Reviews (page 7 of 7)
I feel like there are some good songs here, but the production really stands in the way of them shining.
Hope this rating doesn't offend anyone! This album didn't really do it for me, especially the artist's voice. Maybe not his best work.
T
So this is a weird one. It’s not terrible, I wouldn’t rush to turn it off if this album somehow popped up in my everyday listening. But having said that, I don’t feel the need to listen to it again. As such it’s getting a 2, though it would be more of a 1.5 if I had the ability to grade it that
Not bad
Not a bad album, but also not the kind of music I fully enjoy. Could let it playing in the background, perhaps.
Meh
2.5. nondescript, listened to it while cleaning. don't see why it's on this list.
#429 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ I can't stand Mr. Costello. His voice bugs me, his music is always the same and I don't give a toss about lyrics. I can tell it's him only by the sound of his vocals, nothing else stands out. Nope, 1/5
there's a reason you've never heard of this album
I think this list should change its name to 1001 Elvis Costello Albums You Need to Hear Before You Die.
This is really do shit and annoying
Wow "Pony St" is horrible, reach into a bag and pull out some notes and then throw them around. can't get past his voice, sorry
I am sorry to the Elvis Costello aficionados here, but six EC albums on this list? Seriously? Is this guy equally consequential to the Rolling Stones (also 6 albums on this list)? Is this guy nearly as consequential as the Beatles (7 albums)? Is this hell? I think Elvis knows the answer.
Fuckin sucks
This is not brutal youth, it's just brutal. I just hate Elvis Costello. I hate the amount of Elvis Costello on this list. I just can't stand it.
oh this isn’t presley? first few instrumental notes were good then his voice made me immediately angry about being subjugated to 56 min of it. i’ve gotten to 20% amnesia and holy shit this is terrible!! why is it in this list!!
охуеть мне очень не понравилось
P-p-p-p-pretentious p-p-prick. T-t-t-t-two stars. Just kidding. 1.
i find the strained vocals overly masculine and frankly kind of grating. might get flac but a little weezery. i’m tired of whiney men.
Christ, this man is irritating.
What the heck was the production on this. The drums sound like they’re in the bathroom with the door cracked open while it sounds like he’s singing at an awkward level right into your ear. It made mediocre songs sound so much worse.
Sucks! How is this on the 1001 albums you have to listen too. Elvis Costello has much better records. This is a disgrace.
wow the most underwhelming album to date. it’s my most surprising dislike, i was expecting to enjoy this but it’s just grating and whiny and his voice is so annoyingggggg. it feels like he’s yelling at me and the drums are just constantly crashing in the background it’s so overstimulating. i have zero desire to ever listen to anything costello ever again. i was initially gonna give it a 2 but when i listened to it with daniel later i realized how pervy it is so now it’s down to a 1. it’s just not good and i wish i hadn’t heard it tbh.
Holy fuck. Kill me. Kill me before this does. I cannot sit through an hour of this. No please no. This sounds like music from a shitty 80s musical. Or a theme song for a shitty 80s musical. His voice is genuinely insufferable. Oh my god. This fuckin album is a kinda murder. This is kinda like if bruce Springsteen sucked. This fuckass album is hell. I hate this. I wish I had amnesia after this. Favourite: Genuinely none Least favourite: Pony St.
Day 271 and I’m feeling jaded with this. You don’t need to hear 6 Elvis Costello albums before you die. You should probably listen to 1 or 2 tops. 1 star for being a pointless inclusion on the list.
Why!? Why!? Why!? 4 Elvis Costello albums!? Why!? Was this list written by Elvis Costello? Why do bad things happen to good people? If I end up in hell, no doubt I'll be subjected to a lifetime of this. Why? Just why.
To his credit, "flogging is a dead horse" is how it feels to play back another Elvis Costello at this point. I hope the woman with the leopard-print tights takes him for all he's worth.
he sounds whiny and constipated, he sounds like the inner thought process of everyone on the website listening to his music.
Weirdest thing, really. It sounds almost like everything I really enjoy in music since my adolescence years yet it annoyed me and I couldn’t make myself like it in the slightest. Probably it was an important and influential thing but for me personally it’s like everything is a bit off.
Het zoveelste album van de verkeerde Elvis, ik heb niet eens meer de puf om op te zoeken hoeveel we er hebben gehad en hoeveel we er nog moeten. Het album begint met precies waar ik een hekel aan heb bij hem, zijn irritante nasale zang is hier veel te prominent. De lijst heeft me gisteren nog even doen opveren met Jimi, maar het drukt me nu weer met de neus op de feiten: het is een verschrikkelijk slecht boek. Ik ben al veel te vaak mild geweest voor Elvis en ik ben heel zuur deze maand qua albums. Hij zingt het zelf al op track 4: this is hell. Houdoe!
Cinquième album de EC => 1/5 Je n'ai pas pu aller au bout. Aussi ennuyeux que 'Imperial Boredom' qui méritait bien son nom modifié ! Plus qu'un album à subir ...
