Reviews (page 10 of 13)
Didn't love it or hate it, it was alright. A lot of the tracks just sound the same. The song "Alison" was quite enjoyable though and probably the only track i might listen to again.
It wasn't what I was expecting - it was more upbeat and a bunch of different genres. At times it kind of reminded me of Billy Joel?
Boa, schon wieder Elvis Costello.
Highlights: "Welcome to the Working Week," "Alison," "Less Than Zero," "Pay It Back" Honestly hard to pick highlights. Every song is memorable, with striking left-turn harmonic fluorishes and hooks that give precise impact to the cutting lyrics. I noticed how often I couldn't really scan how a lyric was going to be read, or I needed the riff to hit to realize its tenor or meaning. It's deliberate, tight, holistic songwriting at work, again and again in a exciting range of styles with bracing, expressive vocal performance. Too bad it's mainly in service of sleazy GQ dispatches.
Mediocre punk rock album. No hits.
Sounds like an album that was brought out for a coming of age film in the 80s, great sounding album with a great cover.
Close up on the sign that says 'We never close'
missed the target
Just okay
better than other 3 star albums but not quite enough for a 4 star. strong 7/10.
Decent album, 50s with a 70s rock twist, Watching The Detectives is a great song!
This album makes me think of my dad. Dude loves that Alison song. I do really like this album. Probably not something I would listen all the way through very often. But would definitely listen to some tracks here and there.
This is a music album.
Good classic sound that I enjoyed Watching the Detectives is very reggae like and is awesome
ALLLLLLISSSSONNNNNNNN Sometimes gets a bit too rockabilly for me but pretty solid.
He covers a lot of bases in this first stab of the donkey. Pretty good! Doesn’t hang around. On this first couple of listens, only the opening track and “Less Than Zero” jumped out. The rest sounded amiable, like sitting next to a mildly drunk John Cusack. Don’t like it as much as ‘Blood and Chocolate’.
captures rock and roll vibe from 70s but not in an obnoxious way, realtively chill. Alison is an all time classic, knew that one before knowing who elvis costello is. Consistent throughout the whole album, with some songs being a bit more fast and jazzy and some more slow and relaxed rock. Watching the detectives is a banger end to an album.
Well produced and very catchy. Most of the songs sound the same but it isn’t a very bad things. Songs have replay-ability. Some songs seemed a little sloppier than others and some were repetitive but the overall vibe of the album doesn’t seem to be super proper which is ok, given the era it was produced in.
Good
First "pub rock" album I've ever heard. Reminds me a lot of a few tracks off of London Calling. Was really hoping for an explanation of what's going on with the dudes knees :-\
I like the song "Alison" because it was in New Girl
I'm bopping my head, must be enjoyable
Heel leuke muziek, vooral het openingsnummer "Welcome to the Working Week". Het doet me een beetje aan Weezer denken. ***
This was actually quite good, especially liked the last couple tracks
first listen pretty good album
Pretty fun album. Might check out other albums of his.
I like this record, not crazy about it but it's solid
Cool, as he always is
Not bad
It was enjoyable. Didn't leap out at me but solid. This will sound sacriligious but a step above most 70s rock I've heard, felt forward-thinking and modern while also having a comforting familiarity creeping in.
Well, fun fact for me reading the Wiki, I used to live a block away from where this was recorded, just about 20 years too late. Elvis has a great singing voice, comes out clearly in the mix. As a debut this is great. Working Week kicks off with some fun, a bit 'doo wop' for me but doable in small doses. Miracle man suffers from some bad bass work (or perhaps bad mixing) and there is a lot of filler on the album. Alison though is just one of the great songs in the world, and the guitar (and bass) work really well here. Watching the Detectives is also a 5 star song. Not enough quality for on this one but some real good tracks
C'est pas mal mais ça casse pas 3 pattes à un canard
bien vu pour Alison
It all feels so contrived. Its OK, but its def not great. 3/5
Some fine pop rock/new wave but nothing special or memorable.
Way better than the last album of his we got
Inoffensive, but not terrible. I feel like this would have been revolutionary at the time but as wth everything revolutionary it gets copied to genericism
Didn't enjoy this as much as the other EC albums that have come up on this list
Not bad! First Elvis Costello album I've ever listened to. I thought it was pretty fun and his guitar playing was impressive. Not bad!
I’ve always felt like I should like Elvis Costello more than I do. His music is almost there for me, but just doesn’t quite hit. Like a show or movie that can’t get the rights to the song they want so they make a faux sounding dupe. I liked Alison, and a few songs towards the end of the album, but none enough to make me want to listen again. I do appreciate a 13 song album coming in at a tight 36 minutes though.
Okay-ish.
I don't think I've listened to any of his music before, so this was fun to listen to
I recognize the importance but it's just not for me. The album's second half does a lot of heavy lifting.
On the whole this album didn't do much for me outside of a few good songs. I will say, however, that this album truly feels timeless, and wouldn't seem out of place in the 50s or the 21st century.
