I've been enjoying "Goodbye Cruel World," Elvis Costello's least favorite Elvis Costello album more lately than I ever did before. It needed a few snips here and there, but it certainly plays better than its reputation. The Rhino reissue from 2004 has a full disc of bonus tracks, as do all of the Rhino/Elvis reissues and the alternates and demos on this package were a lot of fun. I was also a bit shocked when Costello's acoustic demo of "She Loves The Jerk," one of my favorite John Hiatt songs came on. I completely forgot that this existed.
So, here it is.
I love EC but (vocally) that wasn't a patch on Hiatt's original.
ReplyDeleteIt's a demo
DeleteI always liked "Goodbye..." more than the critical reception it got when it was released.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know it was a dissed album. I've always thought it was great. Anything from the debut to Blood and Chocolate is good to great and mostly great. I'd rank Armed Forces, Trust and Almost Blue as solid, but lesser than Goodbye Cruel World and all the other towering albums he produced in this era. Not that it's a competition. They're all worth spinning. It's just a matter of degree. Why was it ranked a disappointment, other than perhaps following the masterpiece Imperial Bedroom, the great Punch the Clock and followed by King of America and Blood and Chocolate (which i also think was underrated for many years)?
ReplyDelete"Armed Forces" and "Trust" lesser than "Goodbye Cruel World?"
ReplyDeleteI think not.
He can be forgiven for being a Celtics fan 😉 My only Elvis reference is My Aim Is True - its still exhilarating to listen to
ReplyDeleteThis is an inspiration to solo singer guitar players everywhere excellent!
ReplyDeleters