Latest from Elvis' PR people

[johnfoyle]

http://www.shorefire.com/artists/ecoste ... 12_04.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2004
NEW ALBUMS ‘THE DELIVERY MAN’ (LOST HIGHWAY) AND ‘IL SOGNO’ (DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON) TO BE RELEASED ON SEPT. 21

Two new albums by Elvis Costello will be released September 21: ‘The Delivery Man’ (Lost Highway Records) with his band the Imposters, and 'Il Sogno' (Deutsche Grammophon), his first full-length orchestral work.

Costello and the Imposters (drummer Pete Thomas; keyboardist Steve Nieve; and bassist Davey Farragher) recorded most of ‘The Delivery Man’ in April 2004 at Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford, MS. The sessions were produced by Dennis Herring and Costello. One cut, “Monkey to Man,” which Costello has said is a sequel to New Orleans songwriter Dave Bartholomew’s 1954 single “The Monkey,” was recorded during a day trip to the to the nearby Delta town of Clarksdale, MS and will be the first single and video from the album.

Several songs are written in the voices of characters found in the narrative of the title track. These include guest vocal appearances by Lucinda Williams on “There’s a Story in Your Voice” and Emmylou Harris on “Nothing Clings Like Ivy” and “Heart Shaped Bruise.” The album also contains a ukulele-accompanied duet with Harris on the Oscar-nominated “The Scarlet Tide,” which Alison Krauss recorded for the ‘Cold Mountain’ soundtrack. ‘The Delivery Man’ features the pedal steel guitar playing of John McFee, who appeared on Costello's first album 'My Aim is True' and also on the 1981, Nashville-recorded 'Almost Blue.’

Costello co-wrote “Either Side of the Same Town” with legendary soul producer and songwriter Jerry Ragovoy.

'Il Sogno' was originally commissioned by Italy's Aterballeto dance company in 2000 for their adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Costello says, "I was extremely surprised to be asked, I had little or no understanding of the world of dance. When asked 'Who is your favourite dancer?,' I replied honestly, 'Cyd Charisse.'"

Following the ballet's premiere in Bologna and staging in a number of other Italian houses, Costello began to adapt the score for this recording. “In the end, I tried to create a piece of music to which people would respond without the visual cues that come from the dancers. I took out a lot of repetitions demanded by the choreography, re-orchestrated some passages, and composed several new transitions and resolutions,” he explains.

Describing the nature of the music contained in the score, Costello said, "There are elements of humor—when it came to writing music for the supernatural beings in the story, I thought it is only appropriate that they should be swinging faeries. However, there are also passages representing confusion, jealousy, anger and turmoil. These cues have the edges, angles that I go looking for in rock and roll but the way they are achieved is utterly different. I hope there are also moments of tenderness."

'Il Sogno' was recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra at London’s Abbey Road Studio One in 2002, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and with guest soloists drummer Peter Erskine and saxophonist John Harle.

Elvis Costello headlined the Lincoln Center Festival this July with a trio of thrilling shows (including the North American premier of ‘Il Sogno’), offering previews of the upcoming releases and reinterpreting older material. Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote in a review of all three shows, “Mr. Costello is ceaselessly curious about music. He is inquisitive enough not just to listen widely, but to learn the makings of every idiom that moves him, from lieder to New Orleans rhythm and blues. In the three nights at Lincoln Center he was a crooner, a howler, a swinger, a brooder, an orchestral composer and a guitar twanger.”

Costello said, "All the music comes from the same place. It's just the trigger that's different."

[invisible Pole]

Seems like we can forget about the rumoured bonus disc with Il Sogno. Anyway, I just can't wait to hear the albums.

[Sour Milk Cow]

No bonus disc! That's too bad, I was really looking forward to hearing "Almost Ideal Eyes" with the orchestra.

Where did the notion first appear that there WOULD be a bonus disc? Was it an official source?

I wonder why the opted to scrap the idea. It would seem like just the trick to get a lot of Elvis fans who wouldn't otherwise buy Il Sogno to pony up their money. I hope they just forgot to mention it in the press release!

[And No Coffee Table]

Where did the notion first appear that there WOULD be a bonus disc? Was it an official source?

It was reported in April by the same official source that gave us this latest press release: "It will be accompanied by a bonus cd to be recorded this summer at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands."

http://www.shorefire.com/artists/ecoste ... 08_04.html

[bobster]

"When asked 'Who is your favourite dancer?,' I replied honestly, 'Cyd Charisse.'"

It's good for this movie musical geek to know that EC knows his MGM classics...and yet, I prefer Ann Miller. Charisse was probably the best female dancer, but she had little personality. Ann sure had that.

Actually, the best dancer who ever lived (as many ballet dancers agree, at least last time I checked) was Fred Astaire. And he had personality -- though I admit he wouldn't have looked as good in fish net stockings as Charisse or Miller, but then that's just me.

[laughingcrow]

Where in there does it say 'no bonus disc' gents???

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it was/is still being offered for sale as a 2disc record in the mail order record stores in the back of music magazines, like MOJO. It will be a 2-disc CD!

[And No Coffee Table]

I really hope you're right. But unless the ads were placed by Deutsche Grammophon, it doesn't mean much, because the mail order companies could be relying on the information from April.

If the bonus disc is still in the works, it is very peculiar that they would fail to mention it in the press release.

[johnfoyle]

For what its worth , the North Sea Jazz shows were recorded . I've heard a disc of the FM radio broadcast of the time and it was clearly recorded with great care. Its hard to believe that such an excellent recording would be just done for a one-of airing.

[And No Coffee Table]

Of course, it's also possible the concert will be released but not in the form of the Il Sogno bonus disc.

[laughingcrow]

It might be on the Il Sogno reissue in 15 years time (with 4000 words penned by Elvis himself!)