Punch the Clock

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(B+)
Stylus Magazine	(not rated)
Rolling Stone

Punch the Clock is an album released in 1983 by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It was Costello's eighth album, his seventh with the Attractions since 1978. The album featured Costello's first US Top 40 hit, "Everyday I Write the Book." It as produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who also produced Costello's following album, Goodbye Cruel World (Elvis Costello album).

In 2014, NME ranked it at number 345 in its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Track listing

All songs written by Elvis Costello unless otherwise indicated.

Side one

1. "Let Them All Talk" – 3:06
2. "Everyday I Write the Book" – 3:54
3. "The Greatest Thing" – 3:04
4. "The Element Within Her" – 2:52
5. "Love Went Mad" – 3:13
6. "Shipbuilding" (Clive Langer, Costello) – 4:53

Side two

1. "T.K.O. (Boxing Day)" – 3:28
2. "Charm School" – 3:55
3. "The Invisible Man" – 3:04
4. "Mouth Almighty" – 3:04
5. "King of Thieves" – 3:45
6. "Pills and Soap" – 3:43
7. "The World and His Wife" – 3:32

Bonus tracks (1995 Rykodisc)

1. "Heathen Town" – 3:10
2. "The Flirting Kind" – 3:00
3. "Walking on Thin Ice" (Yoko Ono) – 3:52
4. "The Town Where Time Stood Still" – 3:52
5. "Shatterproof" (Demo) – 2:19
6. "The World and his Wife" (Live) – 3:13
7. "Everyday I Write the Book" (Live) – 2:21

Bonus disc (2003 Rhino)

1. "Everyday I Write the Book" (Alternate version) – 2:22
2. "Baby Pictures" – 1:30
3. "Heathen Town" – 3:10
4. "The Flirting Kind" – 3:00
5. "Walking on Thin Ice" (Ono) – 3:52
6. "Big Sister's Clothes/Stand Down, Margaret" (BBC Session) (Costello, Roger Chalery, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele, Dave Wakeling) – 5:17
7. "Danger Zone" (BBC Session) (Curtis Mayfield)) – 2:18
8. "Seconds of Pleasure" – 3:44
9. "The Town Where Time Stood Still" – 3:33
10. "The World and his Wife" (Solo version) – 2:44
11. "Shatterproof" – 2:15
12. "Heathen Town" (Demo version) – 2:17
13. "The Flirting Kind" (Demo version) – 2:52
14. "Let Them All Talk" (Demo version) – 2:14
15. "King of Thieves" (Demo version) – 3:20
16. "The Invisible Man" (Demo version) – 2:124
17. "The Element Within Her" (Demo version) – 2:13
18. "Love Went Mad" (Demo version) – 3:01
19. "The Greatest Thing" (Demo version) – 2:25
20. "Mouth Almighty" (Demo version) – 3:03
21. "Charm School" (Demo version) – 2:17
22. "Possession" (Live) – 2:29
23. "Secondary Modern" (Live) – 3:02
24. "The Bells" (Live) (Johnny Bristol, Marvin Gaye, Anna Gordy, Elgie Stover) – 4:14
25. "Watch Your Step" (Live) – 3:22
26. "Backstabbers/King Horse" (Live) (Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Costello) – 4:47

Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.

Personnel

• Elvis Costello – vocals; Epiphone, Gretsch and Fender guitars; Synclavier and Casiotone; all sounds and voices on "Pills and Soap"
• Steve Nieve – Bösendorfer piano, Emulator, Fairlight CMI, Vox organ, Hammond organ, Synclavier
• Bruce Thomas – Electric Wal bass guitar
• Pete Thomas – Gretsch Drums, Sabian cymbals

The TKO Horns

• Jim Paterson – trombone
• Jeff Blythe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet
• Paul Speare – tenor saxophone, flute
• Dave Plews – trumpet

Additional personnel

• Stewart Robson – trumpet & flugelhorn on "The World and His Wife"
• Afrodiziak (Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine) – backing vocals
• Chet Baker – trumpet solo on "Shipbuilding"
• David Bedford – string arrangements
• Morris Pert – percussion

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1983	Billboard Pop Albums	24

Single

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	"Everyday I Write the Book"	Mainstream Rock	33
1983	"Everyday I Write the Book"	Pop Singles	36

External links

• "Punch the Clock" – essay by Connor Ratliff