It was okay... Felt like a cheap imitation of pop and rock and roll from a decade or two before. And yet it didn't feel that special? All a bit cookie-cutter. It got a bit boring too, but I thought the guitar solos in I'm Not Angry made up for some of it. Favourite: I'm Not Angry
I wanna like it, but I just can't. It's too poppy and "happy" for my tastes, plus in general it all just feels slightly manufactured, I don't know. I wish I could get into Elvis Costello but it's not for me. It's definitely not bad though.
Surely there are better Elvis Costello albums? Apart from "Watching The Detectives" - which wasn't on the original album - I don't think that I've heard any of these tracks before. Average.
I enjoyed the album. The highlights for me were Welcome to the Working Week, Blame it on Cain, Alison, Sneaky Feelings and Watching the Detectives
Listened Before? N Pretty good! I don't have any familiarity with Elvis Costello at all other than Alison. THAT song is pretty solid but never caught my interest. The rest of this record is fun and light hearted and has a good relaxed feel to it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Watching the Detectives
Quite good. Enjoyable but only a 3 as it didn't take it further for me. Guitar and effects were quite good.
solid rock n roll 3/5
I like costello, and this debut album has a lot off decent tracks on it, but I don't love any of them, and find sometimes he can grate slightly.
Didn't really listen, seemed ok
Never been a Costello fan, and this doesn’t do much to change that, but I like the more interesting guitar licks he pulls out, although I don’t care for the rockabilly or reggae sounds as much. C+
3 stars - cool album
bien qsy 7/10
Solid
I mean, I guess if I had to listen to an Elvis Costello album, then this one wouldn't be the worst choice for me, but I really don't want to have to listen to an Elvis Costello album...at least not any one that I have heard so far. This album has a nice popiness to it, and I did find the melodies fun much of the time.
Interesting. I think I like it more than This Year's Model? It felt weirdly more punk rock given the shorter songs and the more in your face riffs. Standouts: No Dancing, Sneaky Feelings, Mystery Dance, I'm Not Angry
NO MORE ELVIS COSTELLO!!PLEASE! Hmmm 4 Oh there is the Jailhouse Rock ripoff "Mystery Dance" 3
Okay, look. I like Elvis Costello. He's got fun, punky energy in these early years without being what I would call punk. However, this is the second Elvis Costello album that I've gotten in the last two weeks, and it's too much for me. Please send me fewer Elvis Costello albums so that I can properly enjoy the ones I already have. All silliness aside, I like this album, but I felt like This Year's Model was a better album from this early period. There's nothing wrong with the songs on this album, but they are both less catchy and less interesting than the ones on that album. This one still has the characteristic Elvis Costello style, both in terms of the music and his voice, but it feels less mature here than on Last Year's Model. Taken in isolation, though, this is a fun album that I still find unspectacular. It's a lot more of a blues rock album than I thought it would be, though he does blues rock far better than most white dudes 3/5
fine
Bra debut. Det pubrockiga drar ner det lite för mig.
Very funky I enjoyed it
Enjoyable, but overhyped.
Very confused before realizing this is a different Elvis.
Lepposaa menoa ja hyviä soundeja. En tiedä miksi tämä Elvis ei ole koskaan kummemmin sytyttänyt, mutta voisin kyllä kuunnella enemmänkin.
Menevä levy. Vois kuunnella useemminkin, mut jos aikaa pitäisi musiikin kuunteluun käyttää, niin löytyy parempaakin tietty. Laitamme kuitenkin tänän jatkoon tulevaisuutta, jos sattuis tulee sellanen Costello-fiilis
I don’t get Elvis Costello
Power pop/rock, Singer/songwriter, ok underholdende
This album is a short pop jaunt into Costello's world. It features biting lyrics, punk and ska influences, as well as notable hooks. The key track being Allison, which showcases Costello's ability to write a timeless love song.
Impressed. You hear how Elvis Costello clearly serves as an inspiration for a lot of the artists we have today who channel 70s nostalgia. Alison is a beautiful song.
OK
I'm always thinking that I'm going to dislike an Elvis Costello album, then end up liking it.
Very solid and clearly influential. A lot has come out since that has expanded on this sound that makes it sound a bit dated nowadays.
Elvis Costello is just one of those artists where I respect him and his work, but it just is not my thing. "Alison" is a great track, but other than that it kinda falls flat.
This is a decent album. I'm sure it's great if you miss the 50's. I'm enjoying it, but I wouldn't pick it.
Not bad not my fav
I'm starting to really dislike Elvis Costello...there's the odd great song and then a distinct feeling he's a bit of an arse.
Lots of just quick, catchy tunes. I don’t mind it but nothing to go crazy over. 5/10
7/10
Well almost anything would sound good after Captain Beefheart. I thought This Year's Model was way better than this. Its fine, if pretty dated sounding. Its like a 50s rock star came forward into the future.
