ELVIS COSTELLO STILL DELIVERS!

I've got a lot of respect for Elvis Costello. I'm not the hugest fan, but I have to admire that he follows his muse, and never takes the easy path. He still has the fire. I have said this before, but I think I can be a bit more objective about his newer material because his '70s and '80s stuff wasn't the soundtrack to my life.

I definitely dig his new album, National Ransom.   I've read that some people are calling this a "bluegrass" album.  I think that might be a fitting way to describe his last one (last year's Secret, Profane and Sugarcane), although both albums were produced by T-Bone Burnett. but this one sort of splits the difference between that album and the previous one, 2008's Momofuku. It has elements of garage rock and but a rootsier more country or rustic feel. The musicians on the album are the guys from The Sugarcanes (from his last album) and The Imposters (his go-to rock band these days, 2/3 are former Attractions). He still rocks: the title track is as good as "American Gangster Time" which I rate as one of his finest moments.  But on other songs, it feels like he is still discovering new things to try, and three decades into his career, that's pretty cool. 

I had the opportunity to watch him do a solo acoustic performance at my place of work, which was really cool. I don't think he does that too often. Anyway, here's his solo acoustic - but rocking - version of the very timely "National Ransom."

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.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ PART 1: LAST MINUTE GIFTS!

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am ET I go on the SIRIUS XM channel OutQ on the show The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick to talk about music. It is usually a half hour deal, but tomorrow I will be there for an hour. The original plan was to talk about last minute gifts for Hanukkah and Christmas. But since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their induction class for 2010 this morning, I'm going to be talking about that tomorrow as well. But first, on to the last minute gift ideas. One box set and a bunch of live albums - I find this kind of thing to be a great gift. Of course, I would think that!

A few weeks ago when I talked about box sets, I hadn't yet gotten a copy of Elvis Presley's Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight. I am not a huge Elvis fan actually (my first impression of him was during his "fat" era I think, and later on by Public Enemy's lyric "Elvis was a hero to most, he never meant shit to me"). But you simply cannot deny his influence on modern music and aside from that, he has some great songs. I would argue that most of his recorded output wasn't really that great, but the stuff that is great (mainly what he recorded for Sun Records) is earth-shattering. Again, I'm not a huge fan, but you really can't deny it. This 4 CD box set covers his entire career. If you are getting a gift for an Elvis beginner and want to spend a little bit, this is a great gift. A cheaper alternative is the single CD Elv1s 30 #1 Hits. I have that - I even thought that was a bit long for me. I would actually prefer Elvis At Sun. One gem I do love on this box set, though, is his cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time," recorded in 1966.

Moving from one Elvis to another: Elvis Costello's Live At The El Mocambo is a pretty great live album. Recorded in 1978 between his first two albums, My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, it shows Elvis and The Attractions as a hungry, up-and-coming band with something to prove (by the way, this isn't the same set as the one that is included in the Deluxe Edition of My Aim Is True). No Expiration readers know how much I love to see great artists - like Elvis Costello - make amazing art decades into thier careers. That said, there's nothing like hearing an artist when they are the hot new thing. That's what you get here. The sound quality is a bit bootleggy - lots of loud audience sounds, but it almost feels like you are there. Kind of for hardcore fans, but it is really great stuff.

Next is Neil Young's Dreamin' Man, which I've been looking forward to. Recorded in 1992 on a solo acoustic tour, he was playing the songs for Harvest Moon (released later that year) for the first time. I went to one of the NY shows, and was blown away. This is kind of more for hard-core Neil fans, but it really is a lovely album.

Tom Waits' Glitter and Doom is a live album also, documenting his latest tour. It mainly features stuff from the past decade, with some dives into past decades as well. It's two discs: one is songs, the other is stories that he tells between songs. I don't know if that would work for anyone but Tom Waits! Kind of only for hardcore fans.

Paul McCartney's Good Evening New York City documents his concerts this summer at CitiField, which replace Shea Stadium. Paul has released a ton of live albums over the past twenty years, but they are all fun. This one spans his career, from The Beatles to his latest project as The Fireman. The coolest part of the album is probably his live version of The Beatles' "A Day In The Life," which he'd never performed before (as it was mainly a John Lennon composition). This is not just for hard core fans, but if you have a limited budget, I'd say any of The Beatles remasters is probably a better gift.

Finally, The Rolling Stones' Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out deluxe edition, a re-release of the 1969 live album, which comes with a DVD, bonus tracks not on the original album, and the opening sets from Ike & Tina Turner and B.B. King. I've written about this one before.

Also, Beyonce and Kylie Minogue have new live albums, I don't have them, but Larry may bring them in.