No. 482: Armed Forces

Band: Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Album: Armed Forces
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: "Armed Forces" is one of Elvis Costello's great early albums, stoking political fires and using a very, very obscene word on "Oliver's Army."
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: I'm generally happy with this placement. It's a fine album and Costello deserves his due.
Best song: "Oliver's Army" is great.
Worst song: "Busy Bodies" isn't great.
Is it awesome?: Sure.

"Armed Forces" is the final of Elvis Costello's albums on this list. Gaining three albums on the list, he's treated with the same respect as Black Sabbath, Big Star, Marvin Gaye and Tom Waits.

With that said, Costello's new wave staccato and posturing rock act likely hit its early apex on 1979's "Armed Forces." The record is decidedly political -- "Two Little Hitlers," "Senior Service," and "Oliver's Army" all snap at the British establishment -- and Costello's voice is distinct and clever. "Oliver's Army," a class-warfare anthem, is brilliant and sharp and the Attractions are at their best.

The U.S. release of the album includes one of Costello's most popular tracks, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding." The Nick Lowe-penned track remains a hit and is intimately fun.

Much of the album runs together as Costello's guitar work was never the stuff of legends, but the album's tone is clever and worthwhile. It's one of his best.

No. 168: My Aim Is True

Band: Elvis Costello
Album: My Aim Is True
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Costello's first album is probably his fiercest. The Brit's genre-hopping and lyrical inventiveness are well-pronounced on his debut album, as he took his pub-rock antics to the recording studio.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: I think this is about right. It is, in my mind, the best Costello record and that deserves to be somewhere in the 150-ish range.
Best song: The melancholy fuck-you ballad "Alison" has wonderful double-meanings. "Welcome To The Working Week" is an abrasive opener.
Worst song: "I'm Not Angry" isn't great.
Is it awesome?: It's close.

I've mentioned my general disinterest in Elvis Costello, but I do find "My Aim Is True" to be his best record. Full of genre-bends and smart lyrics, "My Aim Is True" is singable and fun.

"Miracle Man" has Costello running with some biblical references and twisting them, while "Less Than Zero" is a polemic against (literal) fascist British politicians. "Watching The Detectives" is a Clash homage in the form of a sound reggae record. "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" is classic Costello with disjointed lyrics and Costello's classically nasal vocals. "Blame It On Cain" has a similar bent, only with a fantastic guitar line.

Of course, "Alison" is the record's centerpiece. Filled with backhanded compliments and desperate pleas, the song is a plea from a wronged man to his ex-lover. Still angry, the song uses odd phraseology ("my aim is true" and "somebody better put out the big light" both could be references to the protagonist murdering the song's namesake) and wonderful unhappiness ("sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking/ When I hear the silly things that you say") to avenge the breakup. In referencing Alison's wedding and her happiness, his sarcasm can't really be contained.

Also, the reference to masturbation in "Welcome To The Working Week" is one of the best-penned lines in rock and roll history:

Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired

"Rhythmically admired." How great is that?

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Overall, "My Aim Is True" is a pretty wonderful record. While the rest of Costello's catalog gets real old, real quick, his debut is excellent.

No. 166: Imperial Bedroom

Band: Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Album: Imperial Bedroom
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Lyrically, Costello sits on the edge of smart and pretentious, never really falling into pretentious on "Imperial Bedroom." While there's no real fantastic hit, the record is incredibly clever.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: There's no real fantastic hit because none of the songs are great. Sure, it's clever, but is it interesting? Not really. It's a mostly forgettable record, in my mind.
Best song: "The Long Honeymoon" is a very good song about the boredom of marriage.
Worst song: "Shabby Doll" is kind of annoying.
Is it awesome?: I don't think so.

I know I should love Elvis Costello. I imagine it's because his music is decidedly '80s -- Christ, just look at the cover of this album -- or maybe because Costello's lyrics are nuanced and I might not be smart enough to get it all.

Still, a record like "Imperial Bedroom" just doesn't do it for me. I understand I should like it; I just don't. "The Long Honeymoon" is slow and pretty, but it never really gains a crescendo that would sound satisfying. On the other hand, it's a song about married life and monotony, so maybe that's the purpose?

"Man Out Of Time" has a grandiose production to it (longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick produced this record), but the song just isn't anything spectacular. "The Loved Ones" has the air of a Beatles-type pop record, but it never really goes anywhere interesting. "Little Savage" brings Costello back to his New Wave roots in its intro, but falls into boringness 15 seconds in.

It's pleasant but it's background music to me. I imagine it's going over my head or something.

No. 98: This Year's Model

Band: Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Album: This Year's Model
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Elvis Costello's new wave nerdish punk rock is honed best on "This Year's Model." His quasi-soulful stuffed-nose vocals fall over organ and guitar based grooves. His Buddy Holly looks and classic rock pseudonym brought a new New Wave over to the States.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: A lot of serious Costello fans find "This Year's Model" to be overrated and not his best. My own feeling is that Costello is wholly overrated. Still, he probably deserves a record in the top 100 (there are far less deserving records in there) and 98 isn't a bad choice.
Best song: "Radio Radio" is a great indictment of the recording industry and "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" is probably the best pre-90s angular rock record.
Worst song: "Lipstick Vogue" isn't great.
Is it awesome?: Maybe a low level awesome?

Not that it matters (considering how long it took to get Black Sabbath in), but Elvis Costello and the Attractions are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don't know why this is such a surprise to me. They went in the same year as The Police, The Clash and AC/DC.

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Elvis Costello is probably known as much for his style as his music. The glasses, the jackets. In the same way the Sex Pistols defined the way punk looked for the late '70s, Costello defined the way New Wave looked in the early '80s.

But, what of the music? Costello's nasal crooning takes as much from Burt Bacharach (who he later collaborated with) as it does from the other New Wave artists of the time. "This Year's Model" takes a lot from the punk spirit and musical trends, as well. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," "The Beat" and "Night Rally" all work the punk style while keeping Costello's signature pub rock ethos.

Unlike the more aggressive "My Aim Is True," Costello and the Attractions are more measured on "This Year's Model." In combining the fury of "My Aim is True" and the smartness of his later singles, Costello put together a better version of pub rock. No longer a reaction to progressive radio of the 70s, singles like "Radio Radio" showed that punkish New Wave could be smart, interesting and fun to listen to.

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Again, I've never really gotten Costello, so I send you to two reviews of "This Year's Model." The first is from a Costello fan site, arguing that it's not his best work. The second is from Pitchfork (shut up), which gives it a perfect 10. From that Pitchfork review:

Perfectly balancing the raw energy of My Aim Is True with the more elegant pop songwriting that would come to characterize much of his later work, This Year's Model is not only Costello's best work, but one of the most distinctively brilliant albums ever to be released. For fans of rock music bursting with wit and character, it really just doesn't get any better than this.

Fitting for a Costello fan, but for me... Not so much. I didn't even know he was in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.