Any Elvis Costello Fans in Here?

For a long time now, I've been meaning to check the man out, and I figured the best place to start was This Year's Model. However, the fact that he's billed as a combination of punk and singer/songwriter made me rather nervous. All I could think was it would be a mix of the didacticism of punk mixed with the whiny angst of your average singer/songwriter, but he pulled it off perfectly. Now I'm hooked. Apart from his Attractions work, he's also been all over the place, but I haven't checked that out yet.

If you're interested, this article from the AV Club. It was mighty hand when I was looking for albums to start with.

His first two albums are generally called his "most punk" albums.  Which is what turned me off because I though on first listen "These aren't punk at all!" which disappointed me.  His voice took me some time to get used to as well. 

Several years later I got some import LP versions of the My Aim is True and This Years Model and liked them quite a lot.  He is a great songwriter and a good musician with several good ideas (and good back up too!). 

I ended up buying most of his other albums (still missing a couple from the early 90s).  My most favorite would be King of America with Imperial Bedroom, Clubland, and The Delivery Man following. 

Can't wait to hear the new one.

ZOMG buy "When I Was Cruel" and "The Delivery Man" now!

I have This Year's Model, My Aim Is True and Punch The Clock, and i think they're great

I like his earlier albums best like Armed Forces, Get Happy and This Year's Model.

Yeah, that whole "angry young man" thing - Elvis C., Ian Dury, Graham Parker, Joe Jackson - got marketed as punk rock in the US.....wrongly, I might add, but still, MAIT and TYM had their egde, though they sound like pub rock shuffles compared to some ot the hard core punk act, especially those from the US West Coast....ugly stuff.