Book Description
Elvis Costello is undoubtedly one of the most important and challenging musicians of the last thirty years. Complicated Shadows paints a detailed portrait of an intensely private, complex, and creatively restless individual. It draws on a wealth of new research, including exclusive interviews with people from all stages of Costello's life and career: classmates, friends, members of his early bands, former lovers, members of the Attractions, producers, and various collaborators. Complicated Shadows reveals the circumstances surrounding his marriages to ex-Pogues bassist Cait O'Riordan and jazz singer Diana Krall, and the bitter breakup of his long-term backing band, the Attractions. Costello's "coiled tight" personality and penchant for outrageous candor set the tone for a frenetic, and aesthetically inventive, independent band. Their independence is epitomized by their infamous 1977 Saturday Night Live appearance (replacing the Sex Pistols, who dropped out) when Costello cut short the scheduled song, "Less Than Zero," then directed the band to play the as-of-yet unreleased "Radio Radio." Costello didn't appear on live U.S. television again until the 1980s. Complicated Shadows contains a full examination and analysis of the entirety of Costello's vast and varied musical output, both in the studio and on the stage.
Customer Reviews:
Very Happy !!.......2007-01-19
This arrived on time and in great condition. Recommend the seller. Great book too.
Don't Bother.......2006-07-16
I have never bothered to write a review.
That's how bad this book is.
This is NOT a biography. It consists almost entirely of setlists and credits put in prose form.
There is almost no insight into either the man or his songs.
Obviously, Elvis and his friends and family generally refused to cooperate with the writing of this book. So, I understand the author was hard-pressed to provide any real details. What he does is simply organize various material from OTHER sources (magzine reviews, interviews, etc.) which makes for really not much.
I'm not joking. The book consists almost entirely of what songs were played at what shows and who played what on recordings.
B-O-R-I-N-G.
Searching for the Man out of Time.......2005-11-02
I can think of few tasks more daunting than deconstructing Elvis Costello. While Elvis has autobiographed his own musical journey via extensive CD reissue liner notes, he and those closest too him have remained respectfully tight-lipped with regard to his personal life. Perhaps that's just as well. I've always felt that the bloodlines between personal drama and artistic inspiration are more intriguing when left untelegraphed. Still, when it comes to a man who's written some of the most self-depricating lyrics ever conjoined to a pop melody, a bit of curiousity must be afforded.
In this particular book, Graeme Thomson does a commendable job of extracting new insights from several sources, including Flip City-era collaborators and post-Attraction session men like the mighty Marc Ribot. The juicy tidbits come, predictably, from Bebe Buell; rock n' roll's all-time kiss n' tell groupie, as well as Costello arch-nemisis and former Attraction Bruce Thomas. We learn how the roots of self-opportunism formed early in Mr. McManus, via a lemonade commercial, and how a painful string of incidents in the mid-80s led to his embittered estrangement from Ms. Buell, his first wife Mary, and the Attractions. More sympathetic material arrives in later chapters, which detail his widening musical interests and his penchant for unabashed risk-taking in both studio and concert. The overall portrait is of an artist who seeks nothing less than the freedom to express the varied and shifting strains of his musical ambitions. When denied that freedom, he can be petulant and meglomaniacal. When granted it, he is capable of masterwork.
THE DEFINITIVE ELVIS COSTELLO BIOGRAPHY.......2005-10-03
SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT THE BOOK...IT NOT BEING THIS OR THAT BUT IT'S STILL THE MOST DEFINITIVE BIO ON ELVIS...IT GIVES AT LEAST SOME BACKGROUND ON EACH PERIOD...I DON'T FEEL IT'S OVERTLY REVEALING...OR ANY AMAZING REVEALATIONS REVEALED HERE BUT IF YOUR INTERESTED IN THE LIFE OF ELVIS THIS IS THE BOOK!!
More Aptly Titled: the Music of Elvis Costello.......2005-08-27
Elvis is my all-time favourite musician and I really was looking for a book about the life of Elvis. Complicated Shadows is a thorough treatment of the music of Elvis Costello, delving into his upbringing in a musical household through to about 2004. In all it is a scholarly treatise. Like many scholarly endeavors, it comes across as dry in spots.
I don't want to shoot the messenger, but unfortunately Graeme Thomson had the auspicious and daunting task of writing about a very reclusive and private person. As such, almost (if not) all parts of the book are second-hand accounts of the man, focusing mostly on his music rather than himself since he remains to this day a shadowy subject. I did not get the sense that Mr. Thomson was ever able to have any sort of direct meaningful conversation with Elvis.
