Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Pretty self-explanatory
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And No Coffee Table
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Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by And No Coffee Table »

I noticed this buried in the Spanish Model CD booklet (which is written in Spanish):

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS fueron grabadas por ROGER BECHIRIAN en EDEN STUDIOS, Londres, Reino Unido entre el 8 y 12 de Noviembre, 1977 y grabadas y mezcladas por ROGER BECHIRIAN y NICK LOWE entre el 5 y 19 de Enero, 1978.

THE BEAT grabado en PATHWAY STUDIOS en 3 de Agosto 1977.


...which in English means:

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS were recorded by ROGER BECHIRIAN at EDEN STUDIOS, London, UK between the 8th and 12th of November, 1977 and recorded and mixed by ROGER BECHIRIAN and NICK LOWE between the 5th and 19th of January, 1978.

THE BEAT was recorded at PATHWAY STUDIOS on the 3rd of August 1977.


It's news to me that "The Beat" was recorded more than three months before the rest of the album (and at a different studio).

It would also seem to make "The Beat" the earliest studio recording by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The Basing Street Studios version of "Chelsea" (first released on the Rhino This Year's Model) was recorded four days later.
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krm
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by krm »

The iternary from Bruce indicates a recording session on that date.
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In front of our eyes the whole time.
Dr. Luther
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by Dr. Luther »

And No Coffee Table wrote:Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?
I was just coming here to post this very item. The liner notes for the remaster of This Year's Model has the breakdown of the recording dates as well. (In English.)

Interesting. I may never hear that performance the same way again. Having not listened yet since this disclosure of the recording date, my inclination is that I will now see the execution as a bit "tentative". :lol:
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krm
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by krm »

From the Spanish Model Episodio 2: Tiempo. The spanish model miniseries now on youtube.
First recordings are: Lipstick Vogue, The Beat, Chelsea and Lip Service!
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by And No Coffee Table »

So those must be early unreleased versions of "Lipstick Vogue," "Chelsea," and "Lip Service," right? I wonder if we'll ever hear them.
The Gentleman
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

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And No Coffee Table wrote:So those must be early unreleased versions of "Lipstick Vogue," "Chelsea," and "Lip Service," right? I wonder if we'll ever hear them.
This is an incredibly enticing prospect.
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by The Gentleman »

And No Coffee Table wrote:
It would also seem to make "The Beat" the earliest studio recording by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The Basing Street Studios version of "Chelsea" (first released on the Rhino This Year's Model) was recorded four days later.
Confirmed studio recording, at least. The supposed Attractions re-recording of My Aim Is True is claimed to have taken place on July 16th. I remain... skeptical.
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krm
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by krm »

And No Coffee Table wrote: It would also seem to make "The Beat" the earliest studio recording by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The Basing Street Studios version of "Chelsea" (first released on the Rhino This Year's Model) was recorded four days later.
It just struck my mind that EC&A did a John Peel session July 25th which pre-dates this with a couple of days.
http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... _John_Peel
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by And No Coffee Table »

krm wrote:It just struck my mind that EC&A did a John Peel session July 25th which pre-dates this with a couple of days.
http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... _John_Peel
Good point!
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by sulky lad »

And No Coffee Table wrote:
krm wrote:It just struck my mind that EC&A did a John Peel session July 25th which pre-dates this with a couple of days.
http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... _John_Peel
Good point!
Bruce categorically denied ever re- recording MAIT at the tiny studios at Roche in Cornwall when JF and I did our little historical trip to Camelford and the place where they had their first gig . That isn’t to say they didn’t re-record it in a different studio - it is quite fascinating . At the rock’n’roll book club meet Bruce said he doubted that he had any concert recordings that I didn’t have but was reticent about outtakes !
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by emotional_fascism076 »

It's great you had a chance to ask Bruce about this. I figured outtakes would be kind of an iffy subject. I bet there's a few we don't know about.
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Ulster Boy
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Re: Is "The Beat" the first recording by EC and the Attractions?

Post by Ulster Boy »

Les than Zero and Blame it on Cain from the July 1977 John Peel session were re-broadcast this week, in good quality stereo and at the correct speed (the bootleg versions are speeded up):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001077z

Less than Zero 43.40
Cain 2.52.08
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