I went into this with low expectations, but I liked it a bit more than I thought I was going to. I'm not usually too into rock and roll and rockabilly stuff, but this album manages to make it sound a little more interesting. My favourite songs were Alison and I'm Not Angry.
the list compiler definitely has a soft spot for costello as this is the second offering we've had from him and one in 1001 is more than enough. that said, it should be this one over the other one as its fairly pleasant listening.
New wave retro rock n roll. It's jolly good fun in an unadventurous kind of way.
Starts with a song that could be a sitcom intro, but I think that might be intentional, sarcastically. Fun record, high energy, but not very fresh or unique.
It sounded so good in black and white. No longer as on the mark as it was when purchased on the day of release.
That’s some pretty good pop music. Although every song sounds very similar. 3/5
This is the third or fourth Costello record I've gotten and I'm starting to feel bad. He really should click with me, but I can't get anything below the surface level with him. It's pleasant enough when it's on, just nothing I enjoy enough to go out of my way to listen on my own. Favorite tracks: "Allison", "Blame It On Cain", "I'm Not Angry"
Perfectly serviceable album. Little bit dull. Has some songs I know, has others I'll forget. I probably would give it a two but I have a sort of inexplicable affection for Costello and I'm not sure why, so I'll give a bonus
Very aware of Costello and have heard a few songs on that radio, but never took the time to listen to his stuff. Glad I did. I enjoyed this album. Even added Waiting for the end of the world to my music downloads. Loved Waiting and likes Welcome to the working week, Alison and Mystery dance. I will now take the time to get to know better 3-3.5
3.5 I really enjoyed this one. It didn’t do anything amazingly remarkable but I can absolutely see why people really like this album. I’ll definitely be listening again. Favorites: Welcome to the Working Week, Miracle Man, Alison, Sneaky Feelings, Waiting for the End of the World, Watching the Detectives
Nice but background
So good. Have not heard this whole album before. Worth the listen.
7/10
3,5 classic ragga roolin maybe a 4,2 on a good day
isch ok
pretty decent, nothing jumping out as special. inoffensive to the ears
good album easy listening
Super based album. Much better than the usual ABBA fare. This is going into my regular rotation.
a bit old school
Really good. 3.5/5
Enjoyable but some of the songs on this album just sound so dated, especially given this came out in 1977
Vu le succès de la première émeute anti-Costello organisée par mon rival eltrapeze et moi-même, nous vous invitons à sa deuxième édition qui se tiendra le 19 septembre prochain, à 14h. Pour rappel, nous étions pour la première édition plus de vingt-mille émeutiers à nous être déplacés selon nous, dix-mille selon la police, et vingt-cinq selon Elvis Costello. À notre grande satisfaction, de nombreux magasins ont été vandalisés, des voitures incendiées, et des monuments tagués du slogan "no costello". Nous prévoyons de faire encore mieux la prochaine fois et avons hâte de vous y retrouver. À bientôt chers lecteurs.
Elvis Costello est ici fidèle à lui-même, à savoir complétement insipide. J'en profite pour vous rappeler que la deuxième édition de la manifestation anti Costello aura lieu le Lundi 19 Septembre. A cette occasion, nous distribuerons divers drapeaux et banderoles à l'encontre de Costello. Au plaisir de vous retrouver là-bas, prêts à en découdre.
My favorite Costello to date. Really like "Watching the Detectives". 3.5/5
Honestly, I'm not sure what to say here. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It was just average, through and through. It wasn't offensive, but nothing was really exciting about it, either. It was just consistently just "okay". In this album, I can definitely hear where Costello is likely influenced by and trying to carry over some of the power pop and rockabilly of the 50s and 60s, such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly. You can even see it in the album cover art. But again, I think it's all a little too evenly neat and one note, nothing out of bounds or surprising like you might have gotten from the above-mentioned bands. Where they all got their fame taking risks and playing around in these genres, Costello just seems to be mostly rehashing them. Again, I always like to note when an album is someone's debut album, because I think it can say a lot. In this case, I definitely feel like Costello already had a solid idea of what he wanted to do and didn't need multiple albums to find his sound; he had it right away. As I understand it, there's a LOT of Costello on this project, so I'm definitely feeling indifferent about that, but at least my first Costello entry was this, his debut album, so I can maybe do some interesting comparisons with future albums. You know, for science. So far, I'm definitely not seeing what all the fuss is about.
Ik vond dit net iets minder speciaal dan het album dat eerder de revue passeerde.
Both nostalgic and ahead of its time.
Kinda boring and the guy's voice is annoying.
Not quite pop, not quite punk, not quite rockabilly. But is it really good? Not quite.
Decent sound, decent songs.
Not a fan of Costello. That said, not a bad album.
