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Editorial Reviews
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Seeking to exorcise the demons of 1981's ill-fated country album, Almost Blue, Elvis Costello had another go with 1985's exquisite 15-song exploration of American life, King of America. "Little Palaces" and "Indoor Fireworks" feel like you've lived with them all your life. "Our Little Angel" has the aura of a lost Hank Williams classic, but, of course, only Costello could come up with a couplet like "You try to love but you're so contrary / Like a chainsaw running through a dictionary." King of America isn't all slide guitars and domestic discord, though. "Lovable" is as pure a moment of joyful abandon as Costello has ever allowed himself. Six months later, he kicked up an unholy racket with Blood and Chocolate. Costello fans have never seen another year like it. --Peter Paphides
Product Description
The King explores Americana sounds and acoustic textures on this 1986 masterwork that yielded such gems as Brilliant Mistake, Indoor Fireworks , and American Without Tears .
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Music
When Elvis Costello decided to finally to roots rock HIS way (as opposed to the mis-fit of "Almost Blue'), he switched his name back to Declan MacManus and forged ahead into brilliance. With the exception of the slippery jam session of "Eisenhower Blues," the 15 songs on "King Of America" are as flawless a whole album as anything from his early years and his most successful collaboration with a producer, in this case, T-Bone Burnett, save Burt Bacharach.
By recruiting some of the best musicians old and new, songs like "Brilliant Mistake" and "American Without Tears" effortlessly blossom with atmosphere and honesty. Even though Elvis has described his state of mind during "KoA's" recording period in less than flattering terms, it's incredible just how seamlessly the songs here flow through the course of the album. Almost every song here glimmers with the kind of purity that Burnett would eventually trademark with the likes of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." Even the Attractions, who at this venture, had become estranged and embittered, contribute one of their best performances ever with the single song "Suit Of Lights." Given the song's topic of entertainment as entrapment and the image of a southern mob's tar and feather party as "the closest to a work of art that they will ever be," it's not surprising that they could relate.
In fact, Elvis seemed to be at a more relaxed state of lyricism than since the underrated "Trust." Compare the fire analogies of "The Only Flame In Town" (on "Goodbye Cruel World") to the far superior "Indoor Fireworks" here. Or such leap from the speakers couplets like "She said that she was working for the ABC news, it was as much of the alphabet as she new how to use" from "Brilliant Mistake." There is also one of my all-time favorite Costello-isms, as he describes a relationship with a contrary girlfriend to be akin to "a chainsaw running through a dictionary." Perhaps my favorite moment on "King Of America" would be the two person viewpoint of the disc's closer, "Sleep Of The Just." A tale of an army pin-up girl and her soldier brother, it's a masterful tale of conflicting family and emotions, with a slow, sad organ fade.
After this album's perfect maintaining of musical atmosphere and flawless songwriting, Elvis renegotiated his pathway to roots music and blues via "The Delivery Man." "King Of America" showed the vitality of his early exploration of the genre. It remains one of the many five star albums in Elvis' Columbia years worthy of rediscovery.
By recruiting some of the best musicians old and new, songs like "Brilliant Mistake" and "American Without Tears" effortlessly blossom with atmosphere and honesty. Even though Elvis has described his state of mind during "KoA's" recording period in less than flattering terms, it's incredible just how seamlessly the songs here flow through the course of the album. Almost every song here glimmers with the kind of purity that Burnett would eventually trademark with the likes of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." Even the Attractions, who at this venture, had become estranged and embittered, contribute one of their best performances ever with the single song "Suit Of Lights." Given the song's topic of entertainment as entrapment and the image of a southern mob's tar and feather party as "the closest to a work of art that they will ever be," it's not surprising that they could relate.
In fact, Elvis seemed to be at a more relaxed state of lyricism than since the underrated "Trust." Compare the fire analogies of "The Only Flame In Town" (on "Goodbye Cruel World") to the far superior "Indoor Fireworks" here. Or such leap from the speakers couplets like "She said that she was working for the ABC news, it was as much of the alphabet as she new how to use" from "Brilliant Mistake." There is also one of my all-time favorite Costello-isms, as he describes a relationship with a contrary girlfriend to be akin to "a chainsaw running through a dictionary." Perhaps my favorite moment on "King Of America" would be the two person viewpoint of the disc's closer, "Sleep Of The Just." A tale of an army pin-up girl and her soldier brother, it's a masterful tale of conflicting family and emotions, with a slow, sad organ fade.
After this album's perfect maintaining of musical atmosphere and flawless songwriting, Elvis renegotiated his pathway to roots music and blues via "The Delivery Man." "King Of America" showed the vitality of his early exploration of the genre. It remains one of the many five star albums in Elvis' Columbia years worthy of rediscovery.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When Elvis Costello decided to finally to roots rock HIS way (as opposed to the mis-fit of "Almost Blue'), he switched his name back to Declan MacManus and forged ahead into brilliance. With the exception of the slippery jam session of "Eisenhower Blues," the 15 songs on "King Of America" are as flawless a whole album as anything from his early years and his most successful collaboration with a producer, in this case, T-Bone Burnett, save Burt Bacharach.
By recruiting some of the best musicians old and new, songs like "Brilliant Mistake" and "American Without Tears" effortlessly blossom with atmosphere and honesty. Even though Elvis described his state of mind in less than flattering terms in the CD's extra liner notes, it's incredible just how seamlessly the songs here flow through the course of the album. Almost every song here glimmers with the kind of purity that Burnett would eventually trademark with the likes of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." Even the Attractions, who at this venture, had become estranged and embittered, contribute one of their best performances ever with the single song "Suit Of Lights." Given the song's topic of entertainment as entrapment and the image of a southern mob's tar and feather party as "the closest to a work of art that they will ever be," it's not surprising that they could relate.
