Bootleg: The Gangster Is Back

The Gangster Is Back
Unofficial recording of Elvis Costello & The Attractions with The TKO Horns
Recorded	September 7, 1983, Austin, TX
Label	Lobster Records
Length	76:03

Back cover

Booklet art.

Elvis Costello and The Attractions with The TKO Horns, September 7, 1983, Frank Erwin Center, University Of Texas, Austin.

Sourced from a radio broadcast. Five songs ("Possession," "Secondary Modern," "Watch Your Step," "Back Stabbers" and "King Horse") are officially released as bonus tracks on Punch The Clock (2003 Deluxe Edition).

Tracks

	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	Let Them All Talk	Elvis Costello	3:51
2.	Possession	Elvis Costello	2:34
3.	Watching The Detectives	Elvis Costello	4:19
4.	Secondary Modern	Elvis Costello	3:14
5.	The Greatest Thing	Elvis Costello	2:54
6.	Kid About It	Elvis Costello	3:37
7.	Mystery Dance	Elvis Costello	2:14
8.	Shabby Doll	Elvis Costello	5:14
9.	Temptation	Elvis Costello	2:58
10.	New Lace Sleeves	Elvis Costello	5:17
11.	(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?	Nick Lowe	3:20
12.	Clubland	Elvis Costello	3:51
13.	The World And His Wife	Elvis Costello	2:39
14.	Watch Your Step	Elvis Costello	3:22
15.	Back Stabbers / King Horse	Huff, McFadden & Whitehead / Costello	4:56
16.	TKO (Boxing Day)	Elvis Costello	3:56
17.	Everyday I Write The Book	Elvis Costello	4:17
18.	Alison	Elvis Costello	4:15
19.	I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down	Homer Banks & Alan Jones	3:42
20.	Pump It Up	Elvis Costello	5:50

Release info

• Date: 1992-04
• Media: CD
• Catalogue number (comments): Lobster Records LOB 038 (Italy)

Quality

• The sound is terrifically good. The performance is a little less 'vicious' than some of his other tours, which is in keeping with the production sound he was getting in the studio at the time. - Albert Steg
• '+' - Joachim Weisbrod

Reviews

• Elvis Costello fans are generally divided over the quality of his 1983 album Punch the Clock, which he recorded with Clive Langier and Alan Winstanley, producers of many of Madness' greatest moments as well as the '80s pedophilia anthem "Come on Eileen." On this live incarnation of the album's sound, however, it's impossible not to be drawn in by the band's energy and their warm, expanded sound. Any complaints of cold, tight production that may have been leveled at Clock are obliterated by this bootleg -- the contributions of the full horn section, complemented by Steve Nieve's rollicking, intense keyboards, elevate the Attractions' usual sound to a whole new level. Old concert warhorses like "Watching the Detectives" and "Alison" are reinvented with effective horn lines, while songs drawn from Costello's 1980 faux-soul record Get Happy!! shine all the more brilliantly in full band arrangements. There's also simply a great positive vibe surrounding the show itself; it plays off as a classic '60s soul review, with Costello belting his heart out on some fantastic songs and his band churning along behind him. Taken straight from an FM radio broadcast, the recording is immediate, clear, and packs some solid punch, especially with regard to the sharpness of the horns and the impact of Pete Thomas' drum work. Thanks to that strong sonic quality and the infectious enthusiasm of the performance, Gangster rates as one of the best Costello bootlegs available. As you tear through the closing moments of the show -- a manic "Pump It Up" with the TKO Horns supplying Steve Nieve's trademark keyboard hook -- you'll likely find yourself as breathless as the crowd and performers must have been. - Matthew Springer, AllMusic

Internal links

• original page

External links

• AllMusic
• Discogs