Imperial Bedroom

Is it me or is it the case that anything ever farted by Elvis Costello has made it into this list? So this is a protest vote. Yes, I can see how this music would feel the peak of musicness to many, but I find it boring and repetitive. Especially the fifth time around.

Like a slice of slightly burnt, dry toast. Edible, but not very satisfying. If it was a footballer, it'd be James Tarkowski.

Imperial Boredom

Costello's voice has always annoyed me, and the songs on this album are all so bland. It's completely unoffensive and mostly biege. Tedious.

Fucking Elvis Costello.

Kinda boring, can't remember a single thing about it

Elvis #2. I've never listened to him before. He's British, so I imagine we will get a handful of his albums before the list is through. It's hard to pin a genre label on this, it's all over the place. I'll say off the bat that I do not like his singing voice, it strikes me as whiny and annoying. The instrumentals were good, but overall quite bland. It doesn't add up to much, aside from a collection of posh, "adult" pop songs. This is certainly not for me. Favorite tracks: And In Every Home, Shabby Doll. Album art: Really digging this one, love the abstract picture, great colors. The text of the title is a little confusing but also creative. A shame the album is nowhere near as interesting or exciting as this cover. 2/5

Might require a second listen. It’s a really weird, interesting, quirky record. Definitely some Beatles influence. I think you can draw a line from this to some of the chamber pop of the 2010s. I don’t LOVE it but I think it’s pretty fun, pretty solid, I don’t know if I like it better than his earlier records, but it feels very distinctly Elvis Costello

Well, I guess it’s true what they say: “all good things come to an end”. I had a run of 15 records over the last two or so weeks, that, even if they weren’t all knock-outs, were all (save one) extremely solid and enjoyable. Everything was going great. I was imbued with a newfound sense of joy each morning while partaking in this list. And who should come along, to bring my hopes and dreams crashing down? Elvis fucking Costello, the bespectacled pied piper of shitty records. If he comes to your town, jam oily rags in your ears to drown out his nerdy siren song. Imperial Bedroom (1982) is his sixth studio album and the 32nd of his that appears on this godforsaken list. I don’t even know how to classify the music on this record, it’s like circus-jazz. Yep, that’s it…Circus-Jazz (TM) and Elvis Costello is the lion tamer: We, the audience, watch him intently, secretly hoping to see him mauled by the lion, but, alas, he tempts fate and survives another day.

It's fine. None of it's bad. It's good, but not great. It's also all over the place, and it's Declan at his most pretentious period. I'm an unabashed Elvis Costello fan, but dude has SIX albums on the list, and that's probably two too many. Let's bump this one from the list.

I hate to rate this so low, since Elvis Costello has other records I absolutely adore, but this...was not great. It was dull for me, and for once I found myself annoyed at his vocals. Other than a few tracks, I wouldn't revisit.

Very hard album to get through though it had a couple of decent tracks.

This album has been giving me goosebumps since it came out 40 years ago. The Attractions are at the top of their game in mellow, loud, chamber pop and everything else. Elvis’s songs cover relationships as usual with biting sarcasm and wordplay. The opening trio of Beyond Belief, Tears Before Bedtime, and Shabby Doll set a level of brilliance followed up through the whole album

Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello and The Attractions (1982) “Ineluctable modality of the visible . . . nebeneinander” “Ineluctable modality of the audible . . . nacheinander” —James Joyce, Ulysses (1922), chapter 3, “Proteus” In plain English, these two quoted snippets mean: (1) The inescapable way in which we perceive objects by seeing is adjacently, side by side (German nebeneinander), linking the visible with space. (2) The inescapable way in which we perceive objects by hearing is sequentially, one after another (German nacheinander), linking the audible with time. Space/visible and Time/audible. (This goes back to Aristotle’s Sense and Sensibilia [Περὶ αἰσθήσεως καὶ αἰσθητῶν] section 7, but let’s not get carried away.) There is great wisdom here, which is essential to our fullest understanding of poetry, and hence, our fullest understanding of Elvis Costello’s Imperial Bedroom. The best poetry incorporates both the spatial and temporal modes of perceiving, by producing mental images and setting them forth in an aural sequence. Yet it is helpful to distinguish (without separating) the two modes as our minds absorb the artistry into our souls. Now, a peculiar (perhaps unique) feature of the album as it was originally released is that the lyrics were printed on the inner sleeve, but the hole in the middle of the sleeve was ‘filled in’ by lyrics printed on the label on Side One (!) of the vinyl disk itself. This means that one could only read the entire lyrics with the LP in the sleeve (and properly rotated), and therefore, not on one’s turntable. Thus, since it was impossible to play the record and read the lyrics at the same time, the perplexed owner was forced to not listen to the music if he/she wanted to fully appreciate the message (Perhaps they got complaints, because later RCA versions of the LP simply printed a normal label and the full lyrics on an inner sleeve without a hole). Now this original packaging design may have seemed to be a quirky and annoyingly meaningless gimmick, but I’m sure it was quite intentional. Read these lyrics before you listen. It will keep you, whether you’re aware of it or not, from confusing the nacheinander and the nebeneinander. And what we find when we let the poetry speak first (I recommend the Genius app) is that Elvis Costello had some pretty strange things to say, and he said them quite well. With very clever wordplay (sometimes bordering on the trite, but always entertaining), superior euphony, vivid word pictures, multivalent allusions, clear cadence, and bold emotional evocations, Costello treats themes of troubled and ended relationships, social isolation, philosophical conundrums, lament for the departed, longing for seriousness, savagery in intimacy, frustration in being misunderstood, inexpressible love, the foolishness of adolescent promiscuity. And I won’t spoil it by connecting particular themes with particular tracks. If you just ‘play’ this album, it will zoom right past you. This is the poverty of MTV, YouTube, and the whole phenomenon of streaming, young folks. You’ll have to work hard to overcome the deficiency. I mean, just take his opening quatrain: “History repeats the old conceits The glib replies, the same defeats Keep your finger on important issues With crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues” This is not hopscotch. This is T.S. Eliot territory (well, I exaggerate, but hyperbole can be found in Eliot himself, although he’d deny it). Hundreds of gems like this in only fifteen compositions. Now the music, well, it’s Elvis Costello, produced by Geoff Emerick, known for his previous legendary engineering work for an obscure British combo called The Beatles, and backed by The (superb) Attractions. What’s not to like? As I’ve said elsewhere, in terms of his music, Elvis Costello is fond of the compositional device of ‘bending’ classic rock & roll, jazz, and pop sonic tropes toward the irrational. It’s more sophisticated than mere mockery. It reflects a redemptive abandonment of mid-60s popular culture’s self-inflicted illusion of hopefulness. It’s a musical expression of the reason why a question mark is curvy and an exclamation point is straight. On the minus side, there is sometimes a slight disconnect on the record between the musical and lyrical moods, but, hey, get over it. This album is a rare combination of musical and poetic sense. By distinguishing these elements as Costello undoubtedly originally intended, we can absorb the interplay as art. 5/5

What a fantastic album, no incredible songs but consistently good. Well matched to his voice in particular. Will listen to this again for sure

Beautifully crafted but also smug and soulless. Not much fun

p487, 1982. 2 stars I know he's a great wordsmith, but lyrically this is just depressing and bloody miserable to listen to. Very few standout tunes either. And something about Elvis Costello's voice leaves me cold, its either a whine or a sneer or a whiney sneer. Well done but definitely not my thing. Not likely to listen to this again. And will avoid sharp objects, pills and alcohol if I do.

Another Elvis Costello album proving he has too many albums on this list. One was worthy, the rest are mediocre.

Eh, Elvis Costello never really appealed to me. This album is pretty typical of my experience with him -- OK singing, and music that I don't like very much. 2 stars.

Shut up Elvis

Sophisticated arrangements!

a lovely variety of instrumentation, kind of unusual singing voice, and some lyrics that make me wistful for... something. An oddly shaped and unique pop album. Kind of reminds me of Bohemian Rhapsody a bit (but I'm a total layman to Queen...)

Another strong Elvis Costello album. Overrepresented? Yes. Overrated? No. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Man Out of Time Date listened: 28/02/24

He’s a good song writer, but I’m kinda sick of hearing his voice

Up there with the coolest album art we've had so far. I struggled to really 'get' this album - it started off good, but then some tracks just felt like they belonged on a completely different album (like '...And In Every Home'). I appreciate not just pumping out 12 variations on the same style, but I found some tracks on this one went too far the other way, and it made for a weird listening experience when you're coming to this album blind. That said, there are some nice little tracks in there - Tears Before Bedtime and Man Out of Time being two highlights for me. Just a bit confused what to think of this one really

It certainly helps that I’ve had many listens of this album prior to receiving it. At first, I wasn’t that big of a fan, but at this point, the record is filled with absolute gems. The album is filled with creativity and interesting ideas.

