Customer Reviews

Goodbye Cruel World

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'll admit it, I recall that the first time I heard "Goodbye Cruel World," I was less than impressed. In fact, I was of the mind that it was the album where I wondered if Elvis' reach had finally exceeded his grasp. Even Elvis himself conceded the point on the Ryko reissue, with the now infamous "You've purchased our worst album" comment.

But time has given "Goodbye Cruel World" a finer burnish. The tug of war going on between Elvis himself, his band and producers Langer and Winstanley took some pretty darn good songs and "date stamped" them pretty solidly. That doesn't mean the songs are any less stellar. In fact, two of his strongest songs ever are here, the anthem "Peace In Our Time" and "The Comedians." (Although there's no way to escape the fact that Roy Orbison's eventual version completely trumps Costello's.) Along with "Shipbuilding," "Peace In Our Time" joins the great political songs that EC has written, and is even timely now.

"There's a man going round taking names,
no matter who you claim to be.
As innocent as babies, a mad dog with rabies,
you're still part of some conspiracy."

So why is this such a put upon CD? The answer lies on the bonus disc which, once again, takes a three star album and pumps it up an additional star. Listen to the confusion, frustration and hurt in some of the demos, then compare them to the slickly produced final versions. Even the alternate take of "Only Flame In Town" takes on a totally different personality, sounding more like a demo for Ray Charles than the peppy brush with the Top 40 that featured Daryl Hall.

The bonus disc also sports a couple of faves, including a Madness b-side "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" (wherein Elvis suddenly rediscovered his English accent!), a live version of The Specials' "What I Like About You Most is Your Girlfriend," and a demo cover of the great "She Loves The Jerk" courtesy of John Hiatt. If you left this in the memory dustbin, maybe it's time you once again said hello to "Goodbye Cruel World." Because as time has shown, Elvis at his (alleged) worst can trounce many artists at their best.

The mistake was working with The Attractions on this one. That and a very unhappy Declan MacManus. Although "Goodbye Cruel World" has become notorious for having "Congradulations, You've bought our worst album" in the CD liner notes, nobody knew when it first came out that it would be one of EC's weaker albums. The poppy single track "You're Not the Only Flame in Town" promised so much more. There are a couple of gems here and buried somewhere under Langer & Winstanley's production is a good, solid album by EC & TA.

The reissue is much, much better than the original release. Why? Because the second disc has 11 of the tracks from the original album in demo form. Don't sell those old Ryko/Demon CDs yet. It also has the previously released bonus tracks from the original release with the curious exception of "Deportee" a re-recording of the track "The Deportee Club" with a new melody. I'm at a loss as to why it wasn't included here as it's a valid attempt to find new life in an old song.

The liner notes make this almost worth the price of admission. We get an extensive booklet with more info than in the previous one plus lyrics to all the songs including demo lyrics that might be different from the final release. Either way this (along with its companion albums "Almost Blue" and "Kojak Variety" also re-relased at the same time) form part of a trio of unloved, unwanted EC albums. Embrace them and decide for yourself.

Tear off the cellophane & the liner notes greet you with, "Congratulations! You just bought our worst album !"

Prospects do indeed look grim. And perhaps this is Poor Napolean's Waterloo. Holding his life in his hands with an artificial limp wrist. It could be worse. After all, we're not talking about Billy Joel here.

But after so many years of pumping out classics at such a frenetic pace, he was bound to fall off his pedestal sooner or later. One listen to PUNCH THE CLOCK & it doesn't take genius to figure out a career crisis was right around the bend.

Personally, "Only Flame In Town" is a guilty pleasure of mine. Well, not "guilty". It's damn fine song. Like, "Everyday I Write The Book", it's a Pop song that makes no apologies for being such. Something you have to admire. And the spare, acoustic version on the bonus disc beautifully makes up for any over-production.

Though a woefully barbiturate take on, "I Wanna Be Loved" seems to have been the the official hit, the only true essential on here is " Love Field". The opening chords will never fail to stop you in your tracks. And as demos would later prove, "Deportee" & "Comedians" are great songs that never had a chance. Same goes for alot of the material on here. But hand a song over to Roy Orbison & you might as well kiss it goodbye.

With the possible exception of "Peace In Our Time", the rest of the album could be characterized as the sound of a man choking on his own piss & vinegar. Slapping on slick production to disguise that fact is the perfect recipie for disaster.

