Vived Through All the Ups and Downs of The
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WARNER SET LAUNCHES COSTELLO BLITZKRIEG (Continued from page 1) has been ill- served by conventional With his London tour dates loom- Costello adds, "We weren't looking shenanigans in London, I had left play, but it doesn't mean it's the ideal music marketing methods on either ing, Costello recalls that he "hatched for radio play. It was sort of saying, `If Warner Bros. in Burbank [Calif.] with reality," he says. side of the Atlantic. this plan" for the limited- edition EPs you've decided to ignore me, I'll ignore a whole stack of radio recordings, "I've very rarely tended to talk like At Costello's initiative, Warner at 6 a.m. the day of his return from you right back.' " from which I very quickly selected the this, and this is not a crying -in -your- Bros. is due to release Dec. 3 an the States. The first of the singles, He says that Phil Straight, director highlights." beer situation," he says. "But I think unusual and limited-edition boxed set "Little Atoms," was released little of international artist development at The five CD maxi -singles were the industry has made it impossible of five CD maxi -singles (or EPs, as more than a month later. He chose his WEA U.K., "did a lot of great work recorded for broadcast from the Trou- for bands to go forward into the age Costello prefers to describe them). collaborators "because they were seeing it through, and I think we saw badour in Los Angeles, the Fillmore that we are now, unless they want to Each contains five songs recorded it through in style." in San Francisco, the Supper Club in be grand old men taking laps of honor. during radio broadcasts in five cities Elvis Costello You Down Straight calls the project "a very New York, the Paradise in Boston, and There doesn't seem to be any will to The Attractions where Costello and Steve Nieve of the & Elvis Costello thing to do, very artis- Park West in Chicago. While the final allow and encourage [older] bands Attractions performed acoustic sets tic and creative and unusual. From track listing may change, highlights who genuinely want to do new stuff." this past spring. The repertoire our end, it was a bit of an achievement of the set are expected to include a That will not keep Costello from includes not only songs from "All This and a great rush of excitement to do seven -minute version of "Alison" with pursuing a range of new musical Useless Beauty" but a range from it all. We needed some profile build- a medley of Smokey Robinson songs; paths. While Warner Bros. is due to Costello's past work, often in dramat- ing, and this put him back in the pub- a similarly extended version of "My release a home video of a recent BBC2 ically new arrangements. Material lic eye." Dark Life," which Costello originally television retrospective of Costello's from the as- yet -untitled boxed set was Retailers in Britain also responded recorded with Brian Eno; and, from career, he has additional collaborations serviced during August and Septem- enthusiastically. "The singles did very the San Francisco show, "Ship Of planned with classical musician John ber as promo CDs to stations in cities well," says Andy Powell, singles buyer Fools," which Costello originally re- Harle, the Jazz Passengers, the Brod- where the broadcasts were taped. At at HMV U.K.'s head office. "They leased on the Grateful Dead tribute sky Quartet, Bacharach, and others. press time, the label was still deter- were intended as limited- edition, but album "Deadicated." "There are all these things flying mining whether the set would be U.S. maxi- single art for "You Bowed they were exceedingly limited. All of With projects like these, Costello is off in different directions for me, released outside the U.S. Down." the singles sold out in the week of seizing the creative initiative in a which, far from being dilettantish as The release follows a striking mar- release at our stores." music business where he believes con- some cynical people like to think, is keting move by Costello in Britain this bands that were right in public view, Costello may hope for similar retail ventional marketing methods and re- the way I work. This is what I do," summer. To coincide with a series of and I felt they might have some sym- interest in his upcoming boxed set in sources have failed to serve artists says Costello. "I am interested in all shows in London, and again at the ini- pathy with these particular songs. I the U.S., and once again he has chal- like himself. "One of the grave mis- these things, and I'm