Great album from a legend in the singer songwriter field.

Not bad at all

This is one of my favorite records. Easy five stars. Elvis' scathing lyrics about his continuing interpersonal and romantic struggles are front and center on Imperial Bedroom. "Men will literally write five albums full of the cleverest turns of phrase about romantic strife instead of going to therapy."

This is among my favorite albums of all time and is definitely one of Costello's best. Interesting writing/lyrics, interesting singing, interesting songs, interesting variety, interesting cover art. It's a classic!

One of EC’s best

5 - this album has some amazing tracks that I never expected to find, exactly why I started this journey and it’s worth a second listen I recommend good headphones

Costello goes full on baroque pop. The album is just a staggering showcase of Costello's talents. He still focuses on what makes us fall in and out of love and looks under the duvet of relationships. Words battle with intricate melodies - this is Costello indulging and allowing us to indluge with him. Best Tracks: Beyond Belief; Man Out of Time; Human Hands

The best

I never heard of them before, honestly as soon as the backing vocals got less annoying this got really really good

One of his best.

Elvis Costello is an outstanding songwriter and the owner of one of the coolest singing voices I can think of--he and Tom Petty exist in a class of their own where their singing voices just sound cool. I'm making my uncle proud with this one. Favorite track: Man Out of Time

Another favorite from the past! Elvis & the boys go into a different gear with this one. Smooth and mature.

Enjoyed, can’t remember any of it already

One of my favorite Elvis albums and easily one of the greatest 100 of all time.

A singularly impressive achievement by a singular artist. Consistiently high-quality songs delivered with and conviction and purpose and supported by intriguing arrangements, ace porduction and very good playing throughout (tense and teasing piano plus pulling bass on "Shabby Doll;" tasteful and undestated strings + horns on "Town Cryer" are among the top grace notes, with the latter being an exquisite way [plus master class in how] to end a great record). So many good cuts – beyond the aforementioned, “Man Out of Time” and “Almost Blue” and "Beyond Belief" and "Little Fool" are among one's faves – and not a dog to be found in the lot AKNF, as was once said. One considers the snark and cynicism to be a feature not a bug. This is peak Elvis and probably the top destination on EC’s long and interesting career journey. One's a resounding yes on this being his masterpiece.

Costello knocks it out of the park, leaving New Wave behind and embracing his love of Bacharach lushness. The production is exquisite and his lyrics retain their bite - his word play is especially brilliant ('Days of Dutch courage Just three French letters and a German sense of humour'). Utterly sublime. Might this be his best work?

World changing…

Two songs in I knew this was a great example of a certified banger©

Good

One of the most creative pop albums I've ever heard. This is a great album to wander through on a Sunday afternoon. It's an album that's full of nuances, one best appreciated when you have time to really sit with it. Sophisticated, richly arranged and stylistically diverse. A bit challenging compared to some of Elvis Costello's other works, but totally worth the effort. Gorgeous arrangements, outstanding musicianship, strikingly clever lyrics, and one of Costello's best vocal performances of his career. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Beyond Belief, Almost Blue, Man Out of Time, Shabby Doll, The Long Honeymoon, Kid About It, Human Hands, The Loved Ones, Boy With a Problem, Pidgin English, Town Cryer, You Little Fool, Little Savage, ...And in Every Home, Tears Before Bedtime

Elvis Costello album #5 (and still no Bruce Springsteen or Radiohead, arrrgh) -and new favourite! Every time E.C. pops up I let my guard down, but especially so in this one. The lyrics are kitchen sink realism, & the production has everything but the kitchen sink. It's a weirdly good match what a strange transition between "Long Honeymoon" & "Man Out of Time" HL: "You Little Fool", "The Long Honeymoon", "Man Out of Time", "Beyond Belief", "...And In Every Home", "The Loved Ones" May 19, 2023

5/5 i really appreciate the packed soundscape. strings come in then vanish. keyboards drive a song then yield to percussion. some really weird production choices baffle me to this day (eg the chorus on kid about it). the excellent songs demonstrate the depth of ec’s writing talent, shown again and again before and after this album.

Top 10 albums all time for me

Another classic Elvis Costello record, out of all the ones he made this one would definitely be in my top 3.

Enjoyed more than expected, though took a while to get through. Almost Blue is cracking.

This album is so good. I would give a 10 rating to 5 of the first 6 songs.

