2008 Woodie Awards
Elvis Costello's Unknown American Masterpiece
The songwriter released the best album of his career under less than ideal circumstances
Trever Owens
Issue date: 9/27/06 Section: Entertainment
"King of America" is Elvis Costello's most honest, haunting, and melodic album. Though it features the best songwriting of Costello's career, the music-buying public of 1986 seemed to be either ignorant, or beyond caring.
Album sales were terrible, and Costello's most
beautiful work went mostly unnoticed. This is a
travesty; not so much for Costello, who has plenty of money and recognition stemming from the rest of his career, but for you the unaware music listener. You have probably never been exposed to one of the greatest homages to American music ever created.
Costello had followed one of his most commercially and sonically successful albums, "Punch the Clock," with his dreariest, 1984's "Goodbye Cruel World." "Punch the Clock" featured Costello's radio hit, "Everyday I Write the Book," but the latter album featured the dour and relatively unsuccessful cover of "I Wanna Be Loved."
Costello was in the midst of a new love, a long, painful divorce, and the imminent break-up of his band, The Attractions. Costello turned to producer and songwriter T-Bone Burnett for help.
Burnett is now famous for producing great roots music and soundtracks ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?"). He toured with Costello for a few shows, and in the winter of 1986, recording sessions for a new album began. Burnett enlisted some former members of Elvis Presley's band, James Burton on guitar, and Jerry Scheff on stand-up bass, to play in the sessions. The resulting sound is incredible.
"King of America" begins with the bouncing bass line and driving rhythm of "Brilliant Mistake." It contrasts dense lyrics with immediately delectable accordion and guitar fills. The song ranks among Costello's most accessible and radio-friendly tunes, though it was never released as a single.
"Lovable," the second track, is a shameless
rock 'n' roll number that benefits from Costello's all-star collaborators. They might get lost at first behind the melody and beat, but the lyrics are spectacular.
Album sales were terrible, and Costello's most
beautiful work went mostly unnoticed. This is a
travesty; not so much for Costello, who has plenty of money and recognition stemming from the rest of his career, but for you the unaware music listener. You have probably never been exposed to one of the greatest homages to American music ever created.
Costello had followed one of his most commercially and sonically successful albums, "Punch the Clock," with his dreariest, 1984's "Goodbye Cruel World." "Punch the Clock" featured Costello's radio hit, "Everyday I Write the Book," but the latter album featured the dour and relatively unsuccessful cover of "I Wanna Be Loved."
Costello was in the midst of a new love, a long, painful divorce, and the imminent break-up of his band, The Attractions. Costello turned to producer and songwriter T-Bone Burnett for help.
Burnett is now famous for producing great roots music and soundtracks ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?"). He toured with Costello for a few shows, and in the winter of 1986, recording sessions for a new album began. Burnett enlisted some former members of Elvis Presley's band, James Burton on guitar, and Jerry Scheff on stand-up bass, to play in the sessions. The resulting sound is incredible.
"King of America" begins with the bouncing bass line and driving rhythm of "Brilliant Mistake." It contrasts dense lyrics with immediately delectable accordion and guitar fills. The song ranks among Costello's most accessible and radio-friendly tunes, though it was never released as a single.
"Lovable," the second track, is a shameless
rock 'n' roll number that benefits from Costello's all-star collaborators. They might get lost at first behind the melody and beat, but the lyrics are spectacular.
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