Watching The Detectives

Elvis Costello & The Imposters - The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook!!! (2011) {CD+DVD9 NTSC Deluxe Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 560 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 181 Mb
DVD9 -> 7.30 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | Dolby AC3, 6 ch / Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ~ 190 min | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 260 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 HIP-O Records / Elvis Costello / Universal | 0602527919621
Rock / New Wave / Pop Rock / Alternative / Adult Alternative Pop

Elvis Costello’s idea for the original series of concerts was a clever and entertaining one. A giant spinning wheel with song titles on it would determine each night’s set-list. A member of the audience is chosen to spin the wheel each time, guaranteeing a different mix of songs each night. Revived for shows across America last year, the concept still has a magic and unique charm. The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook was recorded over a 2-night stand at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles in May 2011 on a tour that received critical acclaim across the States.

The music is the magic of a secret world… It's the magic that is always within…
When Jenna Mammina sings those lines, written by her friend and musical mentor, Abbey Lincoln, they strike the listener not just as lyrics to a beautiful song, but as a declaration of unshakable personal conviction. Since early childhood, Mammina has been caught in the spell of music's magic, a magic that now emerges in full flower on her debut album, Under the Influence, a thoroughly beguiling collection of songs that heralds the arrival of a major new vocal talent.

Six years after the commencement of a major Elvis Costello reissue campaign at Rhino, his catalog transferred over to Universal, which had been releasing new Elvis music since 1998's Painted from Memory. Like every one of his previous two big catalog shifts – a campaign with Rykodisc/Demon in 1994, a jump to Rhino in 2001 – the 2007 series is preceded by a new hits collection, this time The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years, a 22-track collection of highlights that's pretty much exactly what it says it is. It is quite similar to the last previous single-disc collection, the 1994 Ryko/Demon set The Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, which also ran 22 tracks, 19 of which also appear on The First 10 Years. The three omissions – "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field" – will not be missed by anybody looking for a new Costello comp in 2007, particularly because all three substitutions are better choices for the casual man: "New Lace Sleeves," "Almost Blue," and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," which bizarrely wasn't on the 1994 set. With these three songs rubbing shoulders with "Alison," "Watching the Detectives," "Pump It Up," "Oliver's Army," "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding," and all the other usual suspects, The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years winds up being the best single-disc summary and introduction to Costello's prime years.

Elvis Costello - The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The Videos [DVD] (2005) {Demon Vision}
DVD9 -> 7.26 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | Dolby AC3, 2 ch / Dolby AC3, 6 ch | ~ 155 m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 58 Mb | 5% repair rar | Subs: English, Deutsch, Francais, Italiano, Espanol, Portugues
© 2005 Demon Vision / Warner | 5051011 1532-2-8
Rock / Alternative Rock / Indie / Contemporary Pop

This DVD, a unique collection of the visual works of Elvis Costello, boasts a grand total of 27 videos and includes material rarely seen since the original release of the singles they supported. From his first Radar Records single in 1978, "I Don't Want To Go To (Chelsea)," to his final video for Warner Bros., "13 Steps Lead Down" (from 1994's Brutal Youth), this is a must purchase for all serious Elvis Costello enthusiasts and fans alike. EC’s promo videos in chronological order and four songs that were never issued as singles at all. The six Warner Brothers videos have never been commercially available before. Each video features a commentary from Elvis Costello himself.

After releasing and touring the intense This Year's Model, Elvis Costello quickly returned to the studio with the Attractions to record his third album, Armed Forces. In contrast to the stripped-down pop and rock of his first two albums, Armed Forces boasted a detailed and textured pop production, but it was hardly lavish. However, the more spacious arrangements – complete with ringing pianos, echoing reverb, layered guitars, and harmonies – accent Costello's melodies, making the record more accessible than his first two albums. Perversely, while the sound of Costello's music was becoming more open and welcoming, his songs became more insular and paranoid, even though he cloaked his emotions well…

The members of Toto celebrate their freedom from "corporate shackles and invisible slave owners" in their liner notes to this collection, copyrighted by Toto Recordings, Inc., even if it was released by CMC Records, which is owned by Capitol Records, which in turn is part of the major label EMI. The group's idea for expressing its newfound liberty is to record an album consisting of cover songs by their favorite artists, an unimpeachable list including the Beatles, Elvis Costello, Cream, Bob Dylan, Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Bob Marley, Steely Dan, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder.