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Taking Liberties
''Taking Liberties'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, consisting of tracks not previously released on his albums as released in the United States. It is largely made up of B-sides, but features three previously unreleased recordings. It was released only in the US and Canada; its track listing is very similar to that of the UK release '' Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers''. The differences are that on the latter, the tracks "Night Rally", "Sunday's Best" and "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" are replaced by " Watching the Detectives", "Radio, Radio" and " (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding". The sleeve note by Gregg Geller is very nearly a direct lift from the 1958 album ''A Gene Vincent Record Date'', with Costello's name substituted for Vincent's, and song titles being substituted as appropriate. The LP version features nostalgic Columbia labels. The legend on the Side One label reads "COSTELLO" instead of "COLUMB ...
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Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nominated for the Brit Award for Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist, Best British Male Artist. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Costello number 80 on its Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Costello began his career as part of London's Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock scene in the early 1970s and later became associated with the first wave of the British punk and new wave movement that emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s. His critically acclaimed debut album ''My Aim Is True'' was released in 1977. Shortly after recording it, he formed the Attractions as his backing band. His second album ...
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Encyclopedia Of Popular Music
''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Knowledge'', Christmas edition, 22 December 2007- 4 January 2008. It was described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". History of the encyclopedia Larkin believed that rock music and popular music were at least as significant historically as classical music, and as such, should be given definitive treatment and properly documented. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is the result. In 1989, Larkin sold his half of the publishing company Scorpion Books to finance his ambition to publish an encyclopedia of popular music. Aided by a team of initially 70 contributors, he set about compiling the data in a pre-internet age, "relying instead on information gleaned from music magazines, individual expertise ...
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My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical ''Babes in Arms'' in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. One of them was Chet Baker, for whom it became his signature song. In 2015, it was announced that the Gerry Mulligan quartet featuring Chet Baker's version of the song was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for the song's "cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy". Mulligan also recorded the song with his Concert Jazz Band in 1960. History ''Babes in Arms'' opened at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway, in New York City on April 14, 1937 and ran for 289 performances. In the original play, a character named Billie Smith (played by Mitzi Green) sings the song to Valentine "Val" LaMar (played by Ray Heatherton ...
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Americathon (soundtrack)
''For the movie of the same name, see Americathon.'' Tracks External links information from soundtrackcollector.com* All Music Guide AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...IMDb listingsoundtrackSoundtrackCollector.com 1979 soundtrack albums Comedy film soundtracks {{soundtrack-stub ...
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Armed Forces (album)
''Armed Forces'' is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 5January 1979 in the United Kingdom through Radar Records. It was his second album with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation)—and the first to officially credit them on the cover. The album was recorded in six weeks from August to September 1978 at Eden Studios in London under the working title ''Emotional Fascism''. Produced by Nick Lowe and engineered by Roger Béchirian, the sessions saw Costello exert more control over production compared to ''This Year's Model'' (1978), while Nieve contributed more to song arrangements. Most of the material for ''Armed Forces'' was written on the road throughout 1978. For the album, Costello sought a more commercial sound than the punk rock style employed on his two previous records, resulting in a more pop-oriented production reflecting the new wave era. Musical influen ...
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Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979) was an American musician, record producer, arranger, songwriter, singer and orchestra conductor. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful song " The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his credit, and produced songs by such recording artists as Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Stylistics, Aretha Franklin, Brenda & the Tabulations, David Ruffin, Peaches & Herb, Lesley Gore and Stacy Lattisaw. Biography Early life Van McCoy was born in Washington, D.C., the second child of Norman S. McCoy, Sr. and Lillian Ray. He learned to play piano at a young age and sang with the Metropolitan Baptist Church choir as a youngster. By the age of 12, he had begun writing his own songs, in addition to performing in local amateur shows alongside his older brother, Norman Jr. The two brothers formed a doo-wop combo named the Starlighters with two friends while in Theodore Roosevelt High School. In 1956, they recorde ...
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High Fidelity (song)
"High Fidelity" is a song written and performed by new wave musician Elvis Costello on his 1980 album, '' Get Happy!!'' Written about an adulterous couple where one member still hopes for reconciliation, "High Fidelity" reflected the personal struggles that Costello had been suffering at the time as a result of increased fame and controversy. Musically, the song was influenced by Motown and was initially performed in a slower style inspired by David Bowie's ''Station to Station''. "High Fidelity" was released as the second single from ''Get Happy!!'' in April 1980. The single reached number 30 in the United Kingdom. The song has since been lauded by critics and has been included on several Costello compilation albums. Background In his autobiography, Costello described "High Fidelity" as, "an incredibly sad, delusion of a song, in which a couple find themselves in different rooms with different lovers, one of them still irrationally believing their pledge will endure both the in ...
