This Year's Model

I feel like this album is kind of a prelude to the 80s. If you like New Wave music you'll dig this. Elvis Costello seems like he's probably an interesting guy. I like this album even though it may not be his best work. I'm not really sure what else to say about this record - it's got catchy songs, good lyrics, full sound. It's not something I would play all the time but I definitely enjoyed listening to it. 3/5.

This is a completely fine album. Nice enough to pass 40 minutes with, nothing bad or unpleasant, but also nothing that really stands out. A high 3, but still a 3.

3.5

Bro Elvis Costello has to articulate more like come on. My favorite misheard lyric is on I dont want to go to Chelsea. I dont want to check your "balls" I actually like this The back half is so much stronger than the first half basically lip service to the ending is so so strong and amazing songwriting and the band is immaculate you just have to go through the first half to get there ahhh. After the first song it is hard to listen to but I like costello and if this is apparently his best record then yeesh I am okay

Album was okay, some of the songs were alright. Still find Costello’s voice to be annoying. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again

Fresh sounding for being a 70s album. Never heard any of his work before, I enjoyed it.

Not as good as I remembered, a couple of good tracks but I prefer his debut.

One of the better Elvis Costello albums. The songs 'Pump It Up' and 'Radio Radio' alone make this one worth your time. As with his other albums, there's some filler too, but here are enough hits to ignore them. Here Costello continued the momentum of his strong debut album.

Only ever heard the song watching the detectives by this band - deece album.

Feels frantic

it was fine. nice enough to listen to. just didn't feel super strongly about it!

Really groovy + modern sounding — unique voice and tight sound.

This guy is always just meh to me. 5/10

It’s good. I don’t get the hype on this guy.

I have mixed feelings on this but I will start by saying I overall enjoyed the album. I think the music is really good and it is easy to listen to. What i didn't particularly enjoy, and I think it explains my issues with the last Elvis Costello album, is his voice. He sounds like the embodiment of the whiney main character from an 80's movie who definitely deserved to be bullied because he thinks he is better than everyone else. Give me a different singer and this is probably a 4 or 5.

Average

3.5

While it's not quite my taste, you have to admit that this album sounds ahead of it's time and has some great songs on it. Overall very energetic and driven

Interesting base, singer has annoying voice

Not a fan of his voice, his music is fine

Fun beats, but the singer went to the Tom Petty school of nasally vocals

Not a bad album.

Good danceable new wave sound.

Melodiskt och mycket roligare än det förra EC-albumet. Tyvärr sjunger han bitvis fortfarande asjobbigt. Men helheten är ett mycket bättre album än sist.

Klart bättre än Brutal Youth. Inget mästerverk, men trallvänligt, melodiöst och lätt att gilla.

Was alright, nothing spectacular.

Eh, its alright

Not bad but just kinda background alright vibes for me

Not exactly my cup of tea, but it is clear to see how much the sound of this album influenced the decade to follow.

🎧 Living in paradise 🎧 Radio, Radio

de unaaa! 7.5/10

I think I’ve listened, I’m excited. Ehh slightly dissapointed. I know and like a bunch of the songs, but I don’t think this album was some crazy experience. Could be a 4 maybe if I was in the right mood, I’m calling it a 3

Blind album, know the artist by name thanks to the project. Honestly I feel like the band is ahead of their time but that won't ever make me like the band. At least this album gets a 3.

I just saw him live!!! Yeah just a very fresh incorpation and early new wave stuff into an early incorporation of traditional piano and rock stuff with a little post punk in there

Not a bad album, I'm just not super into Costello.

Sounded surprisingly modern for the year it came out. Very reminiscent of some 90s rock I have heard. Sounds pretty good too

also annoying

Elvis Costello is great - I enjoy this album.

No es de mi estilo pero no está mal

Only got to listen to half but it was great!

"Pump It Up" alone makes this a great album, and it's just that, great, catchy, infectious...

Not bad. There was nothing in this that I hated, but nothing that I loved either. Definitely my second favourite Elvis!

I was ready to give this a 4 after listening to it yesterday morning, but then in the evening it took me a good few minutes to remember what the days album was. So it obviously didn’t make much of an impression. Sorry Elvis, you were a great guest star on The Simpsons.

It's alright but probably won't go back to it.

I liked this, all the songs were a sensible length. Had heard some of his stuff before but never listened to a full album.  Might dig in to some of his other albums if I find time

Surprisingly liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Started strong but got a bit samey half way through.

Some very enjoyable tracks on this album. I was pleasantly surprised by it, as I was never a big elvis costello fan.

Not bad for a computer programmer. Kind of liked most of the songs.

"Pump It Up" reminded me of "Wild, Wild West" by The escape Club.