This album doesn’t have the instantly recognizable hits of his early albums, but I agree with the critics who say it was his masterpiece. He borrows from a lot of different styles: jazz, country, baroque pop and blends everything together beautifully. You don’t know what’s coming up next but it always seems to fit. The songwriting is outstanding –Shabby Doll, Man out of Time, and Kid About It are my favorites but there really isn’t a weak track on the album. The production and instrumentation are very sophisticated, and his voice, which can be grating at times is breathy and at its best, due to the mixing I would think. It’s a “mature” sound, different than what came before, and better than what he did afterward.

Unexpectedly great. I loved how intricate all of the songs were. Lots of different instruments and moving pieces.

I think is this Elvis Costello’s apex in terms of experimentation. The album is dense, highly melodic and dabbles in unusual melodies and chord changes. It seems influenced by the early 20th century American songbook yet it also looks forward to college rock.

"History repeats the old conceits...the quick replies the same repeats", this album is tattooed on my brain..."so teddy bear tender and tragically hip", I love this record. This was his third album after his first early period of signature tunes. Trust was a fine lo fi album, then his country covers the wonderful Almost Blue and then this, and let me say his version of Almost Blue on this album wiped the floor with Chet Baker's sodden sulk. EC had been working up to this record, it is truly about the songs and he'd finally got the Attractions where he wanted them. Kid About It (the chorus vocal lines..."say you wouldn't", Beyond Belief, the epic Man Out of Time, Tears Before Bedtime, the Chris Difford penned and superb Boy With A Problem, this is EC in his lyrical and musical pomp, album that is played with monotonous regularity in our house her indoors also rates it highly. For the post new wave punk EC I'd start here.

Superb album. His best.

10/10 fucking LOVED the diversity it was so fresh and fun the whole time some parts were definitely a little too experimental for some people but I loved every second I’m definitely disappointed by how many people gave this a negative review why you gotta do this banger of an album like that?

"Imperial Bedroom" is the 7th album by Elvis Costello and the 6th album with the Attractions. And what a great album this is! It helps that it has my favorite two Elvis Costello songs ("Beyond Belief" and "Almost Blue"). It was produced by Geoff Emerick not Nick Lowe whom Elvis typically have produce. Elvis said this was his happiest album to date. I don't know; the lyrics are utterly brilliant but I don't know if I'd call them happy. The music is pretty happy though and is definitely a variety of styles. In addition, you can find something musically in almost every song making it worth a listen. The first single released was "You Little Fool" at the insistence of the record company due to its happy music. It is fairly happy music with the piano carrying the chorus and a song about a daughter's cry for attention and romantic misery. Not so happy. The album actually starts with "Beyond Belief" a song which slowly build to a musical climax. Great lyrics and imagery about the cycle of pursuing love....just fantastic. "Man Out of Time" is what Elvis said was the heart of the album and kind of autobiographical about a man disgusted with himself. Great well-balanced music too. "Almost Blue" is a sad piano song about two people growing apart. It needs to be heard in a smokey bar (which don't exist anymore). Pitchfork only ranked this at #155 for albums in the 1980's. There are 154 better albums? Anyway, I have heard a lot of Elvis Costello and this definitely near the top.

I was an ignorant 1 star wanker about Elvis myself once. Since I’ve hit 40 I’ve learned to embrace his snide, sneering, whinging cynicism. Y’all need to grow up.

Amazingly good, Costello doing what he does best

4.5/5. Prob my fav Costello so far. Quite zany

Wow. Can't believe I didn't know this album.

Wow

LOVED!

Great listening to the other Elvis.... quite a popular album when I was in college.....

Good surprise

Loved it!

One of my favorite albums.

Love Costello. Didn’t know any of these though. Nice surprise.

Average. His first two albums is his peak but this album is aight

Interesting overall and worth a listen. I'm not sure I'll be rushing back to it, but it was decent.

Haha sini gsungene Melodie mit de viele grosse Sprünge sind super 😂, bizli wacky aber gfallt mer. Mix isch mer mengmal chli schwer verständlich. Harmonischi überraschige konstant, findi prächtig