Genre: New Wave 3/5 In what was probably my favorite Elvis Costello experience so far (not saying much, but it's the truth), My Aim Is True, his debut effort, is a pretty straightforward new wave/pub rock experience. A lot of his early rock influences creep in here, and his voice is dialed down quite a bit than later albums, with a lot of the songs sounding more like 70s post-Buddy Holly than his 80s Costello tracks. What transpires is quite a run-of-the-mill pop rock experience, but it ends up being way more enjoyable than most other Costello albums due to classy, smooth production and its pared back attitude. The album's opener, the quick and punchy Welcome to the Working Week, is such a great opener that you're upset to find that it's less than a minute and a half, as the album launches into Miracle Man before we get a chance to even acknowledge how good it was. Songs like the rock & roll cut Mystery Dance, or the soft soul cut Alison, provide us with some sonic variety, but not enough to keep this album from sounding like one big continuous New Wave song. Decent, though, and a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting or hoping.
Some goodies but a little too old timey for me
Elvis' most important album deserves to be on this list, the other bajillionty from the book? Nah. Anyways… coming from the punk migration to post-punk, pop and new-wave My Aim Is True is a great blending of the prior influences and some others mixed in to make a good album. 3.5/5.
Thought it was a good but not great debut by Costello Favourite song was “Watching the Detectives” 23/06/22
I've always said Costello > Presley and this cements that fact
Some great songs on here but not as polished as some of his later work.
I've always loved this album. The 48 song Spotify version is a bit much for me. Stick to the basics.
Not my normal music, but I enjoyed it enough. Like the upbeat, light music.
Nice combination of rock and pop. Picks up towards the end and finishes on a high with Watching the Detectives.
Meilleur que l'autre que j'ai eu, mais ça reste un peu dull.
I like the fairly basic makeup of this album. Somewhere in his vocals a stimuli looms secretively.
2.5/5. Let’s just say I have heard better bad music.
Easy listening but nothing much to it.
I have this album in my record collection simply because I like the cover art. The music itself is decent. I like a handful of tracks, but it's not anything I'm crazy about.
Lively and fun, ascerbic lyrics don't match the tunes. Prefer the Attractions as a band, so the next LP, This Year's Model, gets a lot more listens than this. A good start to Elvis Costello's long recording career.
Me recordó a Ben Folds. Supongo que a esa época se escuchaba revolucionaria esa mezcla de rockabilly, funk, punk y hasta reggae, pero no me hace mucho ahora.
I dig how you get some blues, some oldies rock n' roll, and some more modern pop rock all in one place. He's definitely COOL, but his vocals to me sound a little too "put on" sometimes (same way I feel about Joss Stone... I want more authenticity). He does stick to it though, because they play some of his new releases on WXPN and he sounds pretty much the same!
Pros: - Wow very Bruce Springsteen-y! - Funny how production wise this is a throwback. It was released in 1977 but songs like "No Dancing" sounds totally like a 1950's boogie woogie. The album cover is a throwback too. - On the topic of the album cover, how interesting is the choice of the text on top of that checkered background? Weird isn't it? Cons: Misc: - pretty nice album all around!
Short, not bad
Bit of a greatest hits for what I didn’t realise was Elvis’ first album. Never been a massive fan but these are good tunes and they have the pull of nostalgia too. The production doesn’t sound as punchy as I remember it but that may be my speakers. Alison a highlight here, both lyrically & musically.
3/29/22 This album was enjoyable but very background to me. None of the songs I would ever seek out to listen to again. Lots of religious themes which was interesting. Favorite song: Miracle Man
My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello (1977) This debut album from Elvis Costello is good, but not nearly as good as later albums like This Year’s Model (1978) or Imperial Bedroom (1982). In My Aim Is True, he appears to be just getting his feet wet. It lacks the literary lyrical quality and the musical creativity found in his more mature efforts, although there are flashes of true brilliance. I remember passing on Elvis Costello in 1977, since he sounded so out of date. And 45 years later, this particular album has a roughly historical appeal. His voice is energetic, but flawed by excessive vowel bending and overly exaggerated and flippant stylings. His guitar work is capable, but not stellar. Check out “Mystery Dance” for evidence. In a nutshell, Costello gives intelligent lyrical expression to negative emotions, accompanied by bright and sassy rock ‘n roll melodies and chord structures. One can imagine the kicks he got recording “Welcome to the Working Week”, since his day job at the time was as a data entry clerk. “Alison” is overrated as a signature song. For me, the highlight of the album is “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes”, especially given its authentic and reflective biblical angelology, unchained from centuries of static dogma. His quirky hamartiology speculates, “Blame it on Cain, don’t blame it on me/It’s nobody’s fault, but we need somebody to burn.” Think about why he picked Cain instead of Adan, Eve, or the serpent. And there’s a nice eschatological take (in the closing track “Waiting for the End of the World”) when he sings “Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you’re coming, ‘cause you really started something” (I can hear my mother yelling, “Somebody better clean up this mess!”). There’s plenty here to entertain head-scratching armchair theologians. When he sings “I’m Not Angry”, do not, of course, believe him. I’ve known HR directors who could gain insight from Elvis Costello. It’s all good musical fun. 3/5
Like every Elvis Costello album, a few great songs, a few mediocre songs, and a few terrible songs. Maybe a greatest hits album would belong on this list but the individual albums are all just ok.
