USC Daily Trojan, February 8, 1979: Difference between revisions

From The Elvis Costello Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
('+DailyTrojan.com link)
(formatting +browser +tags)
 
(4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Bibliography header}}
{{Bibliography header}}
{{:Bibliography index}}
{{:Bibliography index}}
{{:Daily Trojan index}}
{{:USC Daily Trojan index}}
{{:California publications index}}
{{:California publications index}}
{{:US publications by state index}}
{{Bibliography article header}}
{{Bibliography article header}}
<center><h3> Elvis Costello spurts growth in risky, <br> gutsy ''Armed Forces'' </h3></center>
<center><h3> Elvis Costello spurts growth in risky,{{nb}}gutsy{{nb}}'Armed{{nb}}Forces' </h3></center>
----
----
<center> Jim Czarnecki </center>
<center> Jim Czarnecki </center>
Line 23: Line 24:
Again his character is outside, looking to be like the others but cannot for obvious reasons.
Again his character is outside, looking to be like the others but cannot for obvious reasons.


A lot of rock music stems from this yearning to grow up. Costello has grown up, stylistically and intellectually, but he still has not lost his rebellious spirit. At the end of the 70s, Costello is looking around to find only ''"pain, hatred, and misery."'' He sings "What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding?," the album's finale, in such a cold tone that one hears Costello going onward without turning around to see the past. By relying on determination, Costello is winning.
A lot of rock music stems from this yearning to grow up. Costello has grown up, stylistically and intellectually, but he still has not lost his rebellious spirit. At the end of the 70s, Costello is looking around to find only ''"pain, hatred, and misery."'' He sings "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?," the album's finale, in such a cold tone that one hears Costello going onward without turning around to see the past. By relying on determination, Costello is winning.


{{cx}}
{{tags}}[[Armed Forces]] {{-}} [[Senior Service]] {{-}} [[Goon Squad]] {{-}} [[Big Boys]] {{-}} [[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?]] {{-}} [[Nick Lowe]]
{{cx}}
{{cx}}


Line 30: Line 34:


{{Bibliography notes}}
{{Bibliography notes}}
'''Daily Trojan, February 8, 1979
{{Bibliography next
|prev = USC Daily Trojan, February 16, 1978
|next = USC Daily Trojan, February 22, 1979
}}
'''The Daily Trojan, February 8, 1979
----
----
[[Jim Czarnecki]] reviews ''[[Armed Forces]]''.
[[Jim Czarnecki]] reviews ''[[Armed Forces]]''.
Line 36: Line 44:
{{Bibliography images}}
{{Bibliography images}}


[[image:1979-02-08 Daily Trojan page 11 clipping 01.jpg|240px|border]]
[[image:1979-02-08 USC Daily Trojan page 11 clipping 01.jpg|180px|page 11 clipping]]
<br><small>Clippings.</small>
 
[[image:1979-02-08 USC Daily Trojan page 12 clipping 01.jpg|180px|page 12 clipping]]


[[image:1979-02-08 Daily Trojan page 12 clipping 01.jpg|240px|border]]
<br><small>Clippings.</small>


[[image:1979-02-08 Daily Trojan page 11.jpg|x120px|border]]
<small>Page scan.</small><br>
<br><small>Page scan.</small>
[[image:1979-02-08 USC Daily Trojan page 11.jpg|x120px|page 11]]


{{Bibliography notes footer}}
{{Bibliography notes footer}}
Line 53: Line 62:
*[http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll104/id/92846/rec/45 USC.edu]
*[http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll104/id/92846/rec/45 USC.edu]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Daily Trojan 1979-02-08}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:USC Daily Trojan 1979-02-08}}
[[Category:Bibliography]]
[[Category:Bibliography]]
[[Category:Bibliography 1979]]
[[Category:Bibliography 1979]]
[[Category:Daily Trojan| Daily Trojan 1979-02-08]]
[[Category:USC Daily Trojan| USC Daily Trojan 1979-02-08]]
[[Category:Newspaper articles]]
[[Category:Newspaper articles]]
[[Category:Album reviews]]
[[Category:Album reviews]]
[[Category:Armed Forces reviews]]
[[Category:Armed Forces reviews]]

