Imperial Bedroom

I’m at a 4, but if it weren't for a handful of mediocre tracks, I'd be at a 5.

Sorry to Elvis Costello – third time we’ve gotten him, and he just hasn’t cracked a 5 for me. This one was at a 5 for a while, though, so that’s a good positive, and I did enjoy a lot of this album. Hell, I think it solves a lot of the reasons I gave for not giving “My Aim Is True” a 5 – the album doesn’t really stagnate until about 10 tracks in, the song structures aren’t as concrete & inflexible as they were, & as far as the variety in the soundscape goes, this has a really nice showcase of styles that feels like they have more depth to them.

So, if everything feels solved, and the tracks sound good, what gives? Well, the reason I’m at a 4 is because the bad tracks are actually just… kinda bad this time. "My Aim Is True" never had a truly bad track, but the ones that are "bad" here just... ugh, man. When this album hits that stagnant point on Tracks 10, 11 & 12, it really kills the vibe & the momentum the whole thing had going for it. 7 of the first 9 tracks clicked really well for me, but that is a 3-track stretch that is mediocrely drab at best. They did not click at all for me. The album really pulls it back in for “Pidgin English” & “You Little Fool”, but I’ll be damned if “Town Cryer” isn’t a flat ending.

I did like 9 of the 15 tracks here, but if 40% of the album isn’t quite clicking like that, then you’ve bloated it a little too much. However, that 60% is really fucking good, and has some of the best tracks I’ve heard from Elvis Costello yet. The Attractions, as a band, seemingly add a lot of nice depth to his soundscape, evolving to a really nice point that feels even more pleasing than what I heard on “My Aim Is True” – if that 60% were all that’s here, I’d be at a 5 without a question. That other 40% is what drags this down to a 4, but it’s still a 4 I’d highly recommend – the tracks that didn’t click well for me could click well for someone else (although, given that this has an average of 3 on the site, they probably didn’t). I feel bad that I haven’t given Elvis a 5 yet, but I feel like it’s gonna click at some point. He’s gotten real close twice, so maybe the 4th time’s the charm.

P.S.: If nothing else, “Man Out of Time” fucking rules. That’s a great, great track.

Pretty annoying voice and sound.

I don't know man. My first ever Elvis Costello album, and I didn't hate it, but I also don't really look forward to the next 5.

Not my favorite Costello, but still excellent. Great melodies abound. “Beyond Belief” is perfect.

4/5

Costello houdt er van om op te vallen. de 1001 heeft ons al geleerd hoe dat verschillend uit kan pakken op de verschillende albums. Het is een geval 'hate it or love it'. Ik heb inmiddels twee maal een love-it en één maal een hate-it genoteerd. Benieuwd wat dit wordt, het zal in elk geval geen vergeetbare 3 worden.

Na een tijdje luisteren komt die andere herinnering boven. Costello kan soms flink zeuren. Dat hoor je nu ook zeker weer, maar het kan een stuk gekker.

Het album biedt kwaliteit, er is weinig op af te dingen. Maar er springt weinig boven het maaiveld uit. Ik ben het meeste al weer kwijt terwijl ik dit typ. Ik geloof, nee toch, jawel echt, ik geloof dat ik Costello toch een vergeetbare 3 moet toekennen. Goed, dat had ie nog niet eerder laten horen, dus we kunnen in elk geval blijven stellen dat hij elke keer wat anders levert.

Not one I know as well as some.of his others. I think Spike and King of America are better, neither of which make the list. Maybe it's a slow burner and a couple of listens aren't enough.

I can't believe the last thing I did this year was listen to Elvis fucking Costello

Elvis Costello again.... And as always, I'm thankful that it eventually ended.

It's something bothering me about this album but I don't know what. Maybe the fact that it has nothing interesting and his voice is annoying. I've seen many albums by this dude included on this list and I just don't get it.

There's something indefinable that juts puts me off of Elvis Costello. Whether it is his voice, the trite guitars and songs, or just plain unoriginality... I don't know.

I'll admit while I have heard of Elvis Costello as a singer/songwriter/producer, I've only heard one song each from his solo career ("Veronica") and with his backing band the Attractions ("Pump it Up"). This would be my first full album listen to his work.