Is he being serious or ironic with this shit, I can never tell. Kinda liked the clown strike song I guess. 1.8
1.0 despite the big names involved, I thought this was pretty much unlistenable. Im sure there is some solid lyrics and songwriting in there but im not sticking around to find out. Sounded like what a Elvis Costello parody album would sound like
++: 13 Steps Lead Down, London's Brilliant Parade +: Pony St., Clown Strike, Still Too Soon to Know, Rocking Horse Road, Just About Glad, All the Rage +-: This Is Hell, You Tripped at Every Step, My Science Fiction Twin, Favorite Hour -: Kinder Murder, 20% Amnesia, Sulky Girl 3,3/10
I haven't listened to much of Elvis Costello yet but I have heard a little of his early stuff, and I liked it, however this is trash; his voice constantly crosses over into a Donnie Thornberry-esque raspy style of singing which I hate. Only good thing about this album for me is that it made me laugh out loud.
I stg if Elvis Costello is my top Spotify artist this year I'm going to cyberbully someone
Not often I make an unfavorable comparison to Smash Mouth but here we are
I think you need to be a solid late Boomer or early Gen X'er to be into Elvis Costello. Not being in that group I've always just found him annoying and snobbish.
bitte nie wieder so ne albums vorschlagen bitte
Couldn't finish listening. Dreadful
:20 in. what the heck? yep i did hear those lyrics right... I'm sure this would make a good tv series intro song?
i almost formed a thought about this album
truly brutal
Why would I listen to Elvis Costello when I could just listen to whatever artist he's attempting to emulate? I hope this is the last of his albums on the list. I've already had at least 3 and I've hated all of them. This album started with a Springsteen rip off, and went straight to a Tom Petty rip off.
Yee gods, this one was worse than the last one. It was “brutal” alright 😒 Bailed after a few tracks this time. Then spun my copy of Amon Amarth’s Once Sent From The Golden Hall for the good kind of brutal 🤘🏻🤘🏻
1.pony - 1 2. murder - 2 3. douun - 1 4. Hell - 1 5. Clown - 0 6. Step - 1 7. Know - 2 8. Amnesia - 1 9. Girl - 1 10. Parade - 1 11. Twin - 1 12. Road - 1 13. Glad-1 14. Rage - 1 15. Hour - 2
Ik vind Elvis Costello niet leuk. Tenenkrommend. Veel andere muziek kan ik zeggen dat het genre mijn smaak niet is, maar dit is gewoon echt niet leuk. Moeilijke stem, domme teksten.
Het tweede album uit de lijst. Terwijl ik luister vraag ik me vooral af: voor wie is dit eigenlijk bedoeld? In mijn hoofd zie ik een soort jaren 70 setting voor me, huisvrouwen die half wegzwijmelen bij de stem van Elvis Costello terwijl ze een overhemd staan te strijken. Misschien slaat dat nergens op, maar zo voelt het een beetje. Het album blijft voor mij hangen in een soort niksigheid. Het is niet echt rock ’n roll, maar ook niet echt pop. Het zit er een beetje tussenin zonder dat het ergens echt landt. Wat me ook opvalt is dat Costello erg gelooft in herhaling. Refreinen bestaan soms uit één zin die hij gewoon blijft herhalen. En bijna altijd is het een slappe zin die ik de eerste keer al gaar vind. Ik vind dat Elvis Costello verbannen moet worden uit deze lijst. 2 albums is echt veel te veel.
Souvlaki, by Slowdive, was truly a triumph in what made rock music exciting in the early 1990s. Swirling guitars, psychedelic song structures, adding on to the traditions of Great English rock with an entirely new twist. Truly a timeless classic. Oh? Or, just add a generic sounding bar rock album from an English rock star of yesteryear to the list. Um, where's my paycheck??
Not stellar
Not for me. 1/5
I had heard a few Elvis Costello songs, thought they were alright. This was awful, like painful to experience.
Musically pleasant, but I hate hate hate the vocal across the entire album. Is it double tracked Elvis and he’s not synced up with himself? Is the backup singer someone else and a true novice? Let’s take it down 4dB so we can hear the rest of the mix, shall we?
Did not enjoy this at all.
Nope
Pues me resulta muy plasta, me dan ganas de cambiar de Artista (no de canción) en todo momento... me resulta como molesto... quizá tengo mal día jajaja
i'm sure every other comment except a handful asks the same frustrated question: why/how on earth did this make the list? this is a bland and uninspiring hour-long album from a guy who did his best work almost two decades earlier. it's not terrible, but it's not good. i just don't understand. favorites: the only track that accurately summed up my time listening to the album: this is hell
First Elvis Costello! Gonna be a big fat NOPE from me dog. Brutal indeed. If this is a sign of things to come I am in for some pain.
this is my first of six(?) elvis costello albums that are on this list. i've seen that he's considered one of the best songwriters of his time, grouped with bob dylan and such... why is it that i keep finding these so called 'lyrical geniuses' to be the most insufferable musicians to listen to? i hate the structures/arrangements of the songs in this album, the general sound is also quite flat, vocal layering is grating, the instruments also sound like they're lacking depth. and just overall, it seems to me like this style/genre of music just doesn't really suit costello; his vocals don't really stick together with the rest of the band but that might just be the result of poor mixing of the album. another thing that annoyed me personally is the way he sings the high notes in his songs... it sounds annoying, he's trying so hard, it does not work for him at all yet he does it so many times, ugh. anyway, the album as a whole was boring, forgettable and a little too long. hated it, though can't wait to hear his other stuff!
