Welcome To The Working Week/Miracle Man/No Dancing/Blame It On Cain/Alison/Sneaky Feelings/(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes/Less Than Zero/Mystery Dance/Pay It Back/I’m Not Angry/Waiting For The End Of The World
Singer songwriter Elvis Costello belonged to a new generation of British musicians who, in both appearance and musical style, presented a complete break with the progressive rock era. His debut album My Aim Is True found favour with the music critics of the time, and features the UK top 20 hit Watching The Detectives. (US:32 UK:14)
“The melodies are timeless but the lyrics are very much of the time. Clever, caustic, funny and powerful, Costello proved himself to be, not a saviour, but a beacon of hope that music had discovered a way forward.”
“Elvis Costello may have had some of the attitude of the punks but I've never thought of him as one. He's a classic songwriter and he's one of the best. Every time I listen to his debut I just can't decide which song is my favourite, there are so many tracks that are not just album highlights, or career highlights, but pop culture highlights.”
“Elvis Costello’s classic debut showcases all the elements which would come to define his sound during the next decade: snarling punk rock swagger, dense hyper-literate wordplay, light-hearted cynicism and tongue-in-cheek humour. My Aim Is True leans heavily on the influences of 1950s rock & roll, doo wop, soul and R & B rather than the synth-heavy new wave sound he would experiment with on subsequent releases.”
“His debut album is a classic in the annals of the mid 70s British rebel movement that fostered punk, new wave, and alternative music onto an unsuspecting world still listening to glam metal.”
“The songwriting dexterity of Costello is second to none and has been so since the very beginning. Songs like Welcome To The Working Week and Less Than Zero articulate with such mastery and conviction, the drudgery of working class England, while Watching The Detectives and Alison are examples of song craft at its finest.”
“My Aim Is True draws upon myriad influences while sounding fresh, new and original at the first listen. The angst, fear and alienation of youth are clearly defined, exploited and exploded by Costello's wry, witty and, at times, angry penmanship.”
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