Almost Blue (2015 Remaster) Elvis Costello & The Attractions

• 1 Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)? 01:39
• 2 Sweet Dreams 03:00
• 3 Success 02:42
• 4 I'm Your Toy 03:24
• 5 Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down 02:10
• 6 Brown To Blue 02:40
• 7 Good Year For The Roses 03:10
• 8 Sittin' And Thinkin' 03:02
• 9 Colour Of The Blues 02:21
• 10 Too Far Gone 03:28
• 11 Honey Hush 02:15
• 12 How Much I Lied 02:46
• Total Runtime 32:37

Info for Almost Blue (2015 Remaster)

This is where Costello began to display the chameleonic tendencies that would serve him so well throughout his career. Abandoning snappy, 'new wave'-associated rock for the first time, Elvis decided to visit Nashville and record his take on the country classics he loved so much. Enlisting the services of George Jones producer Billy Sherrill, Costello cloaked himself and the Attractions in countrypolitan trappings (including lush strings) for some distinctive version of country evergreens like 'Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down' and 'Sweet Dreams.' Only the punk-derived fervor of 'Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used To Do' and the bar-room raunch of 'Honey Hush' interrupt the elegant, emotional balladry. Costello also pays tribute to a more recent generation on aching covers of Gram Parsons' 'I'm Your Toy' and 'How Much I Lied.' Ryko's bonus cuts sweeten the pot considerably, especially the live version of Leon Payne's self-explanatory 'Psycho.'

„Elvis Costello's 'country record' is usually written off as a vanity project, but Almost Blue is quite a bit more than that. It's one of the most entertaining cover records in rock & roll, simply because of its enthusiasm. The album begins with a roaring version of Hank Williams' 'Why Don't You Love Me' and doesn't stop. Costello sings with conviction on the tear-jerking ballads, as well as on barn burners like 'Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down.' It's clear that Costello knows this music, and it's also clear who he learned it from: Gram Parsons. Costello covers Parsons' 'Hot Burrito No. 1' and 'How Much I Lied,' and all of the music on Almost Blue recalls Parsons' taste for hardcore honky tonk and weepy ballads. It's to Costello's credit that he made a record relying on emotion to pay tribute.“ (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG)

Elvis Costello, vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve, piano, organ
Bruce Thomas, bass
Pete Thomas, drums
Additional musicians:
John McFee, lead guitar, pedal steel guitar

Recorded May 1981 at CBS Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Engineered by Ron 'Snake' Reynolds
Produced by Billy Sherrill

Digitally remastered

Elvis Costello
began working as a professional musician 35 years ago, shortly after the release of his first album, “My Aim Is True”. He has made more than 27 studio records, three live albums and numerous guest appearances on stage, studio and screen as well as working as a record producer, bit-part actor and composing music for television drama and dance performance.

He has toured the world with The Attractions, The Imposters and the pianist, Steve Nieve, performing with symphony and jazz orchestras as well as in solo performance. His catalogue of songs includes collaborations with Paul McCartney, Allen Toussaint and Burt Bacharach with whom he won a Grammy for “I Still Have That Other Girl” from their 1998 collaboration, Painted From Memory. Costello’s songs have been recorded by George Jones, Chet Baker, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield and Robert Wyatt.

Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. In the same year he was awarded ASCAP’s prestigious Founder’s Award. His last record was 2010s National Ransom, produced by T-Bone Burnett. Between 2008 and 2010, Costello was the host of twenty episodes of the interview and music show, “Spectacle” on the Sundance Channel.

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This album contains no booklet.