Customer Reviews

The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years [DIGIPACK]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a 5 star collection if you're new to Elvis and a 3 star collection if you're an Elvis fan ('cuz you most likely already own the albums).

I have been an Elvis fan for more than 20 years. These 20 songs rank with his best, yet I already have all the original albums and treasure many songs that will never make a greatest hits collection. But if you're new to Elvis, this is a great starting point.

The 20 songs here are ones every Elvis Costello fan knows. They showcase both the lyrical ability and musical eclecticism of Elvis. They also showcase one of the top backing bands of all time, the Attractions, who (for reference) are nearly as talented as the E Street Band. There are other Elvis Costello greatest hits collections out there, with only slightly different song lists, but the recording quality is the reason to get this over those.

After you've enjoyed this and if you're interested in exploring Elvis Costello and the Attractions more thoroughly, I recommend two paths: Either enjoy his first six albums (My Aim Is True, This Year's Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!, Trust, and Imperial Bedroom) sequentially or purchase the Girls, Girls, Girls two disc compilation.

There have been numerous Elvis Costello compilations, but this new release focuses on the most fertile period of his career, the first ten years. Mr. Costello's first four albums, My Aim Is True, This Years Model, Armed Forces & Get Happy!!! are virtual greatest hits albums themselves. After a brief detour into country covers on Almost, he came back with the stellar Trust & Imperial Bedroom albums. Of course no one could keep up that blinding of a pace and subsequent albums that fall into this period, Punch The Clock, Goodbye Cruel World, King Of America & Blood & Chocolate aren't as strong, but do contain some first rate material. The songs have all been dissected before and fans of Mr. Costello owns these songs probably in multiple formats, but if you want an introduction into some the finest and most creative music of the late 70's and 80's, then this album should be in your collection.

In my opinion, this is the best single-disc Elvis Costello compilation anyone has ever released. In fact, it may even be the best introduction to E.C. out there (He's so stylistically diverse that no single album is an effective introduction, and both of the more extensive collections - "Girls Girls Girls" on Columbia and "The Very Best of Elvis Costello" on Rhino - would probably be overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with the majority of his work). Also, the collection "Rock and Roll Music," as is evident in the title, ignores his non-"Rock and Roll" songs.

But this disc finally gets it right. There was a "The Very Best of Elvis Costello & the Attractions" single-disc issued on Rykodisc in 1994 that came close, but as good as that disc was, this collection makes three substitutions that are actually improvements: "(The Angels Want to Wear My) Red Shoes," "New Lace Sleeves," and "Almost Blue" replace "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field."

Not only are the substitutions slightly better songs in my opinion, they also paint a more complete picture of Elvis Costello as an artist and writer. Especially "Red Shoes" - if you'd only heard the ballad "Alison" and the reggae-influenced "Watching the Detectives" from his debut album, you'd have no idea what to expect from the rest of the CD, but "Red Shoes" really sets the tone for the rest of that disc (and it's just an amazing song). Some people complain that these songs have been repackaged too many times, but I have a hard time arguing with the final result.

The remastering of this collection sounds as good as the Rhino remasters (which managed to be a slight improvement over the already great-sounding Rykodisc versions), and I really don't understand why some people complain about the sound (but I never owned any of the vinyl records, so maybe I am missing something). Still, the sound is the best that I've heard on CD, and in terms of song selection, this is a near-perfect set. For some, this will be all the Elvis Costello they ever need. For others, it will be the beginning of a long journey into the career of one of the best, most insightful and most interesting singer-songwriters in popular music. Either way, it's hard to go wrong with this collection.

(5 stars for the tunes, 3 stars for the sound) There are several other Elvis Costello hits collections, so the question is what merit does this one have that distinguishes it from the others? My other customer reviews show that I'm skeptical about endless repackaging of an artist's back catalog, but I really responded to this set. I guess it's mainly a sentimental thing - the first ten years for Mr. Costello were indeed the best years for me, especially his 2nd, 3rd & 4th albums. This new compilation allowed me to gain a fresh appreciation of Elvis' amazing songwriting in the early years. I also fell in love all over again with such nuances as the sensuous electric guitar on "Alison," Steve Nieve's cool organ lines on "Watching the Detectives" and so on. The Attractions ruled! In sum, I think this now becomes the essential single-CD Costello collection. I was just a little disappointed by the harsh CD sound. I used to think those vinyl elitists didn't know what they were talking about, but this and a few other recent CD reissues have made me think they might have a point in saying vinyl has a warmer, fuller sound than CDs. There are songs on this disc where the vocals in particular are much harsher than I remember from the LPs. Also, the vocals seem a little too far back in the mix on some of the first 6 or 8 cuts. It gets better in the last half of the set. Also, I would have liked some liner notes - commentary? historical anecdotes? anything besides just the credits and lyrics... I guess WE are writing the liner notes here, right?