Probably one of the better pop rock albums I’ve ever heard.
Great Singer. Good to hear him.
Nerd
chato. é uma pena que esses 1001 álbuns sejam cheio de anglofluentes e pouca diversidade do mundo de outras culturas para além dos americanos e ingleses.
I just wish it wasn't Elvis Costello
b-side is really really solid
I don't really like his singing style. The songs are fine.
Our fourth from Costello, and it's more diminishing returns. He must be the favorite artist of some bloke responsible for this list because I really don't understand the need to include his entire discography. This one's a bit more punky, and apparently his debut, so credit for the guy just sounding like this on his first album I guess. I don't know, I was bored of his style after two albums, even if it's slightly different from project to project, so I'm not the guy to ask. It's not bad, just not very interesting. Favorite tracks: Less than Zero, Welcome to the Working Week. Album art: I like this one quite a bit, even if it's a genuine eyesore. The colors pop, it's hard to read but a nice retro design. 3/5
Never liked Elvis
Old school not bad
"My hopes were so high when I heard the first track. But honestly it went downhill after that. Alison is good and Welcome To The Working Week is the best."
Another perfectly palatable and easily forgotten Elvis Costello album. Perhaps the curator of this list knows something I don't?
Good vibes only!! Tycker Elvis gör rätt mycket med enkla medel. Inte riktigt min stil, annars hade jag nog delat ut ett högre betyg.
Cantautor con algún toque más rockabilly, con voz característica y canciones sin ser un gran alarde de composición y de ritmo. Escuchable, hasta ahí
I like it... kind of repetitive but I like the vibe. 3.5 I guess.
Enjoyed it a fair amount. Nothing crazy but good tunes overall
I guess I'm realizing through this process that a good vocalist is important to me. Songs/melody is fine. Vocals are just terrible in some cases. Three stars for composition reasons, not vocal efforts.
First Listen. Three of the songs are very familiar, the rest, I definitely enjoyed. Standouts: Alison, Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes, Watching the Detectives. 3/5
Decent. Some of the songs are great, some are middle-of-the-road.
Great live. Great to live. Elvis!
Fairly timeless
Recognized two great songs...fun album!
Nice, beatsy album though I'm not quite sure how memorable it will be for me in the long run
Bom som
Bien, pero un poco pesado.
Obviously a familiar name but realized I had never really listened to him. Only really recognized Allison, but regardless he has a pretty cool style. Like Billy Joel but with more Guitar and rock pizazz
Costello can be better.
A killer first line ushers in an enjoyably upbeat downbeat LP that hinges on the incomparable classic "Alison". Where post-punk and new wave intersects with the 50s.
I knew "Alison" and I guess I was expecting the rest of the album to be along those lines but I also knew that Elvis Costello is more punk/rock than the wistfulness of "Alison". So yeah, it was more punk/rock and that's ok. It doesn't sound like something from 1977 - I guess it's another of those influential albums that cast a very long shadow, well into the 80s, 90s and beyond. "Alison" is still my favourite track though.
Solid production and guitarwork. Alison is a fantastic song. Could use a bit more to help it stand out though.
This album didn't do that much for me. Elvis Costello is another one of those artist that I really respect but am just not that in to.
This was good. Probably a 3.5. More catchy than I expected.
Did not like it
I don't get this guy
decent album but it doesnt feel outstanding to me
Honestly, I listened to this while doing other things, so I don’t even really remember it. I think I liked it alright, though it wasn’t stellar.
Krieg ich latente Jonathan Richman-Vibes von. Aber mit mehr Soul natürlich, dafür weniger Lustigkeit. Ist ganz ok, macht mich aber noch nicht zum Fan, diese hier. 2,8
I must be missing something about Elvis Costello. It's *alright*, but I'm not hearing anything that screams "rock and roll hall of fame". Maybe its the influence he's had?
Not really for me. A nice sound and a fairly happy album. If I heard singles on a compilation or the radio I wouldn’t switch over. But not enough interest for me to re-listen or save any to one of my playlists
I've heard this before, pretty decent. A great opening line
Listened to it once but I was kinda busy and I'm not sure I fully processed it. Enjoyed some of the guitar work. Enjoyable but it didn't wow me - but maybe I didn't give it enough attention.
Comes across as a dork but the music is solid
Some really fun songs on this one, would listen to it again.
Some fun songs. I liked the energy. Good vibes
Catchy riffs, somewhat annoying vocals, conventional chords, some nice melodies, "I'm Not Angry" and "Watching the Detectives"
couple diamonds in the rough, for the most part didn't like a lot of the songs but they've got a few good uns, the good songs are 4's but the bad songs are 2's. Tough choice.