far be it from me to question Geoff Emerick's production work—the dude engineered Revolver!—but this is a very strange mix. there's a lot more of a studio-as-an-instrument feel this time around in comparison to my previous Elvis Costello outing, This Year's Model. I get the sense that, with Emerick behind the boards, Costello really wanted to lean into the whole Beatles angle. the thing that jumped out immediately was the vocal production. the main thing that makes this mix so strange is how forward the vocals are pushed, and it's especially noticeable since many of these songs feature a ton of vocal overdubbing. I'm not 100% sure if this vocal treatment really suits Costello as well as it does the Fab Four, but I also kind of enjoy hearing his voice with such clarity. he doesn't snarl as much on this record, so you get to delight in his newfound sense of melody a little more. this album's also got a lot more reverb than I'd have expected, truly one of the hallmarks of the eighties! with the new sound also comes a different approach to songwriting. there's hints of the new wave sound here and there, but in a lot of ways, this is a Baroque pop album in disguise. again, the Beatles are a major reference point. the way "Shabby Doll" speeds up and slows down; the expansive, Abbey Road-esque sound of "Man Out of Time"; the kooky, massive orchestral arrangement on "...And in Every Home", as well as other hints of brass and winds on songs like "The Long Honeymoon" and "Pidgin English"; Phil Spector's vision of a Wagnerian approach to pop is alive and well in 1982! what really makes this worth listening to for me is that, even with the clear influences at play and all the bells and whistles, Costello's sonic and compositional identity remains very much intact from one song to the next. he's much more introspective here than he was on This Year's Model; even just from the sound of the music here, you can tell he's in a more melancholy place. I'm not sure if this needs to be 15 songs long, but there's enough excellent tracks here, especially on the A-side, that this is definitely worth at least a few listens. decent 8/10.

Good stuff. Plenty entertaining.

I'm not by nature a Costello fan. He's got a great back catalogue of singles but I've never really managed his albums. This is good though - consistent, enjoyable, really nice production on it.

Very interesting and enjoyable. There was a really strong stretch in the first half of the album; the second half wasn't as good but still solid. Favorite songs were Shabby Doll, The Long Honeymoon, and Almost Blue.

7.5/10 Liked this one, only know a little EC but this worked for me Poppy British 80s rock with a diverse range of influences and instruments. Definitely seemed to be inspired by the sound of the Beatles and even Springsteen Best: Pidgin English

Well, after a whole year of waiting for the first Elvis Costello album, it's only fitting that I would get my second one less than two weeks after the first one. Of course. But this one's slightly different though! My Aim is True is just Elvis Costello, but Imperial Bedroom is Elvis Costello and the Attractions! They're completely different, I swear. They really aren't though. Making that difference a big deal is liking making a big deal over the difference between Neil Young albums and Neil Young and Crazy Horse albums. It doesn't matter. I don't want to say bad things about the Attractions though. They do a pretty good job with the instrumentals on this album. Of course, Mr. Costello himself also is still here singing in his unique style and writing lyrics pretty well. There's a strong variety in songs on this album. I have respect for this album for switching things up with each song. I can definitely sense a slight Beatles influence on this thing. Perhaps that comes from the fact that this album was produced by Geoff Emerick, who worked with the Beatles on albums like Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's, and Abbey Road. Overall, would I call Imperial Bedroom a masterpiece like the promotional material of this album said it would be? No. Honestly, I think I liked My Aim is True more. However, I still like this album. It's not the most essential album for a list like this, but I still like it for what it is. I'm not going to be one of those people who just gives this album a low score because of how many albums Elvis Costello has. I'm going to be fair, damn it! I think this album's a light 4/5.

Favorite Track: Man Out Of Time

(vocals-fronted mixing aside) this is a gorgeous sounding, fantastically arranged delight front to back! 8/10

Finally. Elvis. I read that I'll get my fill of Elvis, but not much so far. This is a standout album for me. Always a great lyricist in my estimation, it seems musical depth was added. This album veers away from the punk Elvis early vibe and into him as a musician. Ok, not just him, the Nieves (sp?) guy adds to the texture through composition and playing. Long Honeymoon is such a great example. Slower than the music I usually like, this song moves.

Cool 80s stuff, Elvis’ vocals might need some getting used to. There’s still good stuff to be found here though, pretty solid.

Liked the music a lot Maximalist

I actually thought this was good, didn’t recognise any “hits” from it but I thought there was some good track on here and I would listen again definitely.

Cool arrangements and good writing.

Best!

This is my third Costello album on this list. Somehow, this sounds much more genuine than the other two. More versatile, complex, and sophisticated than the others before. The production is much better, and so are the instrumentation and lyrics.