Latest revision as of 21:34, 1 February 2022

  ... Bibliography ...  
72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83
84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92
93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
USC Daily Trojan 
California publications 

Newspapers

University publications

Magazines and alt. weeklies

US publications by state 
  • AL  •  AK  •  AR  •  AZ  •  CA
  • CO  •  CT  •  DC  •  DE  •  FL
  • GA  •  HI  •   IA   •   ID   •   IL 
  •  IN   •  KS  •  KY  •  LA   •  MA
  • MD  •  ME  •   MI  •  MN  •  MO
  • MS  •  MT  •  NC  •  ND  •  NE
  • NH  •  NJ  •  NM  •  NV  •  NY
  • OH  •  OK  •  OR  •  PA  •  RI
  • SC  •  SD  •  TN  •  TX  •  UT
  •  VA  •  VT  •  WA  •  WI  •  WY
—
-

Elvis Costello spurts growth in risky, gutsy 'Armed Forces'

Jim Czarnecki

With his third album, Elvis Costello has made his promise come true. Armed Forces is a fresh out spurt of growth. The shy, computer technician is still one of the only outspoken rebels of rock music.

Armed Forces contains no concessions, only risks. It takes guts to sing about the pain of forced retirement, the feeling of being considered worthless by society at 65, but Elvis does it with "Senior Service." He packages this unusual pop statement into a perfect jumpy melody.

Costello has grown musically by adapting a variety of styles and motifs and blending them into his own. He succeeds in sounding pleasantly reminiscent of the 60s — while sounding like no one else around today. Most of this can be credited to Nick Lowe, who is carrying on an ambiguous love hate relationship with the 60s. Lowe has produced all three of Costello's albums as well as being a performer himself. He knows more hooks than a top-40 disc jockey and can make a recording sound urgent even in your living room. Costello never sounds like he is singing at you, rather he is always singing to you.

Costello's voice has finally emerged as his most powerful device. When he snarlingly announces that "It's the words that we don't say that hurts me so," one realizes the number of times this is true. Costello's lyrics are meant to be heard — not read — and that is why one can excuse their omission on the album's jacket.

Costello's characters are still outcasts. Only now they are accepting their fate. On "Goon Squad" a boy grows up too soon, searching for his place. With fright, Costello admits the character never thought he was different — "never thought he'd end up in the Goon Squad" — but he is not thinking of leaving either. Lowe and Costello give this song, like many others on the album, a bigger, fuller sound than Costello has previously worked with. "Goon Squad" is stuffed with added sound effects that pop out with each listening. Their novelty contrasts to a point of clearly displaying the character's isolation.

Costello works with another type of isolation on "Big Boys." It is the story of the adolescent who insists on being accepted into his older brother's group of friends. Though the story line may sound as simple as a Leave It to Beaver episode, Costello injects it with images of sexual prowess that widens its emotional range.

Again his character is outside, looking to be like the others but cannot for obvious reasons.

A lot of rock music stems from this yearning to grow up. Costello has grown up, stylistically and intellectually, but he still has not lost his rebellious spirit. At the end of the 70s, Costello is looking around to find only "pain, hatred, and misery." He sings "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?," the album's finale, in such a cold tone that one hears Costello going onward without turning around to see the past. By relying on determination, Costello is winning.


Tags: Armed Forces  •  Senior Service  •  Goon Squad  •  Big Boys  •  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?  •  Nick Lowe

-
<< >>

The Daily Trojan, February 8, 1979

Jim Czarnecki reviews Armed Forces.

Images

page 11 clipping
Clippings.

page 12 clipping


Page scan.
page 11

-


Back to top

External links

Retrieved from "http://elviscostello.info//wiki/index.php?title=USC_Daily_Trojan,_February_8,_1979&oldid=17485440"