Almost Blue
Encyclopedia
Almost Blue is an album
by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
. It was recorded May 1981 in Nashville, and released on 23 October 1981. The record's songs consist entirely of country
covers
, including works originally written by Hank Williams, Merle Haggard
, George Jones
and Gram Parsons
. It is Costello's first album not to be produced by Nick Lowe
.
Rhapsody
praised the album, calling it one of their favourite cover albums.
. The design is an homage to the 1963 Blue Note album Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell
. Many versions of the artwork were made, with slightly different base colours.
It originally appeared with a warning label that read "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners." An alternative label read "WARNING! This album contains country & western music and may produce radical reaction in narrow minded people."
Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. It was recorded May 1981 in Nashville, and released on 23 October 1981. The record's songs consist entirely of country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, including works originally written by Hank Williams, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
and Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
. It is Costello's first album not to be produced by Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
.
Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
praised the album, calling it one of their favourite cover albums.
Packaging and artwork
Album cover was designed by Barney BubblesBarney Bubbles
Colin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles was a radical English graphic artist, whose work primarily encompassed the disciplines of graphic design, painting and music video direction. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music...
. The design is an homage to the 1963 Blue Note album Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
. Many versions of the artwork were made, with slightly different base colours.
It originally appeared with a warning label that read "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners." An alternative label read "WARNING! This album contains country & western music and may produce radical reaction in narrow minded people."
Side one
- "Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do)?Why Don't You Love Me"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American singer and guitarist Hank Williams. The song reached number one on the U.S. Country & Western chart. It was released as a single in 1950 with the B-side "A House Without Love". Ths song was featured over the closing credits of the film The Last Picture...
" (Hank Williams) – 1:40 - "Sweet Dreams" (Don GibsonDon GibsonDonald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...
) – 3:00 - "Success" (Johnny MullinsJohnny MullinsJohnny Mullins was an American songwriter. His writing credits include "Blue Kentucky Girl", recorded by Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris....
) – 2:41 - "Hot Burrito #1" (Gram ParsonsGram ParsonsGram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, Chris EthridgeChris EthridgeChris Ethridge is an American country rock bass guitarist. He was a member of the International Submarine Band and The Flying Burrito Brothers, and co-wrote several songs with Gram Parsons.-Career:...
) – 3:23 - "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" (Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
) – 2:09 - "Brown to Blue" (George JonesGeorge JonesGeorge Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, Virginia Franks) – 2:40
Side two
- "A Good Year for the Roses" (Jerry ChesnutJerry ChesnutJerry Donald Chesnut is an American country music songwriter. His hits include "A Good Year for the Roses" and "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" ....
) – 3:10 - "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Charlie RichCharlie RichCharles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
) – 3:02 - "Colour of the Blues" (Lawton Williams, George JonesGeorge JonesGeorge Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
) – 2:21 - "Too Far Gone" (Billy SherrillBilly SherrillBilly Sherrill is a record producer and arranger who is most famous for his association with a number of country artists, most notably Tammy Wynette...
) – 3:28 - "Honey HushHoney Hush"Honey Hush", written by Big Joe Turner , was recorded in May 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana and released that August by Atlantic Records. It was a number-one song on the U.S...
" (Lou Willie TurnerBig Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
) – 2:15 - "How Much I Lied" (Gram ParsonsGram ParsonsGram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, Pam Rifkin) – 2:55
Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.
Bonus tracks (1994 Rykodisc)
- "He's Got YouShe's Got You"She's Got You" is a famous pop song written by Hank Cochran and was first recorded and released as a single by Patsy Cline in 1962. Musically the song is an upbeat jazz-pop song with country overtones to support it.-History:...
" (Live) (Hank CochranHank CochranGarland Perry "Hank" Cochran was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and others...
) – 4:07 - "Cry! Cry! Cry!" (Live) (Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
) – 2:45 - "There Won't Be Anymore" (Live) (Rich) – 2:23
- "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Live) (Rich) – 2:55
- "Honey HushHoney Hush"Honey Hush", written by Big Joe Turner , was recorded in May 1953 in New Orleans, Louisiana and released that August by Atlantic Records. It was a number-one song on the U.S...
" (Live) (Turner) – 2:31 - "Psycho" (Live) (Leon PayneLeon PayneLeon Payne , "the Blind Balladeer", was a country music singer and songwriter.-Life:Leon Roger Payne was born in Alba, Texas on June 15, 1917. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight of the other eye in early childhood. He attended the Texas School for the Blind from 1924 to 1935,...
) – 3:36 - "Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven" (Jack Ripley) – 1:58
- "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" (Wayne Kemp, Red Lane) – 2:37
- "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (Lee Ross, Bob WillsBob WillsJames Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
) – 2:04 - "Tears Before Bedtime" (Early Version) (Costello) – 2:27
- "Hot Burrito #1" (Live) (Parsons, Ethridge) – 3:46
Bonus disc (2004 Rhino)
All songs written by Costello unless noted.- "Stranger in the House" (duet with George Jones) – 3:39
- "We Ought to Be Ashamed" (duet with Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
) (James, Montgomery) – 2:47 - "Radio Sweetheart" (Live) – 3:15
- "Stranger in the House" (Live) – 3:56
- "Psycho" (Live) (Payne) – 3:35
- "If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You)" (Live) (Even Stevens) – 2:28
- "Motel Matches" (Live) – 2:21
- "He'll Have to GoHe'll Have to Go"He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959 by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a massive hit in both genres early in 1960.-Background:...
" (Live) (Joe AllisonJoe AllisonJoe Marion Allison was an American Hall of Fame songwriter, a radio and television personality, a record producer, and a country music business executive....
/Audrey Allison) – 2:51 - "Girls Talk" (Live) – 1:46
- "Too Far Gone" (Lost Session version) (Sherrill) – 3:11
- "He's Got You" (Lost Session version) (Cochran) – 3:51
- "Honky Tonk Girl" (Loretta LynnLoretta LynnLoretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
) – 2:26 - "That's Why I'm Walking" (Melvin Endsley & Stonewall JacksonStonewall Jacksonຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
) – 2:22 - "Wondering" (Joe Werner) – 2:21
- "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" (Kemp, Lane) – 2:37
- "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (Ross, Wills) – 2:04
- "Blues Keep Calling" (Janis Martin) - 2.07
- "Tears Before Bedtime" (Early Version) – 2:27
- "Psycho" (Payne) – 3:32
- "Cry, Cry, Cry" (Cash) – 2:45
- "I'll Take Care of You" (Brook BentonBrook BentonBrook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
) – 3:11 - "Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven" (Ripley) – 1:59
- "Brand New Heartache" (Live) (Felice Bryant/Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:29
- "There Won't Be Anymore" (Live) (Rich) – 2:32
- "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Live) (Rich) – 2:51
- "Honey Hush" (Live) (Turner) – 2:30
- "Hot Burrito #1" (Live) (Parsons, Ethridge) – 3:46
Personnel
- Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Steve NieveSteve NieveSteve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with... - Bruce ThomasBruce ThomasBruce Thomas is best known as bassist for The Attractions; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Pete ThomasPete ThomasPete Thomas is best known as the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello. Tom Waits has referred to him as "one of the best rock drummers alive".-Career:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums |
50 |