I'll admit while I have heard of Elvis Costello as a singer/songwriter/producer, I've only heard one song each from his solo career ("Veronica") and with his backing band the Attractions ("Pump it Up"). This would be my first full album listen to his work. Imperial Bedroom is his sixth album with the Attractions, expanding on their new wave sound to incorporate more orchestral instrumentation and ornate production. It becomes apparent out of the gate with tracks like "Shabby Doll" and "Man Out of Time" that Elvis was striving for perfection with this album. That makes for an experience that can come off as overwhelming at times, particularly with the number of studio overdubs Elvis added such as the vocals layered on the chorus of songs like "Shabby Doll" and "The Loved Ones", the unusual piano passages spread throughout the album, and the odd instrument choices like the harpsichord and mellotron that Steve Nieve contributes. I think I only started getting into the album's groove by the end of side one with the horn-accompanied "...And in Every Home" and realized how rich of a baroque pop style Elvis went for. Imperial Bedroom is certainly an album that rewards the listener with revisiting to pick up on other added details in the mix. I'd say go into this one with an open mind.

An excellent singer-songwriter album with a wide array of musical styles and influences. The songs are particularly wordy, even for Elvis Costello. They’re packed with clever phrases and character descriptions. The music is strong too. The rich arrangements feature lots of interesting details. It’s a dense album with a lot of dense songs and for this reason it’s not a Costello album I listen to often. But it’s hard to deny the craftsmanship of the album. 4.5

I wasn’t terribly familiar with a lot of Elvis Costello’s music before I started this project, but this will be my fourth album of his to review (I’ve already reviewed the three albums that came before this one chronologically). I enjoyed Armed Forces and My Aim is True, but I really didn’t care for This Year’s Model. Based on what I’ve read about this album though, I’m hoping that it will be my first five-star album from Elvis Costello. While this didn’t make the five-star grade, I still enjoyed this album, and I thought it was really well made. I found the first half of the album to be pretty underwhelming, but when I got to the second half, I started to enjoy it a lot more. The songwriting was pretty brilliant across the whole album, and I liked the themes of love and relationships (very fitting for an album called Imperial Bedroom). It was a nice change from Elvis Costello’s previous albums, and I thought the lyrics here were incredibly clever. Elvis Costello is one of the artists on this list who gets a lot of hate for his voice, but I really like his singing. Neil Young and Rod Stewart tend to get a lot of hate as well, but I love their singing too. Costello’s singing is probably never going to come up in conversations about the best vocalists, but I love a distinct voice, and he fits that bill perfectly. Musically, I loved the piano and organ arrangements on this album. Imperial Bedroom had much more of a pop feel to it than previous Elvis Costello works, and I have to imagine that this album had quite the impact on the sophistipop sound that was to emerge later in the decade. There were some great string and horn arrangements on this album too, and I enjoyed the varied styles and interesting song structures. “Beyond Belief,” “Man Out of Time,” “The Loved Ones,” “Human Hands,” “Pidgin English,” “You Little Fool,” and “Town Cryer” were my favorite songs on the album. I didn’t fall in love with this album, but I think it’s objectively really good, and I would be quick to revisit it.

Ive probably said this before, but I’m surprised that so much Elvis Costello is considered to be essential listens. Before this project, I thought I’d only heard Oliver’s Army. Today’s album is possibly one of my favourite from The Other Elvis. It remains rock music, but feels much poppier and more jangly than some of the other stuff’s I’ve heard. My only critique is global to all of his albums - his voice is a bit weird and I still am not sure whether I think he sounds good or not. Regardless, the final product is definitely enjoyable.

Costello is a mine full of inventions

That good old Elvis Costello sound. I'm not his biggest fan, but I have to acknowledge, he's pretty good. And very distinctive.

Elvis Costello is an incredibly prolific singer/songwriter, who creates music in a range of styles. Imperial Bedroom is his seventh album, and many say this is his best work. This is great collection of pop songs, that have orchestrations that prompts comparisons to the later work of the Beatles. Imperial Bedroom does not include any of Costello's bigger hits, and did not find remarkable commercial success. The critical reception was near-universally strong, and has grown over time.

I do not care for Elvis Costello, but this is cool enough. Still way too long for the limited amount of distinct ideas that Elvis seems to have.

I keep telling myself that Elvis Costello just isn’t for me. That said he does a pretty good job of convincing me otherwise. I start to get why he is such a big deal for some people. The quieter and more jazzy songs I could have done without to make the record more tight - but it’s really quite good Costello, gotta give you that.

There are some really good tunes on this

Suprisingly easy listening

I like Elvis Costello. I like this album. At the same time, I am not sure how to rate it. The lyrics are clever but still kind of opaque and challenging to put into context. At 50 minutrd the album feels about two songs too long. Still a very listenable recording. Town Crier and Beyond Belief are pretty good songs.