Just bad, couldn't finish it
No more Elvis Costello please. Thanks.
no.
LOL
Costello album #4 for me. I still do absolutely not get people's fascination with him, nor why on earth he has four albums on this list. They all sound more or less the same anyway. Except on this one, his voice has a grindingly annoying quality I hadn't perceived so far.
Why is there like 30 Elvis Costello albums on this list?
Way too little musicality, the vocals were made front and center of the record and they sound terrible. Every time I thought there was a decent riff it is quickly drowned out by Costello and his wailing. Elvis Costello feels like a practical joke, but knowing he is taken quite seriously by the Gen X and New York rock aficionados is truly perplexing. This barely qualifies as music.
not for me.
Elvis Costello in this album really dislikes women, especially if they wear high heels. Also dislikes men who like women. I don't have room in my life for this.
I decided to listen to every album of the day that comes through. I haven't been excited about all of them, but I can usually understand why it was still an important part of music. Some made me say "that was interesting, but I'll probably never listen again", but Elvis Costello is just.... horrible
Costello is hit or miss with me. The songs that hit, "Veronica," "Shipbuilding" and "Alison" are favorites. Then his voice, which has limited range starts to bother me. This album was one long bother.
My previous criticism of Elvis Costello is mainly my distaste for his voice and vocal style. Unfortunately that criticism has only been exacerbated by this godawful production of the record at hand. The vocals are so intensely strong in the mix that I can barely hear any instruments. I thought at first it might be the fact that I was listening on my phone speaker, but after listening on both my home hifi system and the stereo in my truck, my findings have remained consistent. I have no idea who mixed and mastered this, but I hope they stub their baby toe on the coffee table this evening. The rest of the record is.. fine..? But it’s so hard to judge when all I can hear is that goofy clown voice. 1*
I just can't deal with that voice. Costello's strained and whiny vocals are like nails on a chalkboard to me. The songs on here aren't much to write home about either. You might a nice guitar tone or melody here or there, but the song will outstay their welcome, either because of the length, meandering lyrics, Costello's delivery or a combination of the three. From what I know about Costello, this isn't the best starting point so I will try to keep my mind open when his other albums pop up next.
The ramblings of a mad man. It's a shame, the music and the production on this album are very good. The vocals ruin it.
Within the context of having 6?! Elvis Costello albums in this list (insert the long rant of Patrick Bateman about Huey Lewis & the News having a better humor than Costello), this is their least popular record on the site and deservedly so. 6/10 [DROP]
Not for me.
Holy shit this was a slog! I kinda liked two of the songs out of 15. The rest were either forgettable or just plain garbage. 1.5/5
Have never listened to Elvia Costello before. Glad I’ve never wasted my time.
Like many other people doing the 1001 albums to hear before you die challenge are quite perplexed as to why the author has such a deep fascination for Elvis Costello to the point they are one of the most featured artists/bands on the entire list. Thankfully Brutal Youth is the last project I need to hear from Mr. Costello and I am happy to report it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Yes this album is extremely same-y in sound and style, but it doesn't feel as strung out as Imperial Bedroom or Blood & Chocolate but it also doesn't have the highs of some of his other career moments I have previously covered. Brutal Youth gives Elvis a lane to stick in for when he wants to continue making music late into his career, it is simple and to the point and definitely for some diehard fans and not casual listeners and MOST CERTAINLY NOT people looking for albums to hear before you die. Brutal Youth is definitely an album of all time and by no means an essential piece of music. Yeah man I don't know what else to say here....
Saaie kutmuziek
Hate at first listen. The songs are super annoying fusion of musical theatre type rock pop that really try to be punk and really annoying vocals and stupid knee-deep lyrics that are so pretensions I want to throw up. Some hasn’t aged well. Guitars sound good on occasion and it’s well mixed but that can’t save this.
Not good. I'm just about pissed I had to listen to this.
This album reminds me of the point approximately 3.5m in from the fog line…Middle of the road
Is this guy the poster child for this website? He is a musicians musician imo where he has some good hits and is undeniably a good songwriter but I just don’t get the obsession.
Wow I didn't like that
This one seemed tougher to get through than his usual droning.