In fact, Elvis seemed to be at a more relaxed state of lyricism than since the underrated "Trust." Compare the fire analogies of "The Only Flame In Town" (on "Goodbye Cruel World") to the far superior "Indoor Fireworks" here. Or such leap from the speakers couplets like "She said that she was working for the ABC news, it was as much of the alphabet as she new how to use" from "Brilliant Mistake." There is also one of my all-time favorite Costello-isms, as he describes a relationship with a contrary girlfriend to be akin to "a chainsaw running through a dictionary." Perhaps my favorite moment on "King Of America" would be the two person viewpoint of the disc's closer, "Sleep Of The Just." A tale of an army pin-up girl and her soldier brother, it's a masterful tale of conflicting family and emotions, with a slow sad organ fade.
After this album's perfect maintaining of musical atmosphere and flawless songwriting, Elvis renegotiated his pathway to roots music and blues via "The Delivery Man." "King Of America" showed the vitality of his early exploration of the genre. It remains one of the many five star albums in Elvis' Columbia years worthy of rediscovery.
By recruiting some of the best musicians old and new, songs like "Brilliant Mistake" and "American Without Tears" effortlessly blossom with atmosphere and honesty. Even though Elvis described his state of mind in less than flattering terms in the CD's extra liner notes, it's incredible just how seamlessly the songs here flow through the course of the album. Almost every song here glimmers with the kind of purity that Burnett would eventually trademark with the likes of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." Even the Attractions, who at this venture, had become estranged and embittered, contribute one of their best performances ever with the single song "Suit Of Lights." Given the song's topic of entertainment as entrapment and the image of a southern mob's tar and feather party as "the closest to a work of art that they will ever be," it's not surprising that they could relate.
In fact, Elvis seemed to be at a more relaxed state of lyricism than since the underrated "Trust." Compare the fire analogies of "The Only Flame In Town" (on "Goodbye Cruel World") to the far superior "Indoor Fireworks" here. Or such leap from the speakers couplets like "She said that she was working for the ABC news, it was as much of the alphabet as she new how to use" from "Brilliant Mistake." There is also one of my all-time favorite Costello-isms, as he describes a relationship with a contrary girlfriend to be akin to "a chainsaw running through a dictionary." Perhaps my favorite moment on "King Of America" would be the two person viewpoint of the disc's closer, "Sleep Of The Just." A tale of an army pin-up girl and her soldier brother, it's a masterful tale of conflicting family and emotions, with a slow sad organ fade.
After this album's perfect maintaining of musical atmosphere and flawless songwriting, Elvis renegotiated his pathway to roots music and blues via "The Delivery Man." "King Of America" showed the vitality of his early exploration of the genre. It remains one of the many five star albums in Elvis' Columbia years worthy of rediscovery.
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Good album with a country feel. During late 1984 and early 1985, Costello undertook a series of solo tours, sharing the bill with musician T-Bone Burnett.[4] Costello and Burnett recorded a single together in early 1985, and ventured to imagine appropriate backing musicians for Costello's new songs.[5] They booked time at Ocean Way and Sunset Sound studios in Los Angeles, and assembled members of the TCB Band who had backed Elvis Presley in the 1970s (Costello being more familiar with their work on records by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris).[6] Other sessions included the jazz bassist Ray Brown and New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer, and a group of musicians dubbed 'the Confederates,' featuring T-Bone Wolk, Mickey Curry, and producer Mitchell Froom.[7] Elvis' usual backing musicians The Attractions appear on only one track, "Suit of Lights," but would return to record in full Costello's next album, Blood & Chocolate.
In the album credits, Costello uses three different noms de plume for himself: his given name of Declan MacManus; his stage name of Elvis Costello; and the nickname awarded him by producer Nick Lowe earlier in his career, the Little Hands of Concrete, that last a reference to his habitual breaking of guitar strings during recording sessions.[8]
The cover of the 1964 hit single by The Animals "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was released a single, and peaked at #33 on the UK singles chart but missed the Billboard Hot 100, as did the follow-up single released in America only, "Lovable." The single by Burnett and Costello as the Coward Brothers did not chart in either nation.
In the album credits, Costello uses three different noms de plume for himself: his given name of Declan MacManus; his stage name of Elvis Costello; and the nickname awarded him by producer Nick Lowe earlier in his career, the Little Hands of Concrete, that last a reference to his habitual breaking of guitar strings during recording sessions.[8]
The cover of the 1964 hit single by The Animals "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was released a single, and peaked at #33 on the UK singles chart but missed the Billboard Hot 100, as did the follow-up single released in America only, "Lovable." The single by Burnett and Costello as the Coward Brothers did not chart in either nation.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Actually....Really Good News From Declan McManus
Sometimes I feel like one of the few people who counts Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World,both very mid 80's styled soul/funk/rock/new wave styled projects the latter of which... Read more
Published on May 12, 2010 by Andre S. Grindle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff
I wore this album out when I first bought it as an LP in the 80s. I'm glad to hear it again. It's amazing,
Published on January 29, 2010 by aobeachgirl
1.0 out of 5 stars
blah
i try to like elvis costello but out side of his first 2 albums im not crazy about his stuff. i bought this album to hear the big light. because i heard johnny cash preform it. Read more
Published on May 26, 2008 by J.C.
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