CostelloNews.com

The Guardian (London) reports -

Excerpt - Ronan McManus was a year old when his half-brother
Declan - also known as Elvis Costello - released his
first album. Ronan grew up thinking of the distant
"Dec" as just another punk flailer, albeit one who
turned up to collect Christmas and birthday presents
("Dec likes getting presents; he's quite childish that
way"). Now, Ronan and his three siblings, who record
with their friend David Bowles under the name
Riverway, are discreetly refusing to mine the Costello
connection in the run-up to their own debut single,
Don't Start Me Off (released on April 12 on Kapow).

"I grew up seeing him on TV, and I guess it made the
music business seem attainable to us, because he did
it before our eyes," says Ronan about the man who
articulated the angst of a generation. The differences
between Costello and Riverway would make a fruitful
genetic study, with their contrasting feelings about
the music business filling several chapters. While the
young Costello came out armed with a Most Hated list
that included, well, just about everybody, Riverway
are "more easygoing, more of a team, and that comes
across in the music," says Ronan. "I suppose we're
pretty well-adjusted."

"Elvis had the angry-young-man thing going on," agrees
Ronan. "But the world was different then. Our approach
has always been different. Everyone had individual
stamps then, and it's harder to find that now." Well,
he said it.

Growing up with Elvis

Pop

Caroline Sullivan
Wednesday March 31, 2004
The Guardian

Ronan McManus was a year old when his half-brother
Declan - also known as Elvis Costello - released his
first album. Ronan grew up thinking of the distant
"Dec" as just another punk flailer, albeit one who
turned up to collect Christmas and birthday presents
("Dec likes getting presents; he's quite childish that
way"). Now, Ronan and his three siblings, who record
with their friend David Bowles under the name
Riverway, are discreetly refusing to mine the Costello
connection in the run-up to their own debut single,
Don't Start Me Off (released on April 12 on Kapow).

"I grew up seeing him on TV, and I guess it made the
music business seem attainable to us, because he did
it before our eyes," says Ronan about the man who
articulated the angst of a generation. The differences
between Costello and Riverway would make a fruitful
genetic study, with their contrasting feelings about
the music business filling several chapters. While the
young Costello came out armed with a Most Hated list
that included, well, just about everybody, Riverway
are "more easygoing, more of a team, and that comes
across in the music," says Ronan. "I suppose we're
pretty well-adjusted."

Riverway, who named themselves after their street in
Twickenham, west London ("Even at the poverty end of
Twickenham, bread and water is still ciabatta and
Evian"), are melodic rockers akin to the Thrills.
Don't look for barbed Costello-isms in their songs;
there aren't any.

Costello himself, mellowing in middle age, calls his
brothers' music "just beautiful songs". To be fair,
they are filigree-lovely. But the generational
differences between cynical older brother and placid
younger brother raise the question of what music is
now for. Do newbies such as Riverway and the similar
Snow Patrol and Keane exist as a way of easing people
into the CD habit, from which they'll strike out
toward more challenging artists after a while?

"Elvis had the angry-young-man thing going on," agrees
Ronan. "But the world was different then. Our approach
has always been different. Everyone had individual
stamps then, and it's harder to find that now." Well,
he said it.

Posted by at 2:32 PM | Permalink

Unavailable by Clover...is now available!

Featuring frontman Huey Lewis who went on to form Huey Lewis And The News after Clover’s split in 1980, Clover moved to the UK in 1976 from California,
signing to the Vertigo label and touring with a number of bands including Thin Lizzy, to establish themselves. Produced by Robert Mutt Lange [Def
Leppard, Shania Twain ] Unavailable has never been available on CD before .

This fine album, recorded around the time the lads were backing Elvis on MAIT, is finally available on cd. Completists only you may think - it's actually quite good.

Get it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

( Submitted by Martin Foyle to the Costello Fan Forum )

Posted by at 6:23 AM | Permalink

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports -

Excerpt - Elvis Costello - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member recognized as one of the most distinctive songwriters and performers in popular music - will be in Memphis and Oxford, Miss., next month for a series of rare club appearances.

Costello is scheduled to perform Friday and Saturday, April 3, at Proud Larry's in Oxford and April 16 and 17 at the Hi-Tone Cafe, 1913 Poplar.
The performances bookend sessions for Costello's new album, scheduled to take place at Sweet Tea Recording in Oxford with studio owner Dennis Herring, who has produced records by Counting Crows and former Memphian Garrison Starr, among others.

The Hi-Tone Cafe lists this

April 16

Rare Club Appearance!!!
ELVIS
COSTELLO
2 Shows @ 8:30pm & 11pm
Tix Available on Wed. March 31st
$20

April 17
Rare Club Appearance!!!
ELVIS COSTELLO
2 Shows @ 8:30pm & 11pm
Tix Available on Wed. March 31st
$20

Here`s their booking link -

Costello slated for rare club gigs
By John Beifuss
Contact
March 27, 2004

Elvis Costello - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member recognized as one of the most distinctive songwriters and performers in popular music - will be in Memphis and Oxford, Miss., next month for a series of rare club appearances.

Costello is scheduled to perform Friday and Saturday, April 3, at Proud Larry's in Oxford and April 16 and 17 at the Hi-Tone Cafe, 1913 Poplar.
The performances bookend sessions for Costello's new album, scheduled to take place at Sweet Tea Recording in Oxford with studio owner Dennis Herring, who has produced records by Counting Crows and former Memphian Garrison Starr, among others.

Herring previously worked with Costello's current bass player, Davey Faragher, on records by the bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven.

The last time an artist of Costello's stature played a club show in Memphis may have been Feb. 5, 1999, when Bob Dylan performed at the New Daisy.

"We're beyond honored, of course," said David Green, owner of the Hi-Tone, which likely will present two Costello shows per night. Tickets are $20 each and go on sale Wednesday at the club or online at www.musictoday.com.

"This is the coolest thing that's ever happened in this town," said Zach Thompson, owner of Hot Dog Records in Oxford, where $25 tickets for the Proud Larry's show go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. "He's one of my heroes."

Tickets for the Oxford shows also go on sale Tuesday at Proud Larry's and at www.proudlarrys.com.

"There's not a whole lot to compare this to, because it's pretty epic," said Proud Larry's owner Scott Caradine, citing shows featuring Warren Zevon and Roger McGuinn as previous highlights for his club.

Costello is a frequent visitor to Nashville, where he recorded his "Almost Blue" country album in 1981, but he hasn't performed in Memphis or the Mid-South since a 1994 concert at Mud Island.

Liverpool-born Declan Patrick McManus became Elvis Costello in 1977, and the musician has paid homage to Memphis's musical heritage many times since borrowing his stage name from Presley.

Costello's 1980 album "Get Happy!!" - featuring a cover of Sam and Dave's "I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)" - was his revved-up homage to Stax, and he has worked with Roy Orbison and veterans of Presley's 'TCB Band.' He wrote for Johnny Cash, and covered songs originally released on the Stax, Sun, Hi and Goldwax labels.

Costello emerged during the punk era with caustic songs about "revenge and guilt," but in recent years he has collaborated with Tony Bennett, Burt Bacharach and a string quartet. In December, he made news when he married jazz chanteuse Diana Krall at Elton John's Surrey, England, estate.

Arrangements for the club shows were "hush-hush" until this week, Thompson said. The performances will enable Costello and his band to gauge audience reaction to some of the new songs they are expected to record at Sweet Tea. Some recording work may take place in Memphis as well.

"I think that a lot of acts that go on to sell out venues with 3,000 or 5,000 or 20,000 seats, they really miss playing intimate club gigs," Green said. "It typically takes the right record label and the right agent and the right artist to have the kind of leverage to say, 'Hey, I'm gonna do these shows in front of 200, 300 people.' "

- John Beifuss: 529-2394

Posted by at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Nice site and great list of EC covers, by and of.

(Submitted by Kathleen Connally)

Posted by at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

.....writes Elvis about The Beatles in a Rolling Stone feature on The Immortals , The Fifty Greatest Artists Of All Time

Excerpt - I first heard of the Beatles when I was nine years old. I spent most of my holidays on Merseyside then, and a local girl gave me a bad
publicity shot of them with their names scrawled on the back. This was
1962 or '63, before they came to America. The photo was badly lit, and
they didn't quite have their look down; Ringo had his hair slightly
swept back, as if he wasn't quite sold on the Beatles haircut yet. I
didn't care about that; they were the band for me. The funny thing is
that parents and all their friends from Liverpool were also curious and
proud about this local group. Prior to that, the people in show
business from the north of England had all been comedians. Come to
think of it, the Beatles recorded for Parlophone, which was a comedy
label.

I've co-written some songs with Paul McCartney and performed with him
in concert on two occasions. In 1999, a little time after Linda
McCartney's death, Paul did the Concert for Linda, organized by
Chrissie Hynde. During the rehearsal, I was singing harmony on a Ricky
Nelson song, and Paul called out the next tune: "All My Loving." I
said, "Do you want me to take the harmony line the second time round?"
And he said, "Yeah, give it a try." I'd only had thirty-five years to
learn the part. It was a very poignant performance, witnessed only by
the crew and other artists on the bill.

