Editing Elvis Costello (section)

=== 1977–1979: Peak pop stardom ===

In mid-June 1977, Costello held auditions for a bassist and keyboardist for a backing band for a tour to promote ''My Aim Is True'', wanting a sparser sound than on the album.<ref name="Jones-1977" /> [[Pete Thomas (drummer)|Pete Thomas]], formerly of pub-rock band [[Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers]], who were managed by Riviera, agreed to be drummer, although Thomas was then living in California and needed to be brought back to England.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=85}}{{Sfn|Balls|2014|p=|pp=22–23, 80}} [[Steve Goulding]] and [[Andrew Bodnar]], rhythm section of [[the Rumour]], also participated in these audition sessions, so that Costello could test how the musicians auditioning played as part of a band.{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=232}} Chosen were bassist [[Bruce Thomas (musician)|Bruce Thomas]] (no relation to Pete), who was 28 years old and had ten years' experience in professional bands, the most successful being the [[The Sutherland Brothers#The Sutherland Brothers and Quiver (1973–78)|Sutherland Brothers and Quiver]];{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=86}}{{Sfn|Balls|2014|p=89}} and keyboardist [[Steve Nieve]] (then Steve Nason), a 19-year-old student at the [[Royal College of Music]] who had formal musical training but no experience in any kind of pop group.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=87}} The band, soon named [[the Attractions]], would be Costello's touring and recording band for the next seven years.<ref name="Costello-2002">{{Cite AV media notes |title=This Years Model liner notes|title-link=This Year's Model|year=2002 |first=Elvis |last=Costello |type=booklet |publisher=[[Rhino Records]]}}</ref>{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=206, 208}}

==== "Watching the Detectives" and commercial breakthrough ====
Costello used the time with Goulding and Bodnar to arrange and rehearse "[[Watching the Detectives (song)|Watching the Detectives]]". He recorded the song with them at Pathway a few days later.{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=232}} Costello had written the song a few weeks earlier, partly inspired by [[the Clash]]'s newly released [[The Clash (album)|debut album]].{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=234}} Some of the musical ideas, which Nieve fleshed out when he overdubbed his piano and organ parts a few weeks later, were inspired by film scores [[Bernard Herrmann]] had done for [[Alfred Hitchcock]].{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=236}} Costello later called the recording of "Watching the Detectives" his first experience of "making records as opposed to recording some songs in a room".{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=234}} The song would be released as a non-album single in the UK and as a track on the US version of ''My Aim Is True''.{{Sfn|St. Michael|1986|p=30}}

''My Aim Is True'' received extensive, favourable coverage in the UK music press through a combination of effective [[publicity stunt]]s, such as Costello [[Street performance|busking]] in front of the London hotel hosting the [[CBS Records International|CBS Records]] business convention, and genuine enthusiasm for his music among music journalists.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|pp=89, 94–96}} The album reached number 14 on the [[UK Albums Chart]] within a few weeks of its release.<ref name="officialcharts.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/|title=Elvis Costello, Albums, My Aim Is True [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref> "Watching the Detectives", released in mid-October, reaching number 15 in the [[UK Singles Chart]], becoming Costello's first single to chart in any country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/|title=Elvis Costello, Singles, Watchin' the Detectives [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="Costello-2001" /> This was the first of an unbroken streak of eight Costello singles to reach the UK top 30.<ref name="Costello-1993a">{{Cite AV media notes |title=This Years Model liner notes|title-link=This Year's Model|year=1993 |first=Elvis |last=Costello |type=inset |publisher=[[Rykodisc]]}}</ref> When Costello began touring the US in mid-November, he received prominent coverage in the US press, even though he played venues holding fewer than a thousand people.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=|pp=106–107}} By this time, Costello had signed to [[Columbia Records]], who released ''My Aim Is True'' in the US in early November.<ref name="riaa.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Elvis+Costello#search_section|title=RIAA Gold and Platinum [database search on Elvis Costello, show details]|website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|access-date=14 June 2018}}</ref> The album gradually climbed to number 32 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape]] chart and was named among the best albums of the year by US music critics.<ref name="ECBillboard200">{{Cite magazine |date=19 August 2023 |title=Elvis Costello [show Billboard 200] |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/elvis-costello/chart-history/ |magazine=Billboard}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres77.php |title=The 1977 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=23 January 1978 |access-date=4 August 2018 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref> In mid-December, Costello and the Attractions appeared on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', where they angered the show's producer by unexpectedly playing the then-unrecorded song "[[Radio Radio]]" during the live broadcast.<ref name="Houghton Mifflin Harcourt">{{cite book|title=Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years|publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]]|year=1994|pages=124–127|isbn=0-395-70895-8}}</ref>{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|pp=108-109}}

By late 1977, Costello had moved from Stiff Records to [[Radar Records]], a new label founded by an associate of Jake Riviera.{{Sfn|Balls|2014|p=117}}{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=109}} Riviera had split from Dave Robinson and was now Costello's sole manager.{{Sfn|Balls|2014|pp=119–120}} For the next year and a half, Costello's records were released on Radar in Britain.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|pp=151–152}}