Costello's voice was too grating for me. His inflections, pronunciations, and nasally voice was an unpleasant combination to my ears. The instrumentation was bland to me as well. I am going to temper my newly found prejudices whenever we get to early Costello, but this album was not a good introduction to him for me.
Not for me 1/5
"This is hell"
just sick of this guy
Cover sucks Music sucks Wish I had 100% amnesia after listening to this crap
In the past five days I've had two Elvis Costello albums and Kollaps. What will this do to my spotify recommendations? For some reason, the more I listen to this guy, the less I like him, and the more weird vibes I get from his music. This album certainly didn't change that, and I'm still not convinced he is singing the notes he thinks that he's singing. Favorite track: Guess what, I don't have to pick one. This is an entirely self-imposed rule, and I don't even follow it half the time anyway. (I will add a track to my playlist though, because some things are sacred even in the face of adversity.)
Make it stop 😭 The worst of Elvis Costello and I don't sat that light, because the rest of his albums are absolute trash as well.
Why are there six Elvis Costello albums on here? No Louie Armstrong but six fucking Elvis Costello. You need to get your fucking head examined.
Elvis Costello har alltså med 6 album i boken. Och då är inte samarbetet med Burt Bacharach som faktiskt förtjänar sin plats ett av dem. På något sätt har kritikervärlden lurats in i idén om Costello som en av de riktigt stora i populärmusikhistorien. Jag har själv gått på myten och inhandlat diverse skivor på mässor och loppisar. I regel har det blivit en, max två lyssningar innan de sorterats in i hyllan. Det är helt enkelt inte bra nog. Det samma gäller för Brutal youth. Kantigt och skevt. Costellos röst går inte att ta fel på, men jag vet inte om det är till hans fördel. Jag tröttnar rätt snabbt. Låtarna pendlar mellan tråkigt och rent ut sagt dåligt. Tydligen borde man gilla Costellos musik, men här liksom allt som oftast när jag lyssnat på honom gör jag det inte.
Boring. Long. I didn’t think Elvis Costello was even still relevant in the 90s.
Please stop
1001 albums, but why did over 5 of them have to be from Elvis Costello? I am so confused. This is easily the most insufferable album by Mr. Costello from beginning to end, and the fact it's near an hour long was brutal (ha, get it, like the name of the album!). Giving this a 1 star.
That was our 5th Elvis Costello album and it was an hour long.
Snoozefest
Let me just say, it is VERY difficult to get me to give a 1 as a rating.
At somepoint in the late 1990s the hotshots at VH1 decided that we all needed WAY more Elvis Costello in our lives. Surely he's one of the most singular and important artists of his day, widely beloved and full of creative energy! No, he was just despertate to get on TV and show off his collection of embarrasing hats. Dude made 2-3 good albums in the 70s and we're meant to care about his long career making the blandest say nothing mid tempo rock? I don't think so, pal. This isn't aggressively bad, it's just relentlessly dull.
Thank god I never have to listen to another Elvis Costello album ever fucking again (this was album 1088 for me).
Really didn't enjoy this one. I can hear how he may have influenced a bunch of bunch of bands I've liked in the past, but I couldn't get into this one.
Please. It hurts…
I am not an Elvis Costello fan and this album did not win me over. I appreciate a lot of his lyrics and songwriting but I just can’t get over his voice. I think “This Is Hell” would be the only keeper for me although I appreciated tracks like “Sulky Girl” and “London’s Brilliant Parade”. I wouldn’t recommend or listen again unfortunately.
not a fan of this at all i don’t even know how to describe it. it’s like music that gives u an ick. leave m alone
lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa lisää costelloa
Shite. Everything he does is pure shite
We all need to stop pretending Elvis Costello is worth listening to.
Another mystifyingly overrated artist.
Im honestly unsure how this album made it on a list like this. Not an awful album but probably one of the weakest on this whole list. I would say the singles were the correct choices but Costello really can’t do slow songs. 1. 13 STEPS LEAD DOWN 2. SULKY GIRL 3. KINDER MURDER 4. YOU TRIPPED AT EVERY STEP 5. LONDON’S BRILLIANT PARADE 6. THIS IS HELL 7. PONY ST. 8. ALL THE RAGE 9. JUST ABOUT GLAD 10. 20% AMNESIA 11. CLOWN STRIKE 12. MY SCIENCE FICTION TWIN 13. ROCKING HORSE ROAD 14. FAVOURITE HOUR 15. STILL TOO SOON TO KNOW
Bedrövligt ändå. Han sjunger som en kratta. Rösten är inte en sångröst och hans teknik hemsk. Bättre låthantverk jämfört med debuten, men ändå inga tydliga hits. Känns fortfarande identitetslöst, töntigt och som att han leker artist. Och alldeles för lång, andra halvan draggar ordentligt. Det är helt obegripligt att han har den karriär han haft och att han är med i den här listan med så många skivor som är med. Blir provocerad och frustrerad. Kommer lyssna igen: NEJ Bästa spår: kinder murder Betyg Daniel - 3 av 10 ( 1 av 5) Dawid- 3 av 10 (1 av 5)
This was incredibly annoying
He's trying to sing in cursive but never learned how to join the letters up
No esperaba mucho e igual me decepcionó
Costello really sucks at songwriting…
Extremely generic and extremely boring
Nope
Not a fan.