At the show, it was very different. The second he sang the opening
lines -- "Close your eyes, and I'll kiss you" -- the crowd's reaction
was so intense that it all but drowned the song out. It was very
thrilling but also rather disconcerting. Perhaps I understood in that
moment one of the reasons why the Beatles had to stop performing. The
songs weren't theirs anymore. They were everybody's.

1) The Beatles

By Elvis Costello

I first heard of the Beatles when I was nine years old. I spent most of
my holidays on Merseyside then, and a local girl gave me a bad
publicity shot of them with their names scrawled on the back. This was
1962 or '63, before they came to America. The photo was badly lit, and
they didn't quite have their look down; Ringo had his hair slightly
swept back, as if he wasn't quite sold on the Beatles haircut yet. I
didn't care about that; they were the band for me. The funny thing is
that parents and all their friends from Liverpool were also curious and
proud about this local group. Prior to that, the people in show
business from the north of England had all been comedians. Come to
think of it, the Beatles recorded for Parlophone, which was a comedy
label.

I was exactly the right age to be hit by them full on. My experience --
seizing on every picture, saving money for singles and EPs, catching
them on a local news show -- was repeated over and over again around
the world. It was the first time anything like this had happened on
this scale. But it wasn't just about the numbers; Michael Jackson can
sell records until the end of time, but he'll never matter to people as
much as the Beatles did.

Every record was a shock when it came out. Compared to rabid R&B
evangelists like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles arrived sounding like
nothing else. They had already absorbed Buddy Holly, the Everly
Brothers and Chuck Berry, but they were also writing their own songs.
They made writing your own material expected, rather than exceptional.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were exceptional songwriters; McCartney
was, and is, a truly virtuoso musician; George Harrison wasn't the kind
of guitar player who tore off wild, unpredictable solos, but you can
sing the melodies of nearly all of his breaks. Most important, they
always fit right into the arrangement. Ringo Starr played the drums
with an incredibly unique feel that nobody can really copy, although
many fine drummers have tried and failed. Most of all, John and Paul
were fantastic singers.

Lennon, McCartney and Harrison had stunningly high standards as
writers. Imagine releasing a song like "Ask Me Why" or "Things We Said
Today" as a B side. They made such fantastic records as "Paperback
Writer" b/w "Rain" or "Penny Lane" b/w "Strawberry Fields Forever" and
only put them out as singles. These records were events, and not just
advance notice of an album release.

Then they started to really grow up. Simple love lyrics to adult
stories like "Norwegian Wood," which spoke of the sour side of love,
and on to bigger ideas than you would expect to find in catchy pop
lyrics.

They were pretty much the first group to mess with the aural
perspective of their recordings and have it be more than just a
gimmick. Brilliant engineers at Abbey Road Studios like Geoff Emerick
invented techniques that we now take for granted in response to the
group's imagination. Before the Beatles, you had guys in lab coats
doing recording experiments in the Fifties, but you didn't have rockers
deliberately putting things out of balance, like a quiet vocal in front
of a loud track on "Strawberry Fields Forever." You can't exaggerate
the license that this gave to everyone from Motown to Jimi Hendrix.

My absolute favorite albums are Rubber Soul and Revolver . On both
records you can hear references to other music -- R&B, Dylan,
psychedelia -- but it's not done in a way that is obvious or dates the
records. When you picked up Revolver , you knew it was something
different. Heck, they are wearing sunglasses indoors in the picture on
the back of the cover and not even looking at the camera . . . and the
music was so strange and yet so vivid. If I had to pick a favorite song
from those albums, it would be "And Your Bird Can Sing" . . . no,
"Girl" . . . no, "For No One" . . . and so on, and so on. . . .

Their breakup album, Let It Be , contains songs both gorgeous and
jagged. I suppose ambition and human frailty creep into every group,
but they managed to deliver some incredible performances. I remember
going to Leicester Square and seeing the film of Let It Be in 1970. I
left with a melancholy feeling.

The word Beatlesque has been in the dictionary for a while now. I can
hear them in the Prince album Around the World in a Day ; in Ron
Sexsmith's tunes; in Harry Nilsson's melodies. You can hear that Kurt
Cobain listened to the Beatles and mixed them in with punk and metal in
some of his songs. You probably wouldn't be listening to the ambition
of the latest OutKast record if the Beatles hadn't made the White Album
into a double LP!

I've co-written some songs with Paul McCartney and performed with him
in concert on two occasions. In 1999, a little time after Linda
McCartney's death, Paul did the Concert for Linda, organized by
Chrissie Hynde. During the rehearsal, I was singing harmony on a Ricky
Nelson song, and Paul called out the next tune: "All My Loving." I
said, "Do you want me to take the harmony line the second time round?"
And he said, "Yeah, give it a try." I'd only had thirty-five years to
learn the part. It was a very poignant performance, witnessed only by
the crew and other artists on the bill.

At the show, it was very different. The second he sang the opening
lines -- "Close your eyes, and I'll kiss you" -- the crowd's reaction
was so intense that it all but drowned the song out. It was very
thrilling but also rather disconcerting. Perhaps I understood in that
moment one of the reasons why the Beatles had to stop performing. The
songs weren't theirs anymore. They were everybody's.

(From RS 946, April 15, 2004)

Posted by at 7:26 AM | Permalink

Elvis Costello has agreed to a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster

Excerpt: "...but don't expect any juicy music industry gossip. In a statement issued Tuesday, the publisher said Costello had "resisted the rewards for writing a traditionally scurrilous and scandalous biographical memoir."

The first book, scheduled for fall 2005, will be a "series of intimate narrative chapters taking their cue from the styles, themes and characters found in a number of Costello's lyrics. The second book will be a "work of comic philosophy" entitled How to Play the Guitar, Sing Loudly and Impress Girls ... or Boys."

Posted by at 7:49 AM | Permalink

.....in a video for her performance of the song.
The same link has links to extracts from other songs on her new album. Ticketmaster has listings for her forthcoming Canadian/U.S. shows.

Posted by at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today, March 23 2004, is the tenth anniversary of a tragic event that partly inspired a Costello song. On March 23 1994 Captain Yaroslav Kudrinsky, of
Aeroflot flight SU593 from Moscow to Hong Kong, let his children visit the cockpit , while the `plane was on autopilot. A cockpit tape-records his 13-year-old girl, Yana, saying “Daddy, can I turn this?” Then his 15-year old son El'dar took over at the controls, and a calamitous sequence happened. Eagerly swivelling the control column, the child disconnected the autopilot. The plane, still at full power, rolled over sideways and began to plummet at a dizzying 65 feet per second, while crew members shrieked instructions at the bewildered teenager and his father desperately tried to shift him out of the seat. Kudrinsky at last levelled out at 1300 feet, too late to stop the Airbus A310 shattering against a Siberian hillside, killing all 75 aboard.


Elvis first performed the song in August 1996. On what would turn out to be the final Attractions tour it was little more than an instrumental used to
conclude shows , with Elvis shouting the title line repeatedly in-between introducing group members. A completed lyric for the song was part of the Elvis and T-Bone Burnett’s proposal for a TV series in November 2000. The released song was first performed in the Vicar Street venue, Dublin as part of a charity show in February 2001.

Posted by at 1:46 AM | Permalink

SONGS IN BOCHUM II
ELVIS COSTELLO, BILL FRISELL & FRIENDS
Ron Miles trumpet, Jenny Scheinman violin, Viktor Krauss bass, Matt Chamberlain drums - Jahrhunderthalle, Bochum - May 21st and 22nd

After enjoying huge success last year, American guitarist Bill Frisell continues his fascinating quest for timeless, sometimes even ”lost” songs. For the first project of 2004, he has invited a songwriter who, in the course of the 28 years of his career, has already become a legend who does not need any introduction: British songwriter Elvis Costello, a chameleon of song, breaking all stylistic boundaries and conventions in his songs, yet retaining his own distinctive voice. Costello and Frisell have been collaborating on several projects – at Century of Song, they will surprise their fans with an entirely new production.

Posted by at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The FCC/Howard Stern fiasco is getting way out of control, and it's time for action. To read a very intelligent take on what's really going on and why, check this out and follow the links there to the other essays, or better go to the main page and read it all.

Then read this one, and clip out the part about Oprah and email it to the two FCC email addresses. I just did. There are mountains of Fucking Insane things going on right now, mostly coming out of the Bush administration. They're setting this country back 300 years, and if it doesn't stop soon it will take decades to snap back, if it ever does.

Elvis has made his views clear. Do your part.

"Old lady judges watch people in pairs
Limited in sex, they dare
To push fake morals, insult and stare
While money doesn't talk, it swears
Obscenity, who really cares
Propaganda, all is phony."

-- Bob Dylan

Update: An even better summary.

Posted by at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

March 7 2004

Vancouver, The Vogue

1.Green Shirt
2.New Amsterdam/You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
3.Long Honeymoon
4.This House Is Empty Now
5.You Left Me In The Dark
6.Someone Took The Words Away
7.Home Truth
8.Indoor Fireworks
9.No Wonder
10.Unwanted Number
11.You Turned To Me
12.Fallen
13.God's Comic
14.Shipbuilding
15.(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?

