Elvis Costello On Magnetmagazine.com

[magnetmag]

MAGNET Magazine picks the five most overrated and underrated Elvis Costello songs of all time! Check out the list here:

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/05/2 ... -costello/

[JEM]

The author is clearly a moron.

Veronica - yes - belongs on the list.

Alison? Umm... no.

All of Imperial Bedroom? WTF?

[migdd]

That was one of the silliest things I've ever read.

[cwr]

Despite the unforgivable dismissal of IB, TJL and MLAR, I give them credit for saluting "Rocking Horse Road", which truly is one of EC's most underrated songs.

[Neil.]

She's not a moron - she's entitled to her opinion! She's obviously a fan who cares about the great man, so good on 'er! It's meant to generate discussion, like all best-of/worst-of lists.

I feel the same way about Imperial Bedroom - people only call it a masterpiece cos it's his first album with an orchestra on it.

Here's what I wrote ages ago:

"Hi all,

Is it heresy for me to suggest that this [IMPERIAL BEDROOM] album is a tad overpraised? In the recent poll of best Attractions albums, it was up there.

Because it's Elvis's first album to be full of orchestrations, people tend to think of it as a masterpiece (as the advertising at the time also played up) - as a Sergeant Peppery, everything-but-the-kitchen sink production. Goeff Emerick producing, with the Pepper connection, added to the myth.

But stripping the album down to songs, I find that a lot of them are second-rate Costello (although admittedly even second-rate Elvis is most people's career peak).

Beyond Belief, Man Out Of Time, You Little Fool, Long Honeymoon and Town Cryer and Almost Blue are superb, classic songs with masterly playing and amazing production - if I'm making an Elvis compilation for anyone I find it painful to leave any of them off.

But what about the rest of the songs? Some lovely productiony bits, some great instrumental touches, but really, as songs, are they so great? Little Savage, Pidgin English, Kid About It, Tears Before Bedtime, Boy With A Problem, And In Every Home (very clunky singing and arrangement reminiscent of Mike Batt)... all sound quite fragmentary.

The Loved Ones and Human Hands and Shabby Doll are the best of this lesser bunch, but again, they don't quite take off.

I think the reason is the layered production has constrained the singing somehow. Elvis sings at more or less the same pitch, or register, throughout (I'm no muso, so forgive me if I'm wrong on the technical terms!) But he sings in quite a low key, which makes him sound a bit tired and jaded.

Nothing wrong with that - Man Out of Time's weary vocal is perfect for the massive, epic sound it's set in, and Long Honeymoon's lazy vocal is deliberately there as a cynical narrator character looking down with a jaded smirk on the sad obliviousness of the cheated wife - but when ALL the songs are sung like that, it doesn't show Elvis's vocal range off to best effect, and gets a bit samey. He sounds clapped-out by the time "...And In Every Home" rolls around.

Also, though the production is layered and often fascinating, it's a little bit trebly all the way through, with not a lot of oomf in the bass. Perhaps it was deliberate for a shimmering, silvery sound, but a little bit of bottom would've made it just that much better.

I wouldn't introduce Elvis to anyone with this album. Blood & Chocolate would be my choice - strong, amazingly punchy and melodic songs throughout, but not too many to take in at first listen (Get Happy ties as a favourite but it's too much to take in for a new listener, and This Year's Model, my other top three is a classic with the classic Attractions sound, but perhaps just a little limited in style to show off Elvis's variety to a new convert).

God, I'm pompous, spouting my opinions, but I've always felt like a heretic for not totally loving Imperial Bedroom!"


P.S. Here's the original thread: http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... oom#p90230

[JEM]

OK - in the interest of us all just getting along - I take back the moron comment. You're right - no need for name calling - my bad.

However, there is more to this one than just "everyone is entitled to their own opinion". If that were the case it would just be a list of favorite and least favorite tracks. But this purports to be the "Most Overrated" (and underrated - but I'm more concerned with the overrated section. I think we could all name tons of great EC songs that deserve just as much attention as the most popular ones).

Anyway - the thing is - some songs, whether you like them or not, are undeniably great. For example, I'm not particularly fond of "Yesterday" by the Beatles. But I can easily admit that it is a perfect song - structure-wise, melody-wise, lyric-wise, the "hook", etc.. The same is true for "Alison". The fact that the author not only starts the whole list with it, but also fails to see this basic simple fact of song-craft, really makes it hard for me to take anything else she says seriously.

I have trouble with the Imperial Bedroom thing mainly because I don't think that technically it IS overrated. As far as I know, the only people that really called it a masterpiece was the record label on the advertisements for it at the time. I think your analysis of it is actually fairly accurate (although I would disagree on some of the songs you discount - natch). I think if you were to ask the average EC fan (not fanatic) what the top 3 albums were, very few would include Imperial Bedroom. The fact is that there are a few weak moments on there.

Anyway though - you're right. It's sparked discussion and that's cool.

[cwr]

I may be alone in thinking this, but I'm always amazed that Punch The Clock is regarded by many as a weak follow-up to IB. This may be heresy, but I always thought those two albums complimented each other nicely-- they're both "pop" records, and they both augment the Attractions with additional musicians (strings on IB, horns and backing singers on PTC.)

IB maybe has a few more overtly "great" Costello songs, but I'd say that PTC has a few pretty strong pop songs on it ("Mouth Almighty", "The Invisible Man", "King Of Thieves") that I prefer to, say "Tears Before Bedtime" or "And In Every Home."

[MOJO]

Imperial Bedroom is one of my favorite E.C. releases. I had a deep connection with it when I was in college. I used one of the songs in a film editing project I was so hooked on it. It's right up there with King of America. How can anyone not like IB. I'm surprised it receives any kind of negative review or negative press. I guess that's just my opinion. I think it's genius.

[Emotional Toothpaste]

I gotta agree with Neil's assessment of Imperial Bedroom from ages ago. I have much the same opinion. IB is one that I reach for not nearly as much these days. It hasn't aged well, except for the stand out tracks he mentions. Some of it almost starts to sound like a James Bond soundtrack (Roger Moore era), is that grossly unfair?

[Ypsilanti]

I've also had a hard time learning to love Imperial Bedroom, although I admit I only heard the full album for the first time about a year ago.
Before hearing it, of course I knew IB's reputation as a flawless pop masterpiece, and clearly it's loaded with amazing songs--some of them probably among EC's very finest. But for me (so far, anyway), it's an album I'm unable to bond with. A few of the songs I can't warm up to at all--Boy With a Problem, Tears Before Bedtime, Town Cryer (although the Disco version of Town Cryer is both hilarious and genius). I want to love it & I'll keep trying. Maybe it's greatness will suddenly dawn on me. I hope so.
I thought I was the only heretic out there. Glad to know I'm not alone.

[billyboy2674]

I for one worship at all things Imperial Bedroom and snarl at Punching The Clock.