This was sonically delightful. Surprised to say, having never really listened to Elvis Costello before, that I can see myself putting this on to listen to front to back again. Honestly a huge part of why I like this album is Bruce Thomas, bass lines for days and awesome bass tone, loved the bass on "(I don't Want To Go To) Chelsea." I dig Costello's voice a lot, some songs more than others, and the harmonizing parts in songs like "Lip Service" we're great! I like the dangerous and fierce lyrics, The instrumentation on the album sounds great, the tones, the melodies, the compositions, the production, performances, bravo to everyone involved. "Lipstick Vogue" stands out as one of the best instrumental performances and compositions on the album. Definitely a poppy rock album, I think the catchiest songs are "Lip Service" and "Hand in Hand." Side Note - got a hint of The Monkees on the song "You Belong To Me, specifically the keys and tambourine. Playlist worthy: "The Beat", " Lip Service", & "Lipstick Vogue" Favorite Song Vocally: Pump It Up Favorite Lyric: Hand in Hand - "Don't you know I got the bully boys out Changing someone's facial design" Very Solid 3 / 5 more like a 3.5 / 5

Started slow, but the album grew on me. I actually liked a few of the songs. Not my first choise of listening, but occationally good. Grade 3/5.

I was never a big Elvis Costello fan, but his hits would allways be a high spot in my day. This wasn't an album I could sit all tha way through, but it was good.

It was fine

Not as punchy as I remembered it

Whiny

I think that if I heard this music in 1978 i would have been super impressed. That being said it was not my favorite style of music. The musicians in the band seemed to be really talented; however, i was not a big fan of the singing.

Ok album

Decent enough but very same same.

Niceish

it was fine, not rushing to listen to again

Musically good but his voice is annoying.

I’m probably too young to understand the Elvis Costello lore and that’s okay. His voice is grating enough to be unenjoyable to my hear, but the way he crafts his voice is undoubtedly interesting. Voice as the instrument etc etc. Not for me but clearly a pioneer and I can’t knock that. Probably won’t be returning to listen anytime soon. Also Olivia Rodrigo/her collaborators were very clearly inspired by the Pump It Up riff for Brutal.

Should've listened to all of it but it sounds really original for it's time tbh...

Catchy, good. Not really for me.

This album feels way ahead of its time. Lots of quirky sounds and vibes. Quite an enjoyable listen, if not my favorite overall. Fav tracks: The Beat, Radio, Radio, Living In Paradise

B- No Action 3 This Year's Girl 3 The Beat 3 Pump It Up 3 Little Triggers 3 You Belong to Me 3 Hand in Hand 3 (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea 3 Lip Service 3 Living in Paradise 3 Lipstick Vogue 3 Night Rally 3 This was pretty meh from Fake Elvis. I think he may be better at racial slurs than music.

3.5

A couple interesting, a couple annoying, all in all nothing special

I enjoyed it, and periodically relisten to Elvis C's albums 1-3. Great sound, but the singles don't stand out to me. 3.4 stars rounded down. I also think I enjoyed the Spanish version of this album, "Spanish Model", more than the original.

My third Costello from this list so far. This one didn't really grab me at the start but does pick up around the end. Fave track: Radio, Radio

This is my first Elvis Costello project, and it pretty much fits what I expected. Sure it gets a little bit generic and same-y, but theres some groovy ass songs I found myself nodding my head to. Not exactly my thing, but I would probably revisit and give it another chance. Thoughts: Not bad! Favorite song: Pump It Up

Like this one.

very inconsequential album for me. Doesn't stick.

Not my style. I enjoyed it slightly more than the Bruce Springsteen album. 3/5

This guy again? Hope this is better than “Brutal Youth” … I’ll try to keep an open mind. Okay, this is better so far. I actually like “The Beat.” In the end, still mediocre - 2.5?

Was not expecting that based off the album cover but I like it. It’d probably be closer to 4 but there’s way too many songs.

Not sure what I thought Elvis Costello's music would sound like but this wasn't it. Not bad but not my thing.

Back half of the album had some good instrumental breaks but overall it felt a bit corny

Pretty alright, quite forgettable.

Cat: he’s got a great voice and the music is good. Catchy. I dig it.

I liked it more than I thought I would. Listened to the front half, liked the energy of it.

Some songs I've heard before but good to get their album context, a nice listen

Brani Preferiti: - "No Action" - "Pump It Up" Note: Ho la sensazione che ci sia poca variazione all'interno dell'album e per tale motivo mi dà l'impressione che lo stile rimanga tutto monotono senza mai raggiungere la vetta. La voce di Elvis non mi fa impazzire, ma sin da subito ho apprezzato la batteria per poi approvare la parte strumentale di questo disco.

Aðeins of cool fyrir minn smekk. Steiktar línur stundum og söngstíllinn á það til að pirra mig. Bandið er hins vegar afar þétt og soundið er mjög gott. Alveg fjör í þessu.

Ekki það besta frá Costello. Frekar einsleitt. Pump it up langbesta lagið og Lipstick Vogue líka skemmtilegt pönk.

Nothing special some enjoyable songs though

Not a huge fan of the singer's voice, but the album itself is pretty good. Hard to go wrong with some good classic rock vibe, but at the same time not incredibly special or unique to me. No particular songs really stood out to me. 3

- tacky billy Joel - it’s almost boy band music - but I’m not against it, it’s catchy - some are annoying though - instrumentation is surprisingly enjoyable

Lipstick vogue oli kova, this years gurlista tuli deuce mieleen - muuten 3/5.

