‘ELVIS IS KING: COSTELLO’S MY AIM IS TRUE” FEATURED ON KOBO!
Richard’s new book, Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True, is recommended at the Kobo Store alongside Patti Smith, Willie Nelson and Mötley Crüe!
Posts Tagged ‘Elvis Costello’
“Elvis is KING” at “The Bookend Family’s” Rock of Ages review!
From The Bookend Family: “Mr. Crouse makes the details come alive, with stories about the size of the stories and the size of the performer’s egos. All in all it’s an intimate and scrappy love-note about how and when an artist found his voice and started his career. Elvis Is King makes the case that My Aim Is True was a truly rare phenomenon, and an album that was absolutely the right sound at the right time. This book is not that, but it’s pretty darn close…”
Read the whole thing HERE!
Listen to Richard’s “In the Studio” interview on “Elvis is King.”
Richard spoke about his new book “Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True” on NewsTalk 1010’s “In the Studio” on Saturday May 23, 2015 with hosts Bob redid and Blair Packham.
In The Studio airs every Saturday night at 8pm and Sunday night from 10pm with Bob Reid and Blair Packham (acclaimed singer-songwriter, producer, music educator and former leader of The Jitters), bringing you a wide variety of guests from all aspects of the world of music.
https://soundcloud.com/in-the-studio-on-1010/in-the-studio-podcast-may-23-2015
Metro Canada: New book an ode to the reign of Elvis Costello
The 1970s in Britain was a decade of unemployment, labour unrest and massive inflation. In short, a breeding ground for pissed off youth with no money, no hope and a hell of a lot of time on their hands.
The decade of discontent spilled into the music world as big, bombastic rock bands grew physically distant from their fans as they played larger and larger arena shows. People began for searching something that spoke to their anger and frustration.
Enter snarly, stripped down sounds played by guys named Rat Scabies and Johnny Rotten and women like Poly Styrene… READ THE WHOLE THING HERE!
Thanks to John Foyle for a review of “Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True.”
Thanks to John Foyle for his kind words on Richard’s book Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True!
“It is indeed a pretty flawless account of all things MAIT, before , during and after it’s release. Richard has a clear, succinct style. Part of the acknowledgments goes ‘ to those who declined to talk to me , Jake Riviera, Tony Parsons, and Nick Lowe, among others, for making me rethink the approach to the book.’ There is a lengthy analysis of the songs – making all kinds of comparisons, including one to Whitney Houston – but otherwise it is a straight narrative of events. I’m , of course, too close to the subject matter to tell if it will cause a new wave (ha!) of interest in the album but it is certainly recommended as a introduction to it. The writer doesn’t bang on to much about his reaction to the album as a teenager but what he does is touching and evocative. There’s a especially vivid description of watching the SNL appearance in Dec. ’77 in his father’s tv store , with rows of tvs showing it at top volume.”
Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True, has 4 out of 5 star rating on Goodreads!
Richard’s new book, Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True, has a four out of five star rating on Goodreads!
“Richard Crouse analyzes and explains the meaning of the songs on the album, as well as detailing the events leading up to the release of the album. The highlight of the book is the description of the songs’ meaning within the context of the time they were written. Some 40 decades later, I finally understand a lyric I have listened to hundreds of times – “Now that your picture’s in the paper being rhythmically admired…” Think about it!”
“Richard Crouse’s book is an easy-to-read and well-written and researched story of how My Aim is True came to be. It is very easy to tell that he loves the album as much as I do, and I learned quite a bit about one of my favorite musicians. My Aim is True is probably still one of my favorite albums, and I never get tired of listening to these songs. If you have not heard this album, download and listen as soon as you can, then go and read this book because you will want to know more.”
Find out more HERE!
Intrigued? Buy it HERE!
Richard will talk Elvis Costello and “Elvis is King” on “Canada AM”
Tune into CTV’s “Canada AM” on Wednesday April 29, 2015 at 8:05 to see Richard chat up his new book “Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is True.”
“Elvis is King: Costello’s My Aim is true” review from “Publisher’s Weekly”!
“The author keeps his adoration for the album—”Elvis’s raw energy and anger… spoke to me in a way nothing had before”—confined to the introduction, though there is little doubt the entire project is a labor of love that many readers will find [as] contagious as listen[ing] to My Aim Is True again or for the first time.” – Publisher’s Weekly
Read the whole thing HERE!
An excerpt from Richard’s new book “Elvis is King” from The Nervous Breakdown
Liverpool, Nova Scotia, is the hub of the Lighthouse Route’s scenic drive along the province’s South Shore. Blessed by Mother Nature, it’s picturesque, book-ended by beautiful beaches, parks, and forests. As the home of the third oldest lighthouse in the province, it’s also rich in history but not exactly the center of the pop culture universe.
Even less so in the 1970s when, as a music and movie obsessed kid, I went to Emaneau’s Pharmacy every week to pick up magazines like Hit Parader and Rona Barrett’s Hollywood. Perhaps because I grew up in a renovated vaudeville theater (it’s true!) I was deeply interested in a world that seemed very far away, and those weekly and monthly magazines were my only connection to music and movie stars.
Liverpool wasn’t on the flight plan for the people I saw in those pages.
Sure, there were rumors that James Taylor and Carly Simon had a beach house nearby, but nobody ever saw them at Wong’s Restaurant, the only eatery in town. And Walter Pidgeon was thought to have come to visit an old friend, but the Mrs. Miniver star, who was born in 1897, wasn’t quite cool enough to be on my list of must-meets or even must-get-a-glimpse-ofs.
Those magazines were my only source. The local movie theater—a gigantic reno-ed opera house—was months behind in getting the new releases, and local department stores like Steadman’s and Metropolitan (known locally as the Metoplitan because of the blown-out “r” and “o” bulbs on the sign that was never repaired) didn’t carry the LPs I was reading about. On paper, I read about The Ramones, Television, the Sex Pistols, learning everything there was to know about the brash new music coming out of New York and London—Johnny Rotten said “fuck” on national television!—before I had ever heard a note of their music. Somehow, though, I knew I would love it…
Read the whole thing HERE!