Encore #1
16.Either Side Of The Same Town
17.When It Sings
18.Still
19.Can You Be True?

Encore #2
20.God Give Me Strength
21.Deep Dark Truthful Mirror

Encore #3
22.The Delivery Man
23.Country Darkness
24.Needle Time

Encore #4
25.Almost Blue
26.Let Me Tell You About Her

Encore #5
27.The Scarlet Tide
28.You'll Never Walk Alone
29.Pump It Up
30.Dark End Of The Street

( Submitted by Jill Rydman )

March 15 2004

Toronto,
Massey Hall

1. 45
2. I Hope You're Happy Now
3. Suit of Lights
4. Home Truth
5. Shot With His Own Gun
6. You Left Me In The Dark
7. Someone Took The Words Away
8. This House Is Empty Now
9. Motel Matches
10. No Wonder
11. For The Stars
12. Veronica
13. You Turned To Me
14. Fallen
15. God's Comic
16. Shipbuilding
17. What's So Funny 'Bout (PLU)
ENCORE 1
18. Poisoned Rose
19. Brilliant Mistake
20. When It Sings
21. Still
22. Can You Be True?
23. Inch By Inch/Fever
24. Watching The Detectives
ENCORE 2
25. The Delivery Man
26.Country Darkness
27. Needle Time
28. Either Side of the Same Town
29. Monkey to Man
ENCORE 3
30. Almost Blue
31. Let Me Tell You About Her
32. Nothing Clings Like Ivy
33. The Scarlet Tide
34. NORTH
35. Pump It Up
36. Dark End of the Street

( Submitted by Napoleon Dynamite)

Posted by at 3:12 PM | Permalink

The Chicago Tribune reports -

Excerpt - Appearing at the Oriental Theatre, Costello and Nieve performed a good chunk of "North," breaking up Costello's song-cycle narrative of love lost and found into separate servings, book-ended by idiosyncratic selections drawn from the singer's vast catalog. But the "North" songs stood out for their starkness and simplicity, played to the pin-drop silence of a rapt audience, who swooned along with songs like "You Left Me in the Dark" and "Fallen."

Before diving into the "North" material, Costello and Nieve played a riveting "The House is Empty Now" from Costello's Burt Bacharach collaboration "Painted from Memory," concluding with the singer standing alone in the spotlight at the lip of the stage, belting out the final notes sans amplification. When "Painted" was released, some complained about Costello's tendency to write songs too tough for him to handle, but six years later his singing sounds better than ever. Often with just Nieve's sedate accompaniment--leaving his voice virtually naked--Costello navigated the tricky turns of even his most complex tunes with gusto.

The always animated Nieve bobbed and danced behind a grand piano, his precise pounding and delicate filigrees adding new accents to the likes of "Suit of Lights" and "All the Rage," and aiding Costello's tricky transition from the forgotten "Inch by Inch" to Peggy Lee's "Fever."

As Costello tried out a handful of unreleased songs, like the bluesy "Delivery Man," and Nieve shifted from piano to keyboard and melodica to attack Costello's classics, you could sometimes see the old friends smile at one another. Even a pair of consummate pros know a good thing when they hear it.

Review in Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-0403180079mar18,1,6503849.story

Costello and Nieve reach true `North'
by Joshua Klein
Special to the Tribune

March 18, 2004

Elvis Costello's career may have been born out of the fury of punk rock, but for all his rough edges the man's a formalist at heart.
From country to classical, Costello has flitted from style to style with an almost academic discipline. The singer hasn't always deflected accusations of dilettantism, and "North," his recent stab at jazzy, piano-drizzled torch songs, has in particular proven a love-it or hate-it exercise.
While its admittedly beautiful songs are somewhat fussily "composed, arranged, and conducted" by Costello himself, "North" features a predictably ace array of supporting players, none more essential than longtime Attractions keyboardist and redoubtable foil Steve Nieve. The pianist knows how to strike the right balance between pomp and playfulness, a crucial contribution when he teams with Costello in a duo setting.
Appearing at the Oriental Theatre, Costello and Nieve performed a good chunk of "North," breaking up Costello's song-cycle narrative of love lost and found into separate servings, book-ended by idiosyncratic selections drawn from the singer's vast catalog. But the "North" songs stood out for their starkness and simplicity, played to the pin-drop silence of a rapt audience, who swooned along with songs like "You Left Me in the Dark" and "Fallen."
Before diving into the "North" material, Costello and Nieve played a riveting "The House is Empty Now" from Costello's Burt Bacharach collaboration "Painted from Memory," concluding with the singer standing alone in the spotlight at the lip of the stage, belting out the final notes sans amplification. When "Painted" was released, some complained about Costello's tendency to write songs too tough for him to handle, but six years later his singing sounds better than ever. Often with just Nieve's sedate accompaniment--leaving his voice virtually naked--Costello navigated the tricky turns of even his most complex tunes with gusto.
Tackling his catalog, Costello used his vocal prowess to toy with the phrasing and delivery of songs such as "Motel Matches" and "I Hope You're Happy Now," the latter transformed into something approaching a breezy ballad. Those hoping for more familiar hits eventually got a few, but the night was filled with relatively obscure Costello gems, from "Home Truth" to "Black Sails in the Sunset."
The always animated Nieve bobbed and danced behind a grand piano, his precise pounding and delicate filigrees adding new accents to the likes of "Suit of Lights" and "All the Rage," and aiding Costello's tricky transition from the forgotten "Inch by Inch" to Peggy Lee's "Fever."
As Costello tried out a handful of unreleased songs, like the bluesy "Delivery Man," and Nieve shifted from piano to keyboard and melodica to attack Costello's classics, you could sometimes see the old friends smile at one another. Even a pair of consummate pros know a good thing when they hear it.

Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

Posted by at 2:43 PM | Permalink

If you really want the damn things -

Elvis Costello 45
Elvis Costello Alison
Elvis Costello Almost Blue
Elvis Costello I'll Never Fall In Love Again
Elvis Costello Oliver's Army
Elvis Costello Uncomplicated
Elvis Costello Watching the Detectives
Elvis Costello When I Was Cruel

.....I don`t need it `cos no one ever rings
my `phone...

Posted by at 7:53 AM | Permalink

The Chicago Sun-Times reports -

Excerpt - For trenchant political commentary, the nets should kick out insipid blowhards like Hannity & Colmes and install British pop-music iconoclast Elvis Costello instead in the pundit's seat.

Witness his withering take on the Bush administration, delivered between the verses of "God's Comic," in concert Tuesday at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, where he performed an alternately searing and tender semi-acoustic set, accompanied by longtime collaborator Steve Nieve. Riffing on the current U.S. political situation as ably as he riffed on guitar, Costello conjured images of veep Cheney partaking at "an all-you-can-eat buffet. Let's hope that he doesn't eat too much and die from a heart attack, because then there'll be nobody running the place. But first, though, he's got to get his hand out of the a-- of his Texan hand puppet."

Advantage, Mr. Costello! Moments like these proved that his recent marriage to Canadian jazz goddess Diana Krall hasn't tempered his satirical sting. When his latest disc, "North," which attempts to reinvent pop music as lieder, came out last fall, the Elvis faithful feared that he might be lost to the rock world, perhaps in part due to Krall's influence.

After artfully negotiating the stylistic signposts of the Costello songbook, the Elvis & Steve Show closed with "[What's So Funny] 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding," freeing the Nick Lowe standard from the faux irony of Bill Murray's tortured sendup in "Lost in Translation."

Then they settled in for four sets of encores, which ran longer than the actual show itself, for a total of 2-1/2 hours of pure, unadulterated Elvis. Sprinkling a little "Sgt. Pepper"-style sugar on his fans, Costello joked, "You're such a lovely audience, we'd love to take you home with us." He also thanked the crowd for "your kind attention to the songs from 'North.'"

Costello and Nieve score political points in song

March 18, 2004

BY LAURA EMERICK Staff Reporter

For trenchant political commentary, the nets should kick out insipid blowhards like Hannity & Colmes and install British pop-music iconoclast Elvis Costello instead in the pundit's seat.

Witness his withering take on the Bush administration, delivered between the verses of "God's Comic," in concert Tuesday at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, where he performed an alternately searing and tender semi-acoustic set, accompanied by longtime collaborator Steve Nieve. Riffing on the current U.S. political situation as ably as he riffed on guitar, Costello conjured images of veep Cheney partaking at "an all-you-can-eat buffet. Let's hope that he doesn't eat too much and die from a heart attack, because then there'll be nobody running the place. But first, though, he's got to get his hand out of the a-- of his Texan hand puppet."

Advantage, Mr. Costello! Moments like these proved that his recent marriage to Canadian jazz goddess Diana Krall hasn't tempered his satirical sting. When his latest disc, "North," which attempts to reinvent pop music as lieder, came out last fall, the Elvis faithful feared that he might be lost to the rock world, perhaps in part due to Krall's influence.

Mixing up selections from "North" with quirky choices from his vast catalog (such as "Home Truth" and "Motel Matches"), Costello (often on guitar) underscored the classical structure of his body of work. By emphasizing the common threads running through his ouevre, he reminded us that "North" is not an aberration but an organic piece in his intricately woven artistic tapestry.

