Beaver County Times, June 2, 2002: Difference between revisions
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{{:Pennsylvania publications index}} | {{:Pennsylvania publications index}} | ||
{{Bibliography article header}} | {{Bibliography article header}} | ||
<center><h3> Costello sharpens tongue on 'Cruel' </h3></center> | <center><h3> Costello sharpens tongue on 'Cruel' </h3></center> | ||
<center>''' Elvis Costello ''' / When I Was Cruel</center> | |||
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<center>'' Knight Ridder Newspapers </center> | |||
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{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
When Elvis Costello is cruel, which is most of the time, it's only to be kind. No other song-smith has been quite so consistently cutting with his cunning, and on ''When I Was Cruel'', the artist formally known as Declan McManus has honed his lyrics dagger sharp. | |||
''"Speaking for myself I wouldn't take the fame, the fees, the glory / For whoring in the practice of the law,"'' he sings on "[[Soul For Hire|Soul for Hire]]," his commentary on the legal profession. ''"I want a girl to turn my screw / To wind my watch, to buckle my shoe / And if she won't my mother will do,"'' the Svengali protagonist of "[[Spooky Girlfriend]]" sings. | |||
The characters in "Spooky" recall Britney Spears and Lou Pearlman. Several songs on ''Cruel'' are protests of and pleas for the current state of pop. "[[45]]" and "[[Radio Silence]]" recall more halcyon days and media than today's digital, video age. But Costello also knows that music is a reflection of society. So "Spooky" is just one of several songs that portray Western culture's sick fascination with little girls; another, "[[Episode Of Blonde|Episode of Blonde]]," seems to have been inspired by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. | |||
The characters in "Spooky" recall Britney Spears and Lou Pearlman. Several songs on | |||
''Cruel'' is full of trophy wives, perverts, bullies and weasels. Even a love song such as "[[15 Petals]]," featuring a runaway horn section, contains a "Mussolini highway" and "polythene face." And yet, Costello would like this cruel world to say goodbye. | |||
On "[[Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)|Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)]]," Costello imagines all the commercial moppets, male and female, revolting. On "[[Dust]]" | On "[[Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)|Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)]]," Costello imagines all the commercial moppets, male and female, revolting. On "[[Dust]]," a song repeated in two versions, he wants to stop the endless spin-out of this record. | ||
Costello wrote most of | Costello wrote most of ''Cruel'' with a low-tech Silvertone guitar and drum machine. He recorded in similar bare-bones fashion, enlisting former Attractions [[Steve Nieve]] and [[Pete Thomas]] on several songs. | ||
The music is as raw as his rage, and yet it's poignant and stately too. On "[[When I Was Cruel No. 2|When I was Cruel No. 2]]," a sample of a woman singing "un" loops endlessly, as Costello intones the confessions of a bored playboy. | The music is as raw as his rage, and yet it's poignant and stately too. On "[[When I Was Cruel No. 2|When I was Cruel No. 2]]," a sample of a woman singing "un" loops endlessly, as Costello intones the confessions of a bored playboy. | ||
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Costello's first album in six years is one of his best. Still, at 15 tracks, it could use editing, especially given its relentless edge. | Costello's first album in six years is one of his best. Still, at 15 tracks, it could use editing, especially given its relentless edge. | ||
"Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness," Costello sings on "[[Tart]]." | ''"Would it kill you to show us a little sweetness,"'' Costello sings on "[[Tart]]." | ||
Would it? | Would it? | ||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
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'''Beaver County Times, June 2, 2002 | '''Beaver County Times, June 2, 2002 | ||
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''Knight Ridder Newspapers'' reviews ''[[When I Was Cruel]]''. | |||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[ | [[image:2002-06-02 Beaver County Times Sunday page 05 clipping 01.jpg|360px|border]] | ||
<small> | <br><small>Clipping.</small> | ||
[[image:2002-06-02 Beaver County Times photo 01.jpg|360px|border]] | |||
<br><small>Photographer unknown.</small> | |||
[[image:2002-06-02 Beaver County Times Sunday page 05.jpg|x120px|border]] | |||
<br><small>Page scan.</small> | |||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://www.timesonline.com/ TimesOnline.com] | *[http://www.timesonline.com/ TimesOnline.com] | ||
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beaver_County_Times Wikipedia: The Beaver County Times] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beaver_County_Times Wikipedia: The Beaver County Times] | ||
*[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=20020602&id=-RovAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ndsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3848,373681 news.google.com] | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaver County Times 2002-06-02}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Beaver County Times 2002-06-02}} |
Revision as of 20:12, 5 April 2015
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