Goodbye Cruel World - 4666

Amazon.com Costello calls this his worst record, but while its ticky-tocky "modern" (1984) production often smothers the music, Goodbye Cruel World does contain some great songs, notably the ballads "Home Truth" and "Love Field" and the anti-Reagan protest "Peace in Our Time." Rykodisc's CD is a necessity for at least two reasons: bonus tracks of Charles Brown's "Get Yourself Another Fool" and Richard Thompson's "Withered and Died," the latter not listed on the packaging. --Rickey Wright From the Label This may be the most maligned item in the Costello catalogue -- not least by Costello himself who opens his liner notes with "Congratulations! You have just bought our worst album!" It's certainly the oddest album Costello and the Attractions ever made together, but that's not always a bad thing: Tracks like "The Home Truth," "Love Field" and the single "The Only Flame in Town" show a move toward the deeper, more challenging song structures that Costello would master in the '90s. The Clive Langer/Alan Winstanley-produced album includes other notable tracks such as "I Wanna Be Loved", a cover tune with a scorching vocal performance, and "The Comedians," which was covered by no less an authority than Roy Orbison. The extended-play tracks shed more light on this phase of Costello's development, with tracks like "Baby It's You" (a duet with old mate Nick Lowe) and "Turning the Town Red" showing a more carefree pop feel than anything on the official album. More significant are a pair of tracks from Costello's first-ever solo tour, with "Worthless Thing" and "The Only Flame in Town" given a more direct lyrical emphasis. Fans can also take note of a rare Richard Thompson cover, "Withered & Died", plus a "lost" Costello single: "I Hope You're Happy Now" which would show up with a radically different arrangement on BLOOD & CHOCOLATE.
ASIN: B0000009UZ
VSKU: GGV.B0000009UZ.LN
Condition: Like New
Author/Artist:Elvis Costello & Attractions
Binding: Audio cd