Playbill, October 1986: Difference between revisions
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1976: Unknown and unannounced, Elvis Costello walked into the offices of Stiff Records one day, struck up an instant rapport with Stiff's then-supremo Jake Riviera, was signed to the label immediately, and plans were made to launch him on a public that had been starved for talent too long. Yet it would be an understatement to say that the singer-songwriter's initial attempts at revitalizing a stale music scene were successful. | 1976: Unknown and unannounced, Elvis Costello walked into the offices of Stiff Records one day, struck up an instant rapport with Stiff's then-supremo Jake Riviera, was signed to the label immediately, and plans were made to launch him on a public that had been starved for talent too long. Yet it would be an understatement to say that the singer-songwriter's initial attempts at revitalizing a stale music scene were successful. | ||
1977: Three arresting and imaginative singles were issued on Stiff in England | 1977: Three arresting and imaginative singles were issued on Stiff in England, "Less Than Zero," "Alison" and "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes," followed by his debut LP, ''My Aim Is True'', produced by Nick Lowe. It remained on the U.K. chart 12 weeks, reached the #14 spot, and was given an excited vote of approval by the media who, like his discerning record-buying audience, sensed a change in the air, a feeling that artists like Elvis were about to change drastically the then-current state of rock. His first [[Concert 1977-05-27 London|gig]] was a solo spot supporting the Rumour at the Nashville in London; three months later at the same club, an estimated 700-plus people were locked out in a scene that London rock shows seldom enjoy. | ||
The Attractions were formed in June, a trio with sufficient talent to interpret Elvis' rich musical imagination. He spent the remainder of the year on tour in England, most notably on the "Live Stiffs" all-stars package with Nick Lowe, Ian Dury and Wreckless Eric; while a fourth single, "Watching the Detectives," reached #15 on U.K. charts. | The Attractions were formed in June, a trio with sufficient talent to interpret Elvis' rich musical imagination. He spent the remainder of the year on tour in England, most notably on the "[[:Category:Stiff's Greatest Stiffs Live|Live Stiffs]]" all-stars package with Nick Lowe, Ian Dury and Wreckless Eric; while a fourth single, "Watching the Detectives," reached #15 on U.K. charts. | ||
The latter part of the year saw him conquering America as the release of his first single here on Columbia, "Alison," immediately preceded the pre-Christmas release of ''My Aim Is True''. His first U.S. tour began November 15th at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco with a memorable KSAN-FM live broadcast. He worked his way East over the next month, climaxing in New York with two nights at the Bottom Line, December 13-14th. Then it was back to England for a month of recording on the next album. | The latter part of the year saw him conquering America as the release of his first single here on Columbia, "Alison," immediately preceded the pre-Christmas release of ''My Aim Is True''. His first U.S. tour began November 15th at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco with a memorable KSAN-FM live broadcast. He worked his way East over the next month, climaxing in New York with two nights at the Bottom Line, December 13-14th. Then it was back to England for a month of recording on the next album. | ||
1978: The beginning of the year in England brought a record label switch from Stiff to Radar with the first new single going to #16, "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea." In the U.S., having vanquished stage and radio, ''My Aim Is True'' was the most-mentioned album of '77 on every top ten list of the nation's rock critics, including the | 1978: The beginning of the year in England brought a record label switch from Stiff to Radar with the first new single going to #16, "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea." In the U.S., having vanquished stage and radio, ''My Aim Is True'' was the most-mentioned album of '77 on every top ten list of the nation's rock critics, including the ''[[Rolling Stone, December 29, 1977|Rolling Stone]]'' Critics Award as Album of the Year, <i>Crawdaddy</i>'s New Artist of the Year, and even <i>Record World</i>'s Import Album of the Year. A full-page feature story in ''[[Time, December 26, 1977|Time]]'' magazine ("England's Elvis: Gut Emotions") and an historic first appearance on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' (the then-highest rated show in their history) brought him to millions. | ||
