565. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Blood And Chocolate (1986)
















Track Listing

1. Uncomplicated
2. I Hope You're Happy Now
3. Tokyo Storm Warning
4. Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head
5. I Want You
6. Honey Are You Straight Or Are You Blind
7. Blue Chair
8. Battered Old Bird
9. Crimes Of Paris
10. Poor Napoleon
11. Next Time Round

Review

Here is an artist, like several in the list until now that I had no time for before making this list, I would kind of dismiss off-hand any Costello things because I thought of him as terminally uncool (although to a lesser degree than my new found idol Springsteen or Rod "very good two early albums" Stewart).

His last few albums have completely changed me around to a devout fan, and this one is no exception, it is if anything better, but it is at least as good as Armed Forces and that is high praise indeed. The album starts unexpectedly with a heavy stomp and goes on to have some great songs with amazing lyrics.

It should be noted that the best songs here are actually the longest ones, Costello's repetitiveness in those tracks particularly I Want You and Tokyo Storm Warning allow for a deep slouch that really buries the tracks in your mind. A great album.

Track Highlights

1. I Want You
2. Tokyo Storm Warning
3. Uncomplicated
4. Poor Napoleon

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikpedia:

Costello describes it as "a record of people beating and twanging things with a fair amount of yelling".

Costello's singing and playing is credited on the album under the pseudonym "Napoleon Dynamite," while his songwriting is credited to him under his actual surname, "MacManus" (with the exception of "I Hope You're Happy Now", which is credited to "Costello").

I want you covered by Fiona Apple with Elvis on guitar: