Elvis (Costello) and a Tele....

[Colo Springs E]

.....cool pic:

[ramblinmike]

that is real cool. thanks for sharing. is that a custom shop nocaster or a '52RI?

[Nick Fanis]

Elvis has two ORIGINAL 52 teles,one was stolen and than returned to him ,the 2nd one was bought to replace the stolen one & so now he has two!

[RockinCarl]

I don't think it's a '52 Tele, because of the headstock. It looks like the string tree is infront of the decal like on a '57, or '58. I don't know, maybe my eyes are just going wacko on me again... What do you think?

[gtrman911]

elvis rules.........

i saw him, like, 6 times, and he was great every time!

[stevieboy]

I saw some recent pics of him playing a tele clone of some kind, bright red sparkle with a purple pickguard. I'm not sure I could pull it off, but I thought it looked good on him, though.

[Coyote]

Look at that tie

Neat

[kK stoned]

Elvis Costello is amazing. One of the best songwriters ever IMO.

[Fuzzyhead]

He was wielding a Tele on the first page of the local newspaper when he was performing here in Bonn a few weeks ago:

[GTO]

He was using the red sparkle clone at the Glastonbury Festival (an annual pop concert for young folk in the UK). I didn't see one Strat all weekend, but loads of Tele's, some bands with two Tele players!

[Jparris]

I was at this gig in late April 2005, he did the majority of numbers with the '52 through two blackface DR's.

Fantastic show, David Hidalgo (playing '52 Reissue) from Los Lobos subbed for Steve Nieve.

jparris

[telebelgium]

here's one from antwerp. pic taken from newspapers site.

[tweedtone]

Love EC. Finally saw him with a full band a couple of years ago in Clearwater, Florida. Fantastic show!

Read an interview awhile back where the interviewer complimented on how good EC's guitar playing had gotten over, say, the past ten years and Declan replied "Well, I stopped trying to play things I can't!"

Unfortunately, that's something I still need to learn ...

[kp8]

okay... i have to admit i have always been baffled by EC's popularity. So someone here quick, convince me that EC is really great. Seriously. What is the record i gotta have listened to a few times before i can just say, i don't like EC, or "oh, now i get it" cause well, so many dang folks rave about him that i figure he's worth another go. So what (preferably early) EC is gonna blow my socks off? I really want to know what people hear in this guy's music that i haven't yet.

-kp8--

[Sidney Vicious]

My Aim is True

This Years Model

Two excellent albums in my view.

[jz63]

King Of America
Blood & Chocolate
and
The Delivery Man

[TDPRI]

Last Friday he was on the Today show with Emmylou Harris -- they're doing some shows together and playing on each other new CDs.

He played up a beatup blackguard Tele and had great tone.



Link to Video

[telekeneasy]

I was at the Central Park show on Tuesday. It was FANTASTIC! Emmylou and Elvis sang a bunch of old country songs and their harmonies were hypnotic. Larry Campbell (ex- Dylan lead guitarist - he played opposite Charlie Sexton) and Elvis both played alot of instruments, but the two tele attack was the sh#t!

See fer yerself!

http://www.elviscostello.info/pic/05...719.nyc_51.jpg

[tweedtone]

Originally Posted by kp8

okay... i have to admit i have always been baffled by EC's popularity. So someone here quick, convince me that EC is really great. Seriously. What is the record i gotta have listened to a few times before i can just say, i don't like EC, or "oh, now i get it" cause well, so many dang folks rave about him that i figure he's worth another go. So what (preferably early) EC is gonna blow my socks off? I really want to know what people hear in this guy's music that i haven't yet.

-kp8--

Armed Forces. Top to bottom, his finest album with The Attractions, IMHO.

[zoom]

Originally Posted by kp8

okay... i have to admit i have always been baffled by EC's popularity. So someone here quick, convince me that EC is really great. Seriously. What is the record i gotta have listened to a few times before i can just say, i don't like EC, or "oh, now i get it" cause well, so many dang folks rave about him that i figure he's worth another go. So what (preferably early) EC is gonna blow my socks off? I really want to know what people hear in this guy's music that i haven't yet.

