Elvis Costello

by Dai Griffiths

Overview

It's likely that, as an icon of pop music, Elvis Costello still looks like the cover of This Year's Model (1978) and, were he run over by a bus, it's 'Oliver's Army' (1979) that would be played in surprised and sombre tribute. Here to stay, and recognized by Burt Bacharach as 'a great survivor', Costello has produced a large and significant body of work. This is the first book on Costello that sets out to avoid chronological presentation, preferring a thematic approach focused on music and words over the nearly thirty years that separate 'Radio Sweetheart' and 'Country Darkness'. In addition to engaging with the songs Costello has performed as a rock musician, the book will include informed discussion of more recent albums such as Painted from Memory, North, and Il Sogno. There is also discussion of essays Costello has written to support CD reissues of his recordings, a substantial body of writing approaching a critical autobiography. The book may contradict expectation, arguing that on all fronts - music, words, voice, instrumental resource - Costello's work broadens and deepens, as he sets himself the task of expanding the range of expressive material available.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845532925
Publisher:	Equinox Publishing
Publication date:	12/01/2007
Series:	Icons of Pop Music
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.47(w) x 8.46(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dai Griffiths is Principal Lecturer in Music at Oxford Brookes University. He has published papers on popular music, including the history of pop music since punk, cover versions, and the role of words in songs. He is author of Radiohead: OK Computer. He lives in Oxford, England.

Table of Contents

Prelims List of Tables and Appendices Preface 1 Past 2 Music 3 Words 4 Criticism Notes Bibliography Album Discography Websites Index

Editorial Reviews

"Unafraid to expose the weaknesses as well as celebrate the strengths of Costello's music, Dai Griffiths's study is perceptive, witty, engaged yet also engaging. More than a critical work on Costello, this book is a model of popular music analysis that will appeal to students and general readers alike." Jason Toynbee, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, Open University

From the Publisher

As part of the "Icons of Pop Music" series, this book looks at what made Costello such an icon. Griffiths (Oxford Brookes Univ., UK) documents Costello's rise to popularity since he emerged in the 1970s alternative pop/punk scene in London. To illustrate how Costello is unique among iconic musicians, the author looks in particular at how artists in prior decades influenced Costello's music and lyrical content. Griffiths analyzes Costello's music in a variety of ways: for example, he looks at Costello's approach to music, his vocal style, the crossover to classical music, his harmonics, and his poetic accomplishments (for the last, he uses a method created by Larry David Smith). Griffiths also considers Costello's lyrics, both the political and the romantic, and even inspects his liner notes on his own albums years after their initial release. Last, Griffiths scrutinizes those who have written about Costello's music, including prominent critics Nick Kent, Greil Marcus, and Robert Christgau. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers.

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