If you are interested in knowing the exact order of songs played at a particular venue in 1987, you are in for a treat. As for me, I tired of the musical critique, setlists, and comparisons to other songs (and especially the overuse of the word "pastiche") and was hoping to learn more about the person. Graeme Thomson is obviously a big Elvis fan, but even he was not able to penetrate the layers of veils around his life to delve more into personal matters. It's like trying to learn of someone solely based on their works rather than directly talking and interviewing the person.
I was glad I got the book from a library as I would have felt bad paying for it. As I read the last words and finished the book, I felt I had learned just a bit more of the man, but he really does remain in the shadows.
Average customer rating:
- I learned alot from this book about Mr. Costello
- Elvis For Beginners
- Elvis deserves better
- Kill This Book Please
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Elvis Costello (Kill Your Idols Series)
David Sheppard
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Complicated Shadows: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello
ASIN: 1560253037 |
Book Description
Any man who is prepared to take on the first name of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll has to have enough confidence in his own talent not to care what the critics think of him, and this is certainly the case with Mrs. McManus’ little boy. From the sneering ‘psychotic bank clerk’ look and short, sharp, splenetic singles of his early days with the Attractions, through the period when he wore a beard and made serious music with the Brodsky Quartet, to his mellow, tuneful songs written with Burt Bacharach, Costello has always been a musical chameleon. Commercial success has been sporadic, but Costello’s refusal to follow fashion or bow in the face of often vitriolic criticism has marked him out as uncompromising, determined, and focused on exploring the boundaries of his craft. His influence on the next generation of artists remains unquestioned, and his acceptance as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the last twenty years is assured. The book includes a chronology and complete discography.
Customer Reviews:
I learned alot from this book about Mr. Costello.......2003-08-02
This is the perfect "beginners" Elvis Costello book. But thats the most it has to offer. Lots of facts and stuff about his early years. It is so interesting to me that he came from a musical family background. I then suggest moving on to the Brian Hinton bio which is the definitive and best book ever written on Costello. The Tony Clayton-Lee book is the weakest of the lot.
Elvis For Beginners.......2001-04-28
Admittedly, it's not the deepest of dissertations. However, it's completely factual and a lot better-written than the Clayton-Lea biography. If I had a friend who was just starting to get into Elvis, I would loan her this book, but tell her that some of the comments on individual songs might not mirror her experience.
Elvis deserves better.......2001-02-22
Witless and dry distillation executed in the style of high school book report. Pass on it.
Kill This Book Please.......2001-01-10
While the author's account is factual accurate, I felt I did not learn much new information about EC. The book was very thin and really did not go into much detail. The author only alludes to what Elvis might have been thinking/feeling etc. or quotes what others have stated. The whole book felt like a term-paper I might have written at the end of high school. Being a huge Elvis Costello fan, I really expected more from this book. The book is divided up into three sections. The first section is the bio. The second is a discography (available at almost every EC website) a complete waste of paper (but given that the bio portion is so short the author probably needed to fill the pages with something). I only wish I had read a review of this book prior to pre-ordering it. I've learned my lesson. So basically unless you need to own every piece of Elvis Costello...skip this one!
Average customer rating:
- Very Under-rated
- This book tells it like it is
- LET THE AUTHOR TALK...
- What A Great Talent
- Costello Fan To The MAX!!
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Let Them All Talk: The Music of Elvis Costello (Sanctuary Music Library)
Brian Hinton
Manufacturer: Music Sales Corporation
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ASIN: 1860741967 |
Book Description
The first full study of the extraordinary career of this enigmatic singer/songwriter--London born Elvis Costello.
Customer Reviews:
Very Under-rated.......2003-11-11
This is a very good reference for Costello admirers. I like the odd speculation about his song content and the possible intentions to his message. Costello is a master songwriter and this book gives a few different perspectives to his work. I don't think Hinton is far off with some of his theories. What I have found with the lyrics in question is that they have many possible meanings. The music might suggest love but the lyrics will point to politics, just to give one example. All in all, this was an entertaining observation into the life of a mysterious man. A very under-rated book to boot. I really think it is worth the purchase and the read.
This book tells it like it is.......2003-08-01
I really enjoyed reading this book. It took alot of effort to do so much research on such a private man. His music is fantastic and his personal life is just like you and me. Ups and downs and very normal. At the time of this book Mr. Costello was happily married to his wife Cait. Now that marriage is over and he is to marry again, this time to a jazz singer. I think he should just be single for awhile. The book also explores the meanings of the songs. I liked that the best.
