This Year's Model (Deluxe Edition 2008) : Elvis Costello : Review : Rolling Stone

More than a decade ago, Elvis Costello announced plans to stop selling his early albums. "People must have them by now if they want them," he reasoned. "What I'd really like to do is delete them and destroy them so they could never come out again. That would be kind of cool. I'm sure I'll change my mind about it."

Guess he changed his mind. In fact, the old git cranks out expanded editions of his early work as fast as he releases new music. That's fine — everyone should have a copy of This Year's Model, especially if you're a prematurely embittered teen romantic or would like to become one. "No Action," "Hand in Hand," "Lip Service" — these are some of the snarliest love-is-hell songs ever written.

The pain in these songs is as clearly visible as the wedding ring Costello wears on the album cover. He might play the jaded rake in "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," but these are the plaints of a kid who fell too hard too fast, who took romantic promises way too seriously and believed more fiercely as he kept getting burned. The music is surprisingly lush and pretty — the watery acoustic guitar of "Lip Service," the high harmonies in the chorus of "No Action." Yet it's all punk rage, thanks to Pete Thomas' drums and Steve Nieve's cranky organ. (Funny how the most popular song, "Pump It Up," is the one where the vocal is a blur and the drum hook takes the spotlight.)

This year's model of This Year's Model has basically the same bonus tracks as the last reissue. The only new bait is on Disc Two, a rowdy February 1978 live show from Washington, D.C. With rants against the media ("Radio Radio"), the church ("The Beat") and the right wing ("Night Rally"), This Year's Model is the angriest album Costello ever made, yet the songs remain brutally funny, sung with moments of unexpected tenderness ("I told you that we were just good frieeeends," he sings on "No Action") that taught a host of tortured-Irish-guy vocal tropes to the Hold Steady and LCD Soundsystem — and those moments make the album unforgettable.

ROB SHEFFIELD

(Posted: Mar 6, 2008)

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Give us your review of This Year's Model (Deluxe Edition 2008)

Review 1 of 3

5of 5 Stars

This is it!! The only early Attractions album that counts! Full of fangs, spite, and beauty...the things Mr. Costello does best. From 'No Action' to 'Night Rally', it's perfect. "Armed Forces" still had a bit of the rough band sound, but after that things got too compressed, sterile sounding, boring. Don't get me wrong, I love Costello, and he has reedeemed himself studio wise since...but this was his shining moment...doesn't get any better than 'This Years Girl', to my ears, anyways!!

Mar 27, 2008 07:00:35

Review 2 of 3

5of 5 Stars

If you own one Elvis Costello album, this is it! This album epitomized what the young Elvis was all about and let you know that this kid was different and was going to go down swinging. I miss that Elvis. Top 10 albums of all time!

Mar 5, 2008 07:04:46

Review 3 of 3

5of 5 Stars

How many times is he going to reissue his back catalog? I owned this originally on vinyl and cassette as well as the Rykodisc version on CD. I guess someone has to pay for the Lexus, so why not the fans? And Bruce Thomas on Bass also helped make This Year's Model swing, though he seems to be a victim of Stalinist purge. It's a great record, at least the CD, Cassette and Vinyl, though I won't be buying it again.

Feb 26, 2008 06:09:25

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