Bouncy and upbeat britpop from the turn of the 80s. Unfortunately it really isn't my cup of tea. Perhaps Costello requires multiple listens, but for me each song just bleeds into the next at roughly the same tempo and key. I couldn't really find my way "in."

Not bad but not what I was needing to listen to while working

I actually enjoyed this one. I really wasn't expecting much after the last album from this band, but this was decent. We'll see if I give it another spin. 3.5/5

Not quite what I expected. Only got halfway through

This would be nice good mood music for background but I didn't really get it.

Listened to this once and it’s very well produced and everything, but I feel like Elvis Costello just isn’t totally my thing

Very bad album cover. Also it's kinda fun music, it's lyrics remind me of bon Jovi, but worse - and better bass yes, its bass is pretty great. I probably won't listen to it again, atleast not the whole album

Before listening- I never got the appeal of Elvis costello. First track I’m thinking it’s power pop- is that why he is loved? So far it feels like a vanilla new wave power pop. Pump it up annoys me too. I did like lipstick vogue and I really liked night rally- the latter was an affront to the rise of fascism that could be sung today with just as much immediacy. That was a perfect closer- why did they change it for America? Lame Americans .

Nice album, enjoyable listen. Elvis Costello has a cool sound that tends to resonate with me and doesn't leave me with any lingering "why did he write this song like this?" questions. The flip side is that his records can then tend to be a little forgettable for me unless I'm really tuned into the songs (lyrics mostly i think). I have a feeling that on more listens I'd be rating this one higher. Cool album cover too. His stare and pose is pretty interesting. To me, I thought the album title would be about a car model "This Year's Model" but the album cover makes me think more of a person modelling (and being given direction by him). That's pretty cool- there hasn't been many album covers that have made me think differently so far in this list.

The superior Elvis?? I always liked this album. It’s just a lot of fun, even if it never reaches any particular peaks.

Although poppy, punchy, and, of course, pumped up, the lack of a certain je ne sais quoi will likely keep me from returning.

Not what i was expecting, but lively

Started great, but wore out quickly

Wouldve been a four star but the last 3 songs are not that good.

Huh

Really can hear the influence Elvis Costello had on 90s/00s alternative. This album is ahead of its time.

not bad, didn't leave a lasting impression. Would need to listen to again

Eh

Some Songs i really liked, some rather funky

I enjoyed it but probably wouldn't listen again

Blackcurrant with hints of date

i see the merit for sure but not really my thing. nothing really stood out to me

Very punk rock! Great Organ riffs. Pump it up -Adam Love the organ, but the vocals are a little hard to enjoy - Ari

Not quite sure exactly what genre this album is...maybe just "rock"? It's almost too generic to associate with anything but overall it was a solid album. Has simple melodies and rhythms which is nice.

I think I might just not like his voice... should probably give it another listen

It’s a pretty good album by a pretty good Elvis

This album takes a lot of different ideas and puts them all into one big melting pot. There is a lot on offer here. We've got Ska music, and some new wave, and some pop rock/punk. All genres that are adjacent to each other in some way, but also with their own unique characteristics. And Elvis does his best to blend those elements together on this album. I found that this album also balances two different time periods in music. Elvis' vocals would feel right at home on a 2000's pop punk record. But the instrumentation, especially the keyboards and synths sound straight out of the late 70's and early 80's. This record is just full of interesting combinations of ideas. That doesn't necessarily save the album from repetitiveness. They try a couple new things on each song to keep things interesting. But the variation is minimal. I do think Elvis actually has a really nice singing voice. It fits the aforementioned 2000's vibe really well. But nothing is super special about what the band is playing from song to song. As a songwriter, Elvis might be one of the greats to some people. And I'm not denying that he doesn't write some compelling lyrics on this album. They are eccentric and silly, but also filled with a slight bitterness to whomever he is speaking about. But I don't see this album as the glowing achievement a lot of others claim it is.

Niet echt knallers man, dit is dus dezelfde Guy die ‘she’ heeft geschreven. Dit album is meer oude rock ofzo.

Well crafted, but not my jam. There is a lot of organ. Definitely some bangers, though.

3/5, expected more from british elvis presley

Good music that's certainly been influential to many genres. But still niche and his nasal voice is an acquired taste.

Some really good basslines in this album. Better than I expected from Elvis Costello since I wasn't crazy about the other albums that we have review by him. Definitely a poppy sound to this album. This one approaches 4 territory, but it would be a stretch to put it there.

That was some interesting funky ska punk combo that sounds like it was way produced way more recently than 1978. Not the biggest fan of his voice but the instrumentals were quite good. I did really like The Beat.

