Tag Archives: The Attractions

Elvis Costello: Almost Blue

almost_blue

On October 23, 1981, “F-Beat” label released “Almost Blue”, the sixth Elvis Costello album. It was recorded in May 1981, in Nashville, and was produced by Billy Sherrill.  Album cover was an homage to the 1963 “Blue Note” album “Midnight Blue” by Kenny Burrell.

Personnel:

  • Elvis Costello– vocals, guitar
  • John McFee– lead and pedal steel guitar
  • Steve Nieve– piano, organ
  • Bruce Thomas– bass
  • Pete Thomas– drums
  • Barney Bubbles – design

Track listing:

  1. Sweet Dreams – Don Gibson
  2. Success – Johnny Mullins
  3. I’m Your Toy – Gram Parsons, Chris Ethridge
  4. Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down – Merle Haggard
  5. Brown to Blue – George Jones, Virginia Franks, Country Johnny Mathis
  6. Good Year for the Roses – Jerry Chesnut
  7. Sittin’ and Thinkin – Charlie Rich
  8. Colour of the Blues – Lawton Williams, George Jones
  9. Too Far Gone – Billy Sherrill
  10. Honey Hush – Lou Willie Turner
  11. How Much I’ve Lied – Gram Parsons, Pam Rifkin

Elvis Costello: Punch The Clock

Punch the Clock

On August 5, 1983, “F-Beat” label released “Punch the Clock”, eighth Elvis Costello album, his seventh with the Attractions. It was recorded January – April 1983, and was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, assisted by Gavin Greenaway and Colin Fairley. In 2013, “NME” magazine ranked the album at number 345 in its list of “The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Elvis Costello – vocals, guitars, synclavier and casiotone
  • Steve Nieve– piano, emulator, Fairlight CMI, Vox organ, Hammond organ, synclavier
  • Bruce Thomas– electric wal bass guitar
  • Pete Thomas– drums, cymbals
  • Morris Pert– percussion
  • Jim Paterson – trombone
  • Jeff Blythe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet
  • Paul Speare– tenor saxophone, flute
  • Dave Plews – trumpet
  • Stewart Robson– trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Chet Baker– trumpet
  • Afrodiziak (Caron Wheeler, Claudia Fontaine) – backing vocals
  • David Bedford– string arrangements

Track listing:

All tracks by Elvis Costello, except where noted.

  1. Let Them All Talk
  2. Everyday I Write the Book
  3. The Greatest Thing
  4. The Element Within Her
  5. Love Went Mad
  6. Shipbuilding – Clive Langer, Elvis Costello
  7. K.O. (Boxing Day)
  8. Charm School
  9. The Invisible Man
  10. Mouth Almighty
  11. King of Thieves
  12. Pills and Soap
  13. The World and His Wife

Elvis Costello And The Attractions: Goodbye Cruel World

Goodbye Cruel World

On June 18, 1984, “F-Beat Records” label released “Goodbye Cruel World”, the ninth Elvis Costello album overall and the eighth with The Attractions. It was recorded in February 1984, at “Sarm West Studios” in London, and was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.

Personnel:

  • Elvis Costello– vocals, guitars
  • Daryl Hall– vocals
  • Green Gartside– vocal
  • Steve Nieve– keyboards
  • Bruce Thomas– bass guitar
  • Pete Thomas– drums
  • Luis Jardim– percussion
  • Gary Barnacle– saxophones
  • Jim Paterson –trombone

Track listing:

All tracks by Elvis Costello, except where noted.

  1. The Only Flame in Town
  2. Home Truth
  3. Room with No Number
  4. Inch By Inch
  5. Worthless Thing
  6. Love Field
  7. I Wanna Be Loved – Farnell Jenkins
  8. The Comedians
  9. Joe Porterhouse
  10. Sour Milk-Cow Blues
  11. The Great Unknown – Elvis Costello,Clive Langer
  12. The Deportees Club
  13. Peace in Our Time

Elvis Costello: All the Useless Beauty

All this useless beauty

On May 14, 1996, “Warner Bros” label released “All This Useless Beauty”, the seventeenth Elvis Costello studio album. It was recorded 1990 – 1995, and was produced by Geoff Emerick and Elvis Costello. It was Costello’s final album with his backing band “The Attractions”.

Personnel:

  • Elvis Costello (Declan Patrick MacManus)  – vocals, guitars, bass, piano, other instruments
  • Steve Nieve– piano, keyboards, drum programming
  • Larry Knechtel– piano
  • Roy Babbington– double bass
  • Bruce Thomas– bass
  • Matt MacManus –Fender bass, drum loop
  • Danny Goffey – drums
  • Pete Thomas– drums, percussion, acoustic guitar
  • Ruth Causey –clarinet
  • Peter Whyman –bass clarinet
  • Brodsky Quartet– string quartet
  • Brian Eno– gadgets
  • The Fairfield Four– vocals
  • Ned Douglas – sample control

Track listing:

All tracks by Elvis Costello, except where noted.

  1. The Other End of the Telescope – Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann
  2. Little Atoms
  3. All This Useless Beauty
  4. Complicated Shadows
  5. Why Can’t a Man Stand Alone?
  6. Distorted Angel
  7. Shallow Grave – Matt MacManus, Paul McCartney
  8. Poor Fractured Atlas
  9. Starting to Come to Me
  10. You Bowed Down
  11. It’s Time
  12. I Want to Vanish