I had high expectations on this one, but I kinda got bored after a while
Not an awful Elvis P impersonation but not so good I need to listen again.
Overall a pretty strong album. Theres a couple of standouts- Watching the detectives, mystery dance, and blame it on cain mainly Welcome to the working week is fairly catchy and straight forward, also very short Some nice guitar on Miracle Man Blame it on Cain is very catchy and has cool guitar riffs. Mystery Dance makes you wanna dance. Watching The Detectives is reminiscent of Master Blaster, cool drum beat. Thematically its also very relevant to todays climate
Enjoyed this. Not very familiar before
pretty good debut album
Elvis Costello is overrated but there are a few good tracks here
Fun and replayable rock album, feels like the B side is overall stronger than the A side.
Nett, aber nichts Besonderes
Kann man so ganz gut im Hintergrund dudeln lassen aber das Cover geht gar nicht...
A rather underwhelming debut I thought, shows very little sign of the great work to come....
Já conhecia.
Costello is one of the artists my parents really dig and I just haven't been able to really get into. Truthfully, I just feel like a lot of his stuff sounds the same. Now listening to this full album challenged that some (we get a blues guitar, we get a reggae beat) but more or less my opinion stands. Listenable yes, but seems to be caught in its time. I did enjoy Alison and other tunes. Funny the album name is a lyric from Alison but not the name of the song.
I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed by this one. I've considered Alison a masterpiece of a song for quite a while now and to a lesser extent also What's So Funny (About Peace, Love & Understanding). I didn't expect everything to be on the level of Alison, but the drop-off in quality between Costello's best songs and average songs is apparently humongous. My second-biggest issue is the very bad sound quality. I've heard few albums in more dire need of remastering than this one. Costello's songs definitely need a much fuller and vibrant sound. Somewhat less twangy guitars wouldn't hurt either. In addition, the album seems to start off with the worst songs of the album, which set the wrong mood. This is a 3.5 for me. It's lifted from a 3 by the brilliance of Alison, but still rounded down for the feeling of disappointment. With a good remaster it would easily be a 4.
I didn't dislike it, but it felt kinda generic honestly.
Doesn't do much for me, but it's not bad, per se. Let's see how it plays out. It's okay.
Elvis Costello is a blind spot for me. I've never listened to anything. I don't dislike this, but most of the album just feels kinda samey to me. I did like hearing Alison, which I only know from New Girl 😂
Cool
.
Ik vind die andere Elvis toch de echte! Deze Elvis is goed, maar meer dan aardig vind ik 't niet.
Fine
rockerillos died so Miley Cyrus could run o algo así no recuerdo el meme pero not bad (tres canciones y lo quité)
My dad used to have this album on vinyl but I've never listened to it hah. The first two songs were so strong and then it fell off and the lyrics were a bit questionable. 6.
3/5
Cruisin' music with an attitude
medio sesentero para ser setentero
SIGNIFICANTLY better than blood and chocolate. JESUS. Listening to this, I actually understand why people like Elvis Costello. Feels like classic summer cruising music for high school. Not something I want to listen to frequently, but could feel awesome in a summer barbecue playlist or similar. 3.5 for me, but I'm gonna round down.
Fine? Not my favorite
Ah, it was alright.
Good new wave. Alison is a classic. 7/10
Pretty decent. Reminds me of like 50s rock with a decent amount of distortion in some songs.
This album felt like it came up in the middle of an evolution or something, like growing pains or the awkward phase in life, it stood out as different and that came with good and bad. I kept getting turned off for a song or two, that shocked when the next one wasn't as bad. Overall, a strange, but fun, album that won't stick with me despite liking some of the songs. Favorite songs: Welcome To The Working Week Miracle Man Alison
>Suave
Good group of EC songs; one thing I noticed was the excellent rhythm guitar work that I assume was done by Elvis himself. I liked the songs I hadn't heard before. Highlights: -Allison -Watching the Detectives
Although there are some standout songs I don't think this is the strongest of his albums - there's a lot of material in the middle that runs together for me. Still foreshadows a great talent.
fun sound, some songs couldn't really get into but definitely some very interesting bops
3.5
couldnt tell if it was cool or randy newman
interesting sounds, a little samey sounding. liked mystery dance and im not angry
Rock on, elvis
Always felt like I should like Costello more... maybe my pallet has matured enough. This is good!
2.5
Mediocre new wave that lacks much in the way of instrumental bite, instead relying on cynical lyricism.
⭐⭐ Enough Elvis already. This one's ok, and even more listenable than the previous 2 entries, though the songs start sounding like fraternal siblings. Let's be over him now.
I might have to implement The Rule for this one. so sick of Elvis Costello. nostalgia of Allison brought this to a 2. Waiting for the End of the World? I am begging for the end of this record. and yet I’ll only be halfway through the SIX (?!) Elvis Costello albums on this list.