==== ''This Year's Model'' ====
{{Main|This Year's Model}}
Costello recorded his second album and his first with the Attractions, ''[[This Year's Model]]'', during short breaks from touring, from November 1977 through January 1978.{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=147}} Produced by Nick Lowe,<ref name="Costello-1993a" /> it was recorded at [[Eden Studios (recording facility)|Eden Studios]], in west London, in eleven days.<ref name="Costello-2002" /> Inspirations for the album's sound included 1960s [[Beat music|beat]] groups like the Who, the Kinks and Small Faces, as well as contemporary acts like [[Talking Heads]],<ref name="Flanagan-1986">{{Cite magazine |last=Flanagan |first=Bill |date=March 1986 |title=The Last Elvis Costello Interview You'll Ever Need to Read |magazine=Musician}}</ref>{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=|pp=316, 317}} but the biggest influence was [[the Rolling Stones]]' album [[Aftermath (The Rolling Stones album)|''Aftermath'']] (1966).<ref>{{Cite AV media|title=Elvis Costello BBC Radio One documentary|date=29 February 1992|type=radio program}}</ref> Costello himself called ''This Year's Model'' "a ghost version of ''Aftermath''" and "This Year's Girl" an [[answer song]] to the Rolling Stones' "[[Stupid Girl (The Rolling Stones song)|Stupid Girl]]".<ref name="Marcus1982" />{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=316}}

[[File:Elvis Costello 1978.jpg|thumb|left|Costello onstage at [[Massey Hall]], Toronto, April 1978]]

Most of the songs on ''This Year's Model'' were written while Costello was still working a full-time office job, before his first album was released.<ref name="Costello-1993a" /> Among them was "[[(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea]]",{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=|pp=146–147}} which was released as the album's first single in early March 1978, reaching number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/|title=Elvis Costello, Singles, (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=5 August 2018}}</ref> The second single, [[Pump It Up (Elvis Costello song)|"Pump It Up"]], which reached number 24, was written later, while Costello was on tour with other Stiff acts, in reaction to what he later called his "first exposure to idiotic rock and roll decadence".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/|title=Elvis Costello, Singles, Pump It Up [show Chart Facts]|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]|access-date=5 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="Costello-1993a" />{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=189}} Upon release in March, ''This Year's Model'' entered the UK Albums Chart at number 4.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/|title=Elvis Costello, Albums, This Year's Model [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=5 August 2018}}</ref> The US version of the album dropped "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally", a song written in response to the rise of the British [[National Front (UK)|National Front]],{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=317}} and replaced them with "Radio Radio".<ref name="Costello-1993a" /> The US release reached number 30 on the ''Billboard'' chart but spent fewer weeks on the chart than ''My Aim Is True''.<ref name="ECBillboard200"/> "Radio Radio" was released as a non-album single in the UK in October 1978, where it reached number 29.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/|title=Elvis Costello, Singles, Radio Radio [show Chart Facts]|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref>

''This Year's Model'' was highly praised by critics in Britain and the US. ''Melody Maker'' called it an "achievement so comprehensive, so inspired, that it exhausts superlatives".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Jones|first=Allan|date=11 March 1978|title=Elvis on revenge|magazine=Melody Maker}}</ref> The ''NME'' review read similarly, saying the album was "so ridiculously good that one's immediate inclinations are to clamber effusively over the top, superlative peaking superlative".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Kent|first=Nick|date=11 March 1978|title=The Aesthetics of Frustration|magazine=NME}}</ref> The ''[[Village Voice]]'' [[Pazz & Jop]] critics' poll voted it the best album of 1978.<ref name="Christgau-1979" /> ''Rolling Stone'' named it among the best five albums of 1978.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=11 January 1978|title=1978 Critics Awards|magazine=Rolling Stone|volume=281, 282}}</ref>

For the seven months following the completion of ''This Year's Model'', Costello and the Attractions continued touring Britain, Europe and North America, playing larger venues and debuting new songs that Costello was writing for his next album.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=|pp=112, 113, 114, 117, 121–122, 124}} In July 1978, Costello performed at the Danish [[Roskilde Festival]], topping the bill with three other artists,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://festivalhistorik.dk/festival/roskilde-festival-1978 |title=Roskilde festival 1978 |publisher=festivalhistorik.dk }}</ref> premiering the song "[[Oliver's Army]]" that would become his biggest hit in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jan/27/elvis-costello-10-of-the-best |title=Elvis Costello 10 of the Best |author=Allen, Jeremy |date=27 January 2016 |work=The Guardian }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/ |title=Elvis Costello Official Charts |publisher=Official Charts }}</ref>

