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