Blogcritics: Comments on A Look at Elvis (Costello)

Comment by Eric Olsen

Mon, 3 Mar 2003 18:35:46 EST

I knew I'd hear from Al - I didn't say there's nothing good after the first three, just that they are his best. Certainly his "catchiness" became much less consistent after those, and I like catchiness most of all. I don't care if he's angry and all of that, I just want the great pop-rock songwriting - ick to the standards approach. People can rock at any age.

Comment by Tom

Mon, 3 Mar 2003 18:10:07 EST

I'm going to agree on the disagreeing here: Elvis may not quite be the "angry young man" he was in 77, but damn, he's certainly kept following whatever muse he feels like. Even his worst lows (ahem, Goodbye Cruel World) have good things on them. But there are things like Blood And Chocolate, King Of America, Brutal Youth, and even All This Useless Beauty that prove the man still has something unique and meaningful to say. Hell, I even enjoy Painted From Memory and Mighty Like A Rose because they are so different. Any artist who can so willingly jump from one style to another like that so confidently has my attention, at the very least. That he pulls it off so often is truly astounding - and that's why he's up there as one of my very favorite artists.

Comment by Al Barger

Mon, 3 Mar 2003 17:55:39 EST

Frankly, Costello hasn't come close to the glory of those first three albums ever since Oh, Eric you are SO wrong. He has perhaps mostly not been as consistently pursuing specifically loud rock and roll beat music since the first five or so albums, but that's something different. The King of America album rates high on the Elvis list. Many days I would pick Imperial Bedroom as his best album. All votes for Spike [his biggest American hit], however, will be counted, and The Juliet Letters album with the Brodsky Quartet runs right up there. In short, Elvis has released many great albums in an ever changing yet somehow consistent kaleidoscope of styles. You might personally be more attuned to the more narrowly defined "rock and roll" stylings more prominent in his early work, but that doesn't mark his other work as being in any way inferior. Having seen him live several times, I will report that his most recent show was his best. Particularly, his vocal performances have absolutely gotten better with age. He was an outstanding singer in the '70s, but today he can hold his own with any singer on the planet. Clearly he has chosen the right path in his career, trying new things. He's made This Year's Model already, so there is no need for him to keep making the same record again and again. Frankly, he'd look pretty stupid in his late 40s still playing the "angry young man" of the punk rock era. PS Lots o' Elvis at www.morethings.com/music/costello