Throughout it all, self-loathing is all too evident. In fact it's something that would go on to characterize his next two releases. But where KING OF AMERICA took a knife & stripped things bare, & BLOOD & CHOCOLATE made gloriously cathartic racket, everything here just turns brittle & shatters.

To be fair, this is far from the worst record ever recorded. There are a lot of things out there far more deserving of that honor. That said, in terms of the high quality of Costello's past work, this is a somewhat dismal listen. For the devoted but discerning fan, it might just prove too painful to witness. Not only does the hero take a fall, he's the fall guy. And no matter how much bonus material you tack on, it won't put this Humpty Dumpty back together again.

I'll admit it, I recall that the first time I heard "Goodbye Cruel World," I was less than impressed. In fact, I was of the mind that it was the album where I wondered if Elvis' reach had finally exceeded his grasp. Even Elvis himself conceded the point on the Ryko reissue, with the now infamous "You've purchased our worst album" comment.

But time has given "Goodbye Cruel World" a finer burnish. The tug of war going on between Elvis himself, his band and producers Langer and Winstanley took some pretty darn good songs and "date stamped" them pretty solidly. That doesn't mean the songs are any less stellar. In fact, two of his strongest songs ever are here, the anthem "Peace In Our Time" and "The Comedians." (Although there's no way to escape the fact that Roy Orbison's eventual version completely trumps Costello's.) Along with "Shipbuilding," "Peace In Our Time" joins the great political songs that EC has written, and is even timely now.

"There's a man going round taking names,
no matter who you claim to be.
As innocent as babies, a mad dog with rabies,
you're still part of some conspiracy."

So why is this such a put upon CD? The unfortunate answer lies on the bonus disc from the 2004 Rhino double CD which, once again, took a three star album and pumps it up an additional star. Listen to the confusion, frustration and hurt in some of those demos, then compare them to the slickly produced final versions. Even the alternate take of "Only Flame In Town" took on a totally different personality, sounding more like a demo for Ray Charles than the peppy brush with the Top 40 that featured Daryl Hall.

The Rhino bonus disc also sported a couple of collector's faves, including a Madness b-side "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" (wherein Elvis suddenly rediscovered his English accent!), a live version of The Specials' "What I Like About You Most is Your Girlfriend," and a demo cover of the great "She Loves The Jerk" courtesy of John Hiatt. If you left this in the memory dustbin, maybe it's time you once again said hello to "Goodbye Cruel World," but I still recommend the Rhino version. Because as time has shown, Elvis at his (alleged) worst can trounce many artists at their best.

Although the album was intended to thrust Costello and the Attractions into the pop mainstream that has eluded them (especially in America), it doesn't quite make it. Still, the lyrics are incredible, as always, even if the "pop" sound doesn't really fit. Best tracks--'Worthless Thing,' 'Love Field' and 'I Wanna Be Loved.' Steve Nieve makes a bigger impression on this album than any to date. His parts shine (especially on 'Love Field').

This album will only be truly appreciated by the huge fans. I love it but, if just a casual listener, I suggest "Punch the Clock" or "Trust." They're a little more accessable.

Everybody needs a worst album, even if they're all fantastic. The point is, yes, this ins't quite as good as This Years Model or Imperial Bedroom, but, come on, its Elvis Costello. It's still pretty damn good. EC's worst will always trounce most people's best. It is true that this is somewhat an "80s" album, but its great 80s music then. "The Only Flame In Town," while slightly dated, still works, "Love Field" is beautiful, and the Rykodisc is worth it for the li and demo tracks--you can see how these are essentially beautifully dark ballads that were slightly marred by the wrong production. It's a shame this has the reputation it does, b/c some of these songs don't deserve to be forgotten simply because this isn't his masterpiece. Bottom line: certainly not his best, but great. If you're new, get the earlier (and later) stuff first. If you're a fan t, this won't change your mind.

I'll admit it, I recall that the first time I heard "Goodbye Cruel World," I was less than impressed. In fact, I was of the mind that it was the album where I wondered if Elvis' reach had finally exceeded his grasp. Even Elvis himself conceded the point on the Ryko reissue, with the now infamous "You've purchased our worst album" comment.

