Imperial Bedroom

Ok. Never really got into it at any stage but it wasn't terrible to listen to.

I'm sorry, I have Elvis Costello fatigue at this point. He's a small doses kind of artist.

This particular album is also far from being his best work. I listened once, that's enough for my remaining lifespan.

I am quite surprised I never got around to listening to Elvis Costello. This is quite alright actually, for sure 3 stars and something I will probably want to REVISIT in the future?

I was a little bit bored by this album, but there were some songs that I liked- And in Every Home, Pidgin English. Just some easy listening.

Too many of this dweeb

Elvis Costello is not bad... he's just so remarkably ok. I would not be mad if someone put this album on. I may even come back to this on my own, but why do we need so many of this guys albums on this list? Anyway, the album itself. It's solid. I like this more than Blood And Chocolate. This didn't get very boring. The worst it did was repeat the same words over and over sometimes.

Now that I have heard my first Elvis Costello album through this project, all of the Elvis Costello discourse in this space is way funnier. Costello has like 6 projects on the list, and people seem to love him or hate him. But what really gets me with this whole situation is how inoffensive the music on Imperial Bedroom is. It's basically sophisticated pop, flirting with new wave, soft rock, and a little bit of post punk. It's not bad, but it's not especially interesting. And very importantly, it's not the kind of thing that people usually have strong opinions on. Like it feels like everyone's fighting over the most "perfectly fine" music here. Maybe these songs unravel over the course of several listens? Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe there are better Elvis Costello albums. There are things I like here though: little flashes of something cool. I think his singing voice has something cool to it sometimes. The arrangements have some neat surprises like the accordion on The Long Honeymoon. And the guitar has some really interesting, brief flourishes. I do like Beyond Belief, Shabby Doll, The Long Honeymoon, Almost Blue and Town Cryer. Although, stepping outside of these songs, I do think a lot of material here is a little boring. But regardless of how I feel, this is competently written and produced. And there isn't anything really offensive to my sensibilities. The better cuts do some heavy lifting and I ultimately have this sitting at a pretty low three. I am kind of interested in seeing how my relationship with Elvis Costello evolves throughout this project too. But, adieu for now.

Man Out of Time was the first song that I connected with. But Shabby Doll was catchy. But also... Parquet Courts's vocalist sounds quite like Elvis Costello.

It's impossible to quote Costello adequately, so fecund is his lyrical talent, which has rightly been compared to Gershwin and Porter. A few moments from the first three tracks, tho these merely scratch the surfaces: 'I hang around dying to be tortured / You'll never be alone in the bone orchard'; 'I guess time gave up the ghost too late'; 'I have betrayed you and me / And paid for my own bribery.' Really, there're only a handful of artists who have continued the tradition of classic American songwriting: Costello, Waits, Smokey Robinson, Carole King (sorta) - the rest went the Bob Dylan route. For this, Costello always has my heart. Yet, something about this record, I have to admit, is the product of a try-hard sophisticate. I prefer his naivete.

This album was exceptionally tedious. Elvis didn't hit a successful balance between the claimed "experimental musical pallets", and his vocals. He just barrels over everything without taking a pause, and with himself sitting way on top in the mix. The songs all listened the same, and while there were some good moments this was all around nit my thing. 2/5

Not everything Elvis Costello needs to be here. 2*
This is fine, boring, bland.

Not my top album of his but still really good.

Probably the worst EC we have listened to on this list. Not a fan. 1.5/5

Pretty alright.

This is like the 4th Elvis Costello album I’ve been given, firmly in the “it’s not bad, but I don’t find it interesting camp.

¿Otro disco más de Elvis Costello? ¿Otro? ¿Será este el bueno? Veo que es el quinto que reviso. Pues mejor de lo que esperaba. Me guardo The long honeymoon y The loved ones.

Absolutely hysterical that our final pick is an Elvis Costello album. Sure, I know statistically it was more likely, but hysterical nonetheless. He's way over-represented in the 1001, but at least I like his music (unlike freakin' Leonard Cohen, the other criminally over-represented artist in the 1001). One of my biggest complaints of his over-representation is that the albums sound too similar to each other, but this album at least has the distinction of being a little different and it grew on me with each listen. Good songs, well-arranged and played, excellent recording quality. I can't give EC a 5 - he's a little too goofy for that, but I would definitely revisit. Favorite tracks: Beyond Belief, Tears Before Bedtime, Shabby Doll, The Long Honeymoon (the first four tracks are just really strong - overall Side 1 is better than Side 2), The Loved Ones.

Please god, no more Costello

Another Elvis Costello masterpiece. This time facing the emotional burden of Love and heartache head-on. The songs are more arty, more complex lyrically and musically, deeper, challenging and rich. Expanding into more symphonic instrumentation, a mature and sophisticated outing. I think this is the last of the early EC albums that matter, and he fully exposes himself as an artist reaching for something more mainstream.

The Wikipedia entry says Elvis Costello changed producers for this one because he thought Nick Lowe wouldn’t let him experiment as much in the studio. I’m team Lowe - I liked a couple of songs but I prefer my Costello angular and punchy rather than baroque.