Armed Forces
by Elvis Costello And The Attractions

So the album originally known as, emotional fascism, would become Elvis Costello's greatest pop moment. Armed forces, was the record that skyrocketed, at least for a while, Costello to the status of a pop star. Off course the main factor in this was the wonderful single, Oliver's army, which hit no:2 in the charts. It's a great song, one of Costello's best, ABBA-esque piano and all. Accidents will happen, another of the album's great songs kicks the record off, and really there's no let up from there on in. Green shirt, goon squad, party girl, are all great, as are, moods for moderns, and, on some versions, an excellent cover of Nick Lowe's, what's so funny about peace, love, and understanding, brilliant. Overall, Armed forces doesn't quite have the bite of, This Years Model, but it is Costello's pop star moment, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Elvis Costello's third album, "Armed Forces" is, like all his early albums, inspired and full of fine songs. Nick Lowe produced Costello's first five albums and thus he played a big part in securing Costello artistic and commercial success. In contrast to the raw and slightly punky sound of the first two albums a more produced and polished sound characterizes this album.
You might thus well fear that Costello's music would lose some of the edge that made him interesting and relevant in the first place. This is by no means the case, partly because his songwriting on this album is so strong, probably the most consistent of any of his numerous albums.

Songs like "Accidents Will Happen" and "Oliver's Army" with its Abba sound are well-known classics, but several of the lesser known songs also have a durability that makes them great listening still and songs you may feel like singing along with. "Busy Bodies," "Two Little Hitlers" and the magnificent "Chemistry Class" are among my absolute Costello favourites. In fact there is only one or two songs on this highly successful album which do not quite hold level. "Moods of the Modern's" has never really been my cup of tea, and "Goon Squad" is a rather ordinary rocker.

As an added bonus, this edition features Costello's version of Nick Lowe's legendary "What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding" - a song originally found on Brinsley Schwarz's last album.

If you think you could settle for just one Costello album, "Armed Forces" would be a good choice.

https://www.angelfire.com/nv/Badfinger/BANDcostello.html (Edited)

Finishes off a really strong late '70s trilogy for Costello off the heels of My Aim Is True and This Year's Model. I don't think it's quite as strong as those two, since it doesn't quite reach the same heights and sags a little in the middle, but still a great album replete with Costello's snarky vocals and lyrics. Accidents Will Happen, Green Shirt, Senior Service, Goon Squad, Oliver's Army, Party Girl—all excellent songs. Here's a rare instance where the American version is superior to the original, as the album's worst track (Sunday's Best) is replaced in favor of what becomes the album's best track (What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding). (Edited)

Elvis Costello's third album, "Armed Forces" is, like all his early albums, inspired and full of fine songs. Nick Lowe produced Costello's first five albums and thus he played a big part in securing Costello artistic and commercial success. In contrast to the raw and slightly punky sound of the first two albums a more produced and polished sound characterizes this album.

You might thus well fear that Costello's music would lose some of the edge that made him interesting and relevant in the first place. This is by no means the case, partly because his songwriting on this album is so strong, probably the most consistent of any of his numerous albums.

Songs like "Accidents Will Happen" and "Oliver's Army" with its Abba sound are well-known classics, but several of the lesser known songs also have a durability that makes them great listening still and songs you may feel like singing along with. "Busy Bodies," "Two Little Hitlers" and the magnificent "Chemistry Class" are among my absolute Costello favourites. In fact there is only one or two songs on this highly successful album which do not quite hold level. "Moods of the Modern's" has never really been my cup of tea, and "Goon Squad" is a rather ordinary rocker.

As an added bonus, this edition features Costello's version of Nick Lowe's legendary "What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding" - a song originally found on Brinsley Schwarz's last album.

If you think you could settle for just one Costello album, "Armed Forces" would be a good choice.

From Nyoink77 12/27/2017 16:51 | #203977 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Tracks range from being good to outstanding. Not a single bad track here, even though other works of his, like ''this year's model'' are just a bit more constistant. Still, 85/100 from me.