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Stranger In The House (song)
"Stranger in the House" is a song written by English musician Elvis Costello. Costello recorded the song as a duet with country music star George Jones in the summer of 1978 for Jones' 1979 album ''My Very Special Guests''. Costello recorded an earlier solo version which surfaced as a free 7" single with the first 1000 copies of his second album ''This Year's Model'' which was released in the United Kingdom in March 1978. A third version was recorded with the Attractions for a John Peel session on 23 October 1978. According to Holly Jones-Warren's liner notes to the 2005 Legacy Records reissue of ''My Very Special Guests'', Costello wrote the song specifically with Jones in mind, with the new wave star stating, "George Jones was my guiding light whenever I wrote in the country idiom". According to biographer David Gouldstone, "Stranger in the House" marked Costello's first exploration into country music, which music professor James E. Perone states "paved the way" for his later ...
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New Amsterdam (song)
"New Amsterdam" is a song written and performed by new wave musician Elvis Costello on his 1980 album, '' Get Happy!!'' Written about the New World and New York, the recording of the song that appears on ''Get Happy!!'' was a demo that Costello had recorded in Pimlico. The song was released as an EP single, reaching number 36 in the United Kingdom. The song has since been lauded by critics and included on compilation albums. Background "New Amsterdam" began as one of many demos produced by Costello after '' Armed Forces''. During this period, Costello recorded demos alone and played all the instruments himself; in this case, he recorded "New Amsterdam" at a "fifteen quid-an-hour demo studio" in Pimlico. Costello recalled, "As you might guess I didn't use a metronome but I did employ the owner's exotic equipment; vibes! a fretless bass! a very nasty synth! even God forbid, DRUMS!!!" This demo version would ultimately be the performance that appeared on the final release of ''Ge ...
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Pump It Up (Elvis Costello Song)
"Pump It Up" is a 1978 song by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It originally appeared on Costello's second album ''This Year's Model'', which was the first he recorded with the backing group the Attractions. Written as a sarcastic response to his time during the Stiffs Live Tour and inspired by "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Bob Dylan, "Pump It Up" features a stomping rhythm and sarcastic lyrics. Released as a single, the track reached number 24 in the UK. It has since become one of Costello's most well-known songs, appearing on several compilation albums and being listed by critics as one of Costello's greatest songs. The song was also accompanied by an iconic video featuring Costello dancing on the sides of his feet. Background The song was intended as a commentary on the Stiffs Live Tour, which Costello had participated in. The tour had been notable for its debauchery; Ian Dury's "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" served as the setlist's official closing song. Costello later ...
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Less Than Zero (Elvis Costello Song)
"Less than Zero" is the debut single by Elvis Costello, released in 1977 on Stiff Records. It is the eighth track on Costello's debut album, ''My Aim Is True''. Written about British fascist Oswald Mosley, the song features what ''AllMusic'' described as a "slow, slinky ndsinister" melody. Background The song expressed Costello's anger after seeing former British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley interviewed on television, attempting to deny his racist past. In the liner notes to the Rhino edition of the album, Costello writes: On his first visit to the United States, Costello found that American audiences did not understand the song, writing in his 2015 autobiography, ''Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink'': "I'm not sure if anyone in Cleveland had ever heard of Oswald Mosley or gave a damn about him when we played 'Less Than Zero' that night. It was just some rock and roll music with a fashionable-sounding title". Later, he substantially rewrote the lyrics to refer ...
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I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
"I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" is a song written by Homer Banks and Allen Jones (record producer), Allen Jones. Originally recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave in 1967, the song was famously covered by New wave music, new wave musician Elvis Costello with his backing band the Attractions in 1980 for their album ''Get Happy!! (Elvis Costello album), Get Happy!!''. Original version "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" was originally recorded by Sam & Dave in 1967. The Sam & Dave version was issued as the B-side to their live cover of Sam Cooke's "Soothe Me". Elvis Costello and the Attractions version Elvis Costello and the Attractions covered the song in 1980 for the album ''Get Happy!! (Elvis Costello album), Get Happy!!''. Costello's version was drastically rearranged from the original, turning it from a slow soul ballad into an uptempo Northern soul-style dance track. It was one of three singles taken from the album in the UK. It was supposed to be released on the 2 Tone Record ...
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