Imperial Bedroom (album) by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

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.

From swhaze 10/06/2014 17:53

Listen to the opening lines of "The Loved Ones" and you hear Costello at his best. Snappy lines, sung with force and definitely dripping with caustic wit.

From Mdemauri 08/11/2014 19:04

One of my favorite EC albums. Love the Geoff Emerick production.

Really liked this when it first came out. More recent listening has led me to reappraise it. Is it possible Elvis uses too many words at times? This isn't always a bad thing as the melodies help keep things together. I've grown to like the simpler songs with less production. One thing is for sure - he is a great writer of ballads and there are some very good examples of his craft here.