Irish Times, January 1981: Difference between revisions
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The album opens with his current single, "Clubland," which admirably sets the level for subsequent tracks, a standard that is rarely lowered and occasionally surpassed. The song finds Elvis looking at "normal" life with typically perceptive vision. "Lovers Walk" opens with a rough drum beat a la Bo Diddley, which dominates the song. EC is on familiar ground dealing in general terms with relationships and the pitfalls that accompany them. | The album opens with his current single, "Clubland," which admirably sets the level for subsequent tracks, a standard that is rarely lowered and occasionally surpassed. The song finds Elvis looking at "normal" life with typically perceptive vision. "Lovers Walk" opens with a rough drum beat a la Bo Diddley, which dominates the song. EC is on familiar ground dealing in general terms with relationships and the pitfalls that accompany them. | ||
"You'll Never Be a Man" is the first of his personalised songs. ''"I don't wanna be first / I just wanna last,"'' he sings as he nervously puts the proposition. "Pretty Words" has him contemplating the loss of identity in a modern society with a refrain that is irresistable. "Strict Time," using the metaphor of the dance floor, finds him raging against the rules that bind us, while "Luxembourg" is a great piece of rock 'n' roll that fairly lashes along, though the dense production obscures the lyrics somewhat. "Watch Your Step" closes the side with one of his advice songs that he almost whispers. Again decrying accepted normality, he achieves this by pointing out the obvious dirt that is all too often passed off without comment; not so much swept under the carpet, as ignored. | |||
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The second side opens with the superb "New Lace Sleeves," in which he subtly tears apart the "white lies" that form the basis of society. For the (once again) excellent "From a Whisper to a Scream" he is joined by Glen Tilbrook for a vocal duet, with Martin Belmont, from The Rumour, adding some guitar. A rocker, the song deals with romance ''"like a finger running down a seam / From a whisper to a scream."'' | |||
Then to "Different Finger" the only country song (EC is a big fan of George Jones), which is beautifully written in the idiom and predictably deals with romantic problems. "White Knuckles" returns to a faster pace dealing ruthlessly (quite right too) with women beaters. The dramatic "Shot With His Own Gun" follows with just a lone grand piano behind EC's sympathetic vocal as he chronicles the fall of a womaniser: ''"What's on his mind now it's anyone's guess / losing his touch with each caress / Spend every evening looking so appealing / He comes without warning, leaves without feeling."'' | |||
"Fish 'n' Chip Paper" returns to rockier territory with (I think) a dig at newspapers before the album closes with "Big Sister's Clothes," a gentle though firm stab at someone's little sister: ''"It's easier to say I love you than yours sincerely I suppose."'' | |||
That is ''Trust'', though undoubtedly there is a lot more that has eluded me. Maybe time will alter my understanding of the album, but it certainly won't change my opinion. It is also worth mentioning that Costello is in excellent voice and that his band have rarely sounded so effective with all three, Steve Nieve (keyboards), Pete Thomas (drums) and Bruce Thomas (bass) contributing substantially to the album's success. | |||
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Revision as of 22:15, 11 March 2018
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