Brutal listening experience.
i'm ok
please stop it with the elvis costello albums. I cannot bear to listen to another one.
Not even a great album for the 90s, much less all time. Definitely should not be on this list. A complete waste of time.
Never really was a fan of this Elvis
I didn’t enjoy this at all.
2/10
Not warming up to this douche in the slightest. Occasionally the guitar will come in and I’ll think maybe this one will be okay and then his insipid voice comes in and ruins it. I think I only have one more of his records left, mercifully.
Meh not my style
Power Pop going uppy downy on every syllable in the vocals and in the harmonies. Glad this is over now.
Oh the sigh I sighed when this one came up. But I will say this was better than the last Costello album I pulled (Piss & Chocolate or whatever it was called) which I think made me not as miserable.
Lyrics are excellent, but that's really the only thing I like about Elvis Costello. Genuinely have no reason reason why it doesn't work for me, but it really doesn't.
Half way though I thought I’d give it the benefit of the doubt and go for 2 stars. By the end, solid one.
Fuck world peace or having loads of money. My single greatest wish is that this is the last Elvis Costello album I have to listen to. 🙏
Hat mir gar nicht gefallen
Schon nach den ersten Sekunden hatte ich das Gefühl: Das ist Rockmusik für Leute, die keine Rockmusik mögen. Eingängige Songs mit konventionellen Strukturen, erwartbar instrumentiert und gespielt – alles sauber, alles ordentlich, aber ohne Ecken und Kanten. Elvis Costellos Gesang erinnert mich entfernt an Rod Stewart, weniger im Klang als in der Art, wie er sich unangenehm in den Vordergrund drängt und für mich diesen typischen Radiorock-Vibe verkörpert. Er ist jedenfalls ein sehr schlechter Sänger. Ich habe mich wirklich schwer getan, diesen generischen Sound durchzustehen, und war ehrlich gesagt erleichtert, als das Album vorbei war. Einen Favoriten? Gab es nicht.
A full album is too much of his whiney sneer
First album I could not finish
Overall unremarkable, didn’t love his voice
Not a fan of Elvis Costello and his voice
1/5
Maybe I’m jumping the gun starting this review 4 songs in but it’s pretty corny right? I also cannot believe the Spotify bio on this man. “A sneering spitfire, the smartest and meanest singer/songwriter in the first wave 1970’s punk rock”. He’s singing about a clown strike with “la la la” in the background. Joe Strummer is rolling in his grave. I guess the next bit of his bio talking about how he bounces around genres is true enough because the contrast of that opening sentence and this album couldn’t be any starker in my mind. I only knew Costello from the “We are the world” video and idk what I expected but I’m still disappointed. He just feels pretentious. I can’t deny the songs and lyrics have some complexity to them but it’s the way he overemphasizes his singing. I can see the talent but it’s all hidden by the way he chooses to sing and arrange the music. He’s too giddy to be singing about anything deep yet it seems he insists on trying to do that. 20% amnesia at least sounds kind of punk. I would’ve preferred an album of that style. I can’t fuck with the rest.
Virgin Michael Buble.
56 minutes is entirely too long to have to listen to Elvis Costello's voice.
OMFG how is there yet more Elvis Costello!?!! My last review pointed out I'd rated him 3, 3, 2, 2 so far and then gave the last one a 1 out of spite. I still feel spiteful. I really don't want to live in his world.
"This Is Hell" was actually written in reference to listening to this album.
It really is getting quite grating seeing Elvis Costello pop up in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Let’s be real, most people have heard one or two songs of his. So why are so many albums considered essential? He’s not even the main Elvis! Anyway, today’s album was very much more of the same, with nothing particularly standing out much. If this was the first of his I’d heard then perhaps I’d have liked it more, but it’s just the same thing over and over again at this point. Listening to so many of his albums has actually made me find him a bit annoying.
1.3 Elvis Costello AGAIN! How?! I think he's now my most common artist. More than the Beatles. More than Zeppelin. More than Pink Floyd. More than Radiohead. In the 1,001 albums everyone needs to hear. This is completely mental right. I can only assume the guy who made it is either his son, his best mate, is severely indebted to him, has had their family kidnapped by him, or is deaf and got his Elvis' mixed up. Anyway, to the music itself. Shite.
Again I rolled my eyes seeing Elvis Costello pop up. I think I would need to be British and coming of age in the early 1980s stuck on an island with limited choice to care about Elvis Costello. I don't think he is an interesting vocalist. An English man pretending to be an American rebel from the 1950s. The music that a checkered floor in a diner would make if it could. They don't need Costello on here 6 times. It's pointless. I might want 100% amnesia after this. How did this guy trick so many people. He should sell off his assets, stupid hats, and donate 99.88% of any money he made off of music to other musicians his age that might be struggling financially. He should be ashamed of the life he lives off of his music. It feels like a music label executive bought him his carrier. I guess we can all have different taste in music. Enjoy.
