Customer Reviews

Singles 2

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Made in EU in 2003, Serial# ELVISBOX-102, Playing Time 103:33

Are you a Costello completist? If you are, there's no doubt you'll buy this 12-disc box set!

However, this set is not quite as "interesting" as the first of the series: though this is my favorite EC era, there's nothing here that even the casual fan won't already have, especially if (s)he owns the remastered version of "Get Happy!" and/or the expanded versions of the albums.

This box covers the 12 UK singles released between April 1980 and May 1983, and includes tracks from the 7-inch and 12-inch versions (which sometimes had different b-sides); for example, disc 7 (I'm Your Toy) has 6 tracks on it!

Just like the 1st box set did, this little "chest" includes a 12-page booklet that gives a track-by-track history of each of the singles.

While the first box set would have fitted on a single disc, this one wouldn't (even by removing the duplicate appearance of the "Imperial Bedroom" song.)

Furthermore, the first box had a few tracks making it onto CD format for the first time; there are even fewer this time, so this one is more for the EC collector.

If you are considering getting only 1 of the 3 boxes, I would suggest you start with volume 1; you'd at least get a few tracks otherwise unavailable on CD, and get your own opinion as to the merit of purchasing these boxes... quite frankly, even though it IS good music, this one is mostly if you like the packaging idea, and deem it worthy of the price tag!

Elvis Costello had begun the transformational phase of his career. After three perfect albums in a row ("My Aim Is True," "This Year's Model" and "Armed Forces"), he was tiring of what he perceived as a rut. When he convened The Attractions to begin work on "Get Happy," he'd made the decision to make a break from the "punk rock" tag. And so, a whole new era began.

"Singles Volume 2" covers the ground from "Get Happy" to just before "Punch The Clock." Elvis was on a creative tear that saw him dabbling in everything from soul ("High Fidelity") to Nashville Country ("A Good Year For The Roses") to the studio experimentation of "Imperial Bedroom." He was also adjusting his skills as a vocalist. He was toning down his attack to the point where the crooning of the country singles and the nuance of "Man Out Of Time" didn't exceed his delivery.

For the collector, there are a couple of goodies here. "Party Party" makes its first appearance on an Elvis CD, as do some of the DJ edits and extended versions. The collection closes with "Pills And Soap," a blistering diatribe against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher released under the penname The Imposter. It ceded Costello's love of the single medium as a way to issue statements, and ends this box-set with one of his most brilliant singles. Collectors may not get much from this set, but it still found a place in my library.