New Elvis Costello album

The Burt Bacharach Forum is a board to discuss the music and career of composer Burt Bacharach and performers associated with his songs.

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Me Japanese Boy
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Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:47 pm

Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Me Japanese Boy »

You can hear "Don't Look Now" at 1:52:00.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/m0000mzb
Sara D
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Sara D »

Elvis sounds in really good voice on all the tracks I've heard from the album.
Blair N. Cummings
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

What a stunningly beautiful song.
Apparently, `though, there wasn`t an entire second album`s worth of new collaborations: only these three and "Look Up Again" recorded as an instrumental by Herb Alpert. Too bad; "Elvis" always brings out Burt in top form and I still think that he`s Burt`s best lyricist.
Sara D
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Sara D »

Here's another of the songs from the album co-written with Bacharach, 'Photographs Can Lie'. Once again EC's in splendid voice on this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=31_kTZcX0LI
blueonblue
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Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:22 am

Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by blueonblue »

Sara D wrote:Here's another of the songs from the album co-written with Bacharach, 'Photographs Can Lie'. Once again EC's in splendid voice on this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=31_kTZcX0LI
Could almost have been a track from 'Painted From Memory'....outstanding !

'blue'
Blair N. Cummings
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Here`s a question the answer to which may not be as immediately obvious as it seems:
Would Burt`s songs have enjoyed significantly less commercial appeal had they been supplied with lyrics of complexity comparable to those "Elvis" writes for them?
In other words, would the melodies and arrangements still have carried the day?
pljms
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Location: London

Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by pljms »

Good as it is I think 'Photographs Can Lie' would have really benefited from a classic Bacharach orchestration. According to one or two of the articles I've read re the 'Look Now' album, it appears that BB's sole contribution to the composition of 'He's Given Me Things' is one single chord change, which probably explains why he doesn't play on this track. Now I wonder which chord change it is?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8XfawPW8c
Paul
Blair N. Cummings
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Paul, "Elvis" almost always contributed music to his collabs with Burt (in fact, "Tears at the Birthday Party" betrays scarcely a trace of the latter) and many of Burt`s latter day melodies don`t sound like his at all. Do you recall if the articles you mentioned cited a source ("Elvis", himself? Burt?) or were the writers just unable to detect Burt`s contribution?
pljms
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Location: London

Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by pljms »

Blair, the source would have been Elvis Costello. He's said a few times that he'll send a 'finished' song to Bacharach to see if he might suggest a change and 'He's Given Me Things' must be an instance where a suggestion was acted upon. From what I can gather Bacharach is mostly if not wholly responsible for the music for the other two collaborations. I don't know about the rest of the song but most of the melody and chord progression that accompanies the line "Unwrapping presents that I should have sent" from 'Tears at the Birthday Party' originated in Bacharach's song 'With A Smile' from the early 90s.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I2qJ3ONGpEA
Paul
Blair N. Cummings
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Thanks, Paul. I recall that lift from "...Smile."
Ironically, to my ears "He`s Given Me Things" has a melody more redolent of Bacharach than "Photographs...."
We can probably all agree that "Don`t Look Now" is pure Bacharach and the "keeper" of the bunch.
pljms
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Location: London

Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by pljms »

I agree, Blair, that 'He's Given Me Things' sounds the most 'Bacharachian' of the three collaborations which consequently makes trying to identify his sole contribution to the song, the apparently crucial chord change, a nigh-on impossible task.
Paul
pljms
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by pljms »

For those who couldn't be bothered registering with the BBC via the link above to find 'Don't Look Now', here it is on YT.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IzCFFHaDFGk
Paul
pljms
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Location: London

Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by pljms »

I see the album has entered the UK chart at No.14, very high by his recent standards. Here's EC's collaboration with Carole King, 'Burnt Sugar is so Bitter', which has echoes of Steely Dan in places.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPhF9VAo8E
Paul
Blair N. Cummings
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Here`s an interview with the two regarding their collaboration from the NYT of several days back:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/arts ... -king.html
Martin Johnson
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Re: New Elvis Costello album

Post by Martin Johnson »

I've never found Carole King a particularly interesting interviewee. As for her autobiography, I gave up on it after about fifty pages. I noticed that both the NYT journo and EC were very careful not to mention Bacharach.
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