I can see some appeal, to me, it’s fine: No Action lots of organ - reminiscent of TMBG; This Year's Girl vocals feel like Billy Joel; Intro to The Beat feels like Vampire Weekend, song is jammy; Pump it Up serious Billy Joel vibes (apparently We Didn't start the fire was 11 years later); Lipstick Vogue the instrumental breakdown is fun. Overall jammy, can feel the influence in lots of other music, feels very modern for 1978

Decent

Lo volvería a escuchar porque es el tipo de sonido que se acerca a lo que suelo elegir, pero no hay mucho que destaque, es un pop rock británico sin grandes lujos o variaciones

Yet another Elvis Costello album. It was one of the better ones. Had life to it. Songs got a little repetitive and I couldn’t quite get into it, but at least he’s original and sounds unique. 3/5

Ehhh it was okay.

I have to agree with the top review, this is the best Elvis Costello I've heard, but I don't mean that in quite as negative of a light! There is quite a bit here to enjoy, with Costello feeling liking he is putting the most effort into the music he's making more than anything else that I've heard, and it doesn't fall into that problem a lot of his music has where he never hooks me with the songs, as there are quite a few songs here that catch my attention. The issue is that even with most of the songs being pretty short they still feel too long and never do anything particularly interesting, at least, most of the time. Good album, I'd say, but still doesn't quite hit that four star mark, and I'm worried if this one doesn't, none of them will.

Best Costello album I have heard

This is really modern for 1978, could quite easily have come out in the 2000s and not felt dated. That said, it's just a bit underwhelming, isn't it? Feels like every song on there is an album track, in a style that is designed to generate singles. There's plenty of energy, all the ingredients are there, but it never quite comes together to make something truly memorable. 3/5.

i liked it. nothing too special for my listen experience

catchy late 70s pop rock. elvis costello shines with sharp lyrics and catchy hooks. tight band behind him as well. the version i listened to was the 2021 remaster which contained “big tears” and “radio radio”, the later of which was a brilliant indictment of the radio broadcasting industry. quality stuff. highlights: “this year’s girl”, “pump it up”, “radio radio”.

Pretty good background music for work but not sure I’d be down to listen to it whenever it pops up again.

Certainly the better of the Elvis Costello albums. Some of the songs are catchy and fun, I’ve just realized that it’s not my cup of tea.

Food for thought, is this the inspiration behind pop punk?

catchy tunes, sounds more modern than 1978. I like his voice too, the whole thing feels like an unknown 90s band that someone unearthed in a time capsule. It feels pretty generic if you ignore when it came out, so maybe it was a transitional album for that time period that inspired a bunch of people,don't know. But from this point in time it's not likely blowing anyone away.

# 18: Pump It Up! Nice beats, good vibes

Pretty cool rock album. Sounds quite 90ish for an album of 1978 ! I enjoyed it as well, nothing to crazy either but nice overall. Favorite Songs : You Belong to Me, (I don't Want to Go), Lipstick Vogue Rating 3.5 / 5

Easy to listen to but personally nothing to remember. I think it is an old album and potentially a game changer in the genre / subgenre but I am not really into it. I still liked listening to it. VERY LIGHT 2.5/5.

I'm not a big fan, but he does write some kinda good tunes. Just not my thing. Also, Escape Club stole Pump It Up.

Hand in Hand - 4 Rest of the songs - Meh (2-3)

Thought there was only one Elvis. This album was decent. Dunno why I got some RHCP vibes off it.

rock n' roll for smarty pants white kids So, yeah,

Heard it before?: Yes Enjoy it?: yeah, it’s probably one of the only of his I do like, very nice backing to the tracks and cool effects Favourite song: Track 3 - The Beat

Too gen x

The best of his I’ve heard on this list so far.

I only knew one song on the album. But maybe that was a good thing. I liked it!

Some pretty cool parts to this album.

While this list has too much Elvis Costello I thought this album was generally enjoyable. Pump It Up is a classic. I get tired of his voice but musically this fairly decent.

never heard any music by him exept she when I rewatch notting hill for the millionth time. i liked this music, it sounds good but a bit too dated. didn't like his pretentious voice, he didn't sound like that in she so the only reference I had was that. don't know if he sounds like that on every album...

мало слышала Костелло, но тут после альбома чё-то не вдохновлена

The songs are pretty good, but I think there are too many

I think I've come to the conclusion that j don't like his voice. Some very fun sounds here but yeah the voice was definitely getting to me a bit

in 1978, elvis costello traveled through time to read my 2022 review of his debut album. thank goodness he did, because he made this album with more energy and it's considerably better. costello definitely found more of his sound on this year's model. obviously he's new wave through and through, but there's something that nails his signature sound here. i suspect it's the keyboards! the almost throwaway lyric of "those disco synthesizers" from "this year's girl," the second track, seems to encompass the entire album. but also, really, the higher energy goes a long, long way. "pump it up" is obviously the most fun song on the album, and the other songs benefit from it but are also able to carry the high energy well. 3.5

You know, not only do I hear the birth of new wave in this music, which Elvis Costello and this album are definitely known for, but I hear what was no doubt a huge influence to the early 2000s singer-songwriter and indie rock movements. In parts, this sounds not unlike listening to something like Vampire Weekend. This was definitely better than the previous Costello album I had. In just one year and one album's time, he took a huge leap in style. But I'm still not a firm Costello believer; ultimately, I thought this was just okay-good. There are many more albums of his to go, though, so we will see.

