Island Records has set an Oct. 1 release for “Cruel Smile,” a limited-edition collection of Elvis Costello tracks. The 14-cut collection boasts songs from the recording sessions for his latest album, “When I Was Cruel,” as well as live songs captured during his ongoing world tour, and a few rarities never before released in the U.S.
Among those rarities is “Smile,” a single that topped the chart in Japan but was not released Stateside. The song appears twice on “Cruel Smile” — a studio version recorded in New York opens the set, while a studio version recorded in Paris closes it.
Also featured is a live “Watching the Detectives”/”My Funny Valentine” recorded July 5 in Tokyo, a version of the “When I Was Cruel” track “Spooky Girlfriend” that was performed live on the air at KFOG-FM San Francisco, and versions of the favorite “Almost Blue” and the new album’s “15 Petals” as they were performed live July 12 in Sydney.
A quartet of songs from “When I Was Cruel” also show up in remixed form under altered names on “Cruel Smile”: “Honeyhouse (Cruel No. 2),” “Revolution Doll,” “Peroxide Side (Blunt Cut),” and “The Imposter vs. the Floodtide (Dust and Petals).” All are credited to “the Imposter,” Costello’s self-dubbed producer moniker on his latest album.
After a European run that ends Thursday (Sept. 19) in Paris, Costello and his band, the Imposters, will return to the U.S. for another round of dates beginning Sunday in Seattle. The 32-date leg of the tour will end with a pair of shows Nov. 6-7 in Atlanta.
|