National Ransom - November 2010

[wordnat]

Poor Deportee wrote

I for one am going to go into the album cold.

Me too !
A kindly person from the emerald isle gave me a pre-release version of SP&S and I buried it under a heavy pile of vinyl so I wouldn't be tempted. i admit to owning a few live recordings but the studio versions invariably have been a revelation and I'm just excited about the prospect of the album.
Is there any likelihood that it will be released on vinyl as a single album ( like the good old days) rather than a double with 4 tracks per side a la TRIR, Momofuku and SP&S ?

That would be a lot of music for a single vinyl. CDs are so long these days -- 60min or more is common -- that, effectively, most new releases are "Double LPs". Not that I'm complaining -- my "All-Time Top 10" is littered with them: "London Calling"; "Blonde on Blonde"; "Exile on Main St."; the White Album, etc....

PS: You have a "Pre-Release" copy of NR? There's NO WAY I could keep fr om playing that!

[cwr]

Is it just me, or does it sound a little bit like a Traveling Wilburys track? I half keep expecting Roy or Bob to take the second verse...

[johnfoyle]

Martin has put together a CDR for me of these live versions of songs from 'Ransom

1. Jimmie Standing in the Rain - w/'Canes - Dublin, July 1 '10
2. Stations of the Cross - solo - San Diego, April 11 '10
3. A Slow Drag With Josephine - w/'Canes - Dublin , July 11 '10
4. Five Small Words - w/'Canes - Toronto , Aug. 28 '09
5. You Hung the Moon - solo - Sydney , Oct. 17 '09
6. Bullets for the New-Born King - solo - Birmingham, June 21 '10
7. I Lost You - w/'Canes - Liverpool , June 28 '10
8. Dr Watson, I Presume - solo - Sydney , Oct. 17 '09
9. One Bell Ringing - solo - Birmingham , June 21 '10
10.The Spell That You Cast - solo- San Diego , April 11 '10
11.The Spell That You Cast -w/'Canes - Dublin July 1 '10
12.That's Not The Part of Him You're Leaving - solo - Sydney Oct.17 '09
13.That's Not The Part of Him You're Leaving -w/'Canes - Dublin, July 1 '10

[migdd]

Is it just me, or does it sound a little bit like a Traveling Wilburys track? I half keep expecting Roy or Bob to take the second verse...

The same thought struck me as well. The rhythm track seems to be a beat-for-beat self-plagiarism of You Belong To Me (intentional or not), as someone has already mentioned.

[johnfoyle]

Looks kind of official -

http://twitter.com/ElvisCostello

[Jeremy Dylan]

I find it hard to imagine Elvis confining himself to 140 characters of prose.

[sulky lad]

Wordnat wrote

PS: You have a "Pre-Release" copy of NR? There's NO WAY I could keep fr om playing that!

No, only had a pre release of SP&S - no sign of NR yet !! but I would use my utmost willpower to resist should a copy come my way - I think I got my fingers burned in the 80s with a "pre release" of GCW from Greg Vandyke which was on cassette and just sounded like an awful bootleg and didn't have a tracklist even vaguely resembling the official one

[wardo68]

Looks kind of official -

http://twitter.com/ElvisCostello

So far it's the same posts that the Elvis Costello page on Facebook puts up.

[wordnat]

Martin has put together a CDR for me of these live versions of songs from 'Ransom

1. Jimmie Standing in the Rain - w/'Canes - Dublin, July 1 '10
2. Stations of the Cross - solo - San Diego, April 11 '10
3. A Slow Drag With Josephine - w/'Canes - Dublin , July 11 '10
4. Five Small Words - w/'Canes - Toronto , Aug. 28 '09
5. You Hung the Moon - solo - Sydney , Oct. 17 '09
6. Bullets for the New-Born King - solo - Birmingham, June 21 '10
7. I Lost You - w/'Canes - Liverpool , June 28 '10
8. Dr Watson, I Presume - solo - Sydney , Oct. 17 '09
9. One Bell Ringing - solo - Birmingham , June 21 '10
10.The Spell That You Cast - solo- San Diego , April 11 '10
11.The Spell That You Cast -w/'Canes - Dublin July 1 '10
12.That's Not The Part of Him You're Leaving - solo - Sydney Oct.17 '09
13.That's Not The Part of Him You're Leaving -w/'Canes - Dublin, July 1 '10

I did the same thing -- with many of the same performances listed above -- and it's fantastic. I even took the time to remove the crowd noise, level the volume, and crossfade the tracks. Yep, I need a life!

[johnfoyle]

CdJapan still seem to be expecting a Oct.6 release -

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCO-3022

Google translation of a description -


2nd transfer! Album about a year and Elvis Costello! Taped while yet,
in an interview with a visit to Japan for Summer Sonic appeared in
2009 in parallel with the rock album Country Albums Costello said that
was produced. T Bone Burnett appoints, and the previous darker color
different country, what great potential dark rock!

