National Ransom - November 2010

[sabreman]

Including a new (at least to me) photo:

elviscostello.jpg

Side note: Now that is a nice hat! Also combo look!

[wordnat]

Has anyone heard -- or, better yet, does anyone have live versions of -- "All These Strangers", "Church Underground", or the title track? Would love to hear them! thx

[And No Coffee Table]

"Church Underground" and the title track don't seem to have been played live yet. (Nor has "My Lovely Jezebel.")

"All These Strangers" has only been played once. If a recording exists, that information hasn't been shared with the forum.

[migdd]

Thanks to Mojo & Chris for your words of support! I actually got a few offers, so I won't end up in a Hobo Camp, but I doubt I'll ever see my missing paychecks--and that's a huge problem. The really sad thing is...even after they didn't pay us, people kept working. Even after they sent us home, a lot of people stayed--and even showed up the next day.

Hang in there, Mojo--but not too long--don't go down with the ship like I did.

Chris, I think you could be right about Elvis catching the Zeitgeist this time. The national (and international) mood is ripe for some Costello-style vitriol. "National Ransom" could turn out to be the anthem of the disaffected.

As far a a big tour goes...I doubt it. Not with those little boys to take care of.

Good luck with your job search, Ypsi! After many years in corporate America I found myself unemployed for nearly two years. Financial planning, help from family and government programs that allowed for an 18-month reprieve that included the opportunity for an additional degree and extended benefits got us through the hard times. Amazingly, I've just been offered a new opportunity at the same level as when I left the workplace. Feeling very blessed at this point and anxious to get "back in the game". I'm sure the future holds a better opportunity for you, as well.

[Ypsilanti]

Good luck with your job search, Ypsi! After many years in corporate America I found myself unemployed for nearly two years. Financial planning, help from family and government programs that allowed for an 18-month reprieve that included the opportunity for an additional degree and extended benefits got us through the hard times. Amazingly, I've just been offered a new opportunity at the same level as when I left the workplace. Feeling very blessed at this point and anxious to get "back in the game". I'm sure the future holds a better opportunity for you, as well.

Thanks so much! I'm happy to say I got another job and I start on Monday. I'm really, really grateful because what I do is ridiculously specific--there are probably less than 75 jobs like mine in the whole NYC area--and all of those positions are filled. The odds were not in my favor, but I really lucked out. Whew! But I don't think I'll ever get my lost pay back and that's a huge problem. Those fuckers also owe me a bit of commission $$$ in addition to my salary. All told, it's more than 8K. These days, that's not nothing. At best, I'm going to end up with crumbs from some bankruptcy court--and it will probably take 5 years. Carpetbagger Wolves, indeed! Grrrrr! But rage won't pay my mortgage. (I wish it would because I have plenty of rage and no money at all).

However, Migdd, your new opportunity sounds really good! Congratulations! Seems like you managed to work a bad situation to your advantage--turn something negative into a real positive, like more education and training--that's great. Good for you! I'm sure it took lots of balls and a level head during a scary time. Hats off to you!

[johnfoyle]

I asked Tony Milionair , via his Facebook page , for info. about the sleeve, mentioning the De MacM etc. stuff . His short answer is

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= ... 2838965872

Foyle, there are lots of symbols to find.

Another poster to his page commented that I have ' a lot of time to kill' - I wish!

[wardo68]

Lyrics for all the songs on the album are now viewable in the "Words" section on elviscostello.com. The only thing is you have to look them up individually; they aren't grouped by album, nor do the "listen" links play the songs (yet). Just as the songs on SP&S had Harry Smith-type descriptions, each of the new songs includes a line saying either where it was written or where it takes place.

[Man out of Time]

A sixteenth track seems to have been added to this album. A post on the Elvis Costello Facebook page (of all places) today said this:

The Right Rev Jimmy Quickly, Minister of Information for Elvis Costello says.... "What is a Voice in the Dark"... Go To http://www.elviscostello.com/ to find out....

Following the link leads to an expanded version of the press release quoted above. There is now a new penultimate paragraph that reads:

Speaking of the now and then, the album closes with "A Voice In The Dark", a hopeful, good humoured song that is the lyrical bookend to the harum-scarum of "National Ransom"

"King's reign beneath umbrellas
Hide pennies down in cellars
And money pours down at yet [sic]
Not everyone gets soaking wet"

The track listing now adds track 16 - A Voice In The Dark. The extract quoted suggests that this is neither good humoured nor hopeful, but perhaps the full lyrics (when they appear) will prove me wrong.

MOOT

[wordnat]

Well, now he's just spoiling us! All signs point to NR being a major work -- maybe even a "masterpiece" (without a question mark)...!

Thanks to Wardo68 for the heads up on the lyrics -- "Station of the Cross" becomes twice as impressive (and about four times as harrowing) when the words are in front of me.

November 2nd seems a long way off!

[johnfoyle]

I've just printed of the lyrics ( c. 23 pages) and look forward to going through them.

A aspect of one of them seems obvious-

http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... f=2&t=7706

[wardo68]

A sixteenth track seems to have been added to this album. A post on the Elvis Costello Facebook page (of all places) today said this:

The Right Rev Jimmy Quickly, Minister of Information for Elvis Costello says.... "What is a Voice in the Dark"... Go To http://www.elviscostello.com/ to find out....

