Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. No Action
2. This Year's Girl
3. The Beat
4. Pump It Up
5. Little Triggers
6. You Belong To Me
7. Hand In Hand
8. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
9. Lip Service
10. Living In Paradise
11. Lipstick Vogue
12. Night Rally
13. Radio, Radio

Disc 2:

1. Big Tears
2. Crawling To The USA
3. Running Out Of Angels (Demo)
4. Greenshirt (Demo)
5. Big Boys (Demo)
6. You Belong to Me (Demo)
7. Radio, Radio (Demo)
8. Neat Neat Neat (Live)
9. Roadette Song (Live)
10. The Price Of Love
11. This Year's Girl (Alt. Version)
12. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea (Alt. Version)
13. Stranger In The House (BBC Version)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70310 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-19
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

Album Description
Next batch of Rhino Records expanded reissues, each beautifully remastered and presented with a bonus disc of rarities. Bonus disc material Running Out Of Angels (Demo) 'Greenshirt' (Demo), 'Big Boys' (Demo), 'You Belong to Me' (Demo), 'Radio, Radio' (Demo), 'Neat Neat Neat' (Live), 'Roadette Song' (Live), 'The Price Of Love', 'This Year's Girl' (Alt. Version), '(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea', (Alt. Version) & 'Stranger In The House' (BBC Version).

Amazon.com essential recording
Only months after his initial conquest with My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello delivered an even fiercer diatribe. His first record with the long-running Attractions, 1978's This Year's Model remains one of that blistering rock year's most indelible albums. Orwellian even when not directly alluding to the great man (a sly nod to 1984 on "Living in Paradise"), the 22-year-old and band crashed through the raging anti-party of "Pump It Up" ("When you don't really need it"), the perverted Spectorisms of "Hand in Hand," the punk manifesto "Radio, Radio," and the stylishly anti-fashion "This Year's Girl" (in the season of Suzanne Somers, no less) with no less force than the Clash. Probably his greatest, most elegantly imagined and rendered long-player. The bonus tracks on Rhino's 2002 edition include an "Alison"-style take on Costello's country ballad "Stranger in the House" and a cover of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat," both early proof of the new king's adeptness at outfitting his sets with conceptually brilliant surprises. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

This Years Model
Elvis Costello-This Years Model *****


The toss up between the bug two. By the big two I mean Elvis Costello's two biggest albums, his debut My Aim Is True, and his sophomore effort, This Years Model and which is better. Many will tell you his less famous albums which he realesed after This Years Model were his best. But really I have never understood why with Costello everyone insists on comparing all his albums and constantly ranking them, honestly the man has never mad a bad record. His band, The Atractions is one of the best punk/new wave/post punk bands of all time. His song writing is simply put, prolific. As a guitar player he is fantastic as well, and as for This Years Model, the album is incredible.

It was his second album realesed in 1978 this brit managed to realease two of the greatest albums in rock history with his first two at bats. Songs like 'Lipstick Vougue' evoke images of The Replacements, The Romantics, Clash, and John Lennon. Sexy, comlicated, angry, and somehow meloncolly all at the same time. 'Pump It Up' is the deffinition of new wave. 'Hand In Hand' is touching while the reggea influenced '(I Dont Want To Go To) Chelsea' is both loose and fun, and at times disturbing. Known for his brilliant imagry in his lyrics, songs like 'This Years Girl' 'Little Triggers' and 'Night Rally' dont dissapoint. The albums big hit single, well maybe not big but still hit single 'Radio, Radio' is a classic and propelled this album and The Atractions to major success and right afterward Costello threw it all away to be true to himself, which I will always take my hat of to him for that as long as I live.

The bonus disk which comes with this particular issue is a must have for those who are die hard Costello fans, but not one I would recomend to the average fan.

So is This Years Model better then My Aim Is True or any of Costellos other albums? Does it really matter? well no it doesn't but to answer the question, I must give my opinion and say that this is his most focused album and also his most asseble and varied, but in my opinion this is only his second best album. My Aim Is True is far superior even though This Years Model is a fantastic album!

A fantastic sophomore release
My Aim is True was a promising debut, but This Year's Model, Elvis Costello's sophomore effort and first album with long-time backing band the Attractions, is an all-out stunner. Everything on this puppy, from the songs to the performances to the cover art (just look at that sneer!) drips with the aggression, menace, and black humor that have become EC trademarks.

For one thing, the Attractions rule. The band packs a sonic punch that Clover (the group that backed Elvis on My Aim Is True) simply couldn't muster. They've got a raucous, full-bodied sound that bridges the gaps between punk, new wave, rock `n' roll, and even 60s garage rock. Steve Nieve's freewheeling keyboard playing is the ideal partner for the compact snarl of Costello's guitar chords, while Bruce Thomas' nimble bass lines duck, weave, and squirm beneath them. Pete Thomas' drumming lends the appropriate sense of straight-ahead urgency to the whole thing, while giving the proceedings a sufficiently rockin' backbone. Thanks to the Attractions, these songs have a certain bite that was buried on My Aim Is True.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Costello's songwriting is absolutely stellar, He may look like a harmless fellow on his album covers, but his lyrics are anything but: the guy writes with a poison pen, flinging venom-dipped darts in every possible direction without ever missing his mark. His unapologetic cynicism is matched by his dark sense of humor and deliciously twisted worldview.

All of it comes together on "No Action," the album's breathless opener. At just over two minutes in length, it's a juggernaut of warped fifties melodies and pummeling guitars. Costello's vocal is both cheeky and bitter, as he spews forth a series of withering putdowns at some special someone who probably deserves every word of it. "Hand In Hand" and "Lip Service" are equally spiteful tales of derailed romance, and "Living In Paradise" ups the ante with its depictions of wanton betrayal and relentless paranoia- and it has a cheerful, bubbling melody! "This Year's Girl" matches a leering, halting musical assault with lyrics that take a sharp stab at celebrity culture, and "Lipstick Vogue" is pure amphetamine sleaze. "Little Triggers" is a broken doo-wop ballad essaying a crumbling relationship with enough bitter disillusionment to last a lifetime. "You Belong To Me" is a gleefully sardonic look at male aggression, and "Pump It Up" is a rollicking party song... with lyrics about the worthlessness of parties. "Night Rally" is a dark, atmospheric track that sees Costello flirting with images of fascism and revolution. "The Beat" (possibly my favorite track here) is tale of sexual frustration that brims with raw aggression and nervous energy. I'm also in love with the stunning "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea," which uses a taut, crawling, ska-influenced groove to slowly build tension, while Costello's lyrics are pure claustrophobic sexual paranoia.

So, a masterpiece then. Get it.

More fun from 'little' Elvis
Fun songs on this sophomore effort...'Pump It Up', 'Lipstick Vogue', 'Radio, Radio'. EC rocks harder here than on his debut recording. This solidly rounds out my top 5 standard Costello recordings.