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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Costello continued his most-prolific-man-alive act with the 20-track Get Happy!!, his fourth album in 30 months. He says what he has to say and shuts up--only a small handful of cuts approach or go over the three-minute mark--often in a pile-driving style inspired by Stax/Volt. (Sometimes loosely inspired; his version of the Sam & Dave ballad "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" is played in a rush.) Costello's wordplay is at a height here, but it doesn't divert the eye from the emotional wreckage behind the scenes: as he sings on "Human Touch," "What the makeup hides can't be made up with a kiss." --Rickey Wright
Product Description
At 20 tracks long, this 1980 soul-influenced LP shows how prolific and brilliant Costello was at his peak. High Fidelity, King Horse, Clowntime is Over , and Motel Matches are only some of the classics contained here.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
After three brilliant albums of tart, taut albums fueled by incessant touring and the excesses of rock living, Elvis Costello made the headlines with a single regrettable drunken utterance. Before anyone knew what was happening, he became better known than most pop artists of the day, and for all the wrong reasons. It forced him to a place that made him reevaluate his career to that point, and "Get Happy" began to emerge. He immersed himself in a stack of his old favorite soul records (Booker T, Four Tops, Stax/Volt albums), and emerged a different songwriter. "Get Happy" was the album where EC challenged himself to move beyond a public's expectation and led to his forth five star record.
While Elvis and the Attractions weren't completely r'n'b and alcohol saturated, some of Elvis' songs here do show the frenzy that they were recorded in. He once said that Nick Lowe's attitude toward production was "a fader in one hand an a vodka bottle in the other." The result was that these songs were frequently written and recorded in canon blasts, like the boast of "Possession" being written in five minutes after an afternoon's infatuation with a cocktail waitress. The band was challenging itself to pound out as much music as possible, as if every idea could be turned into a song. It created a wealth of material, as evidenced by the original album's sonic blast of twenty songs.
It also meant that EC's vocal performances were sometimes given all the nuance of a party reveler standing astride the jukebox ("I Stand Accused" and "Possession" being two obvious violators). On the other hand, there are some stunners here that point at the upcoming "Trust" and EC's vocal growing sophistication, as in the brilliant "Riot Act." It didn't stop the compositions from frequently striking the bull's-eye, and to this day I am amazed that the twenty multiple genre hook heavy songs on "Get Happy" somehow couldn't produce one radio single. (Also of interest is that "The Sopranos" lifted "High Fidelity" as one of the songs for an episode about Tony and Carmella's marital dysfunction.)
All told, Elvis, along with the invaluable input of The Attractions and Nick Lowe, rose to the occasion to make an album that shattered boundaries. Soul, ska and country (as well as the trademark "new wave" sound) still effortlessly roll from the grooves of "Get Happy."
While Elvis and the Attractions weren't completely r'n'b and alcohol saturated, some of Elvis' songs here do show the frenzy that they were recorded in. He once said that Nick Lowe's attitude toward production was "a fader in one hand an a vodka bottle in the other." The result was that these songs were frequently written and recorded in canon blasts, like the boast of "Possession" being written in five minutes after an afternoon's infatuation with a cocktail waitress. The band was challenging itself to pound out as much music as possible, as if every idea could be turned into a song. It created a wealth of material, as evidenced by the original album's sonic blast of twenty songs.
It also meant that EC's vocal performances were sometimes given all the nuance of a party reveler standing astride the jukebox ("I Stand Accused" and "Possession" being two obvious violators). On the other hand, there are some stunners here that point at the upcoming "Trust" and EC's vocal growing sophistication, as in the brilliant "Riot Act." It didn't stop the compositions from frequently striking the bull's-eye, and to this day I am amazed that the twenty multiple genre hook heavy songs on "Get Happy" somehow couldn't produce one radio single. (Also of interest is that "The Sopranos" lifted "High Fidelity" as one of the songs for an episode about Tony and Carmella's marital dysfunction.)
All told, Elvis, along with the invaluable input of The Attractions and Nick Lowe, rose to the occasion to make an album that shattered boundaries. Soul, ska and country (as well as the trademark "new wave" sound) still effortlessly roll from the grooves of "Get Happy."
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Get Happy by Elvis & the Attractions is up there with Abbey Road as one of the greatest rock albums ever made, from the first cut to the last. Incredible wordplay floating in a stew of crunchy, tight, sparkling rockin' new wave rhythm country & ska. This one album contains enough golden nuggets to make careers for 4 or 5 lesser artists. I listened to it constantly 25 years ago - it's just as stunning today.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Music
After three brilliant albums of tart, taut albums fueled by incessant touring and the excesses of rock living, Elvis Costello made the headlines with a single regrettable drunken utterance. Before anyone knew what was happening, he became better known than most pop artists of the day, and for all the wrong reasons. It forced him to a place that made him reevaluate his career to that point, and "Get Happy" began to emerge. He immersed himself in a stack of his old favorite soul records (Booker T, Four Tops, Stax/Volt albums), and emerged a different songwriter. "Get Happy" was the album where EC challenged himself to move beyond a public's expectation and led to his forth five star record.
