Sept 5 release of The Right Spectacle?

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 10:08 am

http://twtmw.blogspot.com/2005/12/wow.html

Monday, December 19, 2005

Wow. I am the worst blogger ever, seriously. I'm sorry. I blame finals, which are now done. I am now officially done with this quarter. Off to the next.

So today to celebrate I watched the recent Elvis Costello videos collection. I believe it's called The Right Spectacle. I love music video collections. I buy them whenever I can, particularly if I haven't seen most of the videos, which was true with this one.

I love Elvis Costello a whole insane lot. The videos are awesome, particularly the early-80's one. The thing about Elvis Costello videos is that he is into it. You wouldn't expect that of him, but he's throwing himself into the acting and whatever they're doing in the video. It's pretty fantastic. He's more into it than any member of Duran Duran, even Simon. The effects are often cheesy and the filming is odd, but they're very enjoyable. Elvis dances. It's great.

I love Elvis Costello for obvious reasons. He is a great songwriter. He is a great singer. He is incredibly creative, fascinating as a person, and there is not enough space on the blog for me to post all my favorite Elvis Costello songs.

I also highly recommend the Elvis Costello remasters that Rhino did. Is there anything Rhino can't do? These ones are particularly fantastic because they sound great and they have an extra disc of bonuses and they cost the same as they would be without the extras. A particular favorite from the remasters is this version of "Man Out Of Time", the original version according to the awesome written-by-Costello liner notes. This is the rough version, the version that the screaming intro and outro in the album version is from. Pretty neat, huh?

posted by Louis Quatorze at 11:18 PM

scielle · Post by **scielle** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 11:18 pm

Down Beat. Chicago: Jan 2006. Vol. 73, Iss. 1; pg. 74, 1 pgs

Hadley reviews Elvis Costello: The Right Spectacle.

Elvis Costello: The Right Spectacle (Rhino/Demon Vision 970409) ***½ Twenty-seven videos by the other Elvis, starting with punk-spirited "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" in 1978 and continuing in chronological fashion on to "13 Steps Lead Down" in 1994, have an appeal that comes partly from his dry, witty commentary, partly from the arty or no-frills film images and partly from the appealing sound of his retro-pop music. Costello's earlier videos are vodka-drenched goofy, and most of the later ones have a serious ("Veronica" concerns his Alzheimer's-stricken grandmother) or damned peculiar ("I Wanna Be Loved") slant. Sixty-eight minutes of rare footage of TV, club and festival appearances, between 1977 and '83, give a good accounting of the prickly intensity that informed his melodic, slamming music.

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:19 am

Warners sneaked 'The Right Spectacle' DVD out here (Australia) on January 30, apparently judging that a stealth approach would be the most effective in generating sales. This would be in line with the whole "let's release it about 3 months after the reviews appeared in the papers" line of reasoning that you'd expect from the tricky bunch of garçons that buried his last few albums for Warners here and elsewhere. However, my local retailer (JB Hi-FI) is trying to thwart this by prominently displaying the DVD. Hell, they're even prominently displaying MFBB! If you were hoping for the PAL version of the DVD to be released, then you are SOL. What Warners have released here is the NTSC version (natch, seeing as how we're on the PAL system and all) so if you bought the US version on import then you don't need to rush out and get what will just be the same thing (if perhaps a tad cheaper).

In related news, "My Flame Burns Blue" has failed to trouble the pointy end of the album charts here (and don't scoff, "Painted From Memory" made it to #22 and TDM was in the Top 30). For some reason only the Top 50 is published here, although I know that they do track the Top 200, but how one obtains the lower chart placings (other than entering into some kind of Faustian bargain) is unclear to me. I was hoping to delay the Faustian bargaining with the music industry until I was negotiating a record contract, but as I move into the autumn years of my late youth I'm starting to regard that prospect as a tad remote.

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 5:57 pm

Well wouldn't you just know it!! Just yesterday I placed an order for that very DVD at a US online store (DeepDiscountDVD). I even did a quick search of Australia's biggest online store (EzyDVD) just in case, as you said, it had slipped in under the radar, but they didn't have it listed. It is interesting that Warners seem to release a lot of DVDs here in NTSC (Never Twice the Same Colour) format... perhaps they were concerned about the effects of PAL speed up on a music release?

Please don't tell me that it is costing less that $21.50 (as that is approximately what I paid at DeepDiscountDVD in the US, including shipping).

Also, on the subject of "My Flame Burns Blue"... is it possible that it may make an appearance in the classical charts rather than the regular top albums chart? After all, this is a Deutsche Gramafone (sp?) release.

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:21 pm

No, the retail price is $31.95 Tim(e) but I've seen it for as low as $27.95

I find that EzyDVD are crap when it comes to music DVDs. You'll see that Sanity and HMV have it available online. And Red Eye too. Sanity and Red Eye are at lower end of the price spectrum. Looking at what is available on music DVD at shops like JB Hi-Fi and Borders, I would estimate that EzyDVD only carry about 5% of the available music titles. I know they're good for other stuff, but give them a wide berth for music.

