Irish Times, January 1981: Difference between revisions
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His third album, ''Armed Forces'', was the final installment of the period that began with his debut. Like his first two albums the lyrical imagery was vicious and the songs tough and uncompromising. He seemed to be opening up his mind in public, though in such a veiled manner that the feelings could relate to the listener as much as to the writer. He had never been content to repeat pop's well-worn cliches; when you listened you realised that the songs were the result of the classic artistic mix of anguish ald inspiration and not the product of cynical condescension. | His third album, ''Armed Forces'', was the final installment of the period that began with his debut. Like his first two albums the lyrical imagery was vicious and the songs tough and uncompromising. He seemed to be opening up his mind in public, though in such a veiled manner that the feelings could relate to the listener as much as to the writer. He had never been content to repeat pop's well-worn cliches; when you listened you realised that the songs were the result of the classic artistic mix of anguish ald inspiration and not the product of cynical condescension. | ||
Last year's ''Get Happy'' switched the emphasis from the head to the feet with EC clearly terracing his roots in American soul and r&b. But if the instinctive reaction was to start | Last year's ''Get Happy'' switched the emphasis from the head to the feet with EC clearly terracing his roots in American soul and r&b. But if the instinctive reaction was to start shuffling the old pedes, the mind was not slow to catch up. And when that finally happened the clear impression was that his anger and angst was evening out; his bitterness was being tempered by his growing maturity. | ||
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And so to ''Trust'' (F-Beat), his fifth and latest album. Again produced by Nick Lowe, with some assistance from Roger Bechirian (Undertones and Tony Koklin producer), the album features 14 tracks, evenly divided between the two sides and while one or two tempt reservation, there is not a fully-dressed turkey in hearshot. Yes, folks, the bespeckled one has again come up with a virtual haul of gems. | |||
As yet some of the songs still have me listening close to the speakers, but while some of the lyrics await to hit with their full import, there is no doubt that this is a very rich vein of material. How about this for a taster: ''"How does it feel now you've been undressed / by a man with a mind like the gutter press"'' ("Shot With His Own Gun"). However, there is much more to this album than superb lyrics; at its best the music is some of his sharpest yet and just try to keep those feet from shuffling .. . | |||
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. | |||
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Revision as of 20:31, 11 March 2018
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