Hot Stamper Pressings of Elvis’s Albums Available Now
Reviews and Commentaries for the Music of Elvis Costello
There’s not a lot of top end on this recording. The mistake the American mastering engineers made when Columbia released their version was to brighten up the sound, which does nothing but make it aggressive and transistory.
This is the way Get Happy is supposed to sound and trying to change it only makes it worse.
Most of the copies we played were veiled, smeary, and thick, but this one presents the music with the kind of clarity and energy these songs need to work their under-three-minute magic.
TRACK LISTING
Side One
I Can’t Stand Up (for Falling Down)
Black & White World
5ive Gears in Reverse
B Movie
Motel Matches
Human Touch
Beaten to the Punch
Temptation
I Stand Accused
Riot Act
Side Two
Love for Tender
Opportunity
The Imposter
Secondary Modern
King Horse
Possession
Men Called Uncle
Clowntime Is Over
New Amsterdam
High Fidelity
AMG Review
Get Happy!! was born as much from sincere love for soul as it was for Elvis Costello’s desire to distance himself from an unfortunate verbal faux pas where he insulted Ray Charles in an attempt to get Stephen Stills’ goat. Either way, it resulted in a 20-song blue-eyed soul tour-de-force…
As it furiously flits through 20 songs, Costello’s cynicisms, rage, humor, and misanthropic sensibility gel remarkably well.
Discography
1977 My Aim Is True
1978 This Year’s Model
1979 Armed Forces
1980 Get Happy!!
1981 Trust
1981 Almost Blue
1982 Imperial Bedroom
1983 Punch the Clock
1984 Goodbye Cruel World
1986 King of America
1986 Blood & Chocolate
1989 Spike
1991 Mighty Like a Rose