#430 Elvis Costello, 'My Aim Is True' (1977)

Previously #168

The debut album by Elvis Costello is an understated record of back to back genius songwriting. Costello recorded it over six four-hour studio sessions, to total record of 24 hours. He would call in sick from his day job as a data entry clerk to make the recordings; a job he maintained throughout the release of the first two singles. He eventually quit on release of the full album and his wages were matched by his new label, Stiff Records. Three weeks later he was on the cover of a music newspaper and he hasn’t looked back since. Elvis Costello famously said that he was “an overnight success after seven years.”

On the surface, the album is a straight up rock ‘n roll record, until you get to ‘Alison,’ a song that’s so different to the rest of the record. ‘Mystery Dance,’ is a raw teenage bop straight out of a 1950s diner film scene. ‘(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes’ was the most Elvis Costello-sounding song on the record for me. ‘Less Than Zero’ is another favourite. There are many moments on this record that remind me of Billy Joel, an artist who having had released a few albums already, was on the brink of releasing his career-defining album, ‘The Stranger,’ shortly after this.  With the privilege of hindsight, this album is so different to his subsequent albums but it’s a humble beginning for a man who would go on to forge a career as a unique songwriter and performer. 

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