I found this one in the used bin of Academy Records while I was killing time in Williamsburg today for a mere 3$ as the store was about to close(they put on a recording of a baby crying to coerce customers to pay and leave so they can close up.) This was released in 1980 as a collection of Declan McManus's b-sides from his first three albums. Elvis Costello's 1977 through 1980 spawned four albums: My Aim Is True, his debut record, full of Dylan-esque wordplay and honky tonk r&b supplied by the men who would become The News of Huey Lewis and The News, This Year's Model, my absolute favorite, futuristic punk rock with the newly formed and red-hot Attractions, containing some of the most provocative lyricism both political and personal in recorded music, Armed Forces, which Elvis gets really brainy building a wall of sound throwing post-punk and krautrock on top of Bacharach, David and Lennon/McCartney and Get Happy!, a inspired take on American soul music. In this writer's opinion, this is about as great a four record run as anyone ever had. Costello was about 23 for his first record and was 25 or 26 in 1980, when this compilation was released.
There is no doubt that in the coffee-fueled nights writing songs, these inspired years brought more material than three records could possibly hold.