But time has given "Goodbye Cruel World" a finer burnish. The tug of war going on between Elvis himself, his band and producers Langer and Winstanley took some darn good songs and "date stamped" them pretty solidly. That doesn't mean the songs are any less stellar. In fact, two of his strongest songs ever are here, the anthem "Peace In Our Time" and "The Comedians." (Although there's no way to escape the fact that Roy Orbison's eventual version completely trumps Costello's.) Along with "Shipbuilding," "Peace In Our Time" joins the great political songs that EC has written, and is even timely now.

"There's a man going round taking names,
no matter who you claim to be.
As innocent as babies, a mad dog with rabies,
you're still part of some conspiracy."

So why is this such a put upon CD? The unfortunate answer lies on the bonus disc from the 2004 Rhino double CD which, once again, took a three star album and pumps it up an additional star. Listen to the confusion, frustration and hurt in some of those demos, then compare them to the slickly produced final versions. Even the alternate take of "Only Flame In Town" took on a totally different personality, sounding more like a demo for Ray Charles than the peppy brush with the Top 40 that featured Daryl Hall.

If you left this in the memory dustbin, maybe it's time you once again said hello to "Goodbye Cruel World," but I still recommend the Rhino version. Because as time has shown, Elvis at his (alleged) worst can trounce many artists at their best.

I have been an Elvis Costello fan since I purchased cassettes of "Trust" and "Armed Forces" in the discount bin at a mall record store chain in the mid-80s. I'd liked what I'd heard from him prior to my first official purchase, but those two albums converted me into an official fan, as opposed to a casual listener.

I had never been interested in purchasing "Goodbye Cruel World," because I'd heard a couple songs from it and they just sounded like Elvis being infected by the 80s cheese that engulfed all music at that time.

However, my Monopoly-like obsession to own everything by artists I love coupled with Rhino's lauded reissues of his catalog (and the realization that they are out of print and will soon be rare or insanely expensive) inspired me to go ahead and pick this up just so I'd know what the fuss is all about.

I've listened to it about 10 times all the way through and while it is certainly not a great album, there are some great songs on here that have, in most cases, been executed (i.e. produced) poorly. The songs are victims of the 80s. And Elvis isn't the only artist this happened to (see also Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Tom Petty, to name three), although he's the only one who has admitted it so vocally.

But if you can look past the synths and the glossy production, you'll find some hidden gems including, "Home Truth," "Joe Porterhouse" and "Peace in Our Time."

If you are just discovering Elvis Costello's music, this is not the place to start (buy one of the many "best of" collections to get a sampling of his vast catalog - I normally wouldn't recommend compilations, but for E.C. there are too many good albums of varying styles to recommend just one), but if you are a serious fan, it's worth delving into this one, if only to hear something new.

I was surprised when these songs actually started clicking with me. At first listen I was not into them at all. But on repeated listens, his complex song structures started making more sense and I realized this collection isn't half bad.

Reading the liner notes and learning just how unhappy Elvis was with how this one turned out makes listening to it that much more interesting. But like I said, only a fan would care.

This is what makes this release that much better than previous issues. Including so many of the demos gives context to what Elvis describes in the liner notes. He wanted one thing, but the producers wanted something different than that. The result is the less than stellar "Goodbye Cruel World". But even bad Elvis Costello is better than most, and as mentioned above, there are some decent songs on this.

It's commonly agreed that 'Goodbye' is not one of Costello's better efforts. I concur, but must confess enjoyment of two songs that are generally cursed by EC purists: 'I Wanna Be Loved' and 'Only Flame in Town'.

While not lyrically compelling, I find the songs musically enjoyable. Love the strange synth feel to 'Wanna' and even the sax solo. The demo version of 'Only Flame' on EC's 'All This Useless Beauty' bonus disc is superior to the standard recording here. Costello originally seems to have conceived the song as a 50s style slow dance number. It's kitschy but fun!

'The Comedians', also recorded by the late Roy Orbison, is about the only other cut of significant interest. Like 'Only Flame', the demo version of this song on Rhino's 'All This Useless Beauty' bonus disc is better than the one here.

....I've always liked this album. Mostly because I thought the songs were great. sure I wasn't crazy about the production, especially "The only Flame in town", which I thought was embarrassing. That being said, the new extra disk of demos and a few leftovers prove that I was right.
Elvis is a terrific song writer even with bad production and more often better than most others, even on his worst (supposed) record.