Imperial Bedroom (studio album) by Elvis Costello And The Attractions

lacklustre

This album is magic. Elvis is one of my absolute favorite artists and this is my favorite album of his. It's emotionally deep and broad which matches the wide range of musical avenues he explores. I think this is EC's finest hour as a lyricist. The attractions sound great and the production is off the charts.

From Jbalbinolr 05/02/2021 23:20

Used to be one of my favorites, but it doesn't hold up in multiple listens.

Favorite Tracks:Beyond Belief, Tears Before Bedtime, Shabby Doll, Almost Blue, Kid About It, Boy With A Problem

From planetneutral 05/05/2018 02:50

Not especially memorable, but I like this well enough.

From indieshins 02/28/2018 01:40

The apex of Costello's career. Some may find it pretentious, and indeed, the second half of the album is a bit obtuse at times, but once you get past that it is revealed to be perhaps his greatest work of art. Side one is perfect - and I mean PERFECT. Not one song is less than classic out of the first seven. Side two starts out strong too, with the Loved Ones and Human Hands, the latter being one of Costello's most vulnerable moments and one of my favourites of his. Then up until the closer Town Cryer, the songs become more difficult to parse, winding down unpredictable paths. But the ambition cannot be faulted - the variety of styles, moods and structures here is dizzying, and the production by Geoff Emerick is arguably the best of any Costello album. This album is, in a word, timeless!

I did not take to this album-at first but after time passed and a few more listens, I realized this is a very good album musically and lyrically. It is certainly different than earlier albums.

From Jbalbinolr 11/18/2017 13:18

Essential in any 80s collection.

Imperial bedroom, is Elvis Costello's best album of the eighties. It's a wonderfully rich record featuring some great orchestration which is the icing on the cake to a lot of the tracks. Costello would try the same thing nine years later with, mighty like a rose, but where as on that record he threw absolutely everything at it, making it overblown and bloated, on, imperial bedroom, it's done just about right. A lot of people argue that the album doesn't have any great songs on it, I strongly disagree. Beyond belief, the long honeymoon, and especially, man out of time, are excellent tracks. Mentions should also go to,...and in every home, you little fool, and, the loved ones. The ballads, almost blue, kid about it, and, town cryer, are all lovely too. Imperial bedroom is a majestic piece of work, every track adds to the listening experience, and Costello is on the kind of form he wouldn't be in again for quite a while.

Arguably Costello's masterpiece. Very much a classy album, with influences of Baroque Pop smeared all over and possibly a dab of Psychedelia. The earlier days of brash Punk/New Wave seem to be fading away, as Costello is embracing a more sophisticated sound built around composing songs on piano. "Almost Blue" is the perfect example. However, "Man Out of Time" is probably the strongest song off this album. "You Little Fool" is another highlight.