King of America
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Record Guide | A−[4] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[5] |
Pitchfork Media | 8.7/10[6] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
King of America is the tenth studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1986 in the United Kingdom as F-Beat ZL 70946, and in the United States as Columbia JC 40173. It was billed as by "The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates" in the UK and Europe and "The Costello Show featuring Elvis Costello" in North America. It peaked at #11 on the UK album chart, and at #39 on the Billboard 200.
Content
During late 1984 and early 1985, Costello undertook a series of solo tours, sharing the bill with musician T-Bone Burnett.[11]: 3 Costello and Burnett recorded a single together in early 1985, and ventured to imagine appropriate backing musicians for Costello's new songs.[11]: 3–4 They booked time at Ocean Way and Sunset Sound studios in Los Angeles, and assembled members of the TCB Band who had backed Elvis Presley in the 1970s (Costello being more familiar with their work on records by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris).[11]: 4 Other sessions included the jazz bassist Ray Brown and New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer, and a group of musicians dubbed 'the Confederates,' featuring T-Bone Wolk, Mickey Curry, and producer Mitchell Froom.[11]: 5, 10 Elvis's usual backing musicians the Attractions appear on only one track, "Suit of Lights", but returned to record in full Costello's next album, Blood & Chocolate.
In the album credits, Costello uses three different noms de plume for himself: his given name of Declan MacManus; his stage name of Elvis Costello; and the nickname awarded him by producer Nick Lowe earlier in his career, the Little Hands of Concrete, that last a reference to his habitual breaking of guitar strings during recording sessions.[11]: 3–4
The version of the 1964 hit single by the Animals "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was released a single, and peaked at #33 on the UK singles chart but missed the Billboard Hot 100, as did the follow-up single released only in America; "Lovable." The single by Burnett and Costello as the Coward Brothers did not chart in either nation.
Release history
The album was released initially on vinyl in 1986, with the Rykodisc Records reissue arriving nine years later on a single compact disc with five bonus tracks, including the 1986 single by Costello and Burnett and credited to "The Coward Brothers" (Elvis being Henry and T-Bone being Howard). Early limited edition pressings also included a six-track bonus disc: Elvis Costello & The Confederates - Live on Broadway, 1986.
In 2005, Rhino Records issued a two-disc, remastered version of the album. The bonus disc contained all five bonus tracks from the Rykodisc version and all six Live on Broadway tracks, as well as ten more bonus tracks. The Rykodisc and Rhino editions are both out of print.
The album was issued a third time on CD by Universal Music Group after its acquisition of Costello's complete catalogue in 2006. This release was a standalone version featuring no bonus tracks and features the same mastering as the Rhino edition.
Track listing
All tracks written by Declan MacManus (Elvis Costello) except as noted; track timings taken from Rhino 2005 reissue.
Side one
- "Brilliant Mistake" — 3:45
- "Lovable" (MacManus, Cait O'Riordan) — 2:53
- "Our Little Angel" — 4:06
- "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus, Gloria Caldwell) — 3:22
- "Glitter Gulch" — 3:17
- "Indoor Fireworks" — 4:10
- "Little Palaces" — 3:49
- "I'll Wear It Proudly" — 4:25
Side two
- "American Without Tears" — 4:34
- "Eisenhower Blues" (J. B. Lenoir) — 3:46
- "Poisoned Rose" — 4:07
- "The Big Light" — 2:33
- "Jack of All Parades" — 5:18
- "Suit of Lights" — 4:06
- "Sleep of The Just" — 3:51
1995 bonus tracks
- "The People's Limousine" (The Coward Brothers) (Henry Coward & Howard Coward) — 3:43 IMP single #006
- "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" (The Coward Brothers) (Leon Payne) — 2:55 IMP single #006 b-side
- "Suffering Face" — 3:08 demo recording
- "Shoes Without Heels" — 4:20 released as the b-side to "Blue Chair"
- "King of Confidence" — 2:48 session outtake
Live on Broadway, 1986 (Limited Edition Bonus Disc)
- "That's How You Got Killed Before" (Dave Bartholomew) — 3:14
- "The Big Light" — 3:08
- "It Tears Me Up" (Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham) — 3:27
- "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" (Ivy J. Bryant) — 2:42
- "Your Mind is on Vacation" / "Your Funeral and My Trial" (Mose Allison) / (Sonny Boy Williamson) — 5:16
- "That's How You Got Killed Before" (Reprise) (Dave Bartholomew) — 7:00
- Recorded at The Broadway Theatre, New York City, 23 October 1986.
