Elvis Costello & The Imposters: The Return Of The Spectacular...

Making a spectacle of himself.

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Oddly controversial before its release thanks to its enormous price tag – for which it was roundly slammed by none other than Costello himself – the Spinning Songbook, in a presumably cheaper format – is possibly the most fun album Elvis Costello has ever released.

As its name gently suggests, it’s a recreation of the 1986 shows where songs were chosen off a big wheel to be performed by Elvis Costello And The Attractions.

I asked Costello after one of those shows why he didn’t release a live album, and am now delighted that 25ish years later he has considered my question. This is a daft, serious, exciting and above all lively collection of live greatest hits and personal favourites (including two Nick Lowe covers, Heart Of The City and (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love And Understanding).

Complete with DVD, this is a top selection from the beloved dynamite.

David Quantick

David Quantick is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former staff writer for the music magazine NME, his writing credits have included On the HourBlue JamTV Burp and Veep; for the latter of these he won an Emmy in 2015.