Imperial Bedroom is his sixth album with the Attractions, expanding on their new wave sound to incorporate more orchestral instrumentation and ornate production. It becomes apparent out of the gate with tracks like "Shabby Doll" and "Man Out of Time" that Elvis was striving for perfection with this album.

That makes for an experience that can come off as overwhelming at times, particularly with the number of studio overdubs Elvis added such as the vocals layered on the chorus of songs like "Shabby Doll" and "The Loved Ones", the unusual piano passages spread throughout the album, and the odd instrument choices like the harpsichord and mellotron that Steve Nieve contributes. I think I only started getting into the album's groove by the end of side one with the horn-accompanied "...And in Every Home" and realized how rich of a baroque pop style Elvis went for.

Imperial Bedroom is certainly an album that rewards the listener with revisiting to pick up on other added details in the mix. I'd say go into this one with an open mind.

I was afraid I was going to hate this but I didn’t. I don’t know if this is in any way accurate, since I don’t listen to much Billy Joel, but this reminded me of Billy Joel.

My last venture with Elvis Costello was Brutal Youth, which was... bad. So, in comparison, this is pretty nice, but it still suffers from the same issues I have with Costello in general. Too often does it sound like he has no clue where the song goes next, as if he is improvising his sung notes, which could be jazzy in a certain way, but just comes off as amateurish, and an orchestral backing can only take you so far. Lyrically it often comes off as just strange, and while it is refreshing to have Costello gently sing to me rather than yell at me for a whole album, it oddly gets old quick. I could see a lot more of these songs clicking with me on a repeat listen, but for now I only continue to see potential, both in Costello himself, but also my possibly enjoyment of one of his albums. One of them has to click with me to a higher degree, right?

The slower jazz side of Elvis. Not my taste. I bet a different album of his will pop up that I will like more.

Elvis Costello is one of those artists I like to grab out of a candy bowl and savor every now and then. I don't want to consume his material all at once because it's so vast and I don't want to get to a point where I have heard everything. I'm strange. I do this especially with artists who have passed and aren't still making music but Elvis is still alive and well and actually made a decent album back in 2020. And now I see he made an album in 2022 that I hadn't even heard of. Anyway, all that to say I have never heard this album but I'm looking forward to it like unwrapping a new piece of candy.

So... This candy was not as good as I'd hoped. I could see it being a piece of candy I might try again, but the first try did not wow me. I liked Shabby Doll and The Loved Ones, but the rest just didn't do it for me in one listen. I also like when Elvis Costello sounds a bit more dark and brooding and this album has very little of that sound. Thematically this album can be heavy and somewhat dark, but I didn't feel like the music itself matched the lyrics. It felt a little like Elvis was trying to take some lyrics he wrote and slap them against some music and when I read about how this was recorded... I mean it sounds like there was a lot of experimentation in the studio. For me, it mostly didn't work that well, but maybe it's a grower album.

I didn't know any of these songs well before, and don't like any of them much now. Feels loke a whole album of filler tracks, missing the killer song(s) that could have elevated it to "decent". I quite enjoyed some of their other stuff, but this one is not immediate, not interesting after a few listens, just outright not very good.
It feels like it's on this list because to author likes it, not because it's actually good or important, and that is a waste of a space in my view.

I didn’t like this as much as other Costello Albums. But it was still good, and I’d listen to it again.

Fuck, not another Elvis Costello record.... This album is so boring... It's like salted cardboard.... Bland as fuck! It sounds like Costello collaborated with Randy Newman on this record or something...

I love the quote (to paraphrase): "this album's singles barely charted" .... So why the fuck is it on this list. If it sold poorly, it's probably for a reason... There is too much of this horse shit on this generator.

Favourite songs: Pidgin English, Human Hands, Man Out of Time, ... And In Every Home, Kid About It

Least favourite songs: Shabby Doll, Town Cryer, The Long Honeymoon

3/5

not big on this guy

I’ve always liked Elvis Costello, but am far from a completist regarding his discography. I think it’s because some of his music bores me. I had never heard this album before. I liked it, and there’s some strong songs here, but a lot of the album sums up my feelings about most of Elvis’ work: I like it, but a little boring.

There are exceptions regarding my engagement with his work, and I’m going to assume they’ll pop up on this list at some point.