36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stranger In The House, August 30, 2004
First off I love the Warning! label in the liner notes: "This album contains Country & Western Music & may produce radical reaction in narrow minded people". Further more, I'm afraid I disagree with any previous reviewers who cite this is the 1st misstep in a career that was consistantly on the rise. On the contrary, I think Almost Blue was the 1st time Costello completely stumped his audience. He's certainly done it a few times since.
It takes real balls to put your own stamp on a Hank Williams tune. Albeit, a relatively obscure one. Opening with "Why Don't You Love Me" Costello & company immediately put a spin into their own conceit. Throwing themselves into the proceedings with the same hyper, punked out abandon found on This Year's Model. This is your 1st indication that this isn't going to be your typical Country standards album. Or at worse a joke.
Fact of the matter is, he truly goes for the throat on this one. His take on "Sweet Dreams" may make Patsy Cline fans cringe in their beehives, but any Gram Parsons affecionado will appreciate Costello's heartfelt renditions of "Hot Burrito #1 (I'm Your Toy)" or "How Much I Lied". Both are just as touching as the originals, sung as if he'd written them himself.
"Good Year For The Roses" was the big surprise hit on this album. In England at any rate. Personally, I never get sick of hearing it. Perhaps because I've never heard the original.
As bonus discs go, Rhino & Mr. Costello have once again given you an all too generous assortment for your buck. Infact, there's more than twice as many tracks than on the original album. It starts off with his legendary duet with George Jones on "Stranger In The House". It doesn't disappoint. Followed by an even odder pairing with The Man In Black. I won't comment on the results, but the moment is to be cherished.
Besides some live tracks from his infamous gig in Aberdeen, there's not one, but 2 chilling versions of Leon Payne's "Psycho". Where others have milked the tune's black humor for all it's worth, Costello wisely takes it all too seriously. A welcomed restraint that will send a shiver up your spine, if you're in the right mood.
The bonus disc also features some very touching versions of "Too Far Gone" & "He's Got You". Not to mention real gems like "Wondering" & "Blues Keep Calling". His version of "I'll Take Care OF You" is to die for. Then there's "Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven". I'll bore you if I go on (if I haven't already).
Many Costello fans will begrudgingly look on this as a novelty, but far from necessary in terms of their collections. The superficial masses will cast this aside without a 2nd thought. But for me it tops flawed classics like "Punch The Clock", or his overrated Burt Bacharach album for that matter.
In fact, having been a longtime Costello & (not so lately secret) Country fan for years, I breathed a sigh of relief when this originally came out. Ofcourse, it didn't set the world on fire & I had to keep my dirty little secret to myself. But without a doubt, Almost Blue is one of the most interesting records of Costello's ongoing career. For my money, it's certainly one of the most rewarding reissues in this Rhino series. As much as I've always loved this album, truth be told, it's the bonus disc that sends this into the 5 star mark. In other words, I'm happy to have bought it again.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another completist alert!, September 23, 2004
For all you Costello completists out there, DO NOT toss your Rykodisc copy once you get this new Rhino version. There are two "Live in Aberdeen" tracks on the Ryko pressing that did not get carried over onto the new one.
As for the record itself, when I first bought the vinyl 20+ years ago, I knew very few of the songs and had none of the original versions. Now I have almost all of them, as well as a deep appreciation for country music. I have Elvis and my wife to thank for that!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great Elvis Costello & country-western music album, January 22, 2000
This review is from: Almost Blue (Audio CD)
What better country is there than Britain to hail from to able to intepret American country music? The mother country is where much of southern culture originated, including it's musical heritage. Wales and West Virginia are more alike than most people care to realize. To me it's a natural. It is not uncommon to see Merle Haggard songs on jukeboxes throughout the rural counties of the U.K. Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue" ranks right up there with the splendid work of his fellow countryman, such as the "Muswell Hillbillies" by the Kinks and much of the c&w that the Rolling Stones and Faces produced circa 1969-72. So I wish Costello fans would lay off this nonsense about this supposed rocker "experimenting" in Nashville. This album is on a more emotional level than most and seems at times uncomfortably personal in the song selection. That's what makes it like classic country to me. It gives you a chill right up your spine at certain moments. A pure delight. Billy Sherrill, the producer, really tries to make it sound like a George Jones album from the early sixties, cornpone and all. That's the way country sounded before the big hats of today. His version of "Success" and "Color of the Blues" is worth the price admission. You can tell that Costello listened to this music in England as a young lad and it made a deep impression. Great first country album for the unintiated.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
