I believe in Elvis Costello again.

I believe in Elvis Costello again, albeit because of a recording made during the prime of his career.  I love E.C. up to a certain point...let's say the Punch the Clock LP.  Then after that, nothing until Brutal Youth.  Parts of Blood and Chocolate, I guess to go before that, and bits of Spike afterward, and maybe barely a song here and there after that.

It's always struck me as odd how artists like Costello who can be some damned brilliant feel like they have to pursue these outright boring ideas and follow every whim that takes them farther away from what originally made them so great.  Elvis could easily crank out another Trust if not a My Aim Is True or This Year's Model.  I don't mean be punky and all, but fer chrissakes at least energetic and interesting.

Anyway, I dunno how I missed its release last year, but while I was browsing through iTunes last night, I saw that the entire Hollywood High show had been released.  Having been a fan of the three track EP culled from the show and released with the original LP pressings of Armed Forces (and later appended to the excellent Ryko reissue of the album), this purchase was a no-brainer.  The Attractions during their peak?  Hell yes, I want to hear 20 tracks of that, please.

I listened to Live at Hollywood High last night and wasn't disappointed with my ten dollar purchase.  It reminded me of why I love Elvis Costello and made me yearn for him to do something electrifying once again.  I know this probably won't ever come to pass.  The Juliet Letters was more of a warning shot that things were going to eventually go awry more than Almost Blue ever was.  And then of course there was the detours with Bacharach, etc.  I even saw the guy live a few years ago and the fucking show was mired thanks to his inclusion of Emmylou Harris.  Jesus.

But whatever.  This album is amazing and I dig it.  Thank you, El, for being amazing long ago.  Maybe it's time to start tooting again.

Uber fans must stop!

Calm down, now.  It's only rock and roll.

No, I'm not putting an umlaut over the U in "Uber."  And I apologize for lack of posts lately, but hey, we're back.  And this time I'd like to discuss the uber fan.  You know the type; the kind of fan that doesn't like to hear anything bad about his favorite band or artist and doesn't believe said entity ever released anything considered below average.

The Internet is filled with said types of people.  The most recent ones I encountered over on the official forums for The Beatles: Rock Band game.  Some guy had posted asking if anyone else was moved to near tears like he was when they heard some Paul McCartney tune called "The End of The End."  I replied back, saying that he was probably the only one indeed, but that I wept openly any time I heard anything of Paulie's post Press to Play released back in 1986.

Yes, Paul, we all remember those good old days.

It was a joke.  I mean, I meant what I said regarding my opinions of Macca's work, but it was said with humor.  You get it, I'm sure.

But no, a couple of fans on there missed in entirely, with one merely replying "go away," to which I fired off a short reply saying, "Why, because it's true?" and then reeling off the McCartney albums of the last decade or two I didn't like.  Then another guy chimes in telling me (as "facts," mind you, his wording) that I shouldn't listen to them if I think they're rubbish, and to not whine about it on the board there.

Wow.  Really?  I asked him if I should take it all the way back to Wings' Wild Life LP for the (in my opinion) earliest proof of post-Beatles Macca sludge, and then added that I found even that to be more entertaining than anything McCartney's released in 20 years.  I left it at that, but I'm always surprised by the uber fans and how their heroes can do no wrong.

At least Lou is still cantankerous even when he's dull.

I love Paul McCartney and a lot of his music, but my ears are not deaf.  Same thing with my man Lou Reed.  Lou has released an incredible amount of crap during his lifetime, and I'm sure at this point in his life even he'd admit to some of it.  But that doesn't mean I like the artist any less.  Hell, I own all those McCartney albums I don't like, because I bought them at the time thinking maybe this would be the one.  But they never are, and that's OK.  Paul McCartney and others in his rocking age bracket really don't need the radio to keep them afloat anymore. 

But my point was he could at least try to write some good songs.  Ditto that for my hero Elvis Costello, another dude who has just gone into Critical Blandness a while back with no signs of changing course.  I get it; this shit happens.  Which is exactly why these same dudes mainly play their back catalog to the adoring crowds because even they know no one wants to really hear their boring new stuff.

So I beg of you, uber fans, please open your ears.  Be reasonable.  There's no need to defend every note of every tune by your fave artist.  Hell, I already covered how lame the Beatles' own "Love Me Do" is here a few posts back.  It's true.  The Fabs had stinkers on all their albums.  It doesn't diminish their importance or talents.  It just proves they were as human as the rest of us.