[sweetest punch]

The official website reveals the recorded songs at the recording sessions:
http://www.elviscostello.com/lies-inven ... ons/page19

February-March 2010
T Bone Burnett produces nine days of sessions at Sound Emporium, Nashville. All the members of The Sugarcanes are featured in various groovy new combos along with Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve and Marc Ribot. Buddy Miller, Vince Gill and Leon Russell also make appearances.

Song recorded included, "National Ransom", "Jimmie Standing In The Rain", "For More Tears", "Stations Of The Cross", "Five Small Words", "Condemned Man", "A Slow Drag With Josephine", "I Don't Want To Go Home", "Church Underground", "You Hung The Moon", "Bullets For The New-Born King", "I Lost You", "Dr Watson, I Presume", "One Bell Ringing", "Poor Borrowed Dress, "That's Not The Part Of Him You're Leaving", "The Spell That You Cast", "A Voice In The Dark", "He's Got You", "My Lovely Jezebel" and "All These Strangers"

Two days of sessions later take place at Village Recorders, Los Angeles at which The Coward Brothers are accompanied by Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas. A small twelve-piece orchestra is also recorded. Songs recorded included, "Five Small Words", "Big Boys Cry" and "I Hope"

Lucky Dog seems to be a reworking of an existing song: http://www.elviscostello.com/lies-inven ... ons/page20

The encore sometimes features a re-working of "Lucky Dog", a now forgotten Vietnam-era single on the 4-Tet label out of Fort Lauderdale, FL by Sgt. Larry Singer in tribute to the heroic exploits of his dog, "Lucky", who had once featured on the cover of "Life" magazine

[Neil.]

Ah, so he's recorded a studio version of 'I Hope'. Great. Hope he makes it available for download if it ain't on the album. I was knocked out by it when I saw it live earlier this year.

[Lester Burnham]

I wonder if 'Lucky Dog' is a collaboration with Jim Lauderdale (hence the nod to Ft. Lauderdale)?

Also, I too hope that 'I Hope' will be available somewhere, although, honestly, the electric guitar/voice performance from Birmingham is utterly perfect – I don't know if the live version can be topped.

[wordnat]

Saw this blurb online somewhere:

The album was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles. It will be in stores on October 1 in Australia, October 25 in Europe and November 2 in North America.

Does that sound accurate? October 1st in Austrailia??

[And No Coffee Table]

That is the date listed at Australia's CD Online.

On the other hand, they have Pomp & Pout listed for August 27, and I doubt that's accurate.

[Jeremy Dylan]

Saw this blurb online somewhere:

The album was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles. It will be in stores on October 1 in Australia, October 25 in Europe and November 2 in North America.

Does that sound accurate? October 1st in Austrailia??

I bloody hope so!


The title track is seriously growing on me. Especially that little bass lick before the band kicks in.

[thepopeofpop]

Saw this blurb online somewhere:

The album was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles. It will be in stores on October 1 in Australia, October 25 in Europe and November 2 in North America.

Does that sound accurate? October 1st in Austrailia??

It seems strange. Albums are usually released on Mondays in Australia, but the 1st of October is a Friday.

Still, I'll be in Sydney on October 2nd, so I'll let you know!

[wardo68]

Another addition to the official site:

http://www.elviscostello.com/lies-inven ... husband/66

[wordnat]

"OWH: So, is this a Bluegrass record?

EC: Only in the way that Sly and The Family Stone are a Bluegrass band."

[wordnat]

Sorry for the multi-posts, but this album is intriguing the hell out me -- if it's not a fully-realised masterpiece, color me crestfallen. A thought om the "late" release date (this thing could've easily been out this summer): NR's a very autumn (i.e., depressing) LP. No summer party record, methinks. Thoughts?

[EarlManchester]

No summer party record, methinks. Thoughts?

November 2 is election day in the U.S.

I wonder if EC intentionally picked that day to drop "National Ransom."

[Jeremy Dylan]

“that boy used to have a large collection of insects in amber, that man is living alone with a salamander and a small inheritance, that woman has carried murder in her heart for forty years” etc.

More material for my musical!

[scaredcrow]

One Bell Ringing is up, and very good it is too.

[wordnat]

Is it just me, or does it sound a little bit like a Traveling Wilburys track? I half keep expecting Roy or Bob to take the second verse...

It does, unfortunately. It also sounds like a bit of a rush job -- "oh shit, my new album's gonna be called "National Ransom", so I'd better get right home and write the title tune...!"

....or maybe it will grow on me.

[cwr]

Just to be clear-- I hadn't intended the Wilburys comparison to be derogatory. I like them! (I realize not everybody does...)