"Most rock critics love Elvis Costello because they look just like him." -DLR I don't hate Elvis Costello. I just don't care about him. I don't get how many people put him on a pedestal and love him so much. To me he is astoundingly mediocre. I like about 6 EC songs. To Elvis Costello fans that sounds like I hate him. I'll tell you what I DO hate though. This album! It fucking sucks!
i always thought i kind of liked elvis costello but maybe i don’t because i couldn’t get through this album. has his voice always been this annoying?? how is this considered one of the 1001 albums to hear before you die??
Don't know what it is about Mr Costello. His well known tracks are brilliant, but listening to a whole album is really shit. It's hard to believe it's the same artist (except for his voice, noone else could have a voice like that). Sorry, but it's only a 1.
No. I really tried, honestly. But just can’t find any joy or inspiration from this man’s music.
This genuinely had no reason at ALL to be an hour. Full of the worst vocals you've ever heard and the worst, most random background music going on. Really really hard to listen to. This does not deserve its spot on the list. Fav Songs: This is Hell (don't you love it when a song describes the album)
Elvis Costello never sounds like he knows where the song is going, and ad libs both lyrics and melody in order to make something that is totally unique to him, because no one else would ever think to go in the directions that he takes songs. Sometimes, this thought process works out, and even though I'm not a fan of his music, I can at least see the effort behind it. This album, though? Utter incompetence, like watching a dementia-ridden patient try and recover some semblance of music creation in a genre he arguably helped start, all while his audience just sits there and seem to spout variations of "you can do it, buddy!" despite their knowledge of its subpar at best presentation. Every song here is sloppy, annoying, and even struggles to be a vague idea of catchy. There's so little going on, and yet every time Costello opens his mouth it just sounds like someone purposefully singing with the worst voice possible to annoy their friends, and with each subsequent track it just digs into you more and more. Perhaps there is a track or two that is "better" as the album goes on, but clocking in at nearly an hour, you start to stop caring about ten minutes in, which just leads to every single track past that timestamp being torture. I listened to this album less than twenty-four hours ago, yet I could not tell you anything about any of the tracks save for "boring and annoying," and that really stings when you're subjected to just that for longer than what should ever be necessary. Lyrically it isn't much better, with nonsensical lyrics trying to be deep for the sake of sounding smart plaguing the whole thing, and only relax on the more stereotypical love songs, which are still, say it with me, boring and annoying! God, its just obvious that this is an album where a singer has completely lost his touch, and with no band to support him positively musically, and no Nick Lowe to produce, the cracks of Elvis Costello really start to show. Perhaps not one of the worst albums of all time, but one I immediately despise.
“This is hell / I am sorry to tell you / It never gets better or worse” Terrible voice and just bland
Didn't finish. The vocals are outright painful to listen to.
bad
Sigh. He is terrible. His voice grates. This is my second Costello album on this list, and as the track says, This is Hell. 1
I think the song “this is hell” is actually self referential because this album is awful and never gets any better
From 1:19 to 1:22 and 3:07 to 3:10 on 'Sulky Girl' there is a great guitar sound that is not revisited until the second-to-last song 'All the Rage'. That is everything positive I have to say about Brutal Youth, the fourth(!) record by Elvis Costello on this list so far. I disagree with basically every melodic choice made on the album. Every track, with the exception of 'All the Rage', is too fast to be a ballad or too slow to have any lasting power. And Costello's vocals are at their worst here, especially when he decides to force an unsettling vibrato. AND it's way too long.
Please, let this be the last Costello album
There's a song on this album called 'This is Hell' which repeats the lyric 'this is hell' countless times. I have to say that I agree.
Annoying…
Listen, I've been a good boy, I've listened to every single album we've gotten to the best of my abilities, and I've saved at least one track from all but two albums (Dagmar Krause's piece of dogshit and another one that wasn't one Apple Music and wasn't good enough to warrant a download). I listened to this, of course, but I almost wish I hadn't, and I can't say that about any other album on this list (not even Dagmar Krause). This sucks. Elvis Costello has done the opposite of growing on me. He's gone from this quirky artist to one of the most annoying recurring nightmares this list has to offer. His voice SUCKS. I don't normally say that, I understand people have different voices, but I geniunely hate his, more than almost any other vocalist maybe ever, ever. Incredibly whiny tone, and the music surrounding it is just a complete nothing-burger. I will remake my own version of a list like this, and who knows, maybe *one* of his albums will make the cut (I know at least one was pretty good). But not however many are in this list, and certainly not this one. There was one track I liked for a bit (think it was "Clown Strike"), and then--like a clown striking out from the darkness--his voice smacked me in the face full force and I had to skip. I skipped most of this. The guy who made this list should've skipped this album. Favorite tracks: ..... Album art: Little kid standing with arm around another little kid. Picture is fine and all, but with the text portion it honestly seems like a fake cover. Or like some garage punk band's cover, it's very low effort, and not in a way befitting this extremely melodramatic prick. 0.5/5
Terrible. It is and always will be elvis costello
I guess we were letting any body get famous in the 90s. This is the sound I expect to hear when my uncle's cover band starts writing originals. Dude sounds like he's singing with his nose plugged. The only redeeming quality is that some of these songs could sound decent if another band covered them.