passionate tiative of the artist, WEA Records in was really quite prepared for all of lenged his record company to respond takes that has been made by the about each of them in turn." the U.K. released one limited- edition these versions to almost obliterate any to his "guerrilla marketing" ideas. record industry is that they have Costello single each week for four sense of my originals. It was almost "I've never been content to deliver ceded far much too much middle Assistance in preparing this story was weeks during July. Along with album like a pop art project in which I decon- a record to the front door and have it ground between themselves and the provided by Bob Macdonald and John versions of songs from "All This Use- structed my own music and invited come out the back," he says. "At the audience to consultants and tip Ferguson in London and Terri Horak less Beauty," the singles featured live others to do likewise." same time I was hatching these EP sheets -all of which have a role to in New York. versions from the American acoustic shows and, most notably, interpreta- tions of Costello's songs by Lush ( "All REPRISE'S LUSH BUILDS ON EARLY MOMENTUM This Useless Beauty "), Sleeper ( "The (Continued from page 1) Other End Of The Telescope "), Tricky ( "Distorted Angel "), and DJ Food Jarvis Cocker of Pulp. Prior to embarking with the band ceptions of U.K. acts in the American music. "They always do well for us; ( "Little Atoms "). Signed to 4AD in the U.K. and on an autumn tour of Europe, Berenyi market. they've had a buzz for the past five The Lush recording also appears on released through Reprise in the U.S. reflected on Lush's extended and "The No. 1 goal was to firmly en- years or so," says Dave Middleton, "You Bowed Down," one of two singles and via a network of licensees world- warming relationship with the Amer- trench the band as a historically suc- rock buyer at Tower Records' store in Costello has out in America. (The wide, Lush makes its next bid for ican market. The band features song- cessful pop and alternative act in the New York's Greenwich Village. other is his collaboration with Burt attention Oct. 29, when modern rock writers Berenyi and Emma Anderson United States," says Wolmark, "and "We're a speciality store, and Bacharach on "God Give Me outlets receive the single "Ciao!," a bit- on vocals and, respectively, lead and also to establish the fact that here's a they're one of our biggest acts," agrees Strength" from the MCA soundtrack ing duet between Cocker and Lush rhythm guitar; bassist Phil King; and band that really has survived through Alec Paloa of Mod Lang, an indepen- album "Grace Of My Heart. ") lead vocalist Miki Berenyi. drummer Chris Acland. all the ups and downs of the way the dent retailer in Berkeley, Calif. The album "All This Useless Beau- Meanwhile, on Costello's Warner Lush made its first visit to the U.S. views British music. Our goal "They've always been a good band for ty" was released in the U.S. by Warn- Bros. CD maxi -single "You Bowed States for an eight -city promo tour in was to maintain a high profile on radio us. When Lush first came out [with er Bros. May 14 and spent six weeks Down," Lush is featured on a sec- 1990 to highlight the release by and on the concert trail. We ended up ` Lovelife'], it was on top of our best- on The Billboard 200, peaking at No. ondary track performing a lovely ren- 4AD/Reprise of "Gala," a compilation with 'Ladykillers' on [modern rock seller list. It's not unusual for a record 53. It has sold 85,000 units, according dition of "All This Useless Beauty," of British EPs. With the release of radio] for a sustained length of time, to do very well and then be a steady to SoundScan. the title song of Costello's current which was really the key." seller after that." "I'm very proud of these songs, and album. That performance originally Berenyi agrees. "I think `Lady - The most significant difference I think they stand squarely with the appeared in Britain on one of four lim- `Here's a band killers' changed the profile of the between the reception Lush has re- best things I've ever done," says Cos- ited- edition singles that Costello band," she says. "We haven't sold mil- ceived in the U.S. and in Europe is the tello. "At the same time, I know the issued this summer, containing inter- that really has sur- lions on the back of that single, but it support the act has garnered from [music marketing] game is set up pretations of his work by cutting -edge has pushed us back into some kind of MTV Europe, particularly on the against me in a number of different U.K.