LET THE AUTHOR TALK..........2002-03-18
I've never been so aware of an author before. Usually, even in a biography, you can kind of lose yourself in the story. Not here. Apparently the writer is getting paid by the word, and the longer the better. Turn to any page and there are examples like: "Sniffing glue and being sick had replaced rural weekends, tower blocks were suddenly more romantic than a bluebell wood, and anger and amphetamine seemed infinitely preferable to drifting away on a dope-fuelled reverie" (Honestly, I didn't even look for this. I opened the book for an example and it is the first thing I saw!) It is a very annoying read that also concentrates too much on live performances and interviews in the press. I guess I'm still looking for a book about Elvis that concentrates on the SONGS - a book that is much more browsable than this one. Some decent anecdotal song information is here, but you have to suffer through so much garbage to get it that you should save the money and form your own opinions.
What A Great Talent.......2002-03-16
I just finished this book today. I am not that versed in Mr. Costello but I got curious when I finished the autobiography of Bebe Buell, "Rebel Heart", with Victor Bockris. I am now curious to explore his music mentioned in both books. I love a good love story!! This one sort of reminds me of the movie "Immortal Beloved" with Gary Oldman. After finishing this bio by Hinton, I was left wondering how one man could have so much talent and so many songs inside of him. It is rare to say the least. The only music I have by Mr. Costello is the "Painted From Memory" effort, which I really enjoy. I guess I will have to go and purchase the entire lot at this point!
As for this book, I found it interesting and complete. Many times I found it hard to put down. When you read this book back to back with Ms. Buell's bio, it is even more entertaining. My final word, is that Mr. Costello is a genius and a master of mind games. Wordplay is also a specialty of his and I think he will be around as an artist for a very long time. An enormous talent for sure!
Costello Fan To The MAX!!.......2002-03-14
I think some of the reviews about this book are a tad harsh and unfounded. I really enjoyed the thing and all the fun theories on the topics of his songs and such. I feel that Hinton did a very complete job of exploring all the possibilities. I think that even if Costello himself were to write his own book, it would be veiled in mystery. Most writers of his talent love to confuse and excite the listener. I feel this book answered alot of questions and confirmed alot of MAYBE's... I think that this is the best of the Costello tomes and I can't wait to hear the new record, "When I Was Cruel". Sounds like he is trying to say sorry to someone. And whats up with the two big bumble "Bees" on the cover?? I can hardly wait!!
Average customer rating:
- Insightful and impressionistic view of Costello.
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Elvis Costello
Krista Reese
Manufacturer: Proteus Books, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0906071623 |
Customer Reviews:
Insightful and impressionistic view of Costello........1999-01-09
This was the first of Reese's biographies of musicians, and was produced despite total non-cooperation from the subject. Her image-laden, insightful style gives a broad understanding of Costello as a person and an artist. Though not a fan, I still found the book quite interesting.
Average customer rating:
- This book is awesome
- illuminating, but off the mark too often
- A Good Laugh
- Quite Terrible--ZERO stars
- Self-indulgent claptrap
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Elvis Costello - God's Comic: A Critical Companion To His Lyrics & Music
David Gouldstone
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
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ASIN: 0312043090 |
Customer Reviews:
This book is awesome.......2006-05-01
This book is really good. I bought it off a really nice man in Brooklyn yesterday for only a few dollars. I am so excited to send it to my friend in Pennsylvania. I think that any opinion anyone has is totally valid. I love music and I love reading; so I love reading about music. Anything. Yes, I find it somehow fascinating knowing what color Elvis Costello's socks were when he wrote songs. I don't know why, but I do. In the world of literary criticism, that is what you call the New Historicism. It's a totally valid theory, full of a lot of interesting commentary. I think people who write poorly written reviews filled with misspelled words are dumb and insecure. They should consider creating something on their own before they take the time to say something negative about a book that has been published. I think all writing is good. This book rules. Everyone in the world should read it. I am so happy to send it to my friend in Pennsylvania.
illuminating, but off the mark too often.......1999-12-15
I found the book interesting, mostly because it's only book I could find analyzing his music. The author is way off on some of his "interpretations", and delves into fiction sometimes with his own theories about what songs or phrases in songs mean. This is why artists like Costello HATE having their songs dissected. they usually get it wrong.
A Good Laugh.......1999-12-02
If you plan to get some sort of deep insight into Costello's lyrics with this book, give up now. However, if you can stomach all 200 pages of this book, you will atleast walk away with a few good laughs. Gouldstone completely misunderstands practically each and every Costello song. Not to mention he insults some of his best albums. I got a kick out of this book because it made me realize that there are some people out there who are so arrogant as to think they know everything when they actually know nothing.
