisc unearthed King of America almost a decade later, and Rhino is reviving it two decades later as the final installment in its ambitious and generous reissue project. While many of the 21 bonus tracks-- including the A- and B-sides of "The People's Limousine" / "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" by the Coward Brothers, Costello's side project with Nick Lowe-- were included on the Rykodisc version, the real finds on this edition are the seven live tracks from one of MacManus's few shows with the King of America band. They fare respectably on the album track "The Big Light", but the band, especially guitarist Burton, blaze through covers by Waylon Jennings, Mose Allison, and Buddy Holly.

King of America may not have sounded like anything else Costello had done before, but it bears a striking, even disheartening, semblance to almost everything he's done since. In the ensuing years he has worked hard to excerpt himself from the British punk movement and to indulge his obsession with prepunk styles like classical (The Juliet Letters, Il Sogno), cocktail-lounge jazz (North), country (The Delivery Man), and Brill Building pop (Painted From Memory). This musical restlessness-- along with almost everything the middle-aged Costello has been criticized for, such as his practiced delivery, his overly calculated songwriting, and his obsession with backing musicians and collaborators-- has roots in King of America, his first and finest assertion that he has a life apart from the Attractions. For many who were initially baffled by that cover image of MacManus, this album is the beginning of a long downfall; for others, it's merely Act II in a very long, very prolific career that is unusual for having so much buried treasure.

-Stephen M. Deusner, May 9, 2005

[Fishfinger king]

"Costello's side project with Nick Lowe" ......bah, humbug.
Why do people who don't really know or care write about these things!!!
I'm addicted so I'll just buy whatever is available.
Betrayal, Having it all, End of the Rainbow are all worth having as official releases. Wish there wasn't so much repetition from previous releases, but hell...what can you do?

[stormwarning]

There's always something that can be done.

1. Copy the bonus CD
2. Calculate the percentage of songs that you have already paid for.
3. Estimate the production costs incurred for fully produced out-takes and for home demos
4. Send a cheque for the remainder to the record company

or

1. Buy the 2-CD version of one of the re-releases
2. Use the same calculations above to calculate how much you have actually been overcharged
3. Use that as a credit for copying future re-releases

or

1. Wait for iTunes to release the bonus tracks and simply buy the ones you don't already have.

I do believe that artists should be paid for their work, and I do believe that record companies should be allowed to take their percentage, but I think it borders on fraudulent to re-re-release CD's in the way EC has been doing.

If I was ever taken to court for (for example) illegally downloading an EC track such as You Stole My Bell (which as a resident of Japan I cannot download legally) I think the Record Company or EC himself would not want to take me to court because it would be their reputation that would be tarnished, not mine.

I'm not recommending that we all copy or download illegally and ignore the artists or record companies rights, but I am saying that we should not be forced into paying for the same old recordings twice.

[mood swung]

Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood ---- what is that thing making the chain saw/weedeater sounds when Elvis sings the 'oh lord' part?

[King Hoarse]

I think that's snare roll rimshots with brushes.

It just arrived in my mailbox today, and I must say I like it more than I thought I would. The acoustic demos are great, and made me wish for the whole bonus disc to be like that, and a third disc with live/band versions. Still, it's very nice as is, and I think I like the sound better this time around too. It's less tinny than the last remastering.

Right, I feel a ranking coming on.

[johnfoyle]

Uncut , June 2005

The Costello Show
Featuring Elvis
Costello
KING OFAMERICA



Declan’s 1986 slice of vintage Americana balloons to 36 tracks

By the mid-’80s, with sub-par efforts like Goodbye Cruel World, Elvis Costello’s illustrious run with the Attractions neared its end. It was time to jettison the insularity that marked his early years, and a partnership with T-Bone Burnett, supreme alchemist of American roots music, was just the ticket.

Through low-key tours (as The Coward Brothers), Costello began the task of stripping the superfluous from his sound (a hillbilly cover of Hank Williams’ “They’ll Never Take Her Love From Me” is prescient). Meanwhile they assembled The Confederates, an ad hoc group featuring Elvis Presley’s backing band and guitar legend James Burton, casting Costello’s songs of recrimination into the kind of earthy, authentically American milieu first attempted with 1981’s Almost Blue.

The lyrical directness of the material — eight cuts of which appear here as austere solo demos — and the band’s versatility synthesized Costello folk, country and R&B impulses.

Significantly, the songwriting mirrors The Band’s eponymous album and the Stones’ Beggars Banquet, grappling with America’s bewildering contradictions. While the graceful balladry of “Indoor Fireworks” and “I’ll Wear It Proudly” signal Costello’s new-found insight into romantic complexity, and the stately “Poisoned Rose” toys with the vernacular of the great American songbook, “Brilliant Mistake” and “American Without Tears” form the album’s true epicentre. The former, a mixture of repulsion and disbelief, zeroes in on America’s discomfiting duality. The latter gliding on Jo-El Sonnier’s accordion, is perfection, brilliantly interweaving historical recollection and personal narrative—as Costello says, “exile and escape “— into its immortal tale.

LUKE TORN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Record Collector , June 2005

ELVIS COSTELLO
King Of America

Edsel MANUS 111 (58:02) (76:54)

Long awaited deluxe double-disc of a mid-period masterpiece.

After seven years of constant touring and knocking out at least one album every 12 months, relations between Costello and his Attractions were on the verge of collapse by the tail-end of 1984. Total creative burnout would not have been a surprise.

Decamping to Los Angeles with new buddy T-Bone Burnett, Elvis emerged reenergised in early ‘86 with what many fans still regard as his best work. King Of America employed various A-list sessioneers, dubbed The Confederates, who allowed Costello to tailor his sound to the individual requirements of each song, while creating an overall vibe of rootsy Americana. The Attractions, as a contained working unit, featured on just one track. contained working unit, featured on just one track.

It also signalled a shift in EC’s lyrics, the dense wordplay and ambiguity of old giving way to a stark directness in the defiant love of I’ll Wear It Proudly (occasionally covered by Radiohead in concert), the torch Jazz of Poisoned Rose, or the ex-pat odyssey American Without Tears.

Saleswise, it was his first release since the debut My Aim Is True to fall short of the UK Top 1.0, but it was plainly a significant turning point towards the musical daring of todays Costello, a bold leap off the frantic career treadmill that came so close to destroying him.

Half of the bonus disc’s 20 songs were on initial copies of a mid’90s reissue, and they’re supplemented here by several of EC’s original acoustic demos plus three especially notable tracks. The grandiose ballad Having It All was written for Patsy Kensit to sing in Absolute Beginners, but the movie’s producers ultimately plumped for a more basic — read less vocally taxing — ditty of the same title written by Kensit herself; Betrayal is an upbeat anti-Thatcher tirade which evolved into the more sombre Tramp The Dirt Down on 1989’s Spike; and there’s a hitherto unheard solo rendition of Richard Thompson’s End Of The Rainbow that Elvis later re-recorded for a heroin-themed charity album.
As this is the most eagerly anticipated item in Demon’s lengthy reissue campaign, leaving it to (almost) last has somehow made its arrival an even bigger cause for celebration.

Terry Staunton