Best Elvis Costello Song?

[yeahwho]

Holy Smokes! I was just looking at the Elvis Costello (http://www.elviscostello.info/disc/album_index.php) discography at his website and realized this Costello has a jillion songs out there.

What is the best Elvis Costello song? I give up. :confused:

[abcdefz]

ONE song!? Are you nuts?

Yeesh. One song. One song...

I dunno. "Shipbuilding," mebbe.

[DroppinScience]

I ain't givin' you one song...

"Alison"
"Waiting For The End of the World"
"Pump It Up"
"High Fidelity"
"Almost Blue"
"Watching The Detectives"
"Litter Triggers"
"Radio, Radio"
"Lip Service"
"Green Shirt"

etc. etc.

I just love those Rhino reissues of his albums. And I've got a billion of his albums, but there's still lots of gaps in my collection (well, I'm not into EVERYTHING the guy has done... he's done some lame stuff, but I'm missing a handful of either the "essential" or the "worthwhile" releases).

[monkey]

i have always and will always love 'veronica'.

[afronaut]

Oh jeez. Impossible. but This Year's Model is most definitely one of the most near perfect albums ever.

[cosmo105]

^agreed.

my favorite Elvis track changes every month or so. usually it's "(the angels wanna wear) my red shoes."

[Ally Al]

i like i want you a lot

[Bob]

welcome to the working week

[Lyman Zerga]

viva las vegas

[abcdefz]

"Night Rally" occurs to me, also. Which is funny: the two songs I think are Elvis' best songs are both protest songs. Not exactly the stuff he's known for.

"Night Rally" is particularly great, because his anger is so channeled and witty but not not petulant (or misogynistic, as he sometimes gets).

"Shipbuilding" is such a beautifully wistful anti-war song. Just glorious. Tasmin Archer does a really terrific version, too.

[QueenAdrock]

I haven't heard much of his stuff, but I do like me some "Alison" and "Radio, Radio."

My ex-professor would absolutely kill me if he found out how little I knew about Elvis. He absolutely freakin' loves him to death.

[abcdefz]

Man Out of Time
Beyond Belief



Imperial Bedroom fan?



The drumming on "Beyond Belief" is. Elvin Jones would be proud.

Great, great song. That whole album is just amazing.

[abcdefz]

That album is ridiculously good.

El let his keyboardist, Steve Nieve, handle all the arrangements and just go nuts. They spent a ton of money on that album, just bringing in instruments and experimenting.

What's amazing is listening to the demos, and how bad some of those songs were. I mean bad. I mean Goodbye Cruel World-bad.

[cosmo105]

i have an extra copy of this year's model (long story) if you want it, jim. i could send it to you.

I Want You is so great. my eldest brother once prank-called his best friend's machine and left that as a message, and never told him it was him...the guy thinks he has a secret admirer :D

[abcdefz]

i have an extra copy of this year's model (long story) if you want it, jim. i could send it to you.




SAY "YES!"




I Want You is so great. my eldest brother once prank-called his best friend's machine and left that as a message



...that would be a... very looooong message.... isn't that song like eight minutes long or so?

[DroppinScience]

I haven't heard much of his stuff, but I do like me some "Alison" and "Radio, Radio."

My ex-professor would absolutely kill me if he found out how little I knew about Elvis. He absolutely freakin' loves him to death.

That's because you're a BEASTIE GENERALer who doesn't listen to other bands. :p

[QueenAdrock]

Well, I don't like Mandy Moore if that's what you're trying to get at.



:)

[DroppinScience]

Well, I don't like Mandy Moore if that's what you're trying to get at.



:)

It's about time Costello and Mandy do a collaboration...

[QueenAdrock]

</nerdgasm>

[cosmo105]

SAY "YES!"







...that would be a... very looooong message.... isn't that song like eight minutes long or so?
i think he played it until it stopped recording. (y)


it's the way your shoulders shake
and what they're shaking for

[Guy Incognito]

Gotta be "Pump It Up" with "I cand stand up for falling down" a close second.

I even liked that dodgy "voodoo child" record that was out in the summer that used pump it up as its hook. At first I was shouting "sacrilige" but after a while couldnt stop humming it.

[yeahwho]

Elvis Costelo's output is mind boggling, I really like the cumulative effect of his first three albums. I still cannot focus on any one song more than another. I love the theme of Senior Service and Welcome to the Working Week,

They took me in the office and they told me very carefully
The way that I could benefit from death and disability

Watching the Detectives is amazing,

She pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet


I think Accidents Will Happen is the "Best" by the thinnest hair imaginable.

Armed Forces sounds great played LOUD!

[dansemy]

"Watching the Detectives" is my favorite but my wife and I got tickets as a wedding gift to see Elvis at the Beacon Theater and he sang a song called "Still Too Soon To Tell" without any amplification. He just stood at the front of the stage and played an acoustic guitar and sang to the rafters without a microphone and it was amazing. Definitely chill type material.

Another song off one fo his recent albums (forget the name) that's pretty excellent is called "Alibi".

And if you're the sentimental foolish type, you should check out "I'll Wear It Proudly" from the King of America album. Killer love song.

[DroppinScience]

Another song off one fo his recent albums (forget the name) that's pretty excellent is called "Alibi".


That one's off of "When I Was Cruel," which is easily the best album he's done since the '80s.

[Ally Al]

i think he played it until it stopped recording. (y)


it's the way your shoulders shake
and what they're shaking for

your fingernails go draggin down the waaaAAAaaal
be careful darling you might faaaaaaaalll

i think as an answer machine message it would creep me out a little

an ex girlfriend played condition of the heart by prince down the phone to me one time, that was kind of arkward

[abcdefz]

...back in the day, I used part of 5 Piece Chicken Dinner as the background for my outgoing message. Do I get points? :D

[cosmo105]

That one's off of "When I Was Cruel," which is easily the best album he's done since the '80s.
mmmhm. i can listen to that album all the way through over and over again.