2005 bonus disc
Tracks 1-8 and 13 are solo demo recordings; tracks 15-20 are the Live on Broadway tracks; track 21 is a previously unreleased performance from the Broadway show.
- "Having It All" — 3:57
- "Suffering Face" — 3:08
- "Deportee" — 3:35
- "Indoor Fireworks" — 3:50
- "I Hope You're Happy Now" — 3:06
- "Poisoned Rose" — 4:12
- "I'll Wear It Proudly" — 3:26
- "Jack of All Parades" — 3:32
- "The People's Limousine" (The Coward Brothers) (Coward & Coward) — 3:43 IMP single #006
- "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" (The Coward Brothers) (Payne) — 2:55 IMP single #006 b-side
- "King of Confidence" — 2:48 session outtake
- "Shoes Without Heels" — 4:20 released as the b-side to "Blue Chair"
- "End of the Rainbow" (Richard Thompson) — 3:28
- "Betrayal" — 2:25 session outtake with The Attractions
- "That's How You Got Killed Before" (Bartholomew) — 3:14
- "The Big Light" — 3:08
- "It Tears Me Up" (Penn/Oldham) — 3:27
- "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" (Bryant) — 2:42
- "Your Mind Is On Vacation/Your Funeral My Trial" (Allison) / (Williamson) — 5:16
- "That's How You Got Killed Before (Reprise)" (Bartholomew) — 7:00
- "True Love Ways" (Buddy Holly & Norman Petty) — 3:33
Personnel
- Elvis Costello – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, lead vocal
- T-Bone Burnett - guitars, backing vocals
- Mitchell Froom – Hammond organ, harpsichord, organ, doctored piano
- Tom "T-Bone" Wolk – electric guitar, piano accordion, electric bass
- Jerry Scheff – string bass, electric bass
- Mickey Curry – brushes, drums, sticks
Additional personnel
- Michael Blair – marimba
- James Burton – electric guitar, Dobro, acoustic guitar
- Tom Canning – piano
- Ralph Carney - saxophone
- Jim Keltner – sticks, drums, brushes
- Earl Palmer – brushes, drums
- Ron Tutt – brushes, drums
- Ray Brown – double bass on "Eisenhower Blues"
- David Hidalgo – harmony vocal on "Lovable"
- Jo-El Sonnier – French accordion on "American Without Tears"
- Steve Nieve – piano, Hammond organ on "Jack Of All Parades", "Suit of Lights", and "Betrayal"
- Bruce Thomas – electric bass on "Suit of Lights" and "Betrayal"
- Pete Thomas – sticks, drums on "Suit of Lights" and "Betrayal"
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "King of America – Elvis Costello". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas (March 2005). "Elvis Costello: King of America". Blender. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2 June 1991). "The Sounds Of Elvis, From San Francisco And Beyond". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "The Costello Show (Featuring Elvis Costello): King of America". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ White, Armond (10 May 1991). "Elvis Costello's albums". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (8 May 2005). "Elvis Costello: King of America". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ "Elvis Costello: King of America". Q (108): 129. September 1995.
- ^ "Elvis Costello". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Elvis Costello". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside Books. pp. 193–95. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
- ^ "King of America CD". CD Universe. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d e
King of America (Media notes). Elvis Costello. Rhino Records. 2005. R2 74724.
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