Quite Terrible--ZERO stars.......1999-06-20
Unless you care to know what color socks Elvis Costello was wearing the morning he laid down the fourth take of his harmony vocal track for the third verse in the song "Sour Milk-Cow Blues" from the album "Goodbye Cruel World" I don't recommend this book. Unfortunately, this vital piece of information isn't revealed, but some startling revelations about EC's songs are uncovered. The songs are tediously dissected searching for hidden meanings and questioning ridiculous aspects of the music and lyrics. At one point, when picking apart the song "Green Shirt" from the album "Armed Forces" he writes, "'Green Shirt' has a trick up it's sleeve, so to speak. It's basically in 4/4, but in the second line of the chorus a beat mysteriously disappears so that one bar is in 3/4. This device ensures that there's something subtly 'wrong' with the song, making the listener feel uncomfortable, as if something's going on behind your back but you're not quite sure what it is. This feeling of uncertainty of course echoes the song's theme of suspicion and paranoia." Riveting! That is exactly what I thought when I first heard the same song. He then ponders the question that has plagued every EC fan for decades......"Why 'green'shirt?" You'll have to get the book to find out, sorry to leave you in suspense.
Self-indulgent claptrap.......1999-04-02
Elvis Costello may be one of the most literate songwriters in pop music -- he certainly has the best vocabulary. This book, however, consists mostly of tedious line-by-line dissections of his songs for hidden meanings and social commentary, and much of the artistry is lost along the way. One is reminded of '60s types looking for hidden messages in Beatles and Dylan lyrics, and it's not a pretty sight. Only a die-hard Costello aficianado could make it through this tedious book, and so I did -- despite the hopeless morass.
Average customer rating:
- Reference books are *fun* again
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Elvis Costello: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in Music)
James E. Perone
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0313303991 |
Book Description
The influential rock musician Elvis Costello is recognized for the impressive breadth and scope of his music. His collaborations with such musicians as Tony Bennett and the Count Basie orchestra, however, attest to the many contradictions that define Elvis Costello, the punk rocker. This important guide to his music and career contains over 800 bibliographic citations and a complete discography of Costello's commercially released recordings. The discography, divided into two sections, separately details Costello's career as performer and composer. A brief biography traces his critically acclaimed career and highlights both the influences on his music and the myriad ways in which his music has influenced others. The vast information compiled in this guide to further research is as interesting and diverse as Costello's career. Rock music scholars, musicologists, and Costello enthusiasts will appreciate the videography/filmography, bibliography of musical scores, and list of electronic resources that supplement the extensive discography and annotated bibliography. A works index and a general index make it easy to cross-reference and locate specific information.
Customer Reviews:
Reference books are *fun* again.......2001-07-19
A bibliography lists books and magazine articles about its subject. Mr. Perone described the articles so well that I'm going to get some rolls of dimes for the copiers, go to my library, and get some of these articles.
Average customer rating:
- boring
- Cut and Paste Bio
- Thin Account of Elvis
- Third rate book on one of the greatest performers
- Costello biography fails to dazzle.
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Elvis Costello: A Biography
Tony Clayton-Lea
Manufacturer: Fromm Intl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0880642556 |
Amazon.com
Tony Clayton-Lea's Elvis Costello is a perfect example of the cobbled-together rock biography. With no cooperation from Costello, and apparently no means by which to contact his past or present associates for comment, Clayton-Lea scoured the press files again and again to fill his thin narrative. The result will fail to intrigue the uninitiated and will tell the committed fan little he or she doesn't already know. Given Costello's status as one of the most impressive and enduring music talents to emerge in the past quarter century, not to mention his many adventures on and off the job, this book must be counted as yet another failed attempt at telling his story. It doesn't help that Clayton-Lea's writing is sloppy and that some of the simplest facts--for instance, how much of "Less Than Zero" Costello and his band the Attractions played on the Christmas 1977 episode of Saturday Night Live before abandoning it for "Radio Radio"--escape his pages. (The author also sets a new record for misspellings of King of America coproducer T-Bone Burnett's name.) Clayton-Lea provides the reader plenty to argue with, but not in the manner of, say, Marcus Gray's entertaining, infuriating Last Gang in Town: The Story and Myth of the Clash. In fact, many lay fans' critical takes on Costello's work are bound to be more interesting than those of this supposed professional critic's. Hardly a must. --Rickey Wright
Book Description
Elvis Costello arrives at the turn of the millennium generally recognized as one of the most important and influential stars of popular music. There are very few songwriters who can match his output on an album-to-album basis and none-perhaps with the exception of Bob Dylan-who can match his depth of passion and lyrical deftness. Born in London in 1955 as Declan Patrick McManus, he left school at seventeen, working as a computer operator by day and a folksinger by night. His first album, My Aim Is True, released in 1977, hit the charts and became the biggest import album of the decade when it crossed the Atlantic on the CBS/Columbia label. On his first U.S. tour, when a clash with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlet turned ugly, Costello flew back home with death threats ringing in his ears. In the twenty years since, there have been twenty-three more albums that have made pop-music history. Tony Clayton-Lea tells the fascinating life story of an icon of the rock world-the hits, the drugs, the drink, the women, the critics, and the record companies-who once said it was his ultimate vocation in life to be an irritant.