Didn't grab me but good background noise.

this is an objectively great album, tuneful and well-crafted, i only want to listen to 'pump it up' repeatedly though

Not bad for Elvis Costello, better than a lot of the other albums

Fun album, but wouldn't listen to it again. Get a little tired of Costellos voice

I know it was on but I also don't recall it being incredible while also not being bothered by it to much.

It's upbeat, nice music but the voice of Costello gets a bit tiring

"The Beat" is a favorite of mine. For the rest of the album... I guess it's good but it doesn't quite stick

I don't know what it is, but there's sometime about Elvis Costello's vocal delivery that I just don't connect with. On paper he should be the kind of artist I'm really in to, but I just can't get there. It's like he's making up the words as he goes along and just can't stop shoving more words into the rhyme scheme.

Addictive riffs.

Favorite songs: “Pump It Up”, “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea”. I got distracted from this one a few times. The songs I liked the most were the ones I already knew. It was alright, but I don’t have much to say about it.

I enjoyed it but it all sounds so similar. Just ok for me.

Radio-friendly rock/pop meets fledgling New Wave. The songs are OK(ish), but nothing to make me come back to this album. The possible exception is (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, which was fun. But really, the early Elvis Costello probably just isn't for me. 2.5/5

Better than I expected. Way more pop than expected also.

Довольно-таки неплохой альбом, который повлиял на такое жанр, как "нью вейв", но по первым впечатлениям я пока не очень понимаю, нравится ли мне это, или нет, поэтому ставлю 3/5. Прости, Элвис Костелло :(

Bijna 4

Pretty solid as far as the 1230656 Costello albums on this list go. I'd honestly probably dig him if it weren't for the fact that the authors of this book clearly have a hard on for him to a ridiculous degree.

I'm just not an Elvis Costello fan! His lyrics are clever but his style and delivery do nothing for me. It's not that it's bad, it's just not my thing.

gostei do álbum, um pop rock animado, tal qual seu nome me lembrou o estilo musical do Elvis. assim como todos os outros álbuns ouvidos, não vai entrar pra minha playlist, mas foi uma experiência legal.

Acho que as minhas reviews vão começar a ficar repetitivas, visto que o meu sentimento por diversos desses álbuns estão muito parecidos. Mais um álbum que eu definitivamente poderia ter morrido sem escutar. Não é ruim mas é longe de ser essencial - Nada se destacou ou me conquistou para virar um fã do artista/banda. Um álbum mais pop rock fácil de escutar e sólido em todos os aspectos mas nada que eu colocaria em uma lista de 1001 álbuns para se ouvir. Particularmente, não gostei muito da voz dele, parece de alguém que está levemente gripado.

I understand why it's a good album. And I'm glad I listened to it, just not quite my cup of tea.

It's alright. It's definitely better than the other Elvis Costello album I had. The songs in general are at least quite musical and have something about them. 'Pump it Up' is probably the stand out.

haga lo que haga no logro procesar a elvis costello

rock n roll

Not as good as some of his other stuff. I like the grooves, but the organ kind of ruins it for me, it's this silly presence that messes up what could otherwise be a heavy hitting rock thing.

After just having Costello's first album 2 days ago, going right into this is a lot. This album feels completely full-throttle manic energy, it honesty kinda wears me out listening to it. Pump It Up is clearly the standout track. I think with Elvis Costello I've figured out why I can't get into it: an extremely verbose lyrics per song. To be reductive, it's just too many words for my tastes and I latch onto nothing. Maybe the amount of lyrics on a lot of the songs wouldn't turn me off but I find his voice kind of grating as well. Sounds so forced to me, but that could be his natural cadence as well, so who knows.

Still sounds surprisingly good. It’s aged well.

For an album I hear an awful lot about, and see on the internet as a staple to some people, I was left pretty disappointed with this one. It had it's moments, but mostly felt like a representation of the time and not much more. It wasn't at all bad, just a little outdated in presentation. Especially vocally. My favourite song was probably "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea. Personal Enjoyment - 6.5 Songwriting - 8 Lyrics - 7 Originality - 8 Production Value -10 Artwork - 10 Overall - 7.7

A good listen

It is hard to my finger on exactly what I don't like about Elvis Costello. It isn't visceral; I don't hate this album. I like the energy, the drums, the guitars, the flow of the vocals. The bass when it gets going is fabulous (eg Lipstick Vogue) but somehow it all feels joyless, cold. Even without listening too closely to the lyrics the cynicism comes through. Pump It Up is as energetic and hooky as a song can be, but it isn't buoyant, it doesn't soar. Does all music have to be cheerful? No, of course not. Sad music can be nice, angry music can be just what you need sometimes. This isn't either of those, either. I struggle to think of when in my life I would be reaching for music with this particular vibe. TL;DR It's good but I don't like it very much.

ok...

I think this author just hid a bunch of Elvis Costello albums in this list because either: 1) He is trolling us; or 2) He is a huge fan of this Costello and needed some ploy to get the world to listen to him against their will. That being said, this album is certainly better than his other albums.