While Elvis and the Attractions weren't completely r'n'b and alcohol saturated, some of Elvis' songs here do show the frenzy that they were recorded in. He once said that Nick Lowe's attitude toward production was "a fader in one hand an a vodka bottle in the other." The result was that these songs were frequently written and recorded in canon blasts, like the boast of "Possession" being written in five minutes after an afternoon's infatuation with a cocktail waitress. The band was challenging itself to pound out as much music as possible, as if every idea could be turned into a song. It created a wealth of material, as evidenced by the original album's sonic blast of twenty songs.
It also meant that EC's vocal performances were sometimes given all the nuance of a party reveler standing astride the jukebox ("I Stand Accused" and "Possession" being two obvious violators). On the other hand, there are some stunners here that point at the upcoming "Trust" and EC's vocal growing sophistication, as in the brilliant "Riot Act." It didn't stop the compositions from frequently striking the bull's-eye, and to this day I am amazed that the twenty multiple genre hook heavy songs on "Get Happy" somehow couldn't produce one radio single. (Also of interest is that "The Sopranos" lifted "High Fidelity" as one of the songs for an episode about Tony and Carmella's marital dysfunction.)
All told, Elvis, along with the invaluable input of The Attractions and Nick Lowe, rose to the occasion to make an album that shattered boundaries. Soul, ska and country (as well as the trademark "new wave" sound) still effortlessly roll from the grooves of "Get Happy."
While Elvis and the Attractions weren't completely r'n'b and alcohol saturated, some of Elvis' songs here do show the frenzy that they were recorded in. He once said that Nick Lowe's attitude toward production was "a fader in one hand an a vodka bottle in the other." The result was that these songs were frequently written and recorded in canon blasts, like the boast of "Possession" being written in five minutes after an afternoon's infatuation with a cocktail waitress. The band was challenging itself to pound out as much music as possible, as if every idea could be turned into a song. It created a wealth of material, as evidenced by the original album's sonic blast of twenty songs.
It also meant that EC's vocal performances were sometimes given all the nuance of a party reveler standing astride the jukebox ("I Stand Accused" and "Possession" being two obvious violators). On the other hand, there are some stunners here that point at the upcoming "Trust" and EC's vocal growing sophistication, as in the brilliant "Riot Act." It didn't stop the compositions from frequently striking the bull's-eye, and to this day I am amazed that the twenty multiple genre hook heavy songs on "Get Happy" somehow couldn't produce one radio single. (Also of interest is that "The Sopranos" lifted "High Fidelity" as one of the songs for an episode about Tony and Carmella's marital dysfunction.)
All told, Elvis, along with the invaluable input of The Attractions and Nick Lowe, rose to the occasion to make an album that shattered boundaries. Soul, ska and country (as well as the trademark "new wave" sound) still effortlessly roll from the grooves of "Get Happy."
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hip-O Elvis Remasters Bring back the magic of analog
There have several issues of the Elvis Costello and the Attractions catalog. The 24 bit Hip-O releases from 2007, to these ears, are the real deal. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John S. Challen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Under-rated classic!
Loved it when it first came out,but never fully appreciated how good it was until now.Costello has had a long journey,and I like his more recent,more "mature" work as much as his... Read more
Published 15 months ago by tjones
5.0 out of 5 stars
non-stop joy
This album came during a very prolific period, marked by a consistently excellent series of albums. In the late 70s and early 80s Elvis Costello could do no wrong. Read more
Published on October 2, 2010 by Donald E. Gilliland
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get Happy,Get Going!
Getting caught up in non stop recording can have very mixed results.All one has to do is eyeball the catalog of people like Prince or Todd Rundgren in their prime to figure that... Read more
Published on April 6, 2009 by Andre S. Grindle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get Happy all over it
Got this album upon release in 1980. It is a brilliant album filled with very short songs. 'Five Gears In Reverse' was played on FM radio in South Florida. Read more
Published on March 11, 2009 by Writer18
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get Happy Indeed
Stripped down sound most like their live shows, few overdubs and layers make this an album that the Attractions could play live note for note. Read more
Published on January 4, 2009 by Pat Lamorgese
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tim Brough hit the nail on the head
Way to go, Tim, I totally felt this sentiment and was glad to hear it from someone else! --folks, this one is really the epitome of what Elvis had done and what he was to become:... Read more
Published on November 22, 2008 by freereign
4.0 out of 5 stars
A heaping helping of Costello's greatness.
Get Happy may not be entirely free of filler, but there's still enough great stuff here to make your head spin. Read more
Published on December 12, 2007 by Laszlo Matyas
4.0 out of 5 stars
The wages of sin are an expensive infection
Love For Tender is a classic. Essentially a re-write of Love Me Tender by the other better looking Elvis what can you say :) One thing to mention is the clever monetory double... Read more
Published on December 3, 2007 by moro
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