Elvis Costello - This Year's Model - Vinyl Record Import 180g

Elvis Costello's second album, This Year's Model, sounds like punk rock, unlike his debut album My Aim Is True, which only hinted at punk with its minimal production and lyrics. The album consists mainly of leftovers from his previous album and songs he wrote while on tour. However, the music has changed. Costello assembled a new backing band called the Attractions, who were considerably tougher and wilder than the band on his debut. The Attractions were a rock and roll band, and this gives This Year's Model a chaotic, reckless feel. The music is nervous, amphetamine-fueled and nearly paranoid. The group sounds like they're spinning out of control from the first song, "No Action," and they never get completely back on track, even on the slower numbers. Costello and the Attractions speed through the album at a blinding pace, which gives his songs a nastier edge. Even the songs that sound relatively lighthearted are still edgy, thanks to Costello's breathless vocals, Steve Nieve's carnival-esque organ riffs, and Nick Lowe's bare-bones production. The album features catchy songs such as "Lipstick Vogue," "Pump It Up," and "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea," which are all underscored with sexual menace, while "Night Rally" touches on a bizarre fascination with fascism that would blossom on his next album, Armed Forces. The most remarkable thing about the album is the sound, as Costello and the Attractions never rocked this hard or this vengefully again.

1 - 1 - No Action - 02:01
1 - 2 - This Year's Girl - 03:22
1 - 3 - The Beat - 03:48
1 - 4 - Pump It Up - 03:17
1 - 5 - Little Triggers - 02:43
1 - 6 - You Belong To Me - 02:25
1 - 7 - Hand In Hand - 02:39
1 - 8 - (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea - 03:10
1 - 9 - Lip Service - 02:39
1 - 10 - Living In Paradise - 03:47
1 - 11 - Lipstick Vogue - 03:33
1 - 12 - Night Rally - 02:46
1 - 13 - Radio, Radio - 03:05
2 - 1 - Big Tears - 03:12
2 - 2 - Crawling To The USA - 02:55
2 - 3 - Running Out Of Angels (Demo) - 02:05
2 - 4 - Greenshirt (Demo) - 02:22
2 - 5 - Big Boys (Demo) - 03:00
2 - 6 - You Belong To Me (Capital Radio Version) - 01:55
2 - 7 - Radio, Radio (Capital Radio Version) - 03:01
2 - 8 - Neat Neat Neat (Live) - 03:16
2 - 9 - Roadette Song (Live) - 05:40
2 - 10 - This Year's Girl (Alternate Eden Studios Version) - 02:09
2 - 11 - (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea (Basing Street Studios Version) - 03:00
2 - 12 - Stranger In The House (BBC Version) - 04:15