As an added benefit, the stripped-down treatment brought the emotional truth of songs such as "You Left Me in the Dark" to the fore. On "North," it sounds like a dirge; live, he reanimated it with genuine pain and passion.

Once again, Nieve proved the ready foil throughout, whether at the piano, on synthesizer or the melodica (a sort of combo keyboard-harmonica). At every turn, he demonstrated his extreme versatility, ranging from baroque filigree to Jerry Lee Lewis-style stomp in the course of one song, as he did on "Talking in the Dark."

After artfully negotiating the stylistic signposts of the Costello songbook, the Elvis & Steve Show closed with "[What's So Funny] 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding," freeing the Nick Lowe standard from the faux irony of Bill Murray's tortured sendup in "Lost in Translation."

Then they settled in for four sets of encores, which ran longer than the actual show itself, for a total of 2-1/2 hours of pure, unadulterated Elvis. Sprinkling a little "Sgt. Pepper"-style sugar on his fans, Costello joked, "You're such a lovely audience, we'd love to take you home with us." He also thanked the crowd for "your kind attention to the songs from 'North.'"

With that, the duo went off to the races, thundering out "Alibi," "Suit of Lights" and "All the Rage" and then switching tempos for a gentle "Still" (another "North" song, on which Costello proved himself a master of phrasing and shading).

Mostly avoiding his "hits" (amen for skipping tired faves like "Alison") even during the encores, Costello previewed songs from his next disc, which appears to have an Elton John "Honky Cat" kind of vibe (don't shoot me, I'm only referring to the piano player).

He then accompanied himself on ukulele for a poignant version of the Oscar-nominated "Scarlet Tide" from "Cold Mountain" ("What are you cheering for? It didn't f------ win.") and finally closed with James Carr's soul classic "Dark End of the Street."

It was the kind of Election Day surprise that delighted all parties.

Copyright © The Sun-Times Company
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Posted by at 7:50 AM | Permalink

Elvis Costello with Steve Nieve

at Massey Hall

in Toronto on Monday

The Toronto Globe and Mail reports -

Excerpt - North is the grownup version of emo, in which howling teens natter on about their girlfriends. But the grownup part matters: As Costello's self-ribbing in Let Me Tell You About Her shows, he's aware why you may cringe and scoff. Fine. If fools fall in love, he'll be a fool.

Nieve and Costello have done duo shows between band gigs for years. But now the stripped-down context left the singer especially unguarded.

Often he was without a guitar, leaning at the microphone, and several times even stepped away and sang unamplified into the hall. It was as nervy as walking out on a tightrope, and it brought the room onto the wire with him.

Beforehand, I'd heard one guy mutter, "Where's the friggin' drum kit? If there ain't no friggin' drum kit, I'm leavin'. " There was no friggin' drum kit. But the man stayed, like everybody else -- for three hours.

Costello repaid the audience's embrace of his risk-taking with a spectacle of Springsteen-worthy proportions: 36 songs, including three encores averaging six songs each.

Besides nine from North (including the joshing title tribute to Canada, left off the official release), Costello and Nieve performed eccentric reinventions of everything from 1977's Watching the Detectives to Costello's recent Oscar-nominated song for the film Cold Mountain (on ukulele) and much more, with a stress on rarities and occasional comic monologues.

Floppy-haired Nieve's flashy rococo flourishes on piano, melodica and synthesizer helped give away how his partner pulls it all off: Costello is more brilliant music-hall showman, like his bandleader dad, than he ever was a punk.

He finally closed with Memphis soul classic At the Dark End of the Street, including an audience sing-along and the unaided-voice effect again. I lost count of standing ovations.

Yet lest fans fear he's gone permanently runny, Costello also unveiled five new songs with a beat and a bite. Delivery Man, for instance, concerns three elderly ladies lusting for a figure who recalls the blues' "candy man," yet also "seems a bit like Jesus." Oh, and "in a certain light, he looks like Elvis."

Elvis shows why fools fall in love

By CARL WILSON
Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - Page R3

Elvis Costello with Steve Nieve

at Massey Hall

in Toronto on Monday

Usually, when Elvis Costello sings (What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, the accent is on the peace and understanding. His take on the Nick Lowe tune -- so definitive it's better called a steal -- is a protest cry for brainy, bitter idealists, rueful that intelligent co-operation is so scarce in this wicked world.

With long-time pianist Steve Nieve at Massey Hall on Monday, Costello got in his political shots, mainly at U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney. But his sharpest arrows struck nearer home. Suddenly his anthem demanded to be heard the way Bill Murray serenaded Scarlett Johanssen with it in the karaoke bar in Lost In Translation: What is so funny about love?

Till recently, nobody knew the answer better, and how to couch his mockery in multilevel puns, through two dozen albums after 1977's My Aim Is True. But in the course of Costello's second divorce and third marriage (to B.C. jazz-pop singer Diana Krall, of course), he had an epiphany it takes certain men 50 years to reach: What if sophistication is unsophisticated? What if surrendering wholly to love is not for chumps?

And so the onetime punk, later known for his expeditions into various styles, tries a more hazardous, emotional experiment -- a CD called North, of crooner piano tunes that bluntly confess his terror and pleasure in going ga-ga, with no escape clauses. As Costello told Monday's crowd, "These are the most extremely quiet songs I've ever written, love songs every one of them, and they generally make people furious."

North is the grownup version of emo, in which howling teens natter on about their girlfriends. But the grownup part matters: As Costello's self-ribbing in Let Me Tell You About Her shows, he's aware why you may cringe and scoff. Fine. If fools fall in love, he'll be a fool.

Nieve and Costello have done duo shows between band gigs for years. But now the stripped-down context left the singer especially unguarded.

Often he was without a guitar, leaning at the microphone, and several times even stepped away and sang unamplified into the hall. It was as nervy as walking out on a tightrope, and it brought the room onto the wire with him.

Beforehand, I'd heard one guy mutter, "Where's the friggin' drum kit? If there ain't no friggin' drum kit, I'm leavin'. " There was no friggin' drum kit. But the man stayed, like everybody else -- for three hours.

Costello repaid the audience's embrace of his risk-taking with a spectacle of Springsteen-worthy proportions: 36 songs, including three encores averaging six songs each.

Besides nine from North (including the joshing title tribute to Canada, left off the official release), Costello and Nieve performed eccentric reinventions of everything from 1977's Watching the Detectives to Costello's recent Oscar-nominated song for the film Cold Mountain (on ukulele) and much more, with a stress on rarities and occasional comic monologues.

Floppy-haired Nieve's flashy rococo flourishes on piano, melodica and synthesizer helped give away how his partner pulls it all off: Costello is more brilliant music-hall showman, like his bandleader dad, than he ever was a punk.

He finally closed with Memphis soul classic At the Dark End of the Street, including an audience sing-along and the unaided-voice effect again. I lost count of standing ovations.

Yet lest fans fear he's gone permanently runny, Costello also unveiled five new songs with a beat and a bite. Delivery Man, for instance, concerns three elderly ladies lusting for a figure who recalls the blues' "candy man," yet also "seems a bit like Jesus." Oh, and "in a certain light, he looks like Elvis."

Rest assured, Elvis Costello still gets the punch line to his signature tune: What's so funny? Nothing. And everything, too.

Posted by at 6:39 PM | Permalink

Another Toronto review from Chartattack

Excerpt - Rather than coming off as a blown-up crooner, Costello struck the pose of a dapper singer-songwriter, humbly presenting himself and his songs to an adoring audience. He and Nieve adopted several configurations throughout the nearly three-hour long set: Nieve on piano with Costello on acoustic guitar, Nieve on piano with Costello on electric guitar, Costello alone on piano, Costello alone on ukulele... but, surprisingly, the best set-up had Nieve on piano with Costello instrument-free at the mic. While the guitar hero approached this unlikely position with gusto, making dramatic hand gestures and passionate facial expressions, not once did he come off as a schmaltzy torch singer. While just about any other rock singer would have looked like a fool trying to pull off these songs, Costello was completely natural and believable throughout the entire show.

Although North is a far better album than most critics would have you believe, on record Costello’s newest batch of songs don’t reach the same emotional level as much of his rich back catalogue. But, when performed live, with the songwriter standing openly in front of the piano, many of them — particularly the bittersweet numbers like "You Left Me In The Dark" and "When It Sings" — came to life marvelously. In addition to Nieve’s skill at the keys, it helps that Costello’s voice is in terrific form — at several points, he even stepped away from the microphone to take advantage of Massey Hall’s acoustics, a move so intimate it brought much of the audience to tears.

LIVE: Elvis Costello Shines Up North
Tuesday March 16, 2004 @ 05:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Massey Hall
Toronto, ON
March 15, 2004
By Elizabeth Chorney-Booth

Since moving to Toronto three years ago, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Elvis Costello play live four times — and each time he’s come on stage as a completely different man. Touring behind his 2002 album, When I Was Cruel, Costello was a curmudgeonly rocker; a year later at the Hummingbird Centre he was toned-down, smooth and stylish; later that same week at Ottawa’s Blues Festival he was playful and populist; and this last show, set in Toronto’s splendid Massey Hall, showcased yet another side of the musician.

