Out a few months later Confidence and, as a reminder of his productivity, seven months ago Imperial Bedroom, Almost blue it was Costello's first attempt to demolish half a decade of established frameworks. Strange is the point. An album of country covers, by Elvis Costello, produced by Country Music Hall of Famer Billy Sherrill. Costello deserves credit for introducing George Jones and Hank Williams to skeptical rock fans, even if his takes on Merle Haggard and Gram Parsons are the only pieces worth revisiting. In the former, he finds a casual humility that pairs well with the self-effacement he relied on in his earlier material when an escape hatch was needed.
The first side of it Imperial Bedroom promised a definitive break from the reservation pattern. As Costello whispers devastating statements like, “This bottle fight ain't nothing so novel” and, in a nod to Lowe's only American hit, “You gotta be so tough to be tough,” Bruce's bass hits like an excited artery and Pit's cymbals whistle their scorn. “Tears Before Bedtime,” the least impressive song here, plays with Nieve's kitschy instrumentals and a double-track Costello, whose character projects the exhaustion of a man who's been caught in embarrassing scenarios before and is ready to endure them again.
“Shabby Doll's” adventurous gait signals a change in intent and direction. On the page the lyrics look like they're aiming for another despicable goal, like a follow-up to “This Year's Girl” or “Possession,” but Costello, in conversation with Nieve's piano line, spits out each line like poisoned candy. At other times, he sings as if Emerick is moving cue cards unseen. An awkward performance. deconstructs an emotion? The answer comes with “The Long Honeymoon”. Sung with a warmth Costello had never approached before, this elegant chanson examines a woman trapped in a loveless marriage. Nieve's accordion deepens the passion of Costello's chorus, weaving “The Long Honeymoon” into a canister surrender without diminishing grief.
Beatlelolatry includes a pair of tracks that aren't songs so much as compositions. Built around his screaming, hard-hitting guitar, “Man Out of Time” comes together like a Paul McCartney Abbey Road sequence (McCartney and producer George Martin were nearby recording what happened Tug of waralso released in '82). He changes chords and time signatures for the sake of menacing fervor: a dagger hidden in a pillow. What the hell Costello says is anyone's guess. the Sights, in whirlwind mode, put Costello on the defensive. “…And in Every Home,” anchored by a full 40-piece “Penny Lane” orchestra conducted by Nieve, gives a big kiss to rococo-pop, which, given the way the verse it is another sneer at a woman. who's “35 going on 17,” creates ear candy, an expert attempt at distraction, or both.