As for the PAL and NTSC issue, the DVD was originally released in England as PAL, so if anything I would be thinking that the NTSC version would be the one with the problems... I did email DemonVision, who issued the DVD in England, back in September with some questions, but they evidently have learned some PR tricks from Warners because they didn't bother responding to my email (I was mainly enquiring as to when it might be released outside of the UK). I subsequently described DemonVision in somewhat harsh terms on the Costello-L list, which I won't repeat here.

It's tricky - I expect that all EC's early videos were shot on film - but all the stuff on the DVD looks like it's lifted off video masters. However, other than "The Only Flame in Town", all of EC's later videos were shot in the UK, Australia or France ("The Other Side of Summer"). So the source material wouldn't be NTSC.

Maybe it's a moot point now with digital conversion - certainly the songs play back at the correct speed. The visual quality of the videos is OK, but they haven't attempted any "restoration". The DVD is well worth getting just for the bonus live stuff.

Your point about MFBB appearing on the classical chart is a good one. Unfortunately ARIA don't seem to publish a classical chart. It's certainly not on their website. Correct me if I'm wrong and it's available elsewhere. I'm going to send an email to Aria and ask them about both getting hold of the actual top 100 and also whether there is a classical chart. I know they will provide historical chart data for a fee, so it might even worth getting them to provide the figures for all EC albums in Australia.

wardo68 · Post by **wardo68** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:04 pm

Tim(e) wrote:on the subject of "My Flame Burns Blue"... is it possible that it may make an appearance in the classical charts rather than the regular top albums chart? After all, this is a Deutsche Gramafone (sp?) release.

North was also a DG release; I don't think that placed on the classical charts, so I doubt MFBB will.

Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux · Wed Feb 08, 2006 7:30 pm

wardo68 wrote:
Tim(e) wrote:on the subject of "My Flame Burns Blue"... is it possible that it may make an appearance in the classical charts rather than the regular top albums chart? After all, this is a Deutsche Gramafone (sp?) release.
North was also a DG release; I don't think that placed on the classical charts, so I doubt MFBB will.

Didn't North reach #1 on some chart, some where? Perhaps jazz?

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:02 am

Yes North was #1 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart .
That must be true! Its says so in my EC bio:

http://www.elviscostello.info/biography.php

If any EC classical release was to have charted it would have to be "The Juliet Letters" which actually made the regular UK Top 20! I can only imagine that there was no classical chart back then because it surely would have topped it. Juliet Letters has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide which by classical standards is huge.

I think MFBB will get included in the jazz charts

Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux · Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:34 am

thepopeofpop wrote:Yes North was #1 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart .
That must be true! Its says so in my EC bio:

http://www.elviscostello.info/biography.php

If any EC classical release was to have charted it would have to be "The Juliet Letters" which actually made the regular UK Top 20! I can only imagine that there was no classical chart back then because it surely would have topped it. Juliet Letters has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide which by classical standards is huge.

I think MFBB will get included in the jazz charts

Does MFBB even qualify as classical? Ok, I know it has all the trappings of classical (orchestra, yada yada yada). But, if you exclude the Il Sogno part of it, it smacks much more of jazz than classical - at least to my ears. Clazz maybe? Jassical? Not sure what to call the damned thing, but I like it nonetheless.

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:08 am

Just to stray even further off topic, I've discovered "Il Sogno" was #1 on the US Billboard Contemporary Classical chart ... for 14 weeks!

Also EC was wrong when he said he'd never had a #1 before North. Both Veronica and The Other Side of Summer were both #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.

funstan · Post by **funstan** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:26 am

Has anyone found the damn easter egg on this dvd yet? If so please post or link.

sweetest punch · Post by **sweetest punch** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:48 am

funstan wrote:Has anyone found the damn easter egg on this dvd yet? If so please post or link.

The easter egg is an alternate video of The Only Flame In Town. You can find it this way:
1. Select the video of The Only Flame In Town
2. Don't press 'Play' or 'Enter', but press the 'Up' button.
3. There will appear a pair of glasses on the screen.
4. Then press 'Enter' or 'Play'.

(Let us know if you can't find it).

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:03 am

Oh - and be prepared funstan. It's gruesome and not for the faint hearted

thepopeofpop · Post by **thepopeofpop** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:40 am

verbal gymnastics wrote:Oh - and be prepared funstan. It's gruesome and not for the faint hearted

No more so than Let Them All Talk!!

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 10:00 am

Close call!

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 6:42 pm

http://harpmagazine.com/reviews/movie_r ... le_id=4099
Harp

First printed in DVDs, March/April 2006

Elvis Costello
The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello - The Videos 167 minutes Rhino

In the music video world, everybody has to start somewhere, even if it's in a white room lip-syncing to your early stuff. That's where this collection of promo videos starts off: showing Costello and his band in just that situation, doing "Pump It Up," "Radio Radio," "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding." (The idea, says Costello in his commentary, was to "fill the band with vodka and let them loose in a white room.") As the chronological collection plays on, the visuals get richer. "Accidents Will Happen" was rendered in a Patrick Nagel meets A-ha animation, "High Fidelity" is staged outside of a French villa (again drunk, this time on Beaujolais Nouveau), "Everyday I Write the Book" juxtaposes old black-and-white movies with Royal Family look-alikes, "Sulky Girl" looks like a cross between film noir, Hollywood and Terry Gilliam. The progression gives the collection a semi-narrative feel, thus it plays like a movie and is enjoyable in one sitting.