No Action - A good intro for the album. Sets up the mood of the entire album The Beat - Funky bass! Probably funny lyrics - didn't pay attention that much Pump It Up - Wait a minute, this one has a pretty funky bassline too! Little Triggers - My fav so far. I listened to the remaining songs on the background. Did not really pay attention by I listen enough to know that I will revisit Elvis Costello again. 3.6/5

Enjoyed this one a little.

Probably Elvis Costello’s best album that I’ve hear so far but I also haven’t found one that’s that great in general. This is a bit more enjoyable as it has a soft rock style with good instrumentals. I do find his singing pics to be the hardest thing to like about him. May revisit but doubtful. 5.8/10

Fun catchy poppy post-punky.

Un début d'album plus consistant que la deuxième, mais ça reste très sympa et très bien foutu.

Fine to listen to, nothing amazing

Great album. Really east listening. No bad tracks

Decent, few bits that hooked me although overall not really something I like too much

Two days in a row, a famous, well regarded artist that I've never heard. I mean I thought it was fine, probably not going back for a repeat listen soon but i'll check out some other Elvis Costello stuff.

Varsin mukava levy. Sopi pyöräilyyn ja videopelin taustamusiikiksi. Lienee pakko tutustua paremmin tähän vähemmän tunnettuun Elvisiin kun jo pari levyä on mennyt mukisematta sisään.

Compared to the abysmal Blood And Chocolate that we already heard, This Year’s Model pleasantly reveals that Elvis Costello did have stimulating music worth listening to at one point. I guess he ran out of good ideas in the 8 years, and 9 albums, in between. The aspect that sticks out to me the most is how prominent the bass guitar is throughout the album. I notice it the most, then the keyboard, with the guitar playing a mostly lick filling role. I’m glad for the US version they removed (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea and added Radio, Radio. This does raise the issue of what is an album to me. Clearly there is no one version of this, and many other, albums, which breaks a construct I previously held prior to the 1001 album journey. Multiple versions aren’t bad necessarily, but they do render the album experience less universal. This also makes me think of how albums are typically more Frankenstein productions rather than a band playing songs together from start to finish, another construct I used to hold. I like that Elvis Costello and The Attractions recorded most of these songs “live” with minimal overdubs. That approach is more authentic. The Frankenstein albums result in a more refined, enhanced version of the artist’s and producer’s vision; however, they don’t represent the music a band can produce “live”. It’s kind of like airbrushing photos for a magazine. It’s an artificially produced version of reality made to induce a certain experience in the consumer. The authenticity of the imperfections is better to me. Back to this album, I like it and I’m glad I now know that Elvis Costello doesn’t totally suck.

Nothing too special. Worth to listen once.

I’ve heard of Elvis Costello before but couldn’t name a song. This is good and seems like a precursor to most of the early 2000s bands. Lenny Kravitz seems to pull most of his inspiration from here as well.

This voice annoys me but some of the songs are quite nice . 3 stars

All too similar

This was an enjoyable album with the conventional Three Good Tracks from artists who want albums to be an unobtrusive vessel for singles. However, I do think Costello writes songs quite cheaply and packs in some half-baked musings alongside some solid singer-songwriter pop. I find his American accent grating though and find it hard to pierce the surface level to find any depth.

Probablement l'album j'ai le plus aimé de lui

Zbyt zmanierowany wokal udający Bowiego

This is how all pop should sound ;)

Motivacional, me gustó

This was okay. I can see why people like Elvis Costello and how he made important contributions to the world of music, but this album didn't do much for me personally. I didn't hate it and wouldn't mind having it on in the background but I would never actively listen to it.

Siendo el segundo álbum de Elvis Costello, es el primero de la mano de su banda The Attractions. Nos presenta un pop recargado de energía, con elementos rockeros. Instrumentación distorcionada, sintetización, guitarras rítmicas, baterías cargadas y una voz que nunca desentona. Teniendo idas y venidas el pasar del álbum, cual marea, te va llevando sin ningún sobresalto. Todas las canciones tienen una continuidad genial entre sí. Con sus temas más soft y sus otros más recargados y movidos, hacen que sea entretenido en sus casi 40 minutos de duración. Es una joya histórica, ya que fue elegido cómo mejor álbum de su año de salida y ha quedado inmortalizado en las listas de mejores álbumes de la historia en su género.

The sound of this album is exactly what I think of when I think of dad rock. Not that it was bad, pump it up was good, but a lot of it just made me instinctively roll my eyes.

Not for me

One of his best. 3.5

Kinda punky, mostly enjoyable

I get it, you like Elvis Costello, but choose one album. They all sound the same.

Some days I would give this a 4, some day a 2. 3 it is. I don't know how I feel about Elvis Costello, it is mood based.

Interesting album. Felt like it had influence from every decade, like I couldn't pin it down in time. Nice sound, but man the lead sounds really dorky. Points for sounding ahead of their time at times though.

I really like Elvis Costello more and more as time goes on.

