coldbrightsunlight wrote:Can't say those guitars do much for me.
I'm curious how Costello and the attractions had a punk aesthetic. And he's done a whole variety of different styles over his career. I think he's just a person who's interested in more than one thing. What a poser!
Timing. Record Label marketing. That one Stiff Records thing*.
Tom Petty had a similar path. And really less involvement. Just timing and record execs looking for an angle.
I read an excerpt of a book of RI transcriptions or conversations about how they changed punk to new wave (last year sometime...should've bookmarked the PDF). They were interchangable in marketing eyes in the early years. If one name didn't work, they flipped "genres". I think Elvis Costello kind of never explicitly says he's punk but he is always willing to talk about being there to try to lend himself some street cred.
Like Henry Rollins, he's always up for some talking in front of a camera about punk. Which is cool, 'cause he was around...time-wise.
I like Elvis Costello. I listened to that first album a lot (including the less cool honky tonk demos). He just gets lumped in because of his era and somewhat minimalist style (compared to the rock of the day). Kind of like Devo*. My wife can't stand songs like "Allison" or that detectives song...but I give em a play for somethin' lighter once in a while. Still, he never had a song as good as "Suspicious Minds".
Some of it was of the mindset, "if it ain't Rod Stewart, it must be punk" type of thinking. It's like the 1990s (and to this day) "alternative" rock genre. "Alternative" to what? How are Nirvana, Soul Asylum, Dave Mathews (yes, he was alternative for a minute marketing wise), Three Doors Down, and Vampire Weekend connected? Is the litmus test still "They ain't the crüe or Bon Jovi, they must be alternative!"? It's just counter marketing off what the record companies can make listeners believe is the new thing and in opposition to what their parents like (or what the normies like).
But, damn, if we ain't back making rod Stewart records for "alternative" radio with disco EDM getting somewhat "indie" singers to bring the street cred. Aloe Black is a good guy and has some good jams (he really helped with some indie music fest down here and played free to help the community), but that jam with avichi was garbage...but it was on "alternative" radio.
Tangent! Rambling! Exciting!
Punk was a bit of a marketing ploy with some sincere roots. The record companies just pulled out when the money wasn't there (for a while...they come back every now and again. Tim Armstrong won't stop until everyone sings like they drank whiskey and has 2 packs of lucky strikes for breakfast). It took on its own life and kind of changed, splintered, specialized, spread, blah blah blah.
*Speaking of Devo
