# Deep Tracks - Elvis Costello - "This Year's Model"



## Guest (Aug 31, 2018)

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Please *choose up to eight selections* for this particular poll.

On all polls created if you click on the number of votes following the song title the username of all voters and their chosen selections will appear.

The tunes themselves will be found below the poll itself as links rather than as embedded videos due to bandwidth issues for those who wish to reacquaint themselves with a tune that may have receded a bit too far into the past to be remembered with the clarity that came when they were first released...

Next up is - *Elvis Costello - "This Year's Model"*

""This Year's Model" is Elvis Costello's second album and his first with the Attractions, released in 1978. It was mainly recorded at Eden Studios in West London.

Early issues of the album have an apparently misprinted sleeve, which cuts off the left side of the front cover (including the letters 'E' from 'Elvis' and 'T' from 'This') and shows a printers' colour bar along the right side. This was a deliberate mistake (a favourite technique of cover designer Barney Bubbles), as was pressing "Special pressing No. 003. Ring 434 32 32. Ask for Moira for your prize" between the holding spirals on Side 1. Indeed, people calling the aforementioned number ("Moira" being a press agent at Radar Records) would be rewarded with a badge.

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Early issues of the LP came with a free 7" single, housed in a Radar house sleeve, with "Stranger in the House" on side A and a live cover of The Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" on side B. The promotion also included a black and white sticker stuck on the LP's shrinkwrap that said 'Free Album With This Single'.

The USA version was a different photo from the same session and didn't feature the deliberate mis-cropping. The original American pressing on Columbia also says "Costello" instead of "Columbia" on the inner label.

The title "This Year's Model" indirectly references two songs on the original UK album: most obviously "This Year's Girl", but also "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea", which contains a lyric about "last year's model".

About the photo session, photographer Chris Gabrin's words -

"_The concept of him behind a camera for the sleeve of "This Year's Model" had already been chosen, so I decided to equip Elvis with exactly the same tripod and camera as I was using to create a 'mirror' for him.

Alongside a powerful stereo I kept a large record collection at my Camden Studio, and artists would choose music they enjoyed or were interested in for their sessions.

Just as we were about to start shooting, Elvis asked me if I had "*Hotel California*" by *The Eagles*, and could I play it? I was puzzled by his choice - until he told me that he loathed the record, but wanted to look really pi$$ed off and angry in the shots! We played the record several times during the session and whilst I directed him, I was also aware of his copying some of my own actions as I took the photographs._"

Personnel -

Elvis Costello - guitar, vocals

The Attractions

Steve Nieve - piano, organ

Bruce Thomas - bass

Pete Thomas - drums

with:

Mick Jones - lead guitar on "Big Tears"

In 2000, Q magazine placed This Year's Model at number 82 in its list of "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever".

In 1987, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 11 on its list of "The Best Albums of the Period 1967-1987".

In 2003, the album was ranked number 98 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Year's_Model

Your commentary on any and every aspect of the album and especially any memories reawakened as a result of the poll is welcomed.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2018)

"*No Action*" -






"*This Year's Girl*" -






"*The Beat*" -






"*Pump It Up*" -






"*Little Triggers*" -






"*You Belong To Me*" -






"*Hand in Hand*" -






"*(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea*" -






"*Lip Service*" -






"*Living In Paradise*" -






"*Lipstick Vogue*" -






"*Night Rally*" -






Bonus Track - "*Radio Radio*" -






Bonus Track - "*Big Tears*" -






Bonus Track - "*Crawling to the USA*" -


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

The Beat and Lipstick Vogue are great jams.


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