The Onion AV Club gives the primer treatment to one of my all time rock heroes, Elvis Costello:
Elvis Costello, broken down by the songs that define his themes and styles, and five albums that every serious rock fan should own. Costello's latest, Momofuku, is currently available as a vinyl-only release with a digital download code. A CD will follow May 6.
They name the top five albums as:
1. Get Happy!
2. This Year's Model
3. The King of America
4. Imperial Bedroom
5. Armed Forces
For some reason I have always thought that Get Happy! was over-rated. It has never been one of my favorites,but I've got to agree with the rest. My top five:
1. The King of America
2. Armed Forces
3. This Year's Model
4. Imperial Bedroom
5. My Aim Is True
King of America is also probably my favorite by Costello. Actually, I pretty much agree with your whole list. I also have a soft spot for some of his less well regarded albums like Punch The Clock, Almost Blue, All This Useless Beauty and Painted From Memory. I like that Costello challenges himself and doesn't just stick with what is safe, although sometimes he wanders too far from what works best for him (Juliet Letters, North, etc.).
Posted by: Pete | May 03, 2008 at 01:02 AM
I also have a soft spot for some of those lesser albums as well, I think Trust would be #6.
Posted by: MC | May 03, 2008 at 08:34 PM