Elvis Costello - "National Ransom"

I was tearing around my garage trying to put together the equipment I needed for a gig. After firing up the engine and pulling out of the driveway with the trailer, I started my normal cycle of checking off items on a mental checklist: guitars – √, amp – √, charts – √, new Elvis Costello album – √, clothes - …, clothes - …, ARGH! No clothes. There was no way I could perform this gig in jeans and a white t-shirt. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve worn my Chuck Taylors with my tux as I'd forgotten my dress shoes ... but that is relatively acceptable when you're young. Fashions as such can be attributed to the 'rebellious nature' of youngsters. Middle-aged men in a tux and Converse are perceived as being tragically hip (and I don't mean being a member of that band), having a mid-life crisis, or are mildly retarded. I had to spin around and head back to the house to get my suit.

After finally getting back on the road, I plugged the iPod into my mobile listening booth. I switched the preset EQ mode from Talk to Pop. I like the Pop setting because I'm 40% deaf and it boosts the highs so I can hear the vocals. I used to laugh at Pete Townshend; not anymore. This new album includes all members of The Imposters and The Sugarcanes featured in combos with guests Vince Gill, Marc Ribot, Buddy Miller, and Leon Russell. I was excited to hear some pounding from Pete Thomas and Farfisa from Steve Nieve. The first track swelled into a bouncy guitar-fueled 1-4-5 that could have been found on My Aim Is True. I listened closely to the lyrics and suddenly realized there was a political protest in there somewhere. (I suppose the carpet bagging wolf - stealing flaming money and leaving behind a wake of oil spills and destruction on the cover art - should have tipped me off.)

They’re running wild
Just like some childish tantrum
Meanwhile we’re working every day
Paying off the National Ransom
1929 to the Present Day

So what is Elvis inferring? That the U.S. administration is running amuck with feckless abandon and its baseless currency? That the U.S. administration is enslaving generations to come with the levels of debt being incurred? Disingenuous corporatists are stealing opportunity from the American people and selling it to developing third-world nations as a way to obtain control? I don't know. I don’t have the constitution for politics. This song, however, was peppy and got me bopping as I pulled onto the Parkway. I paid my exorbitant driving-privilege fee and continued listening.

Jumpin' Jelly Roll Morton! The album took a severe left turn causing me to almost careen off the road! The song had me longing for a time period I'll never experience. Being a big fan of hot jazz, gypsy jazz, and American swing of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, ‘Jimmie Standing in the Rain’ was authentic. This morose, dark ballad twisted and turned through three quarter and four quarter phrasing spinning a quality yarn telling the tale of a chronic outsider named Jimmie. Elvis is really taking his gypsy jazz seriously and this was quite a step forward from a lot of the tracks on Secret, Profane and Sugarcane.

Almost Blue almost appeared. Being the most vocally ambitious track on the album, ‘Stations of the Cross’ was sincere. Burt Bacharach obviously had quite an influence over him, probably as a result of the work they did together a decade ago. The chorus is treated beautifully with a Bacharach-esque melody and harmony paring. I was imagining a long sunset walk along tropical sands holding hands with Dionne Warwick ... wait … maybe I was part of the Psychic Friends Network. Where was this going? I don't know. Do you know the way to San Jose?

I was almost out of gas at this point. I thought to myself, “Do I exit now for the Parkway rest area and pay ten cents a gallon more or take my chance at finding gas at 2 am in some yokel town?” I chose the latter as I was needing to get a gas station attendant prepared hoagie at that point anyway. As it turned out I made the wrong decision; I ended up with parking ticket from some overzealous and thoroughly offensive officer of the law whilst ordering my chain-convenience-store hoagie. Never go to Wanaque, NJ. Its police force sucks ass.

Elvis, harmonizing with Mike Compton, worked his way into my heart with ‘A Slow Drag with Josephine’. It made me smile. An endearing, alternate-picking driven guitar based jazz ditty in the vein of ‘A-Tisket A-Tasket’ featuring Ella Fitzgerald. It was very ‘30s. Elvis also employed one of my favorite solo instruments here: the whistle. There isn't a much cooler sound in the world than a whistle.

‘Five Small Words’ was a driving song. With each subsequent measure I found myself shortening the throw of the accelerator pedal. Before I knew it I was doing 90 up 287 with a trailer full of equipment. Oof. I had to slow down! Elvis succeeded in mixing ‘80s new wave with country on this track. I loved the sound of the Vox AC-30 too. This too was a treat.

‘Church Underground’ was an acerbic tale about a woman struggling with acceptance and redemption:

Why do you do me down, Mister?
Sing “Hallelujah,” Sister
Turn up the volume, just to turn it down
The trivial secrets buried with the profound
It's enough to put a church underground

I wondered what happened to this woman. It made me think. I thought long and hard. I thought so hard that I missed my exit and had to turn around. Another ten minute detour. Damn. I ended up listening to this song several times. You will too.

Elvis painted a vivid image of nostalgia having family sitting around the wireless or Victrola in the 1930s listening to crooners such as Bing Crosby, Lee Bennett or Rudy Vallee. ‘You Hung The Moon’ was a melancholic song seemingly eulogizing someone’s passing. Employing beautiful major seventh melodies, this was a personal favorite. I was getting close to the destination at this point. Wanaque is a town seemingly unchanged by time, with perhaps the addition of one or two unbalanced, anger management-challenged cops. There was an old barber shop on the right with a great neon sign in the window that must have been at least sixty years old. Somehow Elvis knew I was to be driving through this time warp at that exact moment when he wrote that song. I knew it. I was a gold-level member of the Psychic Friends Network.

‘Bullets For The New-Born King’ was a mild stroll down the folk dirt road; another dire tale but I couldn't quite connect with it. I found myself waiting for this song to end, unfortunately.

Nearing my destination, I started skipping forward. The subsequent tracks began in step with the rest of the album. The minutes left for listening would be few as I was about to pull into the driveway of my destination. I wanted to get a few more notes in before I had to start humping PA equipment into the hall. I stopped on the last track ‘A Voice In The Dark and instantly enjoyed another authentic waxing of nostalgia. I instantly thought of the old saying now you're cooking with gas!

Elvis Costello never ceases to amaze me with his range and diversity in repertoire and subject matter There were definitely lulls on the second half of the album, but I've found most of his albums to have a few 'duds' or songs that aren't quite as interesting as the rest, but overall, I always enjoy listening to his music en toto. Ever since he'd worked with Burt Bacharach I’ve had a totally different appreciation for him. Burt always chooses vocalists whose voices sound like orchestral instruments: Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, Tom Jones, Herp Albert. And when he chose Elvis Costello, it made perfect sense. Elvis' bellow is a multidimensional texture-laden croon that fits almost any style of music whether it be punk, new wave, reggae, swing, folk or jazz. Couple that with searingly insightful and challenging lyrics and you have a singer/songwriter who will go down in history as one of the greats.

I wheeled my truck around in a circular drive and proceeded to back the trailer about fifty yards up a very narrow, stone-lined drive to the loading dock. After a perfect landing I was quickly told I was not allowed to load in through the loading dock but must pull back out and around to the side of the building to load in through the first floor. We musicians get no respect, I tell ya.