Toad Hall Books and Records

Armed Forces - Vinyl (OUT OF PRINT)

By: Costello, Elvis

Armed Forces - Vinyl (OUT OF PRINT)
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Elvis Costello Armed Forces on Numbered Limited-Edition 180-gram LP from Mobile FidelityRanked #482 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All-TimeHigh Fidelity! Half-Speed Mastered LP is Definitive Version of This 1979 Pop ClassicAlso Available on MoFi LP: Costello's Brilliant 1977 Debut My Aim Is True and 1978's Urgent This Year's ModelLargely written on tour in hotel rooms and on the bus, Elvis Costello's Armed Forces takes personal politics to a new level. A supremely melodic and hook-laden record, the 1979 set is a showcase of scintillating keyboard lines, sharp guitar work, and the most cohesive arrangements of Costello and the Attractions' career. In every way, this is a pop masterpiece, defined by hits such as ''Accidents Will Happen,'' ''Oliver's Army,'' and the anthemic ''What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and UnderstandingY'' You need this record.While less musically intense than the preceding This Year's Model, Armed Forces doesn't let up in the lyric department. Costello's narratives are loaded with paranoia, irony, bitterness, and scathing humor. Originally titled Emotional Fascism, the singer's third consecutive masterpiece is inspired by billboard sign slogans, insular observations, and social behavior that Costello found applicable to his own situation. ''Oliver's Army,'' ''Green Shirt,'' and ''Senior Service'' address systemic governmental control. ''Big Boys,'' ''Two Little Hitlers,'' and ''Accidents Will Happen'' also concern control and betrayal - but that of the interpersonal nature.Given the luxury of six weeks in the studio, Costello and the Attractions responded with spacious arrangements and a few extra touches and instrumental colors that add to the songs' charm. Steve Nieve employs a monophonic Minimoog keyboard and pianos patterned after Abba's sweet pop; whispers are exaggerated into black comedy shouts on ''Goon Squad''; layered and echoed vocals provide the illusion of several Costello voices on multiple tracks. The b
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