Elvis costello is a weird one for me. Some songs seem okay if I don't pay too much attention to it. Lyrics never do anything for me, despite being fairly clear, and if I try to focus on the music I start to think the vocals are nasally
Klausijos braucot cauri Bauskai👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Loti mid
4/10. Un intento de Elvis atrasado y normalito. Es gracioso que el tipo se llame Elvis Costello y que la música que intente hacer sea un rock tranquilito y swingero como el de Presley y que la mejor canción del disco sea un tema reggae (último). No sé, es un disco pasajero que no transmite nada pero que tampoco es malo. No creo que lo escuche otra vez.
I didn’t really get this, one or two great songs ( Alison ) takes me back. Overall pretty average
4+ / 10
Det er jo fint og bra, men ganske kjedelig ass. Ikke min kopp te. Kanskje ikke hans feil, men irriterende hvor mye vokalen hans minner om counting crows (som er jævlig irriterende). Mystery Dance er såpass fet at den trekker litt opp.
Nothing I look forward to more than bashing out a 2* Elvis Costello album every other morning.
Elvis Costello ei oo ikinä kolahtanut. Ei myöskään tämä levy.
van morrison n such n such
flojo
not my music
Eh
Not a rockabilly fan
I don’t know, this feels like if the blues rock guys of the sixties suddenly got white and uncool. I am not surprised at all that none of this albums singles were met with interest. Just very white-bread music. If you like this album or it even is one of your favourites, I’m sorry for judging so harshly. But there is so much non-dull music around, why would you pick this retiree community dancehall style over literally anything else??
This might be the best Elvis Costello album on the list don’t get me wrong, but it’s still Elvis Costello. Maybe I’d like it better if this was the only one of his albums on the list. I’m tired of his voice.
I really did not connect to this one.
FML. A third album by Elvis Costello. In his defense, this was the least crappy of the three, but I still didn’t care for it. I continue to ride the same theme as the previous recordings that the music is well composed and Elvis Costello’s voice ruins it.
UGH! Another Elvis Costello album? This is my 4th Elvis Costello album! I don't think Elvis Costello has 4 good SONGS you must listen to before you die. And, he makes you wait until the very end to hear one of those few good songs.
His aim is way off
"My Aim Is True" is Elvis Costello’s debut album, released in 1977. A mix of rock ’n’ roll, punk, pub rock, power pop, ska and, on the bonus tracks, country rock, it showcases Costello’s talent for perfect three-minute rock ’n’ roll songs with a punk attitude and clever lyrics. The album showcases Costello’s talent for writing perfect three-minute rock ’n’ roll songs with a punk attitude and clever lyrics. It marked the start of his meteoric rise as a critic's favourite and indie pop star. However: I’m not at all interested in old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll songs with a punk attitude. Musically, nothing on the album appeals to me except perhaps "Watching the Detectives" with its gritty white reggae sound similar to that played by the early Police. There’s no doubt that this debut made rock history. But I don’t have to like every historically significant rock album. Elvis Costello won't care, just as I don't care about his petty-bourgeois rock rebellion.
Rather dull and uninspiring I thought, every song seemed to sound almost the same. I like his singles but find the album tracks just filler.
Listened to a little
This is mixed terribly the guitar parts are so fucking bland I’m so bored this makes me hate rock n roll music this is not what jimi died for!! so damn flavorless
not a massively enjoyable experience
This is un inoffensive little pop rock album, I was wishing the whole time that it didn't sound like it was recorded in a soup can. Weird choices of vocal effects and mixing in my opinion. Not sure what makes it legendary it's just not that exciting for 1977.
pretty good for idle background driving music tbh, but that’s about it, saved 0/13
Mind boggled how this man has this many albums on this list. At least this one is better than the others but can't give it anything higher than two in good conscience.
This is what it sounds like when I'm waiting for the Walgreens employee is bringing the key to unlock the $5 deodorant. It's noise but it's 1970s noise.
My first go-around with Elvis Costello didn't go so great, so let's see how I feel about this one. Having listened to it cover to cover, I can definitely say I enjoyed this one more than the previous one, Armed Forces. I don't think I'll ever get over Costello's voice - it's just so thin, so reedy, the lyrics it sings so irritatingly self-aware. It's the audio equivalent of an irony-poisoned 50s rock and roller, or if Buddy Holly merged with Randy Newman. The songs on this one really ape that 50s ish sound as well, with a mix of 60s R&B sprinkled in to create whatever proto-new wave/pub rock thing he's doing on this apparently solo release. Can't say most of the songs here are that memorable. In the true 1950s spirit, Costello has gone for the "collection of random songs that had varying degrees of success collected onto an LP disc" approach to creating an album. I can't really comment on how well it works especially in an era where the cohesive narrative album format was at its best. All in all this is another acceptable yet unremarkable Elvis Costello album that wormed its way into this list for some reason. I really think there should have been some kind of limit on the number of albums a given artist could have. Otherwise, half of this list would just be this guy, Dylan, Bowie and the Beatles.
the best elvis costello album on here, but still an elvis costello album. 2.5.