Touring behind North, his widely panned piano album, Costello is on the road with his long-time collaborator, keyboardist Steve Nieve, without a rock band. Now, the thought of Costello touring without a rhythm section, crooning love songs about new wife Diana Krall set many Costello fans on orange alert. Luckily, while Costello did restrict himself to what he called "the quietest songs I’ve ever written," this show was neither pretentious nor dull. Chalk it up to the man being in love — it was the warmest I’ve seen Costello yet.

Rather than coming off as a blown-up crooner, Costello struck the pose of a dapper singer-songwriter, humbly presenting himself and his songs to an adoring audience. He and Nieve adopted several configurations throughout the nearly three-hour long set: Nieve on piano with Costello on acoustic guitar, Nieve on piano with Costello on electric guitar, Costello alone on piano, Costello alone on ukulele... but, surprisingly, the best set-up had Nieve on piano with Costello instrument-free at the mic. While the guitar hero approached this unlikely position with gusto, making dramatic hand gestures and passionate facial expressions, not once did he come off as a schmaltzy torch singer. While just about any other rock singer would have looked like a fool trying to pull off these songs, Costello was completely natural and believable throughout the entire show.

Although North is a far better album than most critics would have you believe, on record Costello’s newest batch of songs don’t reach the same emotional level as much of his rich back catalogue. But, when performed live, with the songwriter standing openly in front of the piano, many of them — particularly the bittersweet numbers like "You Left Me In The Dark" and "When It Sings" — came to life marvelously. In addition to Nieve’s skill at the keys, it helps that Costello’s voice is in terrific form — at several points, he even stepped away from the microphone to take advantage of Massey Hall’s acoustics, a move so intimate it brought much of the audience to tears.

Not everything was so dark and intense. Costello ripped through stripped-down versions of many of his classics, like "(What’s So Funny About) Peace Love And Understanding," "Veronica," "Watching The Detectives" and a lackluster and unnecessary version of "Pump It Up." He was also uncharacteristically chatty throughout the show, giving an extended and politically juicy monologue in the middle of "God’s Comic" (from 1989’s Spike). He brought out a ukulele to do his Oscar nominated "Scarlet Tide" (from Cold Mountain), asking the audience to hold their cheers, saying "You don’t have to applaud. We didn’t win... fucking Hobbits!"

But after three hours and four encores (during which he played a set of brand new songs, including some thematically linked ballads), it was the intensely emotional moments — in both the North songs and old heartbreakers like "Shipbuilding" and "Almost Blue" — that left a lasting impression. "Sometimes people come up to me and say, ‘Hey, Elvis! I love your albums. Especially the early, angrier ones,’" Costello quipped. While records like My Aim Is True and This Year’s Model will go down in history for many as Costello’s essential albums, he should also be recognized as what he has been for the past two and a half decades — an uncommonly versatile artist capable of much more than one single trick.

Posted by at 3:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

45
I Hope You're Happy Now
Talking in the Dark
Shot With His Own Gun
This House is Empty Now
You Left Me in the Dark
Someone Took the Words Away
Home Truth
Motel Matches
Veronica
You Turned to Me
Fallen
God's Comic
PLU
-----------
Alibi Factory
Black Sails in the Sunset
Suit of Lights
All the Rage
---------------
When it Sings
Still
Inch by Inch/Fever
Watching the Detectives
----------------
Delivery Man
Country Darkness
Monkey to Man
Needle Time
Either Side of the Same Town
----------------
Almost Blue
Let Me Tell You About Her
Nothing Clings Like Ivy
Scarlet Tide
Pump it Up
Dark End of the Street

( Submitted by Rosy )

Posted by at 3:54 AM | Permalink

The Elvis Costello Tribute disc mentioned here before has turned out to be different - and better! - than previous information indicated. Instead of being a muzak production it is a rootsy , country type of thing by Patrik Tanner .

Here`s what he has to say about it -

`After having been a fan since '77 I was happy to be asked by Navarre Records to record it. They wanted more of the hits and I wanted to do more of the obscure stuff, so we kind of met in the middle.

Some songs like Lipstick Vogue I would have liked to have done, but I just can't sing that fast and get away with it! Jack of All Parades was considered, but Costello's version is probably the only one that the world needs to hear.

I sang, played and recorded everything on that album on my own in my studio.`

The correct track listing for it is

1. Watching The Detectives
2. Different Finger
3. Uncomplicated
4. Alison
5. 5ive Gears In Reverse
6. Red shoes
7. Peace In Our Time
8. Hurry Down Doomsday
9. Mystery Dance
10.Everyday I Write The Book

The disc is available from CDUniverse , Amazon and AmazonUK

Posted by at 4:15 PM | Permalink

The TORONTO SUN reports -

ELVIS COSTELLO
Massey Hall, Toronto
Monday, March 15, 2004

Excerpt - Costello accompanied himself on ukulele to recreate the Celtic-tinged folk of The Scarlet Tide, the Oscar-nominated "anti-fear" song from Cold Mountain. And for the sad, passionate country song The Poisoned Rose and the fireside pop of Let Me Tell You About Her, Costello's voice took centre stage. Other highlights included Motel Matches, which showcases Costello's awesome facility with lyrics, Almost Blue -- which Krall covers on her upcoming album -- and Brilliant Mistake.

He broke for a good-humoured rant or two during a high-spirited rendition of God's Comic, making digs at George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, The Passion Of The Christ and CMT's black-hatted non-cowboys, and describing heaven as a bad nightclub from 1985 in which Duran Duran's Hungry Like A Wolf is stuck in the stereo.

After his most famous cover, Nick Lowe's (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, Costello and Nieve came back to do a handful of brand-new songs, which mark a turn away from the personal material of North back to his more characteristic, often vitriolic tales of disappointed lives and frustrated love. And let's face it -- although North was great, that's where Elvis Costello belongs, whether he's happy or not.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Elvis was pumped!
Costello treated fans to a brilliant night of versatility
By MARY DICKIE, TORONTO SUN -- Toronto Sun

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ELVIS COSTELLO
Massey Hall, Toronto
Monday, March 15, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TORONTO -- There are those who say that the best music comes from the broken-hearted, but Elvis Costello certainly disproved that theory last night. The Anglo/Irish singer/songwriter -- and the proud new husband of Canadian jazz pianist Diana Krall -- showcased the breadth of his songwriting and the power of his voice with an exhilarating two-and-a-half-hour show at Massey Hall.

The quiet songs on Costello's latest album, North -- which are mostly about the breakup of his previous marriage and the beginning of his relationship with Krall -- were written specifically to spotlight his supple, warm voice, using only minimal instrumentation and a '50s pop approach. As such, they are well suited to the stripped-down presentation that saw Costello accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist, Steve Nieve.

But Costello's enormous body of work encompasses punk, new wave, jazz, orchestral music and country, and on his albums he's added all manner of instruments to his songs, from the Brodsky Quartet's strings to Chet Baker's trumpet to Nashville session players' pedal steel and fiddle. The fact that Costello and Nieve managed to create so many moods and colours with their limited palette was testament to their musical proficiency -- and, of course, the fact that the songs held up was evidence of their simple brilliance.

The set list straddled all the abovementioned genres and more. Costello and Nieve made I Hope You're Happy Now work even without its main riff, and added loud, dissonant guitar and fiercely banged piano to match the early fury of the reggae-ish Watching The Detectives and the high-energy rock and roll of Pump It Up.

Costello accompanied himself on ukulele to recreate the Celtic-tinged folk of The Scarlet Tide, the Oscar-nominated "anti-fear" song from Cold Mountain. And for the sad, passionate country song The Poisoned Rose and the fireside pop of Let Me Tell You About Her, Costello's voice took centre stage. Other highlights included Motel Matches, which showcases Costello's awesome facility with lyrics, Almost Blue -- which Krall covers on her upcoming album -- and Brilliant Mistake.

He broke for a good-humoured rant or two during a high-spirited rendition of God's Comic, making digs at George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, The Passion Of The Christ and CMT's black-hatted non-cowboys, and describing heaven as a bad nightclub from 1985 in which Duran Duran's Hungry Like A Wolf is stuck in the stereo.

After his most famous cover, Nick Lowe's (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, Costello and Nieve came back to do a handful of brand-new songs, which mark a turn away from the personal material of North back to his more characteristic, often vitriolic tales of disappointed lives and frustrated love. And let's face it -- although North was great, that's where Elvis Costello belongs, whether he's happy or not.

