Every Burp You Make
Elvis Costello "Singles, Vols. 1-3" (MSI)
Elvis Costello's catalog has been re-released on CD not once, but twice, and all in double-disc packages that, collectively, dredge up every burp and blue joke he ever committed to tape. This exhaustive three-volume singles collection may sound redundant, but it gets to the essence of Costello's genius more directly than any other anthology. The first half of Costello's career dovetailed with the last great 7-inch vinyl single era, and his signature brand of excitable pop was perfectly suited to the format.
These three collections contain every single he recorded, from his 1977 Stiff debut, "Less Than Zero," to 1987's "A Town Called Big Nothing," which he wrote for Alex Cox's film "Straight to Hell." The singles are re-created as separate CDs in smaller reproductions of the original cover art, and quite a few contain bonus tracks. The collection also contains liner notes that discuss every release in detail. Each volume contains 11 or 12 discs and will set you back 6,000, so you might want to consider which Elvis Era ('77-'79, '80-'83, '84-'87) the person you're buying it for likes best. Hint: You can't go wrong with Vol. 1. (P.B.)