Nothing whiz bang but a solid enough listen

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The bass lines were awesome and I found myself just grooving while working. I will admit, I wasn't listening that attentively but it was enjoyable to have on while working.

Good bass lines through this album. I found myself bored by the same sound over and over though

Song aspects I really liked, like the band, but some songs were too repetitive and his voice didn't always work for me. Overall pretty good.

Ça me plaît bien. On dirait que j'avais plus d'attentes. Par deux fois, j'arrive à la fin de l'album sans m'en rendre compte.

Identifying Elvis Costello

It's not bad, not my style, I can see the appeal though.

Possibly Costello's best album

First listen

Not my thing

Yea is good

Mixed bag - intrigued to listen to other Costello now though.

5/10 Highlights: Jacqueline Michael Come on home

I want an album where The Attractions are the backing band for almost any other singer on the planet. Best track: Pump It Up

It's about what you want from a pop album. Fun, upbeat, and catchy. While it does have a pretty unique sound, it does get a bit samey. There were moments where I couldn't tell where one song ended and another began, which can be good if that's the goal (on something like Abbey Road) but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Klinkt veel moderner dan het jaar waar het vandaan komt. Niet heel pakkend voor de rest vond ik.

Chelsea a classic all in all but my favourites are more his melancholic songs, i Want you, Shipbuilding e.g.

Bon disc del moment, amb un grau d'originalitat i creativitat notable, però lluny de les millors obres del període; un artista molt sobrevalorat, tenint a més en compte que aquest és un dels seus millors treballs

good elvis

Not my flavor

It's fine, but nothing special

Voici ce que j'en ai déjà dit: "Oh, le changement de band fait du bien ici. La production est aussi bien meilleure que sur My Aim Is True. Par contre le Remaster de 2021 en MQA sur Tidal est à éviter. La version originale est bien meilleure, beaucoup plus dynamique. On a donc enfin un Elvis Costello qui vaut la peine d'être entendu. Le petit côté punk rock me plait beaucoup plus. On a aussi plus l'impression d'un tout cohérent sur cet album. Pièces préférées: (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, Pump It Up, Lipstick Vogue, The Beat."

Rockie album but you feel it's not the standard seventies rock album. What makes it quite interessting. Still not one of the greatest album for me.

The more talented Elvis.

Good song writing. Fun and upbeat. A little grating or annoying to listen to for long stretches

Nice. Mods revival Elvis Costello here

3.2⭐️

It's alright, energetic enough, pacey. Did not set my world alight.

a mood.. a vibe.. a feeling..

(3.5) Cool!

Didn't finish. It was fine but not really my thing.

A camino entre el pop y el rock, tiene buenos temas, buenas melodías y una voz muy personal. Algo me ha convencido, aunque le ha faltado otro algo

Costello has always been a singles artist to me: I usually like one or two songs, but never really the whole album. This is the third Costello album I've gotten, and that hasn't really changed. He's fine, he knows how to write a hook, he just never keeps me for the full record. All that aside, the bass performance on this record is absolutely insane. Fucking gymnastics through this whole thing. Anyway, call this record a 3.5, it's my favorite Costello so far but not changing my overall opinion. Favorite tracks: "Lip Service", "Pump It Up"

Apart from the 2 hits, I didn't connect with the rest

its got his big ones on. that's nice of him. a whole album of his singing voice is too much, he's quite irritating.

Ain't nothing but a hound dog

Not too special, but fun to listen to

I was more in the mood for Elvis Costello today than I thought I would be, but still not a big fan. At the start of many tracks I was hopeful, but then as the tune played on I lost interest. Shrug…still don’t get the big draw…

Yeah, this is what Elvis Costello sounds like. It's 1978 but not the 1978 that I lived through. I've always wanted to like this album since it seems like all the cool kids do and I was hopeful today that maybe I'd find what I'd been missing. But I didn't. I liked "Brutal Youth" better and that's probably why I'm not a cool kid.

On the previous Elvis Costello review I mentioned that I have always had trouble appreciating his music. As I put this one on I started reading the wikipedia article and was heartened to read that many consider this his best album. Perhaps this is where I turn the corner on Elvis Costello? This still is a solid “meh” for me. There were a couple of songs I liked better than the last album (“Pump It Up” and “Radio Radio”), but any moments of excitement were far too fleeting to draw me in. I didn’t hate it but it’s starting to look like Elvis Costello isn’t my bag.

New wave, power pop, punk, god sangskrivning, observerende

Didn’t peak my interest. Had it playing but after the 3 initial songs it was just alright

First album with the Attractions. Not his best. Steve Nieve is the man, he would better figure out his place after this.

Un Par de temas nuevos, otros más sosos

I liked some of this, but not all of it. Not what I expected from Elvis Costello, I was aware of him but didn’t really know his music.

Not an Elvis Costello fan and am just really neutral on this album. 6/10.

interesting album and he has a unique voice.

Intéressant. On a un petit mélange des genres ici. C’est très produit et très léché comme album. Pour l’année, le côté punk est déjà très propre. Le son de son rack tom est insuportable et attire toute mon attention... Pump it up est un incontournable.