No. There is no reason why any elvis costello album belongs on a list of albums that anyone should hear ever. This is a bad album. 1/5
Nah.
When i started 1001 i didn't mind his music, last album i lost all interest in his music and now to quote a song in the album "This is hell". This is now my third album and realice that there are 3 more... I get that his music has had an impact on music in some sense but not 6 albums worth. This is kind of insulting to other musicians (even if other artist don't have 6 albums of perfect albums it is still better than this guys personal top 6 Elvis Costello albums you apparently "Must" hear) if you look at the listens on Spotify i bet they come from 1001 generator listens. So yeah, the album is probably a 2 in terms of uniqueness and musicality. If all you go on is lyrical content which seems to be the selling point of some of the most, i personally don't care.
Fuck this guy
I just couldn't.
Did not listen
Having SIX Elvis Costello albums included in this book is embarrassing in itself, but having this one in particular is downright stupid. Come on, Weezer's Blue Album released the same year isn't even there but this boring ass album is? I hate this place.
"This is hell, this is hell I am sorry to tell you It never gets better or worse"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA... hahahHAahaHAHAHAAA...AHHHHHHHHH AHAHAHAHAHA HHAAHAHAHA!!! WoooooooHooooOOOOOOOO!!!! HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHHHHHHRGGGGGGGGG Heeheheheeeee HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH * hysterical laughter *
Never into his music 40 years ago. Relistened and still not into it at all. Choppy music and vocals that sound like they're emanating from someone sitting on the toilet - and struggling to make progress!
Maybe I'm soured since I had another of of his recently, I do not like his style. I am not looking forward to more of this guy's stuff showing up. Will I listen to again: 0%
1.5 ole elvis sure kicked up his annoying voice up a notch on this one. His aggressive vocals sounded like puddle of mudds cover of about a girl. And the rest sounded like a bad Randy Newman knock off
2/10 very annoying voice
Kinder Murder 20% Amnesia It sounds like Quagmire from family guy. Nothing good to say about it. It’s just about average.
what he lacks in singing ability, he lacks equally in lack of rhythm and poor instrumentation
• really didn't like this, wanted to turn it off after every song. no cohesive theme to the album. i don't like the showtune-esque sound of his instrumentation. and his voice is not pleasing (in this context at least)
I don’t like Elvis Costello
I keep trying to like Elvis Costello, because people say they like Elvis Costello. Maybe he’s like, a really good dude. Musically though - sucks. Instrumentation was pretty good but lyrics and vocals were… not. I just don’t get it. Every song sounded like the theme for a shitty 90s sitcom.
I cannot understand 90% of the lyrics and it sounds like emo dad rock.
This album is hell I'm sorry to tell you It never gets better Only worse 👿
Not good
Nicht meine Richtung
Not my thing
Not my style
1 - I expected this to just be boring, but damn, this wasn't very good. It was pretty annoying. I can't even really explain why I think it's bad, it just sounds bad. At best, it's boring, but a lot of songs are just aggravatingly mediocre and aimless. I don't know why this is on the 1001 albums list, especially when there's already so much Costello on there.
Was this book sponsored by Elvis Costello or something? I can understand including his first 2 or 3 albums, but the average music listener absolutely does not have to sit through his late career albums before they die.
I just do not care about Elvis Costello. There is nothing here for me to get in to.
Meh, boring, didnt like, L+ratio+didnt care+snoozefest+#NotMyElvis. Significant 18/48 Liked 7/48 Added 1/48 Nonono
Child killer
cant stand this
En väldigt speciell stil som jag inte var bekant med innan. Ansträngande att lyssna på. Stundtals blir upplevelsen som kaviar och apelsinjuice för öronen. Har svårt att hitta någon underliggande melodi. Man får intrycket av att han improviserat hela skivan. Det är säkert något jag inte ”förstår” med Costello men för mig är det här ett straff
orka
Probably a 1.5 but I'm feeling unchained l uncharitable. I don't understand Costello's fame
Maybe the worst album I’ve ever listened to.
I couldn't even make it through this whole album.
Not my type of music
i guess just like… what’s the point of this? why is it an hour long?
Enough Costello!
