"Taking Liberties" was only released in the USA and Canada and consisted of B-sides and other Elvis Costello tracks not previously released in North America. I have no idea how I came across a copy, but I suspect I may have found it in a record shop in Cardiff whilst at University there. Wherever it was, the ticket on the cover informs it was reduced from £7.98 to £4.99.
Like "Get Happy !", twenty songs are on the album but at the time I was disappointed, but after all most of the tracks are B-Sides or not previously released for a reason. I do remember the versions of "Girl's Talk", "Getting Mighty Crowded" and "Crawling To The USA" whilst "( I Don't Want To Go To ) Chelsea" was a big hit single and the quaint "Sunday's Best" was omitted from the US version of "Armed Forces" as it was considered to be "too English". "Night Rally" was on the UK release of "This Year's Model".
A session version of "Hoover Factory" had received some late night airplay on Capital Radio as had "My Funny Valentine". Stranger In The House" was part of a limited released single with the first album "My Aim Is True" but the other tracks had been wiped from my memory.
The punkish "Clean Money" was previously unreleased and probably shouldn't have been. Dave Edmunds covered "Girl's Talk" in 1978 and his much faster, guitar orientated version is miles better than Elvis' own. "Talking In The Dark" is instantly forgettable.
The Country and Western "Radio Sweetheart" is quite catchy though and there is a hint of "Pay It Back" from "My Aim Is True". "Black And White World" was one of the worst songs on "Get Happy !" and whilst this slower demo version is very different, it is no better. "Big Tears" was the B-Side to "Pump It Up" and sounds like a poorer version of "Less Than Zero".
"Just A Memory", a slow piano based ballad is OK but nothing special, whilst "Stranger In The House" is another Country and Western song which was excluded from "My Aim Is True" as it didn't fit with the angry, new wave sound of the rest of the album. Together with "Radio Sweetheart" it gave a clue to the direction that led to the 1981 album "Almost Blue", in which Elvis recorded covers of Country and Western songs.
The version here of "Clowntime is Over" is really slow and I much prefer the hectic beat of the performance of it included on "Get Happy !"
"Getting Mighty Crowded" was written by Van McCoy and was the B-Side of High Fidelity. With it's lively dance beat it would fitted perfectly on "Get Happy !"
Listening now to "Hoover Factory" was disappointing as I had thought it was a good song, but now it sounds dreary, and it's now understandable why it wasn't previously released
"Tiny Steps" sounded very familiar and had me thinking it must have been on "Armed Forces", but having checked I confirmed it wasn't ! It was the B-Side of "Radio, Radio", which is where I must have remembered it from, but going through my collection of singles I don't have "Radio, Radio"..........
"Dr Luther's Assistant" has an almost sing-along chorus and the R&B flavoured "Crawling To The USA" was not nearly as good as I thought it was. The frantic "Wednesday Week" is just noise until an odd slower, melodic ending.
Elvis' cover of Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine", written in 1937 and recorded by hundreds of artists, is tenderly performed, but I think you have to be in the right mood for it !
"Ghost Train" is pretty mediocre, being a jumble of different ideas that somehow don't fit together.
The album would have been better if songs not included on UK album releases so as "Radio Radio", "Watching The Detectives" and the outstanding "(What's So Funny 'Bout ) Peace, Love and Understanding had been added. The other observation is that "Taking Liberties" is generally lacking in the inventive and clever lyrics that are a noticeable feature of the main studio albums.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. Clean Money
2. Girl's Talk
3. Talking In The Dark
4. Radio Sweetheart
5. Black And White World
6. Big Tears
7. Just A Memory
8. Night Rally
9. Stranger In The House
10. Clowntime Is Over
1. Getting Mighty Crowded
2. Hoover Factory
3. Tiny Steps
4. ( I Don't Want To Go To ) Chelsea
5. Dr Luther's Assistant
6. Sunday's Best
7. Crawling To The USA
8. Wednesday Week
9. My Funny Valentine
10. Ghost Train
Released 1980
UK Chart Position : N/A ( No 28 in the USA )
No comments:
Post a Comment