Notable special features: TV archive selections from 1977-83 include performances from the UK, Netherlands and Sweden--and run 68 minut
—Randy Harward

First printed in DVDs, March/April 2006

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 7:47 am

Hee hee...I just got this off Netflix (on my queue since before I went to Argentina) and spent a highly enjoyable hour with it. Loving the drunken shenanigans. Oddly enough, I think my favorite would have to be the video for "I Wanna Be Loved" (poor guy looks so flat-out miserable), which is probably my least favorite song included.

sweetest punch · Post by **sweetest punch** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 12:45 pm

http://www.reelinintheyears.com/dvd_releases/

RITY (Reeling In The Years) contributed ten songs to this long-awaited Costello compilation. From the Netherlands program Countdown are 1979 performances of "Watching The Detectives", "You Belong To Me", "Oliverâ€™s Army" and "Accidents Will Happen". We went back to the vaults to find the original source tapes (before the graphics and subtitles had been added) to make these performances even richer. From the British program Revolver are 1978 versions of "This Yearâ€™s Girl" and "Radio Radio", while from the Swedish program Mandagsborsen are 1983 renditions of "Big Sisterâ€™s Clothes" and "Peace In Our Time". Lastly, from Hollandâ€™s 1979 Pinkpop Festival come "Lipstick Vogue" and "Watching The Detectives". For these last two performances we synced up the two track audio masters from the radio library with the pristine three-camera video creating a great true-stereo viewing experience. The DVD also includes commentary by Elvis himself and will occupy a hallowed place in any Costello fanâ€™s collection. RITY was honored to provide the lionâ€™s share of the clips for this great release.

So, the audio tape from this Pinkpop gig is still existing...

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 4:14 am

Picked this up earlier this week. Wasn't aware that EC and the band had embarrassed themselves so often in so many early videos, mainly the slapstick GH ones. I'm starting to wonder if they explain a lot of EC's dismissive attitude towards their past. Fun to watch though. Some cool moves by EC at the end of High Fidelity. Love the brief shot of them being towed in the car they appear in in Possession. The Trust song videos I'm watching now seem more professional thankfully.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:53 pm

http://www.photobooth.net/music/musicvi ... cvideoID=7

I Wanna Be Loved

Elvis Costello & the Attractions Goodbye Cruel World (1984)

Directed by Evan English and the Rich Kids, UK

With the long-awaited 2005 release of his video compilation DVD "The Right Spectacle," Elvis Costello fans and photobooth fans around the world rejoice, for it's the first chance we've had to see this oft-mentioned video, filmed in a photobooth in Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia. Thanks to the excellent artist commentary track, we'll let Elvis himself describe the video.

"This video was directed by Evan English and his partners, the Rich Kids, and it was shot in Melbourne, Australia. It's probably my favorite video that we've ever made, only because he thought of something original to do to complement the song. This song was an an obscure Hi Records title, by a group called the Teacher's Edition. Although the arrangement is a little Vogue-ish, 1984 style, this video gives a lot of feeling to it. It wasn't the happiest time of my life...

"Evan set it up that I was supposed to be in this photo booth. He also insisted that I stay up the night before the video... What you see now isn't actually acting, it's genuine emotion, for what it's worth; maybe that's ridiculous to the viewer, but it's the truth, nonetheless.

"What made the video unsettling to do what that Evan didn't tell me who or how many people would be coming in to kiss me on the cheek, blow in my ear, stick their tongue in my ear, or whatever it is they do."

And the video is just that: Elvis, sitting in a photobooth, looking directly into the camera, half-singing, half-talking along to the song, as dozens of people come into the frame, kissing him, hugging him, whispering into his ear. Whenever someone pokes a head in, the video goes from black and white to color. The flash goes off intermittently throughout the four minutes. At the very end, the video cuts to outside the photobooth, and Elvis picks up a few photostrips from slot, looks at them, and walks out of the busy train station.

Contributed by Brian

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:49 pm

All these recent posts on youtube are surely from this dvd collection -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTs-ZtWpIUo

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Countdown 1979 (Netherlands) (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjoA0Sl11zo

Elvis Costello and the Attractions Mandagsboren (Sweden) 1983 (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLr0_P3sn4

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Revolver 1978 (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSQkLmaNwvg

Elvis Costello and the Attractions The Tube 1983 (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNfwZWS_bgQ

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - So It Goes 1977 (Video)

Elvis Costello Fan Forum

Sept 5 release of The Right Spectacle?

Re: Sept 5 release of The Right Spectacle?