Best Elvis Costello Album

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Poll Results

Option	Votes
This Year's Model	41
My Aim Is True	12
Armed Forces	9
Get Happy!	6
Imperial Bedroom	6
Trust	4
Spike	3
Blood And Chocolate	3
Kojak Variety	2
King Of America	2
Punch The Clock	1
Il Sogno	1
Painted From Memory	1
The Juliet Letters	1
When I Was Cruel	0
North	0
The Delivery Man	0
Almost Blue	0
All This Useless Beauty	0
Brutal Youth	0
Mighty Like A Rose	0
Taking Liberties	0
Ten Blody Marys And Ten How's Your Fathers	0
Goodbye Cruel World	0
The River In Reverse	0

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:00 (eighteen years ago)

This Years Model. I consider his first 8-10 years of making music as good as just about anyone's, but it's individual songs rather than albums that have held up for me. I've probably made three or four compilations of his music over the years, and I'll take one of those over any of the LPs.

― sw00ds, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:39 (eighteen years ago)

...except This Years Model.

― sw00ds, Friday, 20 April 2007 01:42 (eighteen years ago)

agreed, this year's model is the only front to back solid release, in my opinion.

― jam, Friday, 20 April 2007 03:14 (eighteen years ago)

blood and chocolate, which I think best melded his early style with what would quickly become his predominant, froom-y style, and resulted in his most varied album with a bunch of his best songs. anyway, it's the one I listen to the most. then I guess, this year's model, get happy, imperial bedroom, armed forces, and brutal youth....then the rest are a mixed bag. I'm a big fan though, or was.

― akm, Friday, 20 April 2007 05:40 (eighteen years ago)

KING OF AMERICA, BITCHES

― stephen, Friday, 20 April 2007 06:03 (eighteen years ago)

Three way tie - King of America, Blood and Chocolate and Imperial Bedroom. But I voted for Imperial Bedroom because "Man Out Of Time" is one of the five greatest songs ever written.

― Manalishi, Friday, 20 April 2007 06:55 (eighteen years ago)

'Imperial Bedroom' for me too. But I guess one of the first three albums will win, which would be OK for me too.

― zeus, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:40 (eighteen years ago)

Oh jeez - the first 4 are all utterly great. But, as an old pub rocker, I'm going for "My Aim Is True".

― Dr.C, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:49 (eighteen years ago)

I went for Armed Forces cos it sounds like ABBA. I disapprove of leaving out the jazz, classical etc. incidentally.

― Groke, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

the first 4 8 are all utterly great

fixt!

I disapprove of including compilations.

― mark 0, Friday, 20 April 2007 09:58 (eighteen years ago)

I'll take My Aim, This Year's, Armed Forces, Get Happy, and Trust over any artist's first five albums, ever. Gun to my head, desert island, I'm taking the first one.

― G00blar, Friday, 20 April 2007 10:58 (eighteen years ago)

This Yrs Model

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 April 2007 11:11 (eighteen years ago)

Another tough choice. I went for Get Happy!

Also, I'm voting for my personal favorites in these polls, not necessarily the one I think is "best".

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 20 April 2007 11:52 (eighteen years ago)

What's the difference?

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 April 2007 11:56 (eighteen years ago)

My Aim Is True.

― nathalie, Friday, 20 April 2007 12:03 (eighteen years ago)

"Imperial Bedroom" all the way. Those first two are also great, as are some of the underrated later ones. But "Imperial Bedroom" was the one where the "sophisticated" Elvis was coming into his own.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 20 April 2007 12:18 (eighteen years ago)

HI DERE!

― The Amazing Randy, Friday, 20 April 2007 13:08 (eighteen years ago)

What's the difference?

Personal emotional baggage, basically. I suspect that Presence is not actually the best Led Zeppelin album by whatever objective criteria, but it's the one I voted for, because it's the one I usually put on first when I want to listen to some Led Zeppelin. I always get an emotional charge and adrenaline rush when "Achilles Last Stand" starts.

