Customer Reviews

Out of Our Idiot

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Remember "Ten Bloody Marys and Ten How's You Fathers?" Or maybe "Taking Liberties?" Both of those were discs issued to sweep up the ever prolific Elvis Costello's B-Sides, soundtrack work and side projects. Unlike "Liberties," "Out Of Our Idiot" has never been given a proper release here in the states. It's also slowly being rendered superfluous by Rhino's gradual issuance of bonus material on individual EC album reissues. Just don't count on me to slip this one onto a used disc sales list anytime soon. I'll keep it for the Spaghetti Western "A Town Called Nothing," featuring Elvis' dad on the trumpet. Or his match-up with T-Bone Burnette on "The People's Limousine." Or an early flirtation of the Burt Bacharach catalog, duetting with Nick Lowe on "Baby It's You." Etc.....

Worth it if you're a completist. (Like me.)

These are the songs that didn't make it to the official releases. Even Elvis's outtakes are better than most bands best efforts. 'Turning The Town Red' is a radio classic (that has never been played on the radio). 'Black Sails In The Sunset' is a beautiful pop song. 'The Flirting Kind', 'Heathen Town', etc. As a songwriter myself, I could only hope that my work measures up to Elvis's outtakes. Elvis is a master songwriter who has written so many great tunes that he can allow some of them to never see the light of day. I'm going to go through his trash cans and a probably find enough material to launch my own career. Thanks Elvis.

this release nearly slipped under my radar, don't let the same fate befall you. All the Costello "greatest hits" attempts to date have been extremely weak..while not strictly a greatest hits album, this disc offers an incredible range of delights much as "taking liberites" did. If you are a Costello fan, this is a must have.