Posted by at 7:42 AM | Permalink

45
I Hope You're Happy Now
Veronica
Long Honeymoon
This House is Empty Now
You Left Me in the Dark
Someone Took the Words Away
Home Truth
Motel Matches
Toledo
Tart
All This Useless Beauty
You Turned to Me
Fallen
God's Comic

Sally Sue Brown
(What`s So Funny About ) Pleace Love And Understanding
Poisoned Rose
When it Sings
Still
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror/You Really Got A Hold On Me

The Delivery Man
Country Darkness
Unwanted Number
Monkey to Man
Needle Time
Either Side of the Same Town
Almost Blue

Nothing Clings Like Ivy
Scarlet Tide
Pump it Up
At the Dark End of the Street

( Submitted by Jeanless to the Costello Fan Forum)

Posted by at 5:00 AM | Permalink

The Warfield , San Francisco , March 11 `04

The Almeda Times Star reports -

Excerpt - Costello performed as if he were playing a small
nightclub, often moving away from the microphone and
allowing his words to drift softly into the night. For
their part, the audience members fervently tried to
keep the venue as quiet as a place of worship. It
worked fairly well but, at times, the extreme shushes
rang out more loudly than the music. To the few
noisemakers' defense, this was a tough show to remain
quiet through. Clocking in at roughly 140 minutes, the
concert was too long for the type of low-key material
presented. Also, an opening act would have helped
break up the monotony. Costello, 49, was in perfect
voice. He sounded strong and clear -- at least when he
was standing near the mic -- as he crooned his way
through "Green Shirt," "You Left Me in the Dark" and
"Brilliant Mistake." Those who came out expecting a
run through Costello's greatest hits were definitely
in the wrong building. The singer-guitarist basically
ignored his old singles in favor of more mature
efforts and tracks from "North," which can be seen as
a love letter to his new wife, jazz-star Diana Krall,
as well as a direct extension from his work with Burt
Bacharach. The crowd had to endure an hour of mostly
unknown songs before Costello finally dusted off a
classic. Luckily, it was worth the wait. Twenty-five
years after its release, "(What's so Funny'Bout)
Peace, Love and Understanding" is as relevant and as
poignant as ever.

Is it a library? No, it's a Costello concert
By Jim Harrington, CONTRIBUTOR

ELVIS Costello brings many things to mind. Turning off
the cell phone isn't usually one of them. But that's
exactly the situation a capacity crowd found itself in
Thursday as Costello brought his hushed, subdued and
mostly acoustic act to the Warfield in San Francisco.
In all, it was a fairly enjoyable night of music that
focused on Costello's latest release, "North," as well
as many obscure tracks. But it could have been much
more than it was. It was probably the wrong setting
for the show. The concert was a soft evening of
sentimental songs performed with voice, guitar and
piano and would have been better suited for a more
intimate venue such as Yoshi's. As it was, those with
the best seats near the stage received a far better
experience than those at the back of the venue.
Costello performed as if he were playing a small
nightclub, often moving away from the microphone and
allowing his words to drift softly into the night. For
their part, the audience members fervently tried to
keep the venue as quiet as a place of worship. It
worked fairly well but, at times, the extreme shushes
rang out more loudly than the music. To the few
noisemakers' defense, this was a tough show to remain
quiet through. Clocking in at roughly 140 minutes, the
concert was too long for the type of low-key material
presented. Also, an opening act would have helped
break up the monotony. Costello, 49, was in perfect
voice. He sounded strong and clear -- at least when he
was standing near the mic -- as he crooned his way
through "Green Shirt," "You Left Me in the Dark" and
"Brilliant Mistake." Those who came out expecting a
run through Costello's greatest hits were definitely
in the wrong building. The singer-guitarist basically
ignored his old singles in favor of more mature
efforts and tracks from "North," which can be seen as
a love letter to his new wife, jazz-star Diana Krall,
as well as a direct extension from his work with Burt
Bacharach. The crowd had to endure an hour of mostly
unknown songs before Costello finally dusted off a
classic. Luckily, it was worth the wait. Twenty-five
years after its release, "(What's so Funny'Bout)
Peace, Love and Understanding" is as relevant and as
poignant as ever.

You can e-mail Jim Harrington at
jimthecritic@yahoo.com .

Posted by at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Portland, Or ,March 9 2004.

The Oregonian was not impressed.

Excerpt - Nonetheless, "North," the recent Costello album that reflects the emotional ricochet of the singer's divorce and subsequent new love, is his least engaging set in years. And at least in part because the songs from "North" served as the core of Costello's Tuesday night performance at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, this show was the least captivating he's played in the area.

Here it should be pointed out, though, that a less-than-stellar Costello show remains a wonderful thing, a feat of musical depth, range and agility beyond the ken of most artists. But compared with the rock 'n' roll heaven of his two Portland shows in 2002, Tuesday's Elvis seemed a mere talented mortal.

Unlike the 2002 shows, which featured a standard rock quartet, Costello was joined this time only by his longtime keyboardist, Steve Nieve. It's a fruitful format, with Nieve on piano and Costello playing acoustic, or sometimes electric, guitar. The pair showed right away that they can give the music a considerable fullness and drive, opening with the New Wave-era favorite "Accidents Will Happen" and the more recent rocker "45." But they also took advantage of the extra space with subtle expressiveness on ballads such as the dramatic "Shot With His Own Gun," the sadly resigned "Home Truth" and a version of the wistful "Almost Blue" with cool, behind-the-beat phrasing reminiscent of Chet Baker.

For a time, it appeared that the concert would follow a similar thematic arc to "North," mixing some of that album's tunes with other tales of romantic woe such as the Burt Bacharach collaboration "This House Is Empty Now" and the country-tinged "Indoor Fireworks" and "Poison Rose." But as the show stretched to more than 30 songs over two-plus hours, that sense faded in the face of failed experiments (an 1860s ballad laced with guitar feedback), crowd-pleasing concessions ("Alison," "Pump It Up," the Nick Lowe-penned "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding") and political protest both explicit (an anecdotal interlude in "God's Comic") and implied (the exquisite anti-war ballad "Shipbuilding").

But time and again he returned to "North" songs. He's taken similar detours before into art song and classic pop balladry to wonderful effect. But these songs, however heartfelt and skillful, are somehow charmless, narrow in both mood and pitch range, handsome yet uninviting.

Happily married, but . . .

Elvis Costello gives merely mortal performance of unmoving music

03/12/04

MARTY HUGHLEY

When great singer-songwriter Elvis Costello married popular pianist and singer Diana Krall last December, the likely musical result (or so it seemed to me and aficionados I know) was that at the least Krall would start singing better songs.

The possibility that Costello's own music might be affected -- and for the worse -- never crossed our minds.

And standing on the outside of both the relationship and the artistic process of these talented newlyweds, we can't really say it's a matter of cause and effect. In fact, in interviews Costello has denied that his new wife's specialty in jazz piano ballads has altered his own stylistic direction. And if they're both happier, what we think of the music they make is secondary, at most.

Nonetheless, "North," the recent Costello album that reflects the emotional ricochet of the singer's divorce and subsequent new love, is his least engaging set in years. And at least in part because the songs from "North" served as the core of Costello's Tuesday night performance at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, this show was the least captivating he's played in the area.

Here it should be pointed out, though, that a less-than-stellar Costello show remains a wonderful thing, a feat of musical depth, range and agility beyond the ken of most artists. But compared with the rock 'n' roll heaven of his two Portland shows in 2002, Tuesday's Elvis seemed a mere talented mortal.

Unlike the 2002 shows, which featured a standard rock quartet, Costello was joined this time only by his longtime keyboardist, Steve Nieve. It's a fruitful format, with Nieve on piano and Costello playing acoustic, or sometimes electric, guitar. The pair showed right away that they can give the music a considerable fullness and drive, opening with the New Wave-era favorite "Accidents Will Happen" and the more recent rocker "45." But they also took advantage of the extra space with subtle expressiveness on ballads such as the dramatic "Shot With His Own Gun," the sadly resigned "Home Truth" and a version of the wistful "Almost Blue" with cool, behind-the-beat phrasing reminiscent of Chet Baker.

For a time, it appeared that the concert would follow a similar thematic arc to "North," mixing some of that album's tunes with other tales of romantic woe such as the Burt Bacharach collaboration "This House Is Empty Now" and the country-tinged "Indoor Fireworks" and "Poison Rose." But as the show stretched to more than 30 songs over two-plus hours, that sense faded in the face of failed experiments (an 1860s ballad laced with guitar feedback), crowd-pleasing concessions ("Alison," "Pump It Up," the Nick Lowe-penned "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding") and political protest both explicit (an anecdotal interlude in "God's Comic") and implied (the exquisite anti-war ballad "Shipbuilding").

But time and again he returned to "North" songs. He's taken similar detours before into art song and classic pop balladry to wonderful effect. But these songs, however heartfelt and skillful, are somehow charmless, narrow in both mood and pitch range, handsome yet uninviting.

He did, however, play one song he said was from a forthcoming album, a catchy pop song about a triangular relationship. It was reassurance enough that he has plenty more great writing in him. And, probably, plenty of shows even better than this one.

Marty Hughley: 503-221-8383; martyhughley@news.oregonian.com

Posted by at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

45
Green Shirt
Rocking Horse Road
Shot With His Own Gun
This House Is Empty Now
You Left Me In the Dark
Someone Took The Words Away
Home Truth
Little Triggers
Brilliant Mistake
Indoor Fireworks
Suit Of Lights
The Poisoned Rose
Sleep Of The Just
God's Comic
(Whats So Funny About) Peace , Love and Understanding
*****
You Turned To Me
Fallen
When It Sings
Still
Can You be True?

