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.
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.
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.
Stiff Records was a maverick among British independent record labels, partially responsible for starting the punk and new wave revolution of the late '70s. Under the guidance of house producer Nick Lowe, Stiff turned out an enormous number of seminal punk and new wave singles in their first years, including classic tracks by the Damned, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Adverts, Ian Dury, and Lowe himself. But what really gave the label its wild, original flavor were minor artists like Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric, Tenpole Tudor, the Yachts, Lene Lovich, Rachel Sweet, and Mickey Jupp, who turned out a series of raw pop gems that were everything good rock & roll singles should be – catchy, energetic, and memorable. Over 100 of Stiff's finest tracks are collected on this wonderful four-disc box set.
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.