For this poll/thread, I wouldn't argue with This Year's Model or Imperial Bedroom being the better album, and I love them to death, but Get Happy! was my first E.C. album and gets Proustian nostalgia points.

I'm not bigheaded enough to think that what's best for me is what's best, period.

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 20 April 2007 13:19 (eighteen years ago)

You wouldn't have a career in music criticism if you didn't already know the answer to the question, xhuxk. It's interesting and kinda cool that you went ahead and asked it anyway.

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 20 April 2007 13:24 (eighteen years ago)

Anybody else vote for Trust? It has some absolute clunkers towards the end, but the first 2/3 is just overwhelmingly great.

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 20 April 2007 14:03 (eighteen years ago)

Presence is not actually the best Led Zeppelin album by whatever objective criteria

There is no objective criteria! (And even if there was, "the one I usually put on first" and "emotional charge and adrenalin rush" would seem as valid as any other criteria.) So no, I honestly don't know the difference.

(Imperial Boredom is still a snooze either way, however.)

― xhuxk, Friday, 20 April 2007 14:35 (eighteen years ago)

I probably shouldn't be allowed to vote in this poll, since I've only heard This Year's Model, Spike, and Mighty Like a Rose - but I'm voting for This Year's Model (surprise).

― o. nate, Friday, 20 April 2007 17:51 (eighteen years ago)

I am xhuxk.

― JN$OT, Friday, 20 April 2007 18:10 (eighteen years ago)

Finally got past my press deadline, so I can respond.

I think there are lots of objective criteria for records! Shitty recording, engineering, mastering; unironically and unintentionally bad playing or singing; good material dragged down by bad performance, or vice versa; those kinds of things. There are times when a record with huge flaws might still be my favorite because of an emotional association I have with it or because of memories it evokes.

My concepts of "favorite" and "best" overlay each other a huge majority of the time, but they are separate to me, and it surprises me when they aren't to other people.

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:51 (eighteen years ago)

Ho-hum, This Year's Model. Owning that (the 2CD version) and Girls Girls Girls means that I'm basically set for life, Elvis-wise.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 20 April 2007 21:52 (eighteen years ago)

good material dragged down by bad performance, or vice versa

and what is the objective criteria for "good"?

on any given day it's either this year's model, armed forces or trust for me. on some days maybe even get happy. it's true of this year's model and trust on more days than it is for the other albums. i vote for trust because it needs me more, and i probably need it more.

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 20 April 2007 22:04 (eighteen years ago)

elvis costello makes the most boring music ever. all y'all are old.

― the table is the table, Friday, 20 April 2007 23:02 (eighteen years ago)

felt the same when i bought a couple used albums at a garage sale when i was 16. i still don't get it.

― the table is the table, Friday, 20 April 2007 23:03 (eighteen years ago)

elvis costello makes the most boring music ever. all y'all are old.

What kind of music do you like, son?

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 20 April 2007 23:09 (eighteen years ago)

unironically and unintentionally bad playing or singing

Wait, so if they're ironic they're okay??

― xhuxk, Saturday, 21 April 2007 00:02 (eighteen years ago)

They're harder to judge as good or bad, they make technical problems moot. The Germs' cover of "Sugar Sugar" is the song I always think of in this regard -- really, really bad, but intentionally bad, entertainingly bad.

xhuxk, do you make or see a distinction between "fave" and "best"?

― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 21 April 2007 00:19 (eighteen years ago)

it makes sense that geir like imperial bedroom the best.

i guess i'll go w/armed forces (slightly) over this year's model.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Saturday, 21 April 2007 00:30 (eighteen years ago)

i voted for trust becuz i used to listen lots to him and haven't listened much recently but its a sentimental fave for some reason and its rilly hard to think thru his output since there's so much and its all so the same and so difft all at once and fully sophisticated elvis became a bit of a turn-off for me and trust seems more the cusp album.

armed forces is great fun tho.

― s.clover, Saturday, 21 April 2007 07:53 (eighteen years ago)

I went for This Year Model too, but my second fave is the often overlooked Get Happy. (I don't know exactlly who is doing this overlooking, but you all know what I mean)

― Sandy Blair, Saturday, 21 April 2007 09:23 (eighteen years ago)

xhuxk, do you make or see a distinction between "fave" and "best"?

Didn't I already answer this? (Anyway, No.)

― xhuxk, Saturday, 21 April 2007 09:47 (eighteen years ago)

Seems to me that the criteria you should be using to determine bestness should be the same as the criteria you're using to determine favoriteness. Anything else strikes me as dishonest (and the criteria you listed above struck me as really vague and random, for the most part. They matter when they make you like a record more or less; if they don't do that, why care about them?)

― xhuxk, Saturday, 21 April 2007 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

intentionally bad, entertainingly bad

Also, these are two completely different things. Sometimes they go hand in hand; sometimes they don't.

― xhuxk, Saturday, 21 April 2007 09:55 (eighteen years ago)

bump

― JN$OT, Thursday, 26 April 2007 08:21 (eighteen years ago)

i think "model" is Elvis at his best. i.e. angry and spewing venom. Trust is an exception to that "rule"- Great record!!

― outdoor_miner, Thursday, 26 April 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

"Get Happy." But I fell for the weirdness ("Side One/Side A" or something like that)on the LP release, started playing it on side 2 and the record is absolutely, positively better by far starting with "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down", ending first side with "Riot Act", side two starting with "Love For Tender" and ending with "High Fidelity." Try it. I'm right, dammit! Plus there was this Ian Penman review of the record in NME that praised the three-song cycle "Temptation", "Opportunity", and "Possession." Got to listen to it backwards for that to work.

― ellaguru, Thursday, 26 April 2007 16:45 (eighteen years ago)

A resounding result here then.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 27 April 2007 01:55 (eighteen years ago)

imperial bedroom is easier to admire than actually like.

i just listened to it the other day...it's really amazingly fussed over (the guy that recorded my band called it "relentlessly baroque" which kinda pegs it)...but at the end of the day, you finally realize that a whole lot of effort and production is being expelled to cover up the fact that elvis just isn't writing songs as good as he used to (which some exceptions like "beyond belief" and "man out of time", plus others)

― M@tt He1ges0n, Friday, 27 April 2007 15:27 (eighteen years ago)

I figured This Year's Model would win, but not by this much.

As for Imperial Bedroom, I almost never put it on, but it does have You Little Fool belongs on the Mount Rushmore of EC songs.

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 27 April 2007 15:51 (eighteen years ago)

I wish I could find the thread where James Blount describes Imperial Bedroom as a really drunken-sounding Elvis, which I agree with and which helped me hear the record a little differently. "Fussed over," perhaps, but Elvis does sound half-corked through much of it, too, and I think that helps offset the fussiness somewhat (compare, say, "And in Every Home" with the Beatles "She's Leaving Home," which everyone compared at the time; the former sounds way more controlled and fussy). By no means my favourite EC album, but it has half a dozen great tracks (though it probably portended to everything that eventually became really boring about him).

Was glad to see at least one vote for Punch the Clock but disappointed that Blood and Chocolate and Spike both beat out King of America--that's nutty.

― sw00ds, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

the former sounds way more controlled and fussy

Oops - I mean the latter, of course.

― sw00ds, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:27 (eighteen years ago)

Il Sogno 1
The Juliet Letters 1

These are joke votes, right? I haven't even heard of Il Sogno.

― sw00ds, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:29 (eighteen years ago)

The second half of Imperial Boredom has a half-dozen also-rans, though. Definitely Elvis on autopilot. Meanwhile I reheard Goodbye Cruel World for the first time in years and thought the likes of "Peace in Our Time" sounded great, so...

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:31 (eighteen years ago)

There are definitely things on side two of Imperial Boudoir I could care less about.