Following the link leads to an expanded version of the press release quoted above. There is now a new penultimate paragraph ...

Good eye MOOT! It was the Facebook link that got me poking around the site, and I completely forgot about that clue once I started looking at the new lyrics.

16 songs? I'm thinking we're looking at an hour-long album here.

[cwr]

I REALLY hope they reconsider the huge gap between the "International" release date and the U.S. release date. Either push back the international or bump up the US one, so there's not more than a day's difference. Otherwise, you can pretty much guarantee that the people most excited about it are going to seek it out via some other means...

[And No Coffee Table]

I think the people most excited about the album will seek it out via some other means regardless of the release date.

Amazon Japan and HMV Japan both show October 6 as the release date. Could Japan really be getting it that far ahead of the "international" date, or are those sites just slow to update?

I'm inclined to think the latter, but I still remember how My Flame Burns Blue was released in Japan six weeks before it was released anywhere else. And I've yet to see a date other than October 6 mentioned for Japan.

[johnfoyle]

The lyrics are posted all together here-

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... som_lyrics


or seperately here -


NATIONAL RANSOM

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8928


JIMMIE STANDING IN THE RAIN

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8913


STATIONS OF THE CROSS

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8914

SLOW DRAG WITH JOSEPHINE

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8915

FIVE SMALL WORDS

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8916


CHURCH UNDERGROUND

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8917

YOU HUNG THE MOON


http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8918


BULLETS FOR THE NEW-BORN KING

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8919


I LOST YOU

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8920

DR. WATSON, I PRESUME

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8921


ONE BELL RINGING

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8922

THE SPELL THAT YOU CAST

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8923


THAT’S NOT THE PART OF HIM YOU’RE LEAVING

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8929

MY LOVELY JEZEBEL

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8925

ALL THESE STRANGERS

http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-de ... d/729/8926

A VOICE IN THE DARK

http://www.elviscostello.com/words-deta ... d/729/8927

[Neil.]

On each of these lyric pages, they have a 'Listen' button... which plays exactly the same dramatic, orchestral piece every time, nomatter which song. Anyone know what the piece is?

[Ypsilanti]

On each of these lyric pages, they have a 'Listen' button... which plays exactly the same dramatic, orchestral piece every time, no matter which song. Anyone know what the piece is?

It's part of Il Sogno. Pretty nice, right?

Also...I had a look at this... http://www.elviscostello.com/#/news/Meet+Moon+Conway/65
on EC's website. Appears to be a charming little character study of a fictional Hollywood press agent. Will Moon Conway be responsible for promoting National Ransom? An interesting idea.

So, if you happen upon “a postcard from Old Moon”, somewhere on your travels, you may picture Miriam Conway, almost silently tapping her computer keyboard, while a florid man, wreathed in smoke and curses, gives forth dictation like an oration and a noisy typewriter transport chatters until the ringing of a bell.

Hmmm. An emailed postcard, perhaps, to those on his mailing list, relating to bonus tracks? Just curious...

[scaredcrow]

The audio sample for the title track is up! It doesn't sound remotely countrified or rustic. It's ace though, and bodes well for the rest. Ribot's guitar sounds really new-wave and the track stomps along in a manner not dissimilar to You Belong To Me.

[And No Coffee Table]

On each of these lyric pages, they have a 'Listen' button... which plays exactly the same dramatic, orchestral piece every time, no matter which song. Anyone know what the piece is?

It's part of Il Sogno.

Specifically "Tormentress."

[Jack of All Parades]

Invigorating the 'snippet' of sound from the title track given the relative 'flatness' of the overall sound of SP&P- not enough to tell but a little too repetitious in the few bars played. Still excited at the prospect of the instrumental and the accompanying sounds palette being expanded.

[FAVEHOUR]

Samples from all tracks are up if you view the album.

[migdd]

Actually, only a snippet of National Ransom is currently playable. All other tracks just play the Il Sogno snippet. At least they do when I try to play them.

[Poor Deportee]

I for one am going to go into the album cold. No promos, no scanning of the lyrics - why, not being one for bootlegs I haven't even heard the live versions of the new songs. I may even extend my pre-release blackout to critical reviews. I really want this one to hit me in the oblivious face, like a Mack truck.

[thepopeofpop]

Actually, only a snippet of National Ransom is currently playable.

You can hear the entire song if you follow these instructions:

1. Go to the "National Ransom" page - http://www.elviscostello.com/#/records- ... som/cd/729

2. Click on "Open Player" near the top right hand corner of the page.

3. You will see a record player and a tracklist. The song "National Ransom" should start to play. If it doesn't then click on the first track.

4. You can now select any 30 second section of the song using the progress meter underneath the record player. Just drag it along with your mouse.

[sulky lad]

Poor Deportee wrote

I for one am going to go into the album cold.

Me too !
A kindly person from the emerald isle gave me a pre-release version of SP&S and I buried it under a heavy pile of vinyl so I wouldn't be tempted. i admit to owning a few live recordings but the studio versions invariably have been a revelation and I'm just excited about the prospect of the album.
Is there any likelihood that it will be released on vinyl as a single album ( like the good old days) rather than a double with 4 tracks per side a la TRIR, Momofuku and SP&S ?

[the_platypus]

Whoa! That reminds me, of all things, of "You Belong to Me"! Not at all what I expected. It'll have to grow on me.