Costello gives old songs a new feel 22 June 2010
By Terry Kelly
ELVIS Costello burst onto the music scene at the height of the punk rock movement in 1977.
But despite his snarling vocal delivery and edgy attitude, it quickly became apparent there was much more to him than his spiky hair and rapid-fire songs suggested.
The man born Declan Patrick MacManus has explored country and classical music, and collaborated with artists far removed from his punk roots.
His debut album, My Aim Is True, was a musically various affair, running the gamut from all-out rage (I'm Not Angry) to highly melodic, tortured love song (Alison).
Subsequent records were often fast and furious affairs, but there were always signs the former computer operator wanted to break out of the musical straitjacket punk imposed on him.
Four years after his debut, Costello released Almost Blue, an album of country covers. In truth, he had more in common with classic country singer George Jones than Johnny Rotten.
But anxieties about his eclecticism still rumble on, with many English rock critics continuing to doubt the value of his wide musical palette.
When we caught up with him ahead of his forthcoming show at The Sage Gateshead, we asked if this bothers him.
Costello's answer is terse: "Not really. I'm having too much fun."
But what about his complex lyrics?
Are they the result of one of rock music's great chameleons poring over English poetry anthologies?
"I have read poetry in the past," he says, "but I write words to be sung, which is perhaps why I released five albums without a word of the lyrics being printed on the jackets.
"I don't strive to be clever with words. These are the words that come to me. They are largely driven by emotion or even humour.
"You can read them if you wish, but they sound better than they look."
Costello's father, Ross MacManus, was a band singer, and there are reports he once performed at The Buffs club in Jarrow.
"My dad played a lot of places in the North East, so that could be true," he says. "He worked very hard, covered a lot of miles and has great tales of those clubs.
"A couple of times when I was a teenager, I carried his gear and even sat in with him. You learn a lot without realising it."
In a strange twist, MacManus Snr would also brush shoulders with Burt Bacharach, with whom his son would collaborate decades later.
"He was on the Royal Command Performance in 1963, the one the Beatles were on. You can imagine that this was pretty exciting.
"It was only later that I found out that Burt Bacharach was also on that show. He played piano for Marlene Dietrich."
Costello's last studio album, Secret Profane & Sugarcane, was a rootsy, country-flavoured affair.
So what can fans expect at The Sage, on Wednesday, June 30, where he will appear with The Sugarcanes, who he calls "as fine a band as you may ever see"?
"We play some tunes from our last record, but new songs such as Jimmie Standing In The Rain and A Slow Drag With Josephine have been going over biggest at recent shows.
"Some of my best-known songs have a brand new feel. Everyday I Write The Book now has some great harmony singing from Jim Lauderdale and Jerry Douglas, and we have a few songs in the show that you would never expect to hear with this band."
Tickets for the show, priced £35 and £32, are still available from 443 4661.
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/music/Costello-gives-old-songs-a.6377046.jp
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