― sw00ds, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:32 (eighteen years ago)

i'm not a big fan of imperial boardroom, but side two has all the stuff on it that i like! "kid about it," "you little fool," "town cryer."

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 27 April 2007 18:46 (eighteen years ago)

People like Spike? I thought that was universally slagged off?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 27 April 2007 18:49 (eighteen years ago)

"Imperial Bedroom" is genius. The sound of an angry young man finally growing up and giving more priority to sophistication and cleverness rather than anger. And that is definitely a good thing.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 27 April 2007 19:53 (eighteen years ago)

It is?

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 27 April 2007 19:54 (eighteen years ago)

No.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 27 April 2007 19:56 (eighteen years ago)

God, that's more than enough to sway me. Imperial Broadloom sucks!

― sw00ds, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:01 (eighteen years ago)

Where are my three other friends who voted for Trust? Even though it's got 2 of his worst-ever songs, (Shot With His Own Gun & Fish and Chip Paper) the rest is the best-ever EC. Pretty Words, Watch Your Step, Lovers Walk, etc. Untouchable.

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:31 (eighteen years ago)

"Clubland" is great, but other than that I have never seen the greatness of "Trust". It may have been sort of a preparation for "Imperial Bedroom", but sophisticated music needs sophisticated production to work.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:32 (eighteen years ago)

i am kinda surprised that armed forces didn't do better, that's what i voted for...

― M@tt He1ges0n, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:41 (eighteen years ago)

I voted for Trust (and "Shot With His Own Gun" -- his most ironic hence best self-loating number -- is great).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:45 (eighteen years ago)

*self-loathing

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:53 (eighteen years ago)

Taking Liberties  	0

hopefully because it's a comp, right?

― abanana, Friday, 27 April 2007 21:02 (eighteen years ago)

i voted for trust and i'm genuinely shocked that geir isn't a fan. "new lace sleeves," FFS!

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 27 April 2007 21:27 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

Get Happy! is the best Elvis Costello album. Imperial Bedroom and Armed Forces deserve and honourable mention - they take the other podium spots. i am cool with folks liking This Year's Model but its landslide in this poll seems kinda nutty.

― Roberto Spiralli, Saturday, 9 August 2008 06:04 (sixteen years ago)

The Juliet Letters 1

WAHT

RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG RONG

― Autumn Almanac, Saturday, 9 August 2008 22:07 (sixteen years ago)

i am cool with folks liking This Year's Model but its landslide in this poll seems kinda nutty.

Agreed. Although the correct answer is "Imperial Bedroom".
Also, "Brutal Youth" gets way too little love.

― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 10 August 2008 01:55 (sixteen years ago)

four years pass...

this years model - 35 years old. wow.

― nonightsweats, Sunday, 17 March 2013 20:56 (twelve years ago)

If you ignore Spike and put Imperial Bedroom below Blood & Chocolate these results are how I would rate his seven classic albums. Punch The Clock and Brutal Youth are the only albums of his I like, but they're quite patchy.

― Kitchen Person, Sunday, 17 March 2013 21:00 (twelve years ago)

Man, EC made some good, really original music, and I think the only reason he's not rated higher these days is that he made too much music.

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 17 March 2013 21:50 (twelve years ago)

Turning 30 is hard on an EC fan. I have no interest in him now. Maybe after 40...?

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 17 March 2013 22:26 (twelve years ago)

five years pass...

Revenge and guilt!.

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 14 August 2018 13:37 (six years ago)

Armed Forces too low

― Blecch, where is thy Zing? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 August 2018 13:55 (six years ago)

Brutal Youth should have had more than 0 votes

― PaulTMA, Tuesday, 14 August 2018 20:49 (six years ago)

I'd have thought "Get Happy" would have walked this.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 15 August 2018 07:16 (six years ago)

Alfred. Alfred. Goodbye Cruel World shouldn't even be on there - are you challopsing?

My list would probably be

1. My Aim Is True
2. Punch the Clock
3. Almost Blue
4. All This Useless Beauty
5. King of America

6-142. Everything else in no particular order

― some kind of meunster (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 15 August 2018 07:35 (six years ago)

one year passes...

