Elvs Costello

North, Elvis Costello's 20th album of new material, follows the deliberately classicist When I Was Cruel by a mere year, but it feels more the sequel to 1998's Burt Bacharach collaboration, Painted From Memory, or even 1993's roundly ignored classical pop experiment, The Juliet Letters. Costello has abandoned clanging guitars and drums of Cruel – abandoned rock & roll, really – to return to a set of classically influenced songs, all "composed, arranged and conducted" by the man himself (on The Juliet Letters, he was merely the composer and voice).

Elvis Costello recorded the 15 songs that comprised his covers album Kojak Variety in 1990, but the album sat in the vaults for five years, with some songs trickling out on soundtracks, with the entire album eventually leaking out as a bootleg prior to its release in 1995. Given this slow, steady crawl to release and the nature of bootlegs and B-sides, it's reasonable to assume from its slow unveiling that the album was a collection of covers that he recorded with different bands over different years, when quite the opposite was true – all 15 songs were the cut with the same band, all sequestered away in Barbados.

Promo CD for two albums in Demon Records' re-issue campaign of the mighty Elvis Costello back catalogue. 1994 promo sampler includes highlights from the 1994 reissues of Almost Blue (1981) and Imperial Bedroom (1982).

Elvis Costello embarked on a small, intimate tour with his longtime pianist Steve Nieve in the spring of 1996 to promote All This Useless Beauty. All of the shows from the five-date tour were recorded, and highlights from each show were issued on a series of promotional EPs that were later released commercially as the box set Costello & Nieve. Stripped down to their basics, the songs from All This Useless Beauty sit elegantly next to Costello classics, as well as several lesser-known gems from his rich back catalog. The performances are all understatedly passionate, and rank among the best that Costello has given, making Costello & Nieve five discs that any hardcore fan will treasure.

The Third of Three Special Digitally Remastered Box Sets Including CD Facsimilies of Costello's Original Vinyl Single Releases from 1977-1987. Each Single is Presented in a Miniature Version of the Original UK Picture Sleeve (Many of which were Extremely Limited Editions). Some Tracks Make their CD Debut in this Set, Like "Everyday I Write the Book (Extended Mix)", "Everyday I Write the Book (Special Version), "Everyday I Write the Book (Instrumental)", "Let them all Talk (Extended Remix)", "i Wanna Be Loved (Extended Smoochy N Runny Version)", "i Wanna Be Loved (Version Discotheque)","The Only Flame in Town (Version Discotheque)", "Pump it Up (84 Dance Mix)", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Live)", "i Hope You're Happy Now", "a Town Called Big Nothing (The Long March)". Includes a Booklet with Full Single-by-single Annotation. This Set is Essential for Collectors who Relish the Fun of Having Everything in the Costello Canon.