Now that thirty years has passed since his debut, it is apparent to me that Elvis Costello has a lot more in common with his namesake than a singing career. Case in point - Almost immediately upon his arrival at RCA, Elvis Presley's recordings were packaged with little regard to the consumer, and then re-packaged so relentlessly that nobody except the most dedicated, wealthy, and mentally unbalanced collector could possibly hope to amass all of Presley's catalog. With blithe regularity, RCA executives would abuse their position as the historic caretakers of a rock and roll legend by digging deeper and deeper into obscurities, then packaging them with recycled classic recordings. Very, very little was genuinely `new' except the package itself. These collections are innumerable, and I pity the poor soul who suffers the disease of being a completist collector, because it can cost you your bank account, your house, and maybe even your marriage, all in the pursuit of owning all that is Elvis.
It now appears as though the same type of abuse has befallen the recorded works of Elvis Costello. I should know. I was one of those `mentally unbalanced' individuals who felt the need to own every Elvis Costello item released on the marketplace. In the beginning, it was kind of fun. Costello had numerous singles with non-LP b-sides, and plenty of `alternate' versions to keep fans quite busy. I was a part of that vinyl junkie set, a cult of obsessed lunatics who lived to find the rarest single, or an alternate package. After three years and hundreds of dollars spent, I remember feeling betrayed when Columbia issued "Taking Liberties," a collection of Elvis' rare b-sides. In an instant, one five-dollar album made twenty rarities commonplace. Nevertheless, I soldiered on; buying 10" collector's singles, alternate mixes, and all sorts of oddities. Then, the CD era began, and it started to happen all over again. Elvis changed labels (from Columbia to Warner Brothers), and his catalog albums were subjected to not one, not two, but three separate repackagings, each of them containing unique `rarities' that could be obtained nowhere else. A dedicated collector would require four versions of each Elvis Costello album. At this point, I finally surrendered, but I already spent enough to finance a Hawaiian vacation for some record executive and his family of four. Nowadays I simply stand by, amazed as the repackaging craze continues unabated. By my count, the above named collections represent the 10th and 11th re-compilation of Elvis Costello's `hits'. I'm not saying they are bad collections. The booklets contain song lyrics, which is a nice touch, especially for the older material. Naturally, the songs are great and I should know, because I bought each of these tracks at least a half-dozen times already. If you still don't own them, then go ahead and buy them. You will enjoy them. I, however, will stare at my room full of Elvis-related plastic and acknowledge the reason that I never made that trip to Hawaii myself.
B+ Tom Ryan

Yes, and, thanks to Hip-O, it's a darn good one. I've always found EC's two disc best ofs too much to wade through. This one is very similar to Columbia's old one-disc best of from 1985, except this new one has "I Want You", probably one of his greatest songs. Also, I imagine that 22 years later the sound quality is much improved.
Overall this is an excellent roundup of Elvis Costello's music before he switched to Warner Brothers and stopped mattering. You will not be disappointed. If you like this then proceed to 'My Aim Is True', 'This Year's Model', and 'Armed Froces'. After that you're on your own.

Undeniably great music, but energy literally peters out to slow, maudlin that about pitched me into catatonia. Perhaps I prefer only first 5 years.

"... she said 'drop dead' then left with another guy." Back in 1977, no one wrote songs quite like Elvis Costello, with his Buddy Holly glasses and that provocative/tongue-in-cheek claim on his first album cover: "Elvis is King." He had the energy, the attitude -- but he also had some of the most memorable, meaningful, funny, punny lyrics under the sun. Here are 22 classic tracks from his first ten years. Now available on Amazon for just five bucks. I hope you're happy now.

This collection is very similar, if not identical to the older Very Best Of Elvis Costello And The Attractions. However that's out of print (though pennies used).

Elvis Costello was a name I always heard, but I never really made a point to listen to his music. Then I got this disc, and now I often make the point. These songs are incredible, and I wish I gave them a chance sooner. I was also suprised by how many songs I knew, even if not by title. This includes his hits "Alison", "Watching The Detectives", "Pump It Up", and "Everyday I Write The Book". But what's really great, is that most of the minor hits are even better. "Oliver's Army", "Man Out Of Time" and "Brilliant Mistake" are amazing.

If you dig this, may I also suggest a collection from Joe Jackson.

I am a fan of Elvis Costello although a fairly recent one. This CD has a lot of the classics, the songs that people probably associate with him. But I came across a few I had never heard (I didn't think) and liked enormously. Which, to me, is testament to the fact that the man puts out some darn good music. A great buy.