Delivery Man
Country Darkness
Heart-shaped Bruise
Unwanted Number
Needle Time
Watching The Detectives

Let Me Tell You About Her
Scarlet Tide
Pump It Up
Dark End of the Street

( Submitted by Jean Filkins)

Posted by at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Accidents Will Happen
45
I Hope You're Happy Now
Show With His Own Gun
This House Is Empty Now
You Left Me In The Dark
Someone Took The Words Away
Home Truth
Indoor Fireworks
Unwanted Number
Poisoned Rose
Ommie Wise
You Turned To Me
Fallen
God's Comic
Man Out Of Time
Shipbuilding
PL+U

Posted by at 1:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

LOS ANGELES, March 9 . De-lovely, a musical drama about legendary American composer Cole Porter, will crown the 2004 Cannes Film Festival with a special presentation after the Award Ceremony on Saturday, May 22nd, 2004. The film will screen that evening as an official selection out- of-competition. Directed by Oscar winner Irwin Winkler, De-lovely stars Academy Award winner Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd in addition to some of today's biggest pop and rock music stars, including Alanis Morissette, Robbie Williams, Lara Fabian, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, and Diana Krall. The film was produced by Winkler, Rob Cowan, and Charles Winkler from a script by Oscar nominee Jay Cocks, and will be released in select theaters on June 25, 2004.

Posted by at 7:55 AM | Permalink

The Seattle Times reports -

Excerpt: "At 49, Costello showed that a rock star can remain vital and creative in middle age, without coasting on his past or compromising his integrity. His youthful songs of rebellion and cynicism were comparable in quality to his current ones about love lost and new love found. His situation has changed, but not his intelligence, passion or artistry.

The drama and emotions in his lyrics were emphasized by his brilliant delivery. His voice was better than ever, and he brilliantly used the near-perfect acoustics of the world-class concert hall. Several times he moved away from the microphone and let his unamplified voice fill the room, which thrilled the near-capacity audience.

In addition to the great songs and great singing, there was humor, too. During the droll "God's Comic," which he described as "a vision of the afterlife that's not spiritually correct," he worked in a comedy routine about Mel Gibson's fanaticism, the U.S. government's Orange Alerts, Iraq's phantom weapons of mass destruction and Vice President Dick Cheney's "Texas hand puppet."

The Seattle Post Intelligencer disagrees -

Excerpt: "Costello strays out of his element at Benaroya Hall - Costello has a pleasant mid-tenor range, but his lower notes are barely there, and he is so tense in his upper register that it sometimes seems he is squeezing the notes out through his eyes. His choice of accompanist doesn't help. Nieve is capable of providing tasteful support, but too often is off on his own tangents, bashing out flourishes every which way but in the direction determined by the chord progressions.

Much of "North" sounds like student work, but there were exceptions, such as the passionate "When It Sings," which found Costello really singing, not just trying to hit the notes.

As is often the case when Costello comes to town, the encores were as long as the main part of the show. The first six-song encore ended with a deconstruction of "Watching the Detectives" that would have made John Cale and Robert Fripp proud. The second offered a preview of three newly written songs, none of which was first-rate."

Splendid Costello at prime of career

By Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times music critic

A great artist in one of his great periods playing a great theater.
That was the formula that made for an unforgettable performance by Elvis Costello Monday night at Benaroya Hall. The bard of the 1970s New Wave movement featured songs from his artful new album, "North," as well as reinvigorated versions of some of his most classic songs, a few obscurities and covers, and even songs from his forthcoming "South" CD.

At 49, Costello showed that a rock star can remain vital and creative in middle age, without coasting on his past or compromising his integrity. His youthful songs of rebellion and cynicism were comparable in quality to his current ones about love lost and new love found. His situation has changed, but not his intelligence, passion or artistry.

The drama and emotions in his lyrics were emphasized by his brilliant delivery. His voice was better than ever, and he brilliantly used the near-perfect acoustics of the world-class concert hall. Several times he moved away from the microphone and let his unamplified voice fill the room, which thrilled the near-capacity audience.

In addition to the great songs and great singing, there was humor, too. During the droll "God's Comic," which he described as "a vision of the afterlife that's not spiritually correct," he worked in a comedy routine about Mel Gibson's fanaticism, the U.S. government's Orange Alerts, Iraq's phantom weapons of mass destruction and Vice President Dick Cheney's "Texas hand puppet."

Keyboardist Steve Nieve added drama to the songs, playing grand piano with classical flourishes and witty asides, as well as organ in a few numbers and a melodica, a handheld keyboard you blow like a trumpet.

Costello, in his usual black suit, black shirt and Buddy Holly-style black glasses — but with some bright blue highlights in his tie — opened with "45," a rocking meditation on 45-rpm singles, middle-age and World War II. He followed with "Green Shirt," from the '70s. Soon after came the powerful "Shot With His Own Gun," one of the obscure songs, from 1981's "Trust" LP.

The first showstopper was Bert Bacharach's "This House Is Empty Now." After Costello walked away from the mike and sang the last part a cappella, the audience leaped to its feet. The intensity continued with "North's" moving "You Left Me In the Dark" and "Someone Took the Words Away."

The generous set lasted 2-1/2 hours, but the time breezed by. Other highlights were the delightful "Girls Talk," a ragged but rocking "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," a reworked "Watching the Detectives," a surprisingly emotional cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and an energetic "Pump It Up."

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Costello strays out of his element at Benaroya Hall

By BILL WHITE
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Elvis Costello is a rock singer who has digested enough Tony Bennett and Jackie Wilson to successfully dabble in more ambitious musical projects.

MUSIC REVIEW
ELVIS COSTELLO

WHERE: Benaroya Hall

WHEN: Monday Night

Monday night at Benaroya Hall, accompanied by himself on guitar and longtime band-mate Steve Nieve on piano and melodica, Costello sang material from his latest project, the art-song cycle "North," as well as a healthy sampling from his songbook.

There were plenty of nuggets among the more than 30 songs performed, among them a passionate and direct version of "Sleep of the Just," from "King of America." But if Costello is going to play the high-stakes game of the legitimate singer, he is going to have to get better at it. Flaws that go unnoticed when accompanied by a loud rock band can seriously damage the credibility of a singer alone at a microphone in a recital hall.

Costello has a pleasant mid-tenor range, but his lower notes are barely there, and he is so tense in his upper register that it sometimes seems he is squeezing the notes out through his eyes. His choice of accompanist doesn't help. Nieve is capable of providing tasteful support, but too often is off on his own tangents, bashing out flourishes every which way but in the direction determined by the chord progressions.

The 2 1/2 hour concert opened with "45" from "When I Was Cruel," the album Costello was touring behind during his last Seattle visit. It also was when most of the material for "North" was written.

Much of "North" sounds like student work, but there were exceptions, such as the passionate "When It Sings," which found Costello really singing, not just trying to hit the notes.

As is often the case when Costello comes to town, the encores were as long as the main part of the show. The first six-song encore ended with a deconstruction of "Watching the Detectives" that would have made John Cale and Robert Fripp proud. The second offered a preview of three newly written songs, none of which was first-rate.

The final encore opened with a note-perfect rendition of "Almost Blue," a song that is almost beginning to fulfill its destiny as a jazz standard. Costello showed he still had some surprises left in him when he called Nieve back for a penetrating version of Rodger and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone." Once Costello strapped on the big Elvis Gibson and played the opening chords of "Pump It Up," it was rock 'n' roll as usual for the remainder of the night.

Posted by at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Seattle Benaroya Hall March 8th, 2004

01. 45
02. Green Shirt
03. Brilliant Mistake
04. Shot With His Own Gun
05. This House Is Empty Now
06. You Left Me In the Dark
07. Someone Took the Words Away
08. Home Truth
09. Little Triggers
10. No Wonder
11. Unwanted Number
12. You Turned to Me
13. Fallen
14. God's Comic
15.Sleep of the Just
16. Girls Talk
17.Peace Love and Understanding
(exits at 9:30 PM)

Encore 1
18. Either Side of the Same Town
19. When It Sings
20. Still
21. Can You Be True?
22. Inch by Inch/Fever
23. Watching the Detectives

Encore 2
24. The Delivery Man
25. Country Darkness
26. Needletime

Encore 3
27. Almost Blue
28. Let Me Tell You About Her
29. Scarlet Tide
30. Still
31. You'll Never Walk Alone
32. Pump It Up
33. Dark End Of the Street

(Submitted by Jill Rydman )

Posted by at 7:43 AM | Permalink

I Love Your Work - the movie Elvis has a brief role in - is getting it`s U.S. premiere at SXSW FILM CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL 2004 in Austin , Texas this coming Saturday , March 13th.

SXSW FILM CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL 2004
March 12-20 · Austin Convention Ctr
4th at Trinity · Austin TX

SXSW 2004 Film Festival Screenings

I Love Your Work

Narrative Feature
Screening in Competition
US Premiere

The film follows fictional movie star Gray Evans through the disintegration of his marriage, his gradual mental breakdown, and his increasing obsession with a young film student who reminds Gray of his own life before becoming famous. A dark psychological drama, I Love Your Work explores the pressures of fame and the difference between getting what you want and wanting what you get.

Saturday March 13
4:15 PM - Paramount

Tuesday March 16
9:30 PM - Millennium

Friday March 19
7:00 PM - Millennium

Everything subject to change.

