Brutal Youth

Pretty boring IMO

Elvis Costello, like Prince, is an artist I SHOULD like, but just don’t. I think part of it is his vocal performance: I find it grating, repetitive, and predictable. By the end of the album, I felt like I’d just listened to an hour of one song, which is crazy because there are some actually great musical ideas across the album. It’s just too long and too marred by Elvis Costello to be enjoyable. If this album was performed by someone else, it probably would have a higher rating.

The fourth Costello album I've gotten for this project, and probably the best one I've gotten other than This Years Model. Hookier than Armed Forces and Imperial bedroom, but still with a bit of an issue with writing good choruses (Sometimes even when there is a chorus, it doesn't feel like it, which is weird for pop/rock music to me).

I mention this in every review, but Costello still manages to be the coolest artist on this list 20 years into his career.

But yeah, while This Years Model is still superior, this is the best I've gotten from him since then. Think I'll still give it the three though, but just barely. There are a couple songs here or there that are just not doing it for me, particularly the more ballady or hookless songs.

Not really my thing. Sounds all quite the same

It's not that Brutal Youth is bad (although it is a bit too long), it's just that if you’ve already got five other Elvis Costello albums on the list, you probably don’t need this one.

I am surprised by this album. I ended up liking it quite a bit. I particularly liked the song "Clown Strike" which is the first time I've heard it.

Another great and consistently Costello album. If you like him it's a treat. If not, you probably won't care for much of it though there may be a few bright spots. I, personally, adore his lyrics and music. Singing is hit or miss but usually on. I enjoyed this effort in total.

Definitely unessential Elvis Costello, but it's fine.

Make it stop 😭 The worst of Elvis Costello and I don't sat that light, because the rest of his albums are absolute trash as well.

Although "Brutal Youth" was published in1994 when I was consistently looking out for the latest music, I did only recognize the cover but remembered none of the songs.
I instantly liked Elvis' voice, but a few seconds later wondered why he didn't book a pro guitar player for recording (or elaborated more at least on the electric guitar tracks himself). Hence, the upbeat tracks (e.g. "Kinder Murder", "20% Amnesia ) sound much like a 90s school band to me.
As a consequence, I can recommend the tracks without much electric guitar like "You Tripped at Every Step".

Let me just say, it is VERY difficult to get me to give a 1 as a rating.

At somepoint in the late 1990s the hotshots at VH1 decided that we all needed WAY more Elvis Costello in our lives. Surely he's one of the most singular and important artists of his day, widely beloved and full of creative energy! No, he was just despertate to get on TV and show off his collection of embarrasing hats. Dude made 2-3 good albums in the 70s and we're meant to care about his long career making the blandest say nothing mid tempo rock? I don't think so, pal. This isn't aggressively bad, it's just relentlessly dull.

Good enough, nothing really sprang out at me

nešto slabiji kostelo nego inače :/

Better than Imperial Bedroom but not as good as This Year’s Model.

I wasn't really going for it off the bat, but it certainly grew on me.

I only know Elvis Costello from his first few hits. Oliver's Army. I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea. Watching The Detectives. Pump It Up.
All great punky songs.
Then he seemed to go all mush. Some song about Roses and a fucking dreadful cover of the Charles Aznovoice song She. I've never listened to Elvis Costello since.
I was surprised that this album still sees him still a bit punky. So what happened to turn him back to his roots? Same sneery voice which seems to have mellowed since the early years (although I can do without the new Mariah Carey vibrato). Just the songs didn't really grab me at all. And it suffered from 1990s CD syndrome. "We've got an hour's playing time so we're going to bloody well use it all". Too long. And not enough pull to want to give it a second listen.
Sorry Elvis (you're still better than that other Elvis though).

I mean it sounds like classic Costello, so cant go wrong.
Kinder murder is brilliant storytelling in a song “dreaming of the pigskin’
The whole album just feels balanced.

My first of the many Elvis Costello albums on this list.

The mix on this is weird. If you're wearing headphones at points it sounds like Elvis is shouting directly into your ear drowning out the music.

13 Steps Lead Down is great and I really liked 20% Amnesia because of the slightly off-kilter backing. The backing vocals on This Is Hell are unintentionally hilarious - like he decided to use the worst fake Ringo accent he could conjure up - and it almost wrecks a song I otherwise really liked. My Science Fiction Twin was another track I really enjoyed.

I know Elvis Costello is divisive, as a lot of people hate his voice. I am not one of those people.

4/5

Better than coldplay