The Kindest Blue

 

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Almost Blue [FB 58 392 NLD 1981 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC]

I've covered many genres over the years, after all my main motivation for blogging was the 'degenrefication' of music. Whilst we started with specific rock genres like post-punk which crossed into electronic industrial and other experimental sounds. Indie, alternative rock and synthpop have also featured heavily over the years before I have eventually dipped into more classic rock, mainstream and quite a lot of jazz. 

The hype sticker on Elvis Costello's Almost Blue album tells/warns you exactly what you are about to hear on this record. Let's call this my first dip into country, there won't be much more however there is one album by one very important country music performer in the ripping pipeline. 

Recorded in Nashville TN with famed country music producer Billy Sherrill, Almost Blue was a collection of covered standards by the bespectacled one and his band of merry Attractions. It produced one major hit single, a cover of George Jones' Good Year For The Roses and stands the test of time as Costello's dedication to the bottle at the time of recording.

All the original releases were cut at Strawberry in London, my copy is a superior German pressing from the Warners plant in Alsdorf which sounds much better that the CBS pressed F-Beat Records UK version.

A1 Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do?)

A2 Sweet Dreams

A3 Success

A4 I'm Your Toy

A5 Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down

A6 Brown To Blue

B1 Good Year For The Roses

B2 Sittin' And Thinkin'

B3 Colour Of The Blues

B4 Too Far Gone

B5 Honey Hush

B6 How Much I've Lied