Customer Reviews:
boring.......2005-08-01
I bought this book hoping for some details about his life to explain where the anger from his music comes from. It has nothing of interest! The book is essentially just a complicated discography, with comments from the writer and a few quotes from Elvis (all of them taken from newspapers or magazine clippings) thrown in just so that the book won't be super thin... His entire courtship and marriage to his second wife is told in like two paragraphs. This book is lame and pointless.
Cut and Paste Bio.......2002-03-26
There are three types of unauthorized biographies, well-researched, pure speculation, and cut and paste. This is an example of the latter. The author gives us the Elvis Costello to be found in magazine interviews, and creates a whole book by taking information from a variety of sources and putting it all together into this quickie bio. Some decent insights into his recording career are to be found throughout, but this is really not well-done. You can put your time to better use by listening to a few Costello CD's and wonder about the workings of the man who created all this challenging music. That will bring you closer to understanding Elvis Costello than this book will.
Thin Account of Elvis.......2002-01-22
One thing that you have to give credit to Tony Clayton-Lea for is that he right up front advises the reader that Elvis Costello had nothing and wanted nothing to do with this biography. Cooperation from the subject of a biography is, of course, immensely helpful in writing of the book, but by no means a necessity. Mr. Clayton-Lea offers an extremely pedestrian account of the life and times of Elvis Costello. The book reads like press clippings in many spots and offers no insight into the man's career. Being that there are barely any books on Mr. Costello, this book has a minimum of value for that reason, but not much else. if you are an avid fan of Mr. Costello, then this book doesn't offer much, but if you are not that familiar with his career, then this book is a decent primer.
Third rate book on one of the greatest performers.......1999-11-04
What a let down! I can't think of anyone more deserving of a good biography than Elvis Costello. The greatest 20th Century songwriter -- and I include Dylan, Gershwin, Porter, et al., in that comparison. Well, this isn't what we've been waiting for, by a country mile. A thrown-together collection of press clips, apocrypha and tired gossip, with absolutely no analysis of his lyrics and songwriting in general. If you're going to read a bio, try "God's Comic" instead. It's no great shakes either, but this is the pits. Why the publisher didn't just sling the MS in the trashcan, I don't know. Obviously done with no cooperation from the subject or anyone who knows the first thing about his music. Save your money.
Costello biography fails to dazzle........1999-07-19
Tony Clayton-Lea's book, "Elvis Costello: A Biography" is about as inspired as its title. It is a mostly a cookie-cutter approach to the life of the greatest singer-songwriter this side of Bob Dylan. Interestingly, previous chronologies of Dylan's life and times have been imaginative, provocative, and literate. It's a shame Costello has yet to receive equal treatment. Clayton-Lea's book reads like a cross between a college term paper and a transcript from VH1's "Behind the Music". Basically, rock star makes it big, is overcome by sex, drugs, and fame, has a few tiffs with his record company, but is able to maintain his artistic integrity throughout. Though it may be true, it's a plot that's been exhausted a thousand times over with a hundred other artists. There has got to be a more creative approach to filling 200 pages about this man's life and work. The book's one saving grace is its ample use of insightful quotes from various interviews throughout the years. If Costello had been on board to lend literacy to this entire project, perhaps quality and originality would have been enforced (and "Damnation's Cellar" would not be referred to as "Damnation's Alley").
Average customer rating:
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Elvis Costello: A Man Out of Time
David Gouldstone
Manufacturer: Pan Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0283997079 |
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Elvis Costello: Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello , and
Music Sales Corporation
Manufacturer: Omnibus Pr
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ASIN: 0711941106 |
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