THE ELVIS COSTELLO SHOW(S)

Elvis Costello has just started releasing albums in a series called "The Costello Show." They are different concerts from different periods in his career. Last year, he put out Live At The El Mocambo,  recorded in Toronto on March 6, 1978, supporting his debut album My Aim Is True.

Now, he has released Live At Hollywood High, recorded just a few months later on June 4, 1978 on the same tour.  Like El Mocambo, it is a really intense, rocking album.  As I've often said, I don't like the kind of ageism that people use when they write off older artists simply because they are old. Especially in the case of someone like Elvis, who has made some great music in the past decade. But there is something to be said for listening to recordings of a band when they are young and hungry, and in 1978, Elvis and The Attractions were young and hungry. I'm not the hugest Elvis fanatic, but I highly recomend both of these recordings.

Of course, the other Elvis Costello show is Spectacle, which I just wrote about.  I don't get Sundance (the channel which airs it), but you can get Season 1 on a DVD box set, and it is a really great show if you are a true music fan.