Oh, le changement de band fait du bien ici. La production est aussi bien meilleure que sur My Aim Is True. Par contre le Remaster de 2021 en MQA sur Tidal est à éviter. La version originale est bien meilleure, beaucoup plus dynamique. On a donc enfin un Elvis Costello qui vaut la peine d'être entendu. Le petit côté punk rock me plait beaucoup plus. On a aussi plus l'impression d'un tout cohérent sur cet album. Pièces préférées: (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, Pump It Up, Lipstick Vogue, The Beat.

The opening track 'No action' sounds like an inferior reworking of 'Radio Radio' which is great, as are all the singles. The rest are all unmistakably Elvis Costello in up tempo mood - all jerky aggressive vocal lines and background organ. It's a hard listen.

Mmm not sure I get this one. To me this seems like a pretty straightforward pop-rock album. There isn't anything bad about it, the music is well written and the recording is quality, but I don't find it to particularly stand out considering the acclaim it has received. The tracks kind of all sound the same to me, and nothing seems to be that progressive for the era. Talking Heads came out a few months earlier, Parallel Lines came out a couple months later, both I find to be infinitely more interesting albums in the pop/new wave/punk genre. Overall, I think it sits comfortably in it's lane. Never really been a massive fan of Costello to begin with. Fav Tracks: Pump It Up, (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea

Mucha energía y canciones pegajosas pero que se sienten raras, como que no encajan. 3.5 que baja 3

Still - I think this seals the fate between Elvis Costello and me - we are not compatible. It’s probably me not him - and I do like the occasional Pump It Up and I feel him when he doesn’t want to go to Chelsea - but once I got it into my head his voice sounds like one of the Smurfs (an unfair judgement I know) I just couldn’t see past it. This relationship is finally over. It’s an ok album but 3 stars is the best I can do and we both walk away with our heads up high.

Ok album, enjoyed the music and some of the songs

Couple of classics on here, Pump It Up, (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, but the rest blended in to one for me. That organ sound got quite wearing after a while as well.

Fine and dandy

A bit of fun. Not something I’d ever think to put on

Wanted to listen to Elvis for a while, I was aware of his works. An interesting album although sounded a little dated good though.

With the exception of Pump It Up, (which is great), I've can't say that I've ever knowingly heard anything else by Elvis Costello, which is strange as surely someone would have recommended his music to me at some point in time - especially given his connections to Liverpool - but no. It makes me wonder who is Elvis Costello's audience? I quite enjoyed this album. Lots of interesting lyrics and compositions, more up-tempo than I expected, good fun.

I've always known about Elvis Costello but never listened to his records. I remember he was prominent on the scene in the 70's-80's as kind of a new wave MTV staple, but my rock music molecular receptors just didn't bond. Actually, in the wikipedia article I see one of the tags for his style is "pub rock," which does make sense to me. That reminds me of hooligan punk, like The Pogues. I did have some fun with the album and there was one track I was glad to hear - Pump It Up. The guitar whirled around in my brain but I had no idea where it came from. Pretenders, J. Guiles Band? Ignoramus, oh well.

6/10 Best song - Pump It Up

Not bad

Good!

I can appreciate that EC is a talented songwriter, and I truly love some of his songs from other albums, but so so soooo much of his song catalogue sounds very.. well.. very same-ish. That , and the nasal tone of his voice in general , means we're not destined to be pals

The album sounded fresh at first, but after a few songs I already started getting a little bored. Tight band, good vocals, but I stopped being engaged after a while.

Fun new-wave sound. Radio, Radio is great and such a good song to end on.

Rock

first listen fun little pub tunes

Once again, nice to hear a whole album of stuff from an artist I hear on the radio.

Still not a big Elvis Costello fan. He’s good at what he does - I’m just not that into this type of rock.

Meh

it honestly was 100% average. Nothing amazing but i didn’t not like it. He has a good fun music vibe.

1978. Pump It Up, Radio, Radio

For some reason Elvis Costello’s sound makes me think of Christmas. This album doesn’t have the edge the Welcome to the Working Week did, and I don’t find it as enjoyable. Still it was a pleasant listen and if I were to hear it again I wouldn’t complain.

It was a bit boring at first but ‘Pump It Up’ gave it a bit more and the rest of songs from there were better than the ones at the beginning. Overall it was okay.

3/5 okeyish but...

Was never the biggest fan of Elvis Costello but not the worst album

Love the Vox Continental organ. I’ll go (surprisingly) 3.5 considering how unmoved I was by Armed Forces. Did RHCP ever do (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea?

Turn it up and 2-3 other nice ones. I don’t want to go to Chelsea. Sounds like nothing else.

Like a much less talented Billy Joel!

Whilst there’s nothing here that has made me want to explore more of his stuff, it’s really hard to dislike any of it - love pump it up and a couple of others

I am surprised that this is a 1978 album because I feel the sound was mostly unique for the time. Overall it was alright.

Leuk, fris en energiek.

Aardig, maar wel weer genoeg Elvis Costello gehad de laatste tijd.