Elvis Costello: My Aim is True

Elvis Costello: My Aim is True

1977

Demon Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl & Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Welcome to the Working Week  2. Miracle Man  3. No Dancing  4. Blame It on Cain  5. Alison  6. Sneaky Feelings  7. The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes  8. Less Than Zero  9. Mystery Dance  10. Pay It Back  11. I'm Not Angry  12. Waiting for the End of the World  13. Watching the Detectives


What a great cover. It deserves its "classic" status for that striking design alone. Whenever I see it, I can't resist the urge to throw it on the turntable.BTW, I prefer the later colorized cover to the earlier black & white pressing...The colors really help the checkerboard pattern "pop"...

 I got into Elvis Costello in the very early 90's through the then-current albums "Spike" and (especially) "Mighty Like a Rose" and worked my way backwards through his catalog eventually arriving to the start of it all, "My Aim is True."

This album was a bit surprising when I first heard it. I had grown accustomed to the more punk-ish Attractions albums and his debut with Clover (who would later hit it big with yuppies everywhere as  "Huey Lewis and the News." Although Huey isn't here....) Musically, this is the sort of rootsy, yet edgy,  pub-rock in the vein of Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe (who produced this album, with his trademark tinny sound).  Despite the obvious influence of cynical singer-songwriters like Randy Newman, I believe the reason this was so quickly adopted by the punk scene at the time was mostly due to Elvis' bitter, cutting lyrics and vicious delivery.

There's a few undeniable career highlights here; starting with the energetic opener "Welcome to the Working Week" where Elvis is already talking about masturbation before the music even starts. Right on!



As a young kid, I initially didn't get "Alison." It seemed a little too "soft rock" for my tastes, but now I see it as the defining moment of the album. The detailed lyrics brilliantly tow the line between moving and malicious. I can only imagine that back in the 70's once this single dropped it was abundantly  clear that this guy was never going away...

 My absolute favorite though is "Less Than Zero," which is a tightly coiled rocker with one of the album's catchier choruses. I've never been 100% sure what's being conveyed lyrically, but you can sure it can't be good, with the allusions to swastikas, incest and murder.




I have both the compact disc and vinyl versions of this album. The compact disc ends with "Waiting for the End of the World," but the vinyl includes "Watching the Detectives" which was a single that was recorded later with a different backing band (the Attractions)." Watching the Detectives" is where Elvis crystallizes for me. All his trademarks are finally in place. The raw, nervy singing (Elvis sounds like he's about a centimeter away from the hot-as-hell mic) and rinky-dink organ (courtesy of Steve Nieve.)  As the multi-tracked vocals stumble over each other, it sounds like he's doing everything he can to stop himself from spitting out all his vitriol all at once. I love it!

In the end, I rate this one a few ticks lower than the handful of absolute killer albums that immediately followed, but it's hard to argue with this when it's playing. Elvis Is King!

Here's "Less Than Zero" by Elvis Costello.Enjoy...