Director: Adam Goldberg

Producers: Yoav Fisher, Adam Goldberg, Adrienne Gruben, Chris Hanley, Al Hayes, David Hillary. Damon Martin, Joshua Newman

Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Franka Potente, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Coughlan, Christina Ricci, Elvis Costello, Vince Vaughn.

Screenwriter: Adrian Butchart, Adam Goldberg

Director of Photography: Mark Putnam

Music: Steven Drozd, Adam Goldberg

Director's Bio: Adam Goldberg has worked as an actor in Dazed and Confused, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. He also starred in Scotch and Milk, his first feature as writer-director. He recently directed the television documentary "Running with the Bulls".

Posted by at 7:19 PM | Permalink

Elvis Costello has signed with Macklam-Feldman Management, who will act as his worldwide management team. Costello’s career began in 1977 and flourished as he developed as a songwriter and composer. He has collaborated with a wide variety of artists including Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, the Brodsky Quartet and Annie Sofie von Otter. His most recent recording, NORTH, a collection of ballads with piano and orchestra, has received good reviews. Macklam-Feldman Management currently manages Joni Mitchell, Diana Krall, the Chieftains, Norah Jones, Susan Tedeschi and the Tragically Hip.

Posted by at 7:59 AM | Permalink

Crain Communications Inc reports -

Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello will be telling his life story and sharing secrets about music. The cult favorite has made a high-six-figure to low-seven-figure two-book deal with Simon & Schuster. One book will be a memoir that takes off from some of Mr. Costello’s song lyrics. The other title will offer his insights into playing guitar and making music.

Posted by at 9:51 AM | Permalink

Elvis Costello is to play the following 2 dates in Italy in May 2004

Monday 3rd May 2004 Cagliari

Venue:Teatro Lirico di Cagliari
via Sant'Alenixedda, 09128 Cagliari
Venue Box Office +39 070 4082230 / +39 070 4082249

Wednesday 5th May 2004 Catania

Venue: Le Ciminiere
viale Africa - 95129 Catania
Venue Box Office 0039 095 7225340

Posted by at 9:48 AM | Permalink

Various accounts of the charity show that Elvis and Diana did with Elton John in Canada say that Elvis and Diana dueted on Almost Blue and all three joined together for the standard Makin`Whopee. The show raised over $800,000 for the hospital that treated Ms Krall`s mother .

Posted by at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Rate Your Music site have a large range of opinions on all of Elvis` releases.

Example :

BRUTAL YOUTH

When I first heard Brutal Youth I though, "Oh great, another boring rock album."

WRONG!

Brutal Youth shows a new layer with every listen. Sure, the wall-shaking rock tracks like "20% Amnesia" and "Science Fiction Twin" are fantastic, but the easy-to-overlook ballads like "Rocking Horse Road" and "Favourite Hour" get sweeter all the time. "This Is Hell" is one of the most addictive songs Elvis has ever written. Brutal Youth seems like an easy album to gloss over, to listen to once or twice and cast aside, but to do so would be an great injustice. Given time Brutal Youth blossoms into a staple in your record collection. Now how many rock albums can you say all this about?

Posted by at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mr & Mrs Krall give a press conference for their benefit concert.

Posted by at 8:24 AM | Permalink

Mr. & Mrs. Costello make the hometown paper: "Nanaimo-born jazz singer Diana Krall gives husband Elvis Costello a peck on the ear during a news conference Thursday to talk about today's benefit concert to raise $350,000 for VGH's leukemia and bone-marrow transplantation program." - Vancouver Sun

Posted by at 8:04 PM | Permalink

The North Bay Bohemian profiles Elvis and previews his March 12th Santa Rosa show.
(Extracts)

When an angry Elvis Costello burst upon the world stage in the mid-'70s amid the tumult of the punk invasion, he arrived with unbridled passion, a cynical take on life and a pen full of vitriol. Who'd have guessed that within the breast of this brash rocker beat the heart of a pop balladeer who would go on to collaborate with such middle-of-the-road tunesmiths as Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach, or record with the likes of Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Brodsky Quartet?

Perhaps we should have learned to expect the unexpected.

------------------------------------------------

North ain't rock, but it is a success on its own terms. Expect more of the same, at least for a while.

Krall and Costello have penned a half dozen or more songs together for Krall's next album. (We can thank Costello that never again will we have to endure Krall covering anything as shallow as Michael Franks' saccharine "Popsicle Toes.")

Croons Costello in "I'm in the Mood Again," the closing track on North, "I don't know what's come over me, but it's nothing I'm doing wrong / You took the breath right out of me / Now you'll find it in the early hours, in a lover's song."

Kick back and enjoy it. Just think of North as a new mood for moderns.

( Submitted by Chris Wright)

Northern Songs
The importance of being Elvis

By Greg Cahill

When an angry Elvis Costello burst upon the world stage in the mid-'70s amid the tumult of the punk invasion, he arrived with unbridled passion, a cynical take on life and a pen full of vitriol. Who'd have guessed that within the breast of this brash rocker beat the heart of a pop balladeer who would go on to collaborate with such middle-of-the-road tunesmiths as Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach, or record with the likes of Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Brodsky Quartet?

Perhaps we should have learned to expect the unexpected.

Still, many critics and fans alike have been thrown into a tailspin by his latest CD, North, a song cycle on love lost and found, all revealed in 11 quiet, piano-based jazz ballads, sometimes played by a small combo, other times cloaked in lush orchestration.

The album--Costello's 24th release and arguably his most consistent and most honest work--is a commercial flop by pop standards. Released on the Deutsche Grammaphon label, a classical-music subsidiary of Universal Music, North has failed to chart on the Billboard Top 200 and has struggled even to gain a foothold on the trade magazine's lesser jazz chart.

What do the critics say? "The trouble with Elvis's latest effort," writes Mark Wilson in the online journal Press, "is that it reeks of late-career indulgence."

Critic Hartley Goldstein of the Pitchfork Weekly is even less kind. "Costello seems less concerned with presenting a collection of melodically clever songs filled with his trademark sense of irony and double-entendre than with recording an album for the classical and jazz elites," he laments. "In other words, it looks like the result of self-conscious pandering to his inner music critic. . . . It's a cruel irony that, as he grows older and aims higher, he only falls further away from himself and fails more profoundly at grasping that elusive quality."

Admittedly, it's hard to accept that the man who wrote the songs on North--the title alludes to Costello, 49, turning his attention toward his new wife, Canadian-born jazz singer Diana Krall-- is the same guy who penned the ecstatic joy of "Tokyo Storm Warning," the infectiously hip "Moods for Moderns" or who once was told by a BBC censor that if it were learned that the cryptic satire "Pills and Soap" had a deeper, hidden meaning, then Costello would be banned from the British airwaves for life.

Of course, the song chronicled fascism during Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's stay at 10 Downing Street.

But these days Costello is showing himself to be a mature artist who is growing old gracefully-- a few well-timed public tantrums notwithstanding. Of course, this isn't the first time that Costello--who performs March 12 at the LBC with longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve--has been taken to task for straying from his rock roots.

In 1999, the same year Costello collaborated with Bacharach on the Painted from Memory album, dispirited Salon writer Bill Wyman bemoaned: "On his first few albums, Costello had laid out sweeping, ever-more-paranoid romantic equations--love as civil disturbance, as propaganda, as global warfare. . . . Someone with his capacity for fury could scarcely complain, but he must also have felt the waste, of both his talent and a generation's affection. To have murdered our love was a crime. We forgive nothing."

That acrid essay prompted one fan to respond, "Bill Wyman loses interest in Elvis Costello midway through Costello's career, and somehow that's a betrayal on Costello's part? Bill, he's not dating you; he's just writing and playing music in close enough proximity to you that you can hear it. Try not to take it so personally."

But it is personal--all great music is personal, and Costello has penned some of the most personal songs of his generation. His 1977 debut, My Aim Is True (which found the Bay Area band Clover, a prototype of Huey Lewis and the News, backing up the singer), served up a playful mix of raucous British pub rock and heartfelt ballads. The chorus of the tender "Alison" would provide the album's title and a hint of Costello's sentimental leanings.

The song "Less Than Zero," an indictment of a neo-Nazi TV host, provided a template for Costello's genius for fusing the personal and the political. Costello would return to that theme over and again. On the disturbing "Night Rally" from 1978's follow-up This Year's Model, Costello took on the emerging fascist youth of the National Front. A year later, on 1979's brilliant Armed Forces (originally titled Emotional Fascism), Costello effectively used politics as a metaphor for personal conflict on several now-classic songs.

This was an artist capable of elevating the rock song to previously unrealized heights. He also was a performer mired in contradiction, and one that criticized his punk peers for being calculating and contrived. At first, these idiosyncrasies held a lot of charm. Then one night in 1979, in a bar in Columbus, Ohio, Costello's charm wore off: during a booze-fueled bout with members of the Stephen Stills Band, and in the midst of a Rock against Racism tour, Costello loudly denounced Ray Charles with a racial slur. The statement devastated Costello's credibility.

"It's horrible to work hard for a long time and find that what you're best known for is something as idiotic as