NO VEO NECESARIO ESCUCHARME 20 ALBUMES DE ESTE HOMBRE ANTES DE MORIR 5/10
😐
I don’t like Elvis Costello on the whole. His voice/singing isn’t very good and the music is bland. The first couple of tracks were bland as expected, but didn’t have him singing through his nostrils, which made it marginally more pleasant than I was expecting. However, by track three he’s found his adenoids and starting singing as I thought he would in this album before listening to it. As a result this album met my expectations of terrible singing and bland music. I see I’ve unfathomably got more of his music to get through on this list. How there are 6 albums with this man involved is absolutely beyond me.
star lord music. No stand out songs but all were quite good. 5/10
This one wasn't for me. Not a huge fan of his singing and the music didn't feel like anything new either.
I can confirm that this sounded like an album of Elvis Costello. Unclear if that is good or not.
Easy to listen to. Nothing remarkable.
Eh
Decent tunes but not entirely my style.
I wish I liked his voice more.
Sounds like he’s scared of making something new. Same thing you’ve heard before repeated ad naseam.
chybione
Näitä näitä tusinarokkeja vuosikymmenten takaa jotka eivät nykyään oikein säväytä mitenkään.
Sounds like a Springsteen knock-off, but isn't just as annoying as Bruce. Really mid
An intriguing view of pop-rock, this album shows the swing of 70s rock and old-school jukebox vibes in their essence. The personality Costello shows off in this debut album permeates in each track, ranging from melancholy to dancing tunes to the 50s Elvis Presley style of swinging melodies. I personally did not find anything that truly stood out much if I were not researching nor reading the lyrics and although it is credited with being a fantastic debut, it wasn't doing much for me. Overall, I can understand the vibes of "Watching the Detectives" and "Alison", but the tunes can be played in the background of a party, and it wouldn't make much of a change in enjoyment.
it was alright, not my favourite, would’ve given it 2,5*
harmless punk with soulish and 50s rock and roll influences, ive been told to expect much more of him, so im trying not to get bored, but he could contribute a bit the band has a good grasp of the wide range of genres, but I get the impression that the vocal performances are a bit monotonous
Gold fm visą laiką tokius groja.
A: One guitar, one man and a dream... Helt okej mjeh mummojazzrock. Nån enstaka lite bättre men jepulis 2/5 D: Svär att han är en cowboy. Det förklarar allt. 2/5
Oh my god, how many Elvis Costello can one possibly need to listen to? I never really enjoyed it, all of his albums sound the same and I haven't really been a fan of any of them. I guess if I just needed to listen to one this one would, it would be ok, but now i'm just so fed up with this. Maybe his lyrics are good if you can focus on them, I can just focus on the feeling that I've heard this all before. I honestly thought this was ok and maybe even better than the others, but I'm fed up with him. Strong 2 stars.
It was okay. Alison is a decent track. Nothing else leapt out at me.
niet leuk ook niet kut. heel erg mediocre
Costello is a bit hit and miss with me and this is closer to miss….
oh man, not Costello again :\ This is my 5th or 6th Costello album!!
2D songwriting, forgettable production
The first Costello album I got, I figured he was destined to get nothing but 1's out of 5. This was less egregious. I still don't like his voice, but his debut album sounded less like a muppet singing. Maybe over time his voice became a caricature of itself. In any case, I didn't like this, but it wasn't horribly offensive to me. 2/5
Not bad a little bland in places. Very 12 bar his voice and lyrics stand up. Not one song on here matches pump it up no real riffs Not horrible but not for me
Props to him for inventing 2010 hipster music I guess. Imagine making such generic music in the 70s of all decades.
You always know immediately when it’s Elvis Costello, & this is a peak massive collection. But I could never really take to it.
It’s an okay album. I’m somewhat neutral but Elvis Costello’s performance is good. 2.8/5.0
De bonnes idées mais ensemble ça va pas … 2.5/5
We're watching the detectives ... So bad it almost got good a few times
I just don't care about Elvis Costello lol. I liked Mystery Dance, probably because it reminded me a lot of the real Elvis. This album as a whole was fine.
Bleh
Different, but not in a good way. Kinda boring, sounds like it was made 10-15 years earlier than it actually was. The vocals and backing instruments sound the same in every track
Hanzo
No creo que este tipo de discos sea mi estilo y no le entendí :3
Absolutely vapid, boring, completely uninteresting, no redeeming qualities. Why is this guy so overrepresented on this list when someone like Tori Amos only has one album? I call shenanigans!
Curto, sofisticado e simples. Características não necessariamente ruins, o tipo de música que tocaria em séries infantis como Henry Danger em trechos muito específicos. Não conseguiria ouvir nenhuma delas diariamente.
Mid tbh
I am clearly not white enough for this kind of music. And I am very white.
2/5
If this guys name was Michael or something I swear he’d be way less popular