-kp8--

It's hard to pin it down to any one album or any one sound. He's kind of like a Dylan in that each album has a different feel (what one album of Dylan blew your sock off?). He goes from punk to country standards to r&b to jazz influence to Burt Bachrach to opera now. Prolific songwriter. He has a knack for the lyrics too, especially when they need to be bitter or caustic. His vocal range and guitar virtuosity are not his strong points, but he does a fantastic job with what he has. Go see him live if you have the chance, although this tour is almost over in the states. That said,

Delivery Man is very of the moment for me and one of his better ones overall. Having Emmylou and Lucinda backing on a few of the tracks is great too. A few things that don't work that well with me, but overall very good.

When I Was Cruel was good too and a little more consciously avant garde for him.

Also, as said above, King of America, This Year's Model, Imperial Bedroom are fine works too.

By the way, he has a deep reverence for music. He was asked to do a list of his favorite albums a while ago. I've been exploring some of these a little and broadening my listening some. Here it is if you are interested: http://www.elviscostello.info/articl...r.001101a.html

[kp8]

Thanks all for the recs. I am going to give them a listen as soon as i can. Just wanna give EC a fair shake. I did hear one track in a record store once that was pretty rocking and so i started to think maybe i was just not hearing the right stuff.

Originally Posted by zoom

It's hard to pin it down to any one album or any one sound. He's kind of like a Dylan in that each album has a different feel (what one album of Dylan blew your sock off?).

well, since you asked (hee hee)

Blood on the Tracks


-kp8--

[Strat82]

i really like the album 'this year's model,' which i think was his 2nd...it also has one of the greatest album covers ever and the perfect opening song, 'no action.'

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by kp8

okay... i have to admit i have always been baffled by EC's popularity. So someone here quick, convince me that EC is really great. Seriously. What is the record i gotta have listened to a few times before i can just say, i don't like EC, or "oh, now i get it" cause well, so many dang folks rave about him that i figure he's worth another go. So what (preferably early) EC is gonna blow my socks off? I really want to know what people hear in this guy's music that i haven't yet.

I'd start with "King of America", I think that one will be the most accessible from where you're coming. Then I'd go to "This Year's Model" and "Get Happy" to hear his kickin' band The Attractions in their prime.

[undafonk]

Originally Posted by zoom

His vocal range and guitar virtuosity are not his strong points, but he does a fantastic job with what he has.

Well zoom, I defy you to hit a high note as Mr. McManus sometimes does . And his guitarplaying may not be flashy, but he ain't no slouch either...

[jam]

Originally Posted by zoom

It's hard to pin it down to any one album or any one sound.

Gotta agree with you there. The work is very diverse. Let's see if this helps:
[*]My Aim Is True: "angry" new waver (backed by a Huey Lewis-less News!). Hits: Alison, Watching The Detectives[*]This Years Model: similar, but the Attractions have coalesced around him. Hits: Pump It Up, Radio Radio[*]Armed Forces: the EC & Attractions sound settles in. Hits: Accidents Will Happen, Oliver's Army, What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love And Understanding[*]Get Happy!!!: soul homage. Hits: probably none you'd know[*]Trust: stripped down and stylistically diverse, from bareknuckle guitar rock to piano bar torch. Hits: Clubland[*]Almost Blue: country covers(!). Hits: Good Year For The Roses[*]Imperial Bedroom: EC's "wall of sound" record, produced by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick. Hits: Beyond Belief, Almost Blue, Man Out Of Time[*]Punch The Clock: superpolished '80s pop. Hits: Everyday I Write The Book, Shipbuilding[*]Goodbye Cruel World: superpolished '80s flop. Hits: The Only Flame In Town, Love Field[*]King Of America: "americana-ey" before there was such a thing. Hits: Indoor Fireworks[*]Blood And Chocolate: The Attractions return to EC (who is cranky). Hits: I Want You[*]Spike: scattered, yet beloved among the fans. Hits: Veronica[*]Mighty Like A Rose: bearded Elvis gets even more scattered. Hits: The Other Side Of Summer

And that brings you to the 90s where he turned into even more of a cult artist than he'd been before. I like Brutal Youth a lot, but that's about where I started to lose it with him. Which is not to say that his duo gigs with Steve Nieve in the late 90s weren't brilliant...

I'd get My Aim Is True, Imperial Bedroom, King Of America, and Brutal Youth. If none of those do anything at all for you, you don't get EC, which is okay.

Good luck. I hope this helps some. Thanks incidentally to allmusic.com, to which I referred often in building my woefully underthought list.

JAM