Thanks. Maybe I will download the live version. You know I am going to have to listen to my NR cd now! Or this week! As if Van Morrison, Hendrix, and Faces aren't enough! My (N)oise (R)eduction CD heh heh
Here's the indispensable In Another Room on WIWC, including some remarks on Oh Well (which says that this is the same Oh Well on Cruel Smile as on the bonus track for the UK and Japan versions of WIWC).
That Japanese version of Cruel Smile with the "Tart (acoustic)" track is rather hard to find, it would seem... Here's a question: does the Japanese version with "Tart (acoustic)" also have the live version of "Soul for Hire" as a sixteenth track? The listing on amazon claims 15 tracks for both the standard and the Japanese versions of Cruel Smile, but with a swap of Tart acoustic and the live Soul for Hire. TIA, RH Update: the Elvis Costello wiki here, has the live Soul for Hire as a hidden track on the Japanese version of Cruel Smile, unless that hidden track only pertains to the standard version... Still a little uncertain, RH
The live set on My Aim Is True, however, gives you a chance to hear the debut album performed by the Attractions. In my opinion it blows the studio version out of the water. It really is Exhibit A in demonstrating what that band did for Elvis.
The Attractions did a fine job on those live performances, but when I think "Attractions", I think of the sound of "Lipstick Vogue", or "The Beat", or "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea". And, as for which performance is the better one... in my opinion, that music belongs to Clover (never mind that my favorite song on the album has Steve Nieve on it).
Even though those later albums never came out as Deluxe Editions, Elvis Costello has organized 'stealth deluxe editions' for several of them if you go to the effort of compiling them: - Painted from Memory: the bonus disc and b-sides (plus a couple of live versions of 'God Give Me Strength' and the vocal tracks from The Sweetest Punch) - When I Was Cruel: Cruel Smile (plus a few extras) - The Delivery Man: The Clarksdale Sessions and The Futurama Sessions (plus 'She's Pulling Out the Pin') - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane / National Ransom: you've just about got one bonus disc between them if you combine the vinyl-only bonus tracks, the b-side to 'Complicated Shadows' and the National Ransack EP, then add in various relevant tracks from compilations (like the version of 'Jimmie Standing in the Rain' from The Speaking Clock Revue) - Wise Up Ghost: Wise Up: Thought North only has a couple of released outtakes (the downloadable title track, UK and Japanese bonus tracks). Likewise The River in Reverse. And as far as I know there's nothing for Momofuku, which is no doubt due to the nature of that recording.
Until I read your post, I didn't know that "Wise Up: Thought" existed. After reading the description of it, it may be the first Costello release I don't bother seeking out. Someone care to try to convince me otherwise?
They've announced it and its release is officially TBA. In MoFi land, this means it's on its way sometime in the not-so-distant future. You can place an order for it. http://www.musicdirect.com/p-111936-elvis-costello-trust-numbered-limited-edition-180g-vinyl-lp.aspx
Nope. It's been in that sort of limbo since January. Until you see a date or get an email from MusicDirect, there's no telling when it's coming out. Been waiting a long time. When they announced The Cars' Candy-O, I seem to remember it being 2 years before it finally hit the street.
My point was that it's gone from being simply AWOL from their catalog to now being available for purchase. You're right that it can take a little while for their TBA stuff to become A, so to speak, so my comment about "not-so-distant future" should be taken to mean "a time that will actually occur after all!"
I listened to Blood And Chocolate again last night. I really like three songs from it - "I Want You", "I Hope You're Happy Now", and especially "Tokyo Storm Warning". However, nothing else really jumped out at me. I don't like a lot of his '90s output, and most of Blood And Chocolate sounds like the early stages of that. Still, for those three songs, I consider it worth owning. I don't think I'm going to venture any further than that, though. I have a greatest hits compilation and the Right Spectacle DVD, in case I want to listen to one of the few post-1986 songs that I really enjoy.
It might be the only Costello release I can't sincerely recommend (apart from various redundant Greatest Hits compilations). Perhaps it might be more appealing to people who were drawn to this project more based on their admiration for The Roots than EC, though. All I can say for sure is I only bothered to listen to it once.
It's not really relevant to the quality of the respective albums, but I'm hard pressed to fully express how much I love the Tony Maakies cover art to Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane and National Ransom. Very much in the tradition of Robert Crumb's Cheap Thrills (not to mention William Stout's iconic bootleg covers).
Thanks. I will pass in on it and not lose any sleep at night. Every three months or so I give "Wise Up Ghost" another try. So far, no progress. It may wind up joining "North" in that teeny portion of EC's catalog that I just cannot get into.
Although I very much enjoy Wise Up Ghost, I always respect the opinion of folks that clearly WANT to like the music they listen to. So cheers to you. But I hope you listened to the deluxe edition. Because the "bonus tracks" are very essential. Plus, the "City Lights' booklet that accompanies it is very cool.
I can't say I like how Wise Up Ghost and Lost on the River reserve "bonus tracks" to a more expensive deluxe edition. In both cases, they're fairly essential and should be part of the standard release. (Though I also admit I don't think I've actually ever seen a copy of the non-deluxe Lost On The River-- it exists, right?) I realize that some of his other albums have bonus tracks that are exclusive to particular territories or retailers. But I realize that's a concession to the realities of the current music retail environment, and I don't think there are any other instances in which they are quite so key to the overall merit of the album in question.
I didn't even give a thought to the standard "Lost on the River", so I don't even know what's on it (and what's not). A quick search on Amazon doesn't even bring up the standard edition at this point.
It's there, it's just sort of "hidden". http://www.amazon.com/Lost-River-New-Basement-Tapes/dp/B00MRKX8LE With the many permutations of an album that get released nowadays, you have to hit the little arrows that collapse and expand to "see all versions" of a release. This looks like it's a 15-track cd, as opposed to the "deluxe" which was 20, I believe.
It was originally announced with standard and deluxe editions. But I'm growing skeptical the standard edition was ever released (somebody please correct me here). The funny thing about was the tracks that are differentiated by the track number (such as "Lost on the River #12" and "Lost on the River #20) were based on the deluxe edition track listing, even when the announced standard edition track listing didn't correspond.
You would think that the "standard" edition would have avoided duplication of ANY of the songs, but they clearly didn't go that route.
