Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
that's a good chorus. Still, based on my (limited) experience with him so far I certainly prefer a writer like Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen, and even Dan Bern when he's on (he's frequently not). Some of that might just be me weighing more heavily the people I am personally more affected by. The lyrics you guys cited there have a very literary feel to them and in the context of the song almost feel a little overwritten to me, but that's not fair for me to judge outside of hearing them sung. It may also reflect my personal preferences in terms of the kind of songwriting I prefer. I tend to like lines that can be stunningly evocative that jump out of simple storytelling, rather than reading a poetry magazine set to music.
For instance, I would prefer this
In God's Time Not Yours (an unreleased Dan Bern song--like EC he has an insanely deep catalog but unlike EC the vast majority of his best songs are never released. it's not that he has great b-sides and hidden treasures. This guy invariably picks the worst songs to throw on his albums)
She said, "For all we know time could start moving backwards." I said, "For all we know it always has." We stood there coldly in the kitchen the night she left for good. And I remember silly details Like the dark green ribbon in her hair The speck of spaghetti sauce on her cheek she didn't know was there.
She's gone, she's gone Never to return to you And parallel lines eventually meet In some dark corner of the universe In God's time, not yours.
She said, "Do you mind if I keep this sweatshirt?" I said, "Go on, it's too small for me and besides, you look good in it." She said, "That's your first compliment in months." She said, "Your parents really messed you up." I said, "That's their job and stuff, I guess." She threw my closet open Put her things into a sack.
She's gone, she's gone Never to return to you And you never meet your dead ancestors Except in some dark corner of the universe In God's time, not yours.
We walked outside I said, "It looks like rain." She said, "I hate the rain." I said, "Well we could use some." She said, "I don't see for what?" I said, "Well, when it rains it feels like back home in the Midwest." She says, "Far as I'm concerned, the Midwest could fall off of the earth."
She's gone, she's gone Never to return to you And someday all the planets Will be overwhelmed when the sun explodes And reappear as angels In some dark corner of the universe In God's time, not yours.
Some nights I catch myself adding up numbers in my head I always suspected her of doing that But she denied it and I had no proof And at such times I go outside Cause it's not so poisoned there And in the air I smell her hair And I think...there's your proof.
She's gone, she's gone Never to return to you And somewhere all the numbers Have been counted up and put away In some dark corner of the universe In God's time, not yours.
She said, "For all we know, time could start moving backwards." I said, "For all we know, it always has." We stood there coldly in the kitchen the night she left for good.
ignore the terrible video
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:33 am Posts: 8422 Location: Berthier-sur-Mer Gender: Male
i heard about this on the radio today and thought you guys would be interrested:
Quote:
In a move that no doubt has the Hip-O Record label (a subsidiary of Universal Music Group) in an uproar, Elvis Costello has advised his fans in an official blog post not to buy his forthcoming box set, "The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook," due December 6. Instead, he recommended that they purchase a less-expensive alternative: the "Ambassador of Jazz" box set featuring remastered albums by Louis Armstrong.
Writing under the pseudonym "the Right Reverend Jimmy Quickly" but in unmistakably Costello language, the singer discouraged fans from buying the 1500-copy limited edition collectors set (which comprises of one CD, one DVD, and one 10" vinyl EP, in addition to a hardcover book and a Costello-autographed commemoration card) writing that the price, at £212.66 ($202.66) appears to be "either a misprint or a satire."
He called the Armstrong set "vastly superior."
In addition to recommending "Ambassador of Jazz," Costello placated fans who might have been upset by the discouragement by promising that component parts of "Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook" will be released individually in 2012. "Assuming that you have not already obtained them by more unconventional means," they added in a sidelong nod to the title of the post, "Steal This Record."
Costello -- who has sold over 3.8 million records since 1991 alone (the year Nielsen SoundScan's records begin) -- isn't the first artist to advocate illegal downloads of his music. Artists like System of a Down and Kid Rock have publicly encouraged piracy of their music over settling for pricey distribution routes, but Costello's move has surfaced as an unexpected and deliberate snub to his label. Many have said, though, that the move has become a sort of reverse-psychology promotion for the set in spite of the singer's dismissal.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:32 pm Posts: 1061 Location: Baltimore, the Land of Pleasant Living
In the fall Record and Tape traders had a bunch of used cds for 2 for 1 dollar. i got a lot of cds. ELVIS's Juliet Letters and Brutal Youth were 2 i selected. Havent heard em yet.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:40 am Posts: 25451 Location: 111 Archer Ave.
Jorge, any reason at all that the new Costello triple vinyl/cd/dvd/liner note package is $300+ dollars at my local record store? This guy has a terrible record label.
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:21 am Posts: 23078 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Gender: Male
washing machine wrote:
Jorge, any reason at all that the new Costello triple vinyl/cd/dvd/liner note package is $300+ dollars at my local record store? This guy has a terrible record label.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:32 pm Posts: 1061 Location: Baltimore, the Land of Pleasant Living
Kevin Davis wrote:
That's a steal. Do Brutal Youth first.
indeed its too late, i listened to the letters first tho. god thats a weird one. now i listened to pony st and thats it on brutal, thats more like the ec i know!
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:21 am Posts: 23078 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Gender: Male
Actually, you know what? Nevermind. I'm going to suggest you buy "All This Useless Beauty". Don't ask me why. I see you really liking that album for some reason.
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EC is one of the very few artists I listen to where there really is no clear starting point. All This Useless Beauty seems as good a place as any--it was my second EC album, and now I'm a diehard.
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