How many Costello do we need on this albums list? 😐
This album is like every other EC album. 100% for creativity and instrumentation, 0% for execution. I find the constant tempo changes to be totally jarring. I wish for once he would pick a tempo or two and play it throughout the whole song rather than constant tempo switching. Love his voice, lyrics, everything, but I can't get past this. The songs that have gained the most popular success for Costello have been songs like "Veronica" that limit the tempo switching and have a smoother overall sound. So, want to love it, but kinda hate it.
I just can’t with this guy’s voice. It’s awful. It is entirely unfathomable how Elvis Costello has 6 albums on this list. It’s a conspiracy by Big Talentless Vocals (strangest industry I’ve dreamt up) to convince the world that Elvis has talent. He reminds me of the the fake announcer voice Howard Stern does when impersonating shitty radio DJs. “Double U EnnNNNNNnnnnn B C!” Ugh.
I see why this album has so few streams.
Pessima boce. Non si salva una canzone
This isn't good. I don't even know what I would call this. It's super not good
Boring and bland. Everything melded together like a forgettable film soundtrack.
honestly didn't like it too much, i dont really like his voice, and the songs are a little boring
Might as well rename this website into "the Elvis Costello portfolio", given this is the 6th album of his I'm getting here. And it's just as boring as the other 5. Believe it or not, there are other artists out there!
dont like his voice lmao
Dafuq?! What an uninspired, akwardly thin produced school band album… Here‘s really nothing, absolutely nothing explaining why this is part of the list.
Elvis Costello is BITCH MADE
I have listened to two Elvis Costello albums thus far and recently learned there are SIX on this list. This is not good news to me.
turhaa ja elitistisen kuuloista. melkein rockoopperaakin välillä, kuin Muse ois ottanu vaikutteita.
Costello toteuttaa omaa visiotaan siitä, miltä popmusiikin "pitäisi" kuulostaa. Mutta hänen biisinsä kaipaavat jotain muuta kuin rockin historian tuntemusta tai 60-lukulaista formalismia. Ne kaipaavat KOUKKUJA. Edes yksi please!!
Not into it
hate elvis costello
As a man whose job it is to be brutal to the youth, let me tell you what I think about Elvis Costello. He's a fuckin' little bitch man who could never be as brutal to kids as ive been.
I can't. I just can't with that voice. All that uppy downy on every syllable thing he does makes me want to hurt not just him but anyone I can get hold of. It's an instant rage maker. I get that he's very popular, but no, you can't make me listen to this, no amount of persuasion will work. Ick, I heard half a song, I want to scrub myself clean.
Elvis Costello is not my thing. It is just bad. He is clearly the favorite of the creator of this list.
This is not the first Elvis Costello album I have listened to. When I completed the Rolling Stone top 500 album list from 2012 I know there were a few of his albums on the list. Guess I just don't get him.
This album is pretty trash in my opinion! I quite like the odd song from Elvis Costello but listening to this entire album was very boring and didn't particularly inspire any feelings in me lol. Even musically I didn't really enjoy most of it or find it that impressive. I guess he's popular with lots of dads? But personally, I can't see why this would be on the list.
This album is remarkably boring. Elvis Costello's punk tendencies are wasted here, or even there, especially when "20% Amnesia" actually makes vocal sense, contrary to the rest of the album. Lyrically and musically, we can respect the creativity and composition of this album. This listener would never discourage Elvis Costello from making this music ever again, but it is telling that the need to say that is even necessary.
Fucking awful I just hated this. Preferred all the death metal we'd had. I cannot STAND his weird singing voice, it upsets me.
This was not very good.
bullshit
couldn't finish it :(( he annoys me
Not impressed. This one should stay in the 90's.
Not for me.
Elvis Costello, on this album, sounds like what Billy Joel would sound like if Billy Joel kinda sucked. The sound is... Unoriginal. It's exactly what you would expect it to sound like if someone who grew up in the rock&roll/punk scene, and who also happened to love Broadway musicals, but wasn't a talented enough singer to make it, told you that they were going to make a 50s pop revival album. The influences seem to be just a list of the most tired genres of white American/British music. The instrumental aspects of the album, with a few exceptions, are slightly more boring than necessary to achieve their purpose, which is apparently to be entirely subordinate to the vocals. This is unfortunate, because the vocals are pretty annoying. Costello is not a great singer, and I think the mix engineer did him no favors here: the vocals are dry, abrasively saturated, and way too loud. We looked up some of the lyrics, and our consensus was that it was difficult to tell if he had anything interesting to say, but it pretty much felt like the answer was no. Lots of love/breakup songs. Some annoying choruses (e.g. "this is hell"). Wouldn't recommend.
Oh man I don't think I'm an Elvis Costello fan but here we gooooo. Ugh this is just not good. I don't understand how he got so popular. I want to understand his context. Is he power pop? Pop rock? I cannot wait for this to be over.
I would rather go to a 5 hour nickel back concert then ever listen to this album again... I wish I could give him zero stars
Absolutely cannot stand his voice, it's like a cheese grater chuffing on my soul
Not my bag at all. Wasn't really interested in any of the tracks
bloody awful album