A "Consumer Guide" style assessment:

My Aim Is True - A+
This Year's Model - A+
Live at the El Mocambo - A
Live at Hollywood High - A
Armed Forces - A+
Get Happy! - A
Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers - A
Trust - A
Almost Blue - Neither
Imperial Bedroom - A
Punch the Clock - ("Pills and Soap," "Shipbuilding," "Everyday I Write the Book") **
Goodbye Cruel World - dud (though Rhino's bonus disc is an A-)
King of America - A (get a version with bonus tracks like "King of Confidence")
Blood and Chocolate - A
Out of Our Idiot - A-
Spike - ("Tramp the Dirt Down") * (Rhino's bonus disc gets a B+)
Mighty Like a Rose - choice cuts: "The Other Side of Summer," "So Like Candy"
The Juliet Letters - Dud
Brutal Youth - ("Sulky Girl") ***
Kojak Variety - Neither
All This Useless Beauty - B+
Painted from Memory - B+
When I Was Cruel - A-
North - Dud
Il Sogno - Neither (I never saw the ballet it was meant to accompany)
The Delivery Man - ("Country Darkness," "There's a Story in Your Voice," "Monkey to Man") ***
The River in Reverse - ("The River in Reverse," "Ascension Day," "International Echo") *
Momofuku - ("Stella Hurt") *
Secret, Profane & Sugarcane - ("Sulphur to Sugarcane") *
National Ransom - ("Jimmie Standing in the Rain," "Church Underground") **
Wise Up Ghost - B+
Look Now - ("Unwanted Number," "The Final Mrs. Curtain") *

― birdistheword, Tuesday, 2 June 2020 22:35 (five years ago)

Forgot one:
Costello & Nieve - A (my favorite WB and Universal-era release)

― birdistheword, Tuesday, 2 June 2020 22:42 (five years ago)

KOA has waaaay too much filler to get A treatment. It's more like one of the most stunning of B+ albums.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 2 June 2020 22:53 (five years ago)

I wouldn't fight those grades. KOA has a couple of A+ songs, but sure, it's not one of his absolute best albums. Still, it's remarkable how many great records he has made to still have so many people take him for granted, or worse, dismiss him. There are a handful of acts (weirdly, often in the same orbit) that never really got bad, per se, they just got set aside almost (literally?) carelessly. Costello, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, I dunno, John Hiatt? People obviously still care, but it's not like they released a string of stinkers or something.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 2 June 2020 23:02 (five years ago)

I almost gave KOA an A- because of that filler. I went with an A because I never had a version without the outtake "King of Confidence," and I never listened to this on vinyl, so it was very easy to skip over "Glitter Gulch," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and "Eisenhower Blues" with little effort. That leaves 12 tracks from the original 15, more than enough for an LP, and slotting in "King of Confidence" would make that baker's dozen an A+ in my book (and possibly my favorite EC album). So an A seemed like a good compromise.

― birdistheword, Tuesday, 2 June 2020 23:09 (five years ago)

I would say Los Lobos, Robert Cray and John Hiatt were in EC and Nick Lowe's mid-to-late '80s orbit while Graham Parker, Joe Jackson and Marshall Crenshaw felt more like their orbit before then. They're all generally good though Joe Jackson and Robert Cray are a bit iffy - I kind of go back and forth on Cray, but I was stunned to find out that Robert Christgau gave "Strong Persuader" an A+. Greil Marcus's takedown was generally too harsh, but I can't say his criticism's were wrong either. I've warmed to him over time, but he seems like a central part of a "movement" that never actually went anywhere (specifically the back-to-roots scene of the late '80s). Los Lobos made at least one great record in that mold, then they went on to do more interesting work. I think Hiatt's a fine songwriter, and his earlier albums have some good songs on them, but he didn't really make a great record until "Bring the Family."

― birdistheword, Tuesday, 2 June 2020 23:16 (five years ago)

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