The second leg of Elvis' continuing North American tour took him cross-country, from late-January (back-to-back nights at the Armadillo in Austin and the CBS Records Convention), through the first week of March (two nights at Toronto's El Mocambo). The stage was set for the release of the second album, ''This Year's Model'', again produced by Nick Lowe. Its appearance marked the opening of another U.S. tour, sharing the bill with Mink DeVille and Rockpile (with Lowe and Dave Edmunds), climaxing at San Francisco's Winterland on June 7th. During the final week, Elvis headlined three high school concerts, the last of which, "The Extravaganza of Extravaganzas" at Hollywood High, was recorded. | The second leg of Elvis' continuing North American tour took him cross-country, from late-January (back-to-back nights at the Armadillo in Austin and the CBS Records Convention), through the first week of March (two nights at Toronto's El Mocambo). The stage was set for the release of the second album, ''This Year's Model'', again produced by Nick Lowe. Its appearance marked the opening of another U.S. tour, sharing the bill with Mink DeVille and Rockpile (with Lowe and Dave Edmunds), climaxing at San Francisco's Winterland on June 7th. During the final week, Elvis headlined three high school concerts, the last of which, "The Extravaganza of Extravaganzas" at Hollywood High, was recorded. | ||
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1983: Ever the music aficionado, Elvis retained his interest and enthusiasm for anything new and good, and so produced the Scottish group the Bluebells. Another notable collaboration resulted in one of the best (and certainly most respected) single efforts of recent times, "Shipbuilding" by Robert Wyatt. Elvis wrote the memorable words and Clive Langer wrote the music, both with Wyatt in mind. The finished work was as poignant and articulate an observation on the far-reaching effects of a modern day crusade like the Falklands incident as one could expect from an otherwise "non-literary" art form. | 1983: Ever the music aficionado, Elvis retained his interest and enthusiasm for anything new and good, and so produced the Scottish group the Bluebells. Another notable collaboration resulted in one of the best (and certainly most respected) single efforts of recent times, "Shipbuilding" by Robert Wyatt. Elvis wrote the memorable words and Clive Langer wrote the music, both with Wyatt in mind. The finished work was as poignant and articulate an observation on the far-reaching effects of a modern day crusade like the Falklands incident as one could expect from an otherwise "non-literary" art form. | ||
Meanwhile, Elvis had written, and with the Attractions rehearsed and recorded, his next album. One track, "Pills and Soap," bore particularly on the springtime general election. In order to give the song's message the attention it deserved, it was decided to release it as a single — notwithstanding the fact that F-Beat s agreement with WEA in the U.K. had already lapsed and negotiations with almost every major U.K. label hadn't yet resulted in a new deal. So "Pills and Soap," by "the Imposter," was issued on the mysterious Demon Records. It was given further notoriety when the directors of Demon decided to delete the 45 on Election Day | Meanwhile, Elvis had written, and with the Attractions rehearsed and recorded, his next album. One track, "Pills and Soap," bore particularly on the springtime general election. In order to give the song's message the attention it deserved, it was decided to release it as a single — notwithstanding the fact that F-Beat s agreement with WEA in the U.K. had already lapsed and negotiations with almost every major U.K. label hadn't yet resulted in a new deal. So "Pills and Soap," by "the Imposter," was issued on the mysterious Demon Records. It was given further notoriety when the directors of Demon decided to delete the 45 on Election Day, thereby insuring its place in the annals of rock and music marketing history. | ||
A new worldwide licensing agreement was finally struck between F-Beat and RCA, excluding the U.S. and Canada, where Elvis remained on Columbia. The first release in England was "Everyday I Write the Book," heralding the next album, ''Punch the Clock'', produced by the highly successful team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (Madness' "Our House" and Day's Midnight Runners their then-current credits). The LP featured Elvis' own version of "Shipbuilding" (trumpet solo by Chet Baker) and a "re-modeled" version of "Pills and Soap." It was an album of many moods, intricate subtleties and great authority. If anything, it was more accessible than its predecessors, utilizing the brash power of the TKO Horns, the precision backup vocals of the duo known as Afrodiziak, and the string arrangements of David Bedford. There was soul-searching introspection and incisive objectivity as well; witness "The Invisible Man," an inspired work by a remarkable songwriter. | A new worldwide licensing agreement was finally struck between F-Beat and RCA, excluding the U.S. and Canada, where Elvis remained on Columbia. The first release in England was "Everyday I Write the Book," heralding the next album, ''Punch the Clock'', produced by the highly successful team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (Madness' "Our House" and Day's Midnight Runners their then-current credits). The LP featured Elvis' own version of "Shipbuilding" (trumpet solo by Chet Baker) and a "re-modeled" version of "Pills and Soap." It was an album of many moods, intricate subtleties and great authority. If anything, it was more accessible than its predecessors, utilizing the brash power of the TKO Horns, the precision backup vocals of the duo known as Afrodiziak, and the string arrangements of David Bedford. There was soul-searching introspection and incisive objectivity as well; witness "The Invisible Man," an inspired work by a remarkable songwriter. |
Revision as of 08:43, 20 November 2016
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