#430: My Aim Is True
Revisiting Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020)
Elvis Costello, 1977
This album is one of my favourites of all time. I am still blown away that this is his debut album, it’s so good and immediately distinct. He's the punk Buddy Holly, with pop-adjacent tunes and heavy lyrics. “Watching the Detectives” is incredible every time, and “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” is my favourite on this album.
“Welcome to the Working Week” starts off the album with high intensity, and, paired with “Miracle Man,” introduces his signature 50s-ish bizarro teen bop sound. In the late 70s, especially in Britain, there was a response to punk bands shredding everything by paying homage to the classic rock music of their youth - Pretenders and Blondie even Ramones employ this style, as well as 1977’s Suicide. It’s rockabilly with a punk edge. “No Dancing” and “Blame It On Cain” continue this unique mash.
“Alison” is a sweet and tender song, and “Less Than Zero” is a classic Costello track. But “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” is a clear highlight, jangle pop complete with call and return backing vocals. It could be a Supremes song, or perhaps The Ronettes, in another universe.
“Watching the Detectives,” released as a single in the UK in 1977 rather than on the initial album, but included on the US release a year later, has a fascinating history:
I was in my flat in the suburbs of London before I was a professional musician, and I'd been up for thirty-six hours. I was actually listening to another [Rock & Roll Hall of Fame] inductee's record, the Clash's first album. When I first put it on, I thought it was just terrible. Then I played it again and I liked it better. By the end, I stayed up all night listening to it on headphones, and I thought it was great. Then I wrote "Watching the Detectives.”1
It’s a departure from the vibe of the rest of the album, but it’s a fantastic closer to this fantastic album.
Elvis Costello has two albums on this list (This Year’s Model comes in at #121). It's interesting that more of his albums aren't on here, as his first few and then later albums are truly remarkable and easily stand up against the likes of Harry Styles. Imperial Bedroom, Armed Forces, are all-time greats, and even his 2018 album Look Now, with The Imposters, is extremely high level. He continues to release music at the top of his game. But I think he pushed back against the industry too much with his 80s albums and fell into niche status way too early, and then into a legacy artist. He's a brilliant artist and storyteller, crafting intense dramas and personas, and it starts with this one.
Great album, great pick!
https://web.archive.org/web/20030602001547/http://www.rollingstone.com/features/featuregen.asp?pid=1563&cf=199