Over Glenmorangies and Hoegaardens at dba last night, Jen and Jeff suggested Stereogum go classic rock today. Didn’t take much convincing ’cause these artists have been on my mind this week…
ELVIS COSTELLO
Rhino’s finally completed its four-year purge of everything Elvis ever recorded. Unlike the previous expanded reissues, King of America gets a solo spotlight, not as part of a trio of simlutaneous releases. The album is reportedly the artist’s personal favorite.
Last week NY Times Magazine looked at the trend of repackaging old albums with bonus tracks, using Mr. Declan Patrick Aloysius McManus as an example.
As Elvis Costello kicked into “Chemistry Class,” at a live performance in Washington, on Feb. 28, 1978, a voice could be heard cutting through the boisterous crowd noise, shouting, “You’re brilliant!” Enthusiastic, uninhibited, barely articulate and kind of embarrassing — that’s a real fan. This performance can be heard on Costello’s Armed Forces. Not on the original album, from 1979, or the expanded CD version reissued by Rykodisc in 1993, but on a superexpanded version put out by Rhino Records in 2002.
Stereogum hearts Elvis Costello, so this reissue mania has been particularly frustrating. Which ones deserve our cash? Radar says of the expanded King Of America, “You need this, especially if you’ve never heard the live tracks.” Not that Radar knows anything. But I’m sure there are some Costelloheads out there who can shed some insight? Related: Elvis Costello: The Exact Moment When This Balding Fat Fucker Jumped The Shark (via Largehearted Boy). Some brutal stuff to peruse (“he’s kind of the Conor Oberst of his time”).
Elvis Costello – “Chemistry Class (Solo In Washington 2/28/78)” (MP3 link removed)
TOM PETTY
It’s been almost 30 years (!) since Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their first album. It’s fitting then that TP will be all over the place this fall. Matthew Sweet will cover “American Girl” for the High School Reunion CD, a tribute to 80′s movie tunes. It’s out 10/15 on American Laundromat Records. Def Leppard will also cover “American Girl” on their own all-covers album Yeah! out this fall. The book Conversations With Tom Petty hits bookstores in a few months. And Heartbreaker Mike Campbell plays on Rob Thomas’ new record.
ROLLING STONE: What are Tom Petty’s three greatest songs, in descending order?ROB THOMAS: “Joe.” That came in late, but it haunted me. When he said, “You get to be famous/I get to be rich,” I went, “Oh, fuck, yeah! Wow!” Then “Refugee” and “You Got Lucky.” He’s always made really great records. I hear this next one is supposed to be fucking like old Petty all over again. Our sound guy was his sound guy, so I was getting all the dirt.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “American Girl” (MP3 link removed)
ERIC CLAPTON
Anton Newcome’s talk of toddler-defenestration elicited quite a response from trolling Clapton-haters. I VOD’d GoodFellas last weekend, which features the lovely instrumental finale to “Layla,” Clapton’s infamous rock ‘n’ roll love letter to George Harrison’s wife. The interlude was written by Jim Gordon, the crazy Domino who brutally murdered his mother in 1983. Gordon got 16 years to life, but “Layla” royalties give him a nice nest egg. Too bad about the paranoid schizophrenia.
Eric Clapton – “Layla” (MP3 link removed)
STING
I’m a huge Sting/Police fan. Embarrassing, I know. You probably think he jumped the shark after Synchronicity. Not true. He jumped after The Soul Cages. On the current Broken Music tour, Mr. Sumner’s retreated from the standby bullshit lite-FM setlist to revisit Police classics he hasn’t played in years. For example … Watch “Spirits In The Material World” on Sessions@AOL. I also couldn’t help but notice Dead 60′s “Last Resort” has got a definite “When The World Is Running Down” vibe in the verses. Promise I’ll post those soon for contrast/compare purposes.
VAN MORRISON
Magic Time ain’t bad if you dig that Celtic R&B. Not as powerful as The Healing Game, and obviously doesn’t hold a candle to Tupelo Honey, but dude’s still got the voice and at least he’s never embarrassed himself like the dinosaur rockers mentioned above. Secret Machines give Van the Man a nice drone rock makeover on their new EP. Can’t wait to see these guys at Bonnaroo.
Secret Machines – “Astral Weeks” (MP3 link removed)
THE ROLLING STONES
Don’t get me started. But do check out the Concretes’ VU-inspired version of “Miss You.” MP3 available at Fluxblog.
Who are your favorite classic rockers and when did they jump the shark?
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“King of America” is a pretty subdued, pleasant album.Certainly a little less vitriol than some of his records. For my money, “Get Happy”, “Trust”, “This Year’s Model” and either “Imperial Bedroom” or “Armed Forces” are essential.
Uh, since when is Elvis Costello “classic rock”?
Can’t argue with those picks, but I also love Brutal Youth reissue. Never big on the Juliet letters, but the Bacharach collab was fucking amazing. Wish there was more of that.
I’m glad you’re a Painted From Memory fan. It’s one of my favorite albums – people just don’t know about it.
I don’t have the reissue of Brutal Youth, but I love that album. I think it’s his best latter-day album, despite the weirdly anemic production.
