All This Useless Beauty
by Elvis Costello And The Attractions

From indieshins 05/03/2018 09:39 | #214094 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

This is one of EC's most consistent albums of the '90s. Comprised of songs written for or with other people, it is quite a gentle album overall. Opener The Other End of the Telescope, co-written with Aimee Mann, is one of Costello's best openers, and there are several other great tracks. It's Time, for example, is an odd foray into trip-hop, which surprisingly works. This is another strong album in Costello's discography, even if it still pales in comparison to some of his earlier work.

All this useless beauty, is one of Elvis Costello's most underrated albums. It's certainly his best Attractions record since, imperial bedroom, 12 years earlier. Opening track, the other end of the telescope, is brilliant, one of his best songs to kick off an LP. Little atoms, is atmospheric, and the title track is one of Costello's most beautiful songs. That could also to apply to, poor fractured atlas, and, closing track, I want to vanish, while, why can't a man stand alone, is another nice track. Complicated shadows, is a bluesy rocker which he would re-record for his secret, profane, and sugarcane, album in 2009, and you bowed down, was originally written for ex-byrd Roger Mcguinn. Starting to come to me, has a, his latest flame, energy to it, and, shallow grave, is another of his Paul McCartney co-writes. All this useless beauty, is an excellent album, but unfortunately Costello's commercial successes were starting to falter by this time.

As shown in Elvis Costello's detailed notes to the album, it's genesis was unusual, with multiple complications . The songs were also written over several years, but all of this I will not go any further into, but concentrate on the actual final musical performance; In this case, the extended version of the album with no less than 17 bonus tracks put on a second CD.

Generally appears Costello inspired, not least when compared with some of his albums released in 1980s. I think the rocking numbers and upbeat tracks work best. In particular, "You Bowed Down", which Costello wrote for Roger McGuinn, Stands out positively. The demo version which is on CD 2 is also very nice. The song sounds like a Byrds number, both in arrangement and melody.

"Complicated Shadows" is nearly as strong; the song sounds like a Tom Petty number, mind you, when Petty is at his best.

Some of the ballads are a little too pompous for my taste; favorite among these are "Poor Fractured Atlas" and "Distorted Shadow" which has little of the early Costello approach over it.

Among the bonus tracks, I think especially the remix of "Distorted Angel" is exciting.

All in all, this is a very varied collection of songs, both in genre and expression.