==== ''Armed Forces'' ====
Costello and the Attractions recorded his third album, [[Armed Forces (album)|''Armed Forces'']], at Eden Studios in six weeks from August and September 1978.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=|pp=125–126}}<ref name="Costello-2002a">{{Cite AV media notes |title=Armed Forces liner notes|title-link=Armed Forces (album)|year=2002 |first=Elvis |last=Costello |type=booklet |publisher=[[Rhino Records]]}}</ref> It was again produced by Nick Lowe, but Costello himself provided greater creative control.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=126}} Like ''This Year's Model'', the album's influences came from the music Costello and the Attractions listened to while touring, from the [[Berlin Trilogy|Berlin-era records]] of [[David Bowie]] and [[Iggy Pop]] to [[ABBA]] and [[Kraftwerk]].<ref name="Costello-2002a" /><ref>{{Cite AV media|title=The First 10 Years Podcast Series|date=23 July 2007|last=Costello|first=Elvis|type=podcast|language=English|at=episode 6, at 5:30 minutes}}</ref> Costello later said that ''Armed Forces'' was his first album of songs he wrote with an awareness of having an audience. The album's lyrics reflected his experiences on the road in the US, as well his continued concern over the rise of far-right political groups in the UK;<ref name="Costello-2002a" />{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=300}} the album was originally to be called ''Emotional Fascism''.<ref name="Costello-2002a" /> Just before the album's completion in late September, Costello and the Attractions played to an audience of 150,000 in [[Brockwell Park]], south London, as part of the second [[Rock Against Racism]] music festival.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=128}} A few weeks later, they began six months of touring that included, for the first time, Japan and Australia, as well as the UK, Europe, Canada and the US.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=|pp=130, 131, 132, 137}}

Released in early January 1979, ''Armed Forces'' debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and spent 28 weeks on the chart.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/armed-forces//|title=Elvis Costello, Singles, Watchin' the Detectives [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref> In the US, it spent 25 weeks on the ''Billboard'' chart, peaking at number 10 in mid-March.<ref name="ECBillboard200" /> The US release replaced "Sunday's Best" with Costello's cover of Lowe's "[[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding]]".{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=|pp=132, 137}}{{Sfn|Hinton|1999|p=435|pp=}} Costello's best-selling single, "[[Oliver's Army]]", was released in Britain in February.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=136}} Costello has said he wrote the song after his first visit to [[Northern Ireland]] and was inspired by seeing young British soldiers on the streets of [[Belfast]] as a part of [[the Troubles]].{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=34-35}} The song reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/oliver's-army/|title=Elvis Costello, Singles, Oliver's Army [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=9 February 2019}}</ref> It was also his biggest hit single in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], reaching number 4 on the Irish singles chart.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement|title=Search by Artist, [search on Elvis Costello]|website=The Irish Charts|access-date=9 February 2019}}</ref> The second single, "[[Accidents Will Happen]]", was released in early May.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=|pp=143, 145}} According to Costello, the song was written in response to his own marital infidelities. The song reached number 28 in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elvis Costello, Singles, Accidents Will Happen [show Chart Facts] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/accidents-will-happen/ |access-date=12 February 2019 |website=Official Charts}}</ref> In the US, it reached number 101, missing the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] but charting higher than any previous Costello single.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=143}}

The concert tour promoting ''Armed Forces'' was marked by bad publicity.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=131, 135, 139, 140, 142}} Costello and the Attractions played some shows that audiences considered too brief and refused to return for encores.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=131, 139}} Audiences in Sydney, Australia, and Berkeley, California, responded by vandalising the concert venues.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=131, 139}} After a concert in Columbus, Ohio, on 15 March, Costello got into a drunken argument at a hotel bar with members of the [[Stephen Stills]] band and entourage. The argument culminated in Costello disparaging [[James Brown]] and [[Ray Charles]] with racially charged insults, in comments he would later call "the exact opposite of my true feelings".<ref name="GHRhino">{{Cite AV media notes|title=Get Happy!! liner notes|title-link=Get Happy!! (Elvis Costello album)|year=2002|first=Elvis|last=Costello|type=booklet|publisher=[[Rhino Records]]}}</ref> When Costello's comments were reported in the press a few weeks later, the bad publicity was sufficiently severe and widespread to be regarded, including by Costello himself, as the reason he never achieved the top-level commercial success in the US that had been predicted for him.{{Sfn|Thomson|2004|p=143-144}}<ref name="Paumgartner" />{{Sfn|Costello|2015|p=339}}

In June, Costello had a hit as a songwriter when [[Dave Edmunds]] released his recording of "[[Girls Talk (Elvis Costello song)|Girls Talk]]", a song Costello had written but not yet recorded.{{Sfn|St. Michael|1986|p=54}} Edmunds' version reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 65 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/girls-talk/|title=Dave Edmunds, Singles, Girls talk [show Chart Facts]|website=Official Charts|access-date=14 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=29 July 2023 |title=Dave Edmunds, Chart History, Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/dave-edmunds/chart-history |access-date=29 July 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419054455/https://www.billboard.com/music/dave-edmunds/chart-history }}</ref>