Elvis' second album was recorded at Eden
Studios over 11 days toward the end of 1977 and the beginning of 1978.
Like Rhino's
My
Aim Is True, the bonus disc only offers two tracks which are
completely new to hardcore collectors (studio alternates of "This
Year's Girl" and "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea"). Unlike
My Aim Is True,
however, this CD is rounded out with high-quality bootleg fare and a
B-side previously available only on vinyl. Still, the end result is a
bit slight, and
This Years Model
has the fewest songs of any Rhino bonus disc.
The original release of
This Years
Model in 1978 had slightly different track lineups in the UK and
the US, with "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" and "Night Rally"
appearing only on the former and "Radio, Radio" appearing only on the
latter. This reissue includes all tracks from both versions on disc 1.
WHAT'S NEW
YOU BELONG TO ME (CAPITAL RADIO
VERSION)
RADIO, RADIO (CAPITAL RADIO
VERSION)
Described as "solo demo recordings" in Elvis' liner notes,
these should not be mistaken for primitive renditions that were
subsequently rearranged for the band, since Elvis was already
performing both songs with the band prior to recording these versions
for Capital Radio on September 27, 1977. Both performances have been
available on bootlegs for years.
ROADETTE SONG (LIVE, LEICESTER,
OCT. 22, 1977)
Coming from the same show as "Neat Neat Neat" and the
Live Stiffs version of "Miracle Man,"
this cover of an early Ian Dury song was apparently included on a
partial soundboard recording of the show which was circulating among
collectors for years. (The complete soundboard recording has circulated
in more recent years.)
THIS YEAR'S GIRL (ALTERNATE EDEN
STUDIOS VERSION)
This outtake from the
This
Years Model sessions takes the song at a significantly faster
tempo.
(I DON'T WANT TO GO TO) CHELSEA
(BASING STREET STUDIOS VERSION)
Recorded August 7, 1977 – the same day as the live versions
of "Miracle Man," "Blame It On Cain," and "Mystery Dance" released as
early B-sides and about three months prior to the
This Years Model sessions – this
somewhat tentative performance is of historical interest as the earliest
available studio recording by Elvis Costello and the Attractions.
STRANGER IN THE HOUSE (BBC
VERSION)
Recorded October 23, 1978, this drastic rearrangement of
the
My Aim Is True
outtake no longer bears any sign of the country influence which
prevented it from appearing on that album. This was available on
bootlegs for years prior to this official release.
WHAT'S OLD (BUT NOT ON THE RYKO CD)
NEAT NEAT NEAT (LIVE, LEICESTER,
OCT. 22, 1977)
This first appeared as the B-side of "Stranger In The
House" on a bonus single included with initial copies of the
This Years Model LP in the UK. This
is its debut CD appearance. It is also slightly longer here, since the
single version faded out before the song's conclusion, while this
release restores the full ending. The version on
Singles, Volume 1 is identical to
the Rhino release.
RYKO REPEATS
BIG TEARS
Described in Elvis' liner notes as "the only genuine
outtake song from the
This Years Model
sessions," this first appeared as the B-side of "Pump It Up" in the UK.
It was subsequently the B-side of "This Year's Girl" in the US and
included on
Taking
Liberties,
Ten Bloody Marys,
Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ &
Girls, and
The Very Best Of
Elvis Costello. Obviously one of Elvis' favorite B-sides, it is
also notable for featuring The Clash's Mick Jones on guitar.
CRAWLING TO THE USA
Although Elvis and the Attractions performed this song in
concert at some of their earliest shows in July 1977, they did not get
around to recording it until a session at Sydney's Waterloo Studios
during their first Australian tour in December 1978, which means it was
recorded after
Armed
Forces. It was first released on the soundtrack of the film
Americathon in 1979 and included on
Taking Liberties
and
Ten Bloody Marys.
RUNNING OUT OF ANGELS (DEMO)
GREENSHIRT (DEMO)
BIG BOYS (DEMO)
These acoustic guitar demos, recorded at Eden Studios in
January 1978, were first heard on the Ryko CD. This is the only known
performance of "Running Out Of Angels." "Greenshirt" is notable for an
extra verse and a slightly different title. (Otherwise spelled as two
words, the title change is apparently deliberate, since it also appears
that way on the Ryko release and the Hip-O deluxe edition.)
WHAT'S
MISSING (RELEASED RECORDINGS)
LESS THAN ZERO/RADIO, RADIO
(LIVE, NEW YORK, DEC. 17, 1977)
[Saturday Night Live – The Musical
Performances Volume 1 album by various artists]
Elvis' legendary switcheroo performance on
Saturday Night Live received an
official release in 1999. Certainly a strong argument could be made for
including such a famous performance on
This
Years Model's bonus disc, although perhaps not if it would be at
the expense of the version of "Radio, Radio" which is included. It would
apparently also require licensing the recording from NBC, which may have
been less than eager to allow it a relatively short time after the
reason of its own CD.
PUMP IT UP (BBC VERSION)
[1 And Only — 25 Years Of Radio 1
album by various artists]
This performance from March 13, 1978, was undoubtedly included on the
Radio 1 collection due to the popularity of the song rather than on the
merits of the particular performance, which is fairly ordinary.
YOU GOTTA LOSE (LIVE, NEW YORK,
OCT. 18, 1978) with Richard Hell
& The Voidoids
[Time album by Richard Hell]
Elvis sings lead on Richard Hell's song, backed by Hell and his band.
The official release of this somewhat lo-fi recording in March 2002
actually came just after the release of Rhino's
This Years Model, but I am including
it here for completeness' sake.
PUMP IT UP (1984 MONSTER MIX)
["The Only Flame
In Town" 12-inch single]
This ill-advised attempt to
modernize "Pump It Up" would have been an awkward fit on the bonus disc
even if Elvis had the slightest interest in including it, which he most
likely did not, in light of his 1994
comment
in
ICE magazine that his
mid-'80s 12-inch remixes are "crap." Also known as "Pump It Up (dance
mix)," this is most interesting for including what is apparently the
unused guitar part that Mick Jones recorded at the same time as his "Big
Tears" contribution. As Elvis cryptically remarks in the liner notes,
"There is a version lying around somewhere on which he plays." It
eventually made its CD debut on
Singles, Volume 3.
WHAT'S MISSING (UNRELEASED RECORDINGS)
THE PRICE OF LOVE (LIVE, LONDON, SEP.
4, 1977)
Actually recorded at a soundcheck, this Everly Brothers cover was
to have appeared on the bonus disc (after "Roadette Song") but was
dropped at the last minute. Because this change came after some review
copies had already been sent out, this is available in excellent
quality on bootlegs. (Even the store copies include evidence of this
last minute change: The sticker on the cover advertises a 13-track bonus
disc, when there are only 12 tracks on the final release.)
HOOVER FACTORY (CAPITAL RADIO
VERSION)
The third song from Elvis' September 27, 1977 Capital Radio
session is slightly incomplete on bootlegs. If the source tape used by
Rhino is also incomplete, that may explain the exclusion of this
excellent performance from the bonus disc.
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH
MYSELF (BBC VERSION)
REALLY MYSTIFIED (BBC VERSION)
In light of his comment in the liner notes that the bonus disc
version of "Stranger In The House" "is the only decent item from
several sessions recorded for BBC Radio in the first year of my
professional career," it would appear that Elvis considers these
interesting recordings (long available on bootleg) from the same
October 23, 1978 session unworthy of release.