Good choices Gummer, but you could mention nugent just to humor me….Petty with the Black Crows @ Summerfest in Milwaukee, worlds largest music festival….so much more civilized than Bonnero, you can stay at the Hyatt and walk to the festival area (no camping!!!)….sponsers include Miller Beer, Linekugel beer, and Harley… 10 days of music 18 stages, right on Lake Michigan downtown, nice breeze keeps the dreadlock & patchouli odor down…
Can’t wait for you to post the Dead 60s/Police comparison!
Genesis. Jumped the shark after Wind & Wuthering in ’76.
Miss You cover is great
i went on a fleetwood mac binge this past week.
awesome stuff.
Elvis is cool and I’ve been a longtime fan, but I have to agree about the re-issue situation. It seems to have been taken to an unnecessary extreme. Do I really need four different copies of “Get Happy”? I love that record, but still…
Randy Newman never gets any credit for his song writing consistency. The guy’s been around for 4+ decades and has managed to stay relevant and affecting. If you only know him as the guy who pens quirky scores, then you should check out his solo work. Funny and cynical but always with heart.
A lot of places keep stating that the Elvis reissues are done. This isn’t true, “The Juliet Letters” is still scheduled for later this year. Not that “The Juliet Letters” are actually any good. Although it’s rumored that it’ll include the Wendy James demos, which are quite good.
It’s tough to pick between Bowie and Lou Reed, but I guess I’ll go with Bowie cuz jumping the shark is so out of character for him that I still have a hard time believing it happened.
And sometimes I do wonder about who is REALLY living inside DB these days.
He has of course had weak(ish) moments in the past, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that it was widely accepted that it was impossible that Bowie could plain & out suck. Yes, people, even on those Tin Machine records, there are still at least three good songs per effort.
But his Waterloo hit I think with Outside and Earthling. Since those mid-’90s songs his output has kind of consistently sucked. Thursday’s Child was on VH1 or something the other day and it made me cringe. Still, that’s no reason for a certain dumbassbitch “trendy actress” who has been known to perform certain sexual acts for real in films, to tell me at a dumb soiree recently, (and I do quoth verbatim) “I Wish DB was dead.” I almost provoked her to a duel right there on the spot.
New Foos link
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=08XD5LHL
Foo Fighters – In Your Honour…check it out!!!!!
“If you only know him as the guy who pens quirky scores, then you should check out his solo work. Funny and cynical but always with heart..”
I have to agree, totally over looked.
Where’s the Love for Bowie? There is a great album of Bowie covers done by Canadian singer/songwriter Danny Michel called Loving the Alien. Info here:
http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/dmi/disc.asp
Can’t seem to find any mp3′s online, maybe someone out there can post one.
Ooops, I see Fleurit is showing love for Bowie…
when i was in school my old P.E teacher sold his house to elvis costellos mum. No joke.
So right about Sting jumping the shark after Soul Cages and not one minute before. I had that same random thought just this morning. Get out of my head, won’t you…
Thanks for the spiffy selections. Some things never get old. Like watching that Ashlee Simpson SNL clip or a good Costello ditty. Beautiful.
bowie, and i think scary monsters was his jump. although i do like some stuff that he put out afterwards, that is the last album that is brilliant and playable from beginning to end.
Shit yeah, Yale. I live in NC now, and I miss the hell out of Summerfest. Leine’s Red and some Wilco at the lodge…ah, the good old days.
I gotta go with Talking Heads for my favorites, who jumped the shark with “Stay Up Late” from the “Little Creatures” album. I will say, however, that they redeemed themselves with much of the stuff from “Naked” and the relatively consistant high quality of their solo projects.
Bruce Springsteen is definitely my favorite classic rock artist. Honestly, I hate to put labels on things, especially when it comes to music. Springsteen is my fave rock artist, period. And thankfully he has not jumped the shark yet. His new album, Devils & Dust, is brilliant.
I love Painted From Memory.
Saw them on that tour in Chicago AND met them and got their autographs afterwards.
The memory is SUCH a happy one that it almost feels like it happened to someone else.
And King Of America is my favorite Costello too.
This is the best classic rock cd out there. Real classic rock. Worth a purchase.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000050XUQ/qid=1117714998/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-9156961-9419266?v=glance&s=music&n=507846
I must have missed the point of the post. How is Elvis Costello classic rock?
Wait, Chloe Sevigny said she wished Bowie was DEAD?
Man, that’s gonna be awkward if she’s ever in a movie with the guy.
wow, Chloe Sevigny is a spoiled rich girl from Darien AND she says idiotic things? Shocking.
thanks for the foos file, but what’s the password?
Neil Young, hands down, is the godfather of classic rock. He’s jumped the shark on more occasions than I can count (“Everybody’s Rockin’,” “Old Ways,” “Unplugged,”), but he’s also swam with the shark, caught the shark, even eaten the shark and still makes music that matters. And if we ever actually do get the Archives Project, I think he’ll redefine greatness again (search out the unreleased “Ordinary People”). Plus, he’s got the best shit-eating grin in rock…
Has my cred as an Elvis Costello obsessive been impugned?
– Francis (aforementioned reviewer for Radar)
hehe, reid, how did you figure it out?
You must have been Watching the Detectives…
Foo pasword = ProjectW (copy & paste for best results)
classic rock?
cut that out, man. Uncool.