Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

[life on mars]

Re: Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

Alison from the excellent My Aim Is True is exceptional, as is the Album.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Re: Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

Fantastic album. I had the first pressing with free postcards and the unusual fold-out sleeve. I really regret letting that go now. Even though I loved that record and still do, I kind of lost interest in Elvis Costello after that. I found Get Happy disappointing and when Almost Blue came out my 16 year-old brain just couldn't relate.

And the free live EP remember! I still have all my vinyl 👍

[StraightOuttaCanton]

Re: Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

And the free live EP remember! I still have all my vinyl 👍

Ditto… his first 3 albums still more than test the passing of time. Punch the Clock was an excellent album and is the one I play most often now of the 4

[tforturton]

Re: Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

In my opinion, he's one of the most under-rated performers of the last forty years. I've been a fan since the late seventies, and although his career has waned in recent years, he's still up there with the best. For fifteen or so years, he produced an album every year, and very few were less than brilliant. I'd put Armed Forces up there, but Punch the Clock is better, also Imperial Bedroom, and Brutal Youth. He has a habit of using a whole album to experiment, so you got country (King of America), or blues (Almost Blue). He'd also pack them in, so records like Trust or Get Happy would have twenty or more tracks. Recent albums have been been spaced apart more, but he still turns out the good ones.
I've seen him six or seven times live, and have never been disappointed. Sure, he was better in the early years - the Punch the Clock tour was an absolute stormer - and he's become a sort of touring greatest hits of late, but he still kicks most performers of his era off the stage.

[Swiss Peter]

Re: Armed Forces - Elvis Costello

In my opinion, he's one of the most under-rated performers of the last forty years. I've been a fan since the late seventies, and although his career has waned in recent years, he's still up there with the best. For fifteen or so years, he produced an album every year, and very few were less than brilliant. I'd put Armed Forces up there, but Punch the Clock is better, also Imperial Bedroom, and Brutal Youth. He has a habit of using a whole album to experiment, so you got country (King of America), or blues (Almost Blue). He'd also pack them in, so records like Trust or Get Happy would have twenty or more tracks. Recent albums have been been spaced apart more, but he still turns out the good ones.
I've seen him six or seven times live, and have never been disappointed. Sure, he was better in the early years - the Punch the Clock tour was an absolute stormer - and he's become a sort of touring greatest hits of late, but he still kicks most performers of his era off the stage.

Yes, I saw him on that tour in Zürich, and he was brilliant. Oddly, I don't think I've seen him live since.