I get a new turntable and dust off some old records. Vinyl Tap #40:

It’s more pub than punk, and pre-Attractions with pre- above-the-fold News. It has plenty of bite without the all-out venom of This Year’s Model, pervasive pop smarts without the richly-layered propelled-pop production of Armed Forces, and is rough-edged without the raw immediacy of Get Happy. And as it hits the 30-year anniversary mark, it makes me feel like a musical Methuselah. But it’s also absolutely brilliant, and Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True remains one of the best debut albums in the history of, um, debut albums.

The mercurial Costello is on full display here. Don’t be fooled by the perverse poignancy of the gorgeous “Alison” - his aim may be true, but it’s subject to interpretation, and besides, “I'm not going to get too sentimental like those other sticky valentines.”

At the other end of the RPM spectrum lie such spittle-in-the-grooves tracks as “Welcome to the Working Week,” “Miracle Man,” and the protests-too-much edge of “I’m Not Angry.” Indeed, with such lines as "I’ve got this camera click, click, clickin’ in my head / I got you talking with your hands, got you smiling with your legs,” the latter scorcher makes a convincing one-song case for this once angry young man’s early claim that his primary songwriting motivations are “revenge and guilt.”

Besides the balladry and bristle are the nihilistic and cynic anti-pep talks “Less Than Zero” and “Waiting For The End Of The World," and such melodic mid-tempo moods for moderns as “Blame It On Cain,” “Sneaky Feelings,” and “Pay It Back.”

But just as memorable are My Aim’s lyrics. An all-time-favorite line from anyone at anytime is the noirish “She’s filing her nails while they’re dragging the lake,” from the reggae-ish “Watching The Detectives.” But other examples of Costello’s wit and wordplay legerdemain include:

I could tell you that I like your sensitivity,
When you know its the way that you walk. (“Miracle Man”)

Now we could sit like lovers, staring in each other's eyes,
But the magic of the moment might become too much for you. (“Sneaky Feelings”)

Oh, I said 'I'm so happy, I could die,'
She said 'drop dead,' then left with another guy.
(["The Angels Wanna Wear My] “Red Shoes”)

Romeo was restless, he was ready to kill,
He jumped out the window 'cause he couldn't sit still.
Juliet was waiting with a safety net,
He said 'don't bury me 'cause I'm not dead yet.' (“Mystery Dance”)