A debut album that
no one saw coming. It burst through the heavy thunder clouds of punk
rock and delivered a glimmer of hope for a terrified and confused
recording industry. Elvis Costello was definitely part of this new wave
of music, he was angry and he was agressive, but he was still very much
a singer songwriter of the old school, and he had a haircut they could
relate to. They didn’t care much for his cheeky choice of a
professional name though. “Elvis”, that was sacrilege. There was only
one. Just a few weeks after the album was released it got even worse.
Elvis Presley died and suddenly Stiff Records’ “Elvis is king”-slogan
backfired. Some were furious. How dare he!
Elvis’ debut LP
does not sound as hot tempered and obstinate as the successor, “This
Year’s Model”. The reason being that the young Declan Patrick Aloysius
MacManus (as his real name is) hadn’t fully developed his alter ego
Elvis yet. He was an artist “in progress” with a steady job, wife and
children when the album was recorded during four six-hour sessions in
late 1976 and early 1977. These songs weren’t even meant for himself,
but for Dave Edmunds.
At
the time Costello was considered to be a promising songwriter, but since
Edmunds only had shown lukewarm interest for the first few demos, the
decision was made to record the songs properly. Costello didn’t have
any band, so producer Nick Lowe hired the American country rock band
Clover, who were based in England, for the sessions.
As the recordings
proceeded and new songs were added, written late at night while his wife
and children slept, Elvis’ ambitions changed. Why would he give these
heartfelt songs to Dave Edmunds? He wanted them for himself. And thus
they realised that they were actually recording a real album.
Two singles were
released as teasers, the anti-fascist “Less Than Zero” and the
embittered ballad “Alison” (with its controversial reference to a
certain Mr. Oswald). Embraced by the rock press, but they died in the
record stores. That didn’t stop Stiff Records from giving Costello the
full album treatment, releasing “My Aim Is True” in July 1977.
Angry times in the
UK. The Sex Pistols had already stirred up the nation’s media with “God
Save The Queen” and were at it again with the thundering “Pretty
Vacant”. On the Top 10 The Stranglers were lurking about with the
suggestive and highly sexist “Peaches”. The new wave tsunami washed
through the corridors of the record business. Dave Dee and Bill Grundy,
to name but two, were… stunned. And shocked.
“My Aim Is True”
was perfectly timed. It sailed into the tabloid fuss, aggravating loads
when Elvis Presley died in August, but still getting away with it
because these were real songs written by a guy who obviously mastered
the art of songwriting.
But even though
most tracks here sound like songs and not chaotic noise bombs, they do
not offer much relief. The knock-kneed insect with his cartoon like
Buddy Holly-glasses oozed attitude. The avenger of the nerds. The
lyrics were an acid bath boiling in frustration, rebellion against
conformity and hypocrisy, vindictive attacks on people that probably
knew who they were. His irony was deadly accurate, already a master of
words he played around with the language, you could never be quite sure
that he meant what he said or said what he meant, he slithered around in
clever wordplays, sometimes so vicious that his horn rims crackled.
Clovers refrain
from giving the songs the California or Nashville treatment. They are
absolutely in synch with Costello’s intentions. No smooth cleverness,
it is all raw, rough and stripped down. But they don’t explode in your
face the way The Attractions would do a few months later on the sequel,
“This Year’s Model”. Costello the guitar player prefers it rough and
metallic, but you can sure hear that he is no upstart. There’s
cleverness at play, a less is more. He shows restraint when it cooks,
and he never for one second loses control even if he wants to give that
impression on the fast and aggressive tracks.
Elvis’ voice is
very distinctive, he sounds like a man battling a cold; his voice almost
cracks when he stretches for the high notes. But technically his
singing is mature and his phrasing superb. His love for Burt Bacharach
is already very noticeable, especially in the mighty “Alison”. All the
tracks are strong, but my personal favourites, apart from “Alison”, are:
“Mystery Dance,” “Blame It On Cain”, “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red
Shoes,” “Less Than Zero” and “Waiting For The End Of The World”.
There are those
who do not like Elvis Costello, indeed, some can’t even stand him. I
find that incomprehensible. “My Aims Is True,” “This Year’s Model”,
“Armed Forces” and “Get Happy !!” is one of the strongest four album
sequels in rock history.
Released:
July 22, 1977
(All songs written
by Elvis Costello)
Produced by:
Nick Lowe
Contents:
Welcome to the Working Week/Miracle Man/No Dancing/Blame It on
Cain/Alison/Sneaky Feelings/(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes/Less
Than Zero/Mystery Dance/Pay It Back/I’m Not Angry/Waiting for the End of
the World
NB: The October
1977-single “Watching The Detectives” was added to the American version
of this album as it was released in December 1977. The Attractions are
backing Elvis on that track.
Personnel:
Elvis Costello –
vocals, guitar, piano and drumsticks on “Mystery Dance”
Nick Lowe –
backing vocals, piano, drumsticks and bass on “Mystery Dance”
John McFee – lead
guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals
Sean Hopper –
piano, organ, backing vocals
Stan Shaw – organ
on “Less Than Zero”
Johnny Ciambotti –
bass, backing vocals
Mickey Shine –
drums
