New Musical Express, August 19, 1995: Difference between revisions
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It's a tiresome limited edition live album recorded at this year's Meltdown Festival, underpinned by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell's scorched playing. Which is just dandy in itself, but it suggests that Costello had better have some sturdy wellies on him if he's going to be treading water for much longer. | It's a tiresome limited edition live album recorded at this year's Meltdown Festival, underpinned by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell's scorched playing. Which is just dandy in itself, but it suggests that Costello had better have some sturdy wellies on him if he's going to be treading water for much longer. | ||
What's so bad? The muso's quest for reinvention mainly: an attitude that Costello has towards his old songs which reasons that the more he revisits them, the more their glory will shine through. It doesn't matter when he and Frisell prowl through "Poor Napoleon" it would take a fiercer beating than these two can deliver to bruise such beauty. But when you've got something as dreary as "Baby Plays Around," the song's a dog to start with, and this post-Unplugged, back-to-basics style can only make it worse. | What's so bad? The muso's quest for reinvention mainly: an attitude that Costello has towards his old songs which reasons that the more he revisits them, the more their glory will shine through. It doesn't matter when he and Frisell prowl through "Poor Napoleon" — it would take a fiercer beating than these two can deliver to bruise such beauty. But when you've got something as dreary as "Baby Plays Around," the song's a dog to start with, and this post-Unplugged, back-to-basics style can only make it worse. | ||
Costello's love for classic songs — "Weird Nightmare"; an hilariously drowsy "Gigi" — is indulged but it's difficult to tell them apart from everything else here. That's not a testament to the greatness of Costello's numbers, mind you, just evidence of the painstakingly levelled musical land. The only new song, the Costello/Frisell penned "Deep Dead Blue," suffers from similar anonymity, but it practices the delicious trick of appearing utterly shapeless before gradually reeling you in to a taut melody. And if you can resist Costello's aching vocals then you must be the person who hates "Shipbuilding." | Costello's love for classic songs — "Weird Nightmare"; an hilariously drowsy "Gigi" — is indulged but it's difficult to tell them apart from everything else here. That's not a testament to the greatness of Costello's numbers, mind you, just evidence of the painstakingly levelled musical land. The only new song, the Costello/Frisell penned "Deep Dead Blue," suffers from similar anonymity, but it practices the delicious trick of appearing utterly shapeless before gradually reeling you in to a taut melody. And if you can resist Costello's aching vocals then you must be the person who hates "Shipbuilding." |