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Elvis Costello cancels tour after surgery

Started by Rainbow Moses, July 06, 2018, 01:31:39 PM

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Rainbow Moses

Some very troubling news about Costello.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44736992

QuoteElvis Costello cancels tour after surgery to remove 'aggressive' tumour

Elvis Costello has cancelled the remaining dates of his European tour as he recovers from surgery to remove a "very aggressive" tumour.

The singer-songwriter went under the knife in May, but decided to go ahead with his tour dates in June.

"The spirit has been more than willing," he said in a statement announcing the cancellation.

"But I have to now accept it is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength."

The 63-year-old, whose best known songs include Oliver's Army, Shipbuilding and I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down, is one of the most influential and prolific artists to emerge from the 1970s punk and new wave scene.

Over the years, he has collaborated with the likes of Paul McCartney, Green Day and Burt Bacharach; and he received an Oscar nomination for writing The Scarlet Tide from the Nicole Kidman movie Cold Mountain in 2003.

His 31st studio album is scheduled to be released in October.

He had already cancelled concerts in Southend and Plymouth before deciding to scrap all future dates, including shows in Manchester, Croatia and Sweden.

In a statement, Costello said: "Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, 'You should start playing the Lotto'.

"He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery.

"I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead.

"Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel.

"It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a travelling musician, playing 90-minute to two-hour plus performances on a nightly basis but by the time we reached the Edinburgh Playhouse [on 24 June], I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed.

"The spirit has been more than willing but I have to now accept that it is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength. Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour."

He also advised fans to seek advice if they were worried about their health.

"Take very good care of your loved ones but gentleman, do talk to you friends - you'll find you are not alone - seek your doctor's advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters.

"It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette."

I wish him a speedy recovery. We can't have bastard cancer taking yet another legend.

manticore

Jesus Christ, this kind of thing has become almost expected now hasn't it? I always used to think of cancer as basically an old people's thing.

Very good news that it was caught.

daf

QuoteIn a statement, Costello said:

Oh I just don't know where to begin . . .

God Give Me Strength,
I'm a Boy With A Problem and I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down,
but Accidents Will Happen.

(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes,
But I'm not Living in Paradise yet.
Quoteadded the Dr. Luther's Assistant Hit-maker
It's not The Greatest Thing,
But Inch by Inch, and with Tiny Steps
This Battered Old Bird will soon be Sunday's Best
and Turning the Town Red (theme from Scully)

the ouch cube

Just think of tumours as exes, EC; you'll fuck them off no question.

Brundle-Fly

I hope Elv will be alright, not everybody's cup of tea, but he really has made some fantastic records over the years.

non capisco

I'm listening to 'I Want You' again now and it's every bit as emotionally harrowing and brilliantly delivered as it was the first time I heard it as a callow youth who'd never even really had their heart broken. What a fucking song. Don't die just yet, Elv mate, you're ace.

I thoroughly recommend his autobiography 'Unfaithful Music And Disappearing Ink' to anyone who hasn't read it. As you might well have guessed the lad can write like a motherfucker. As well as his all-consuming love for music thundering out infectiously from every page straight into your brain the section where he writes about his father's death absolutely ended me. Spilling hot, unexpected tears all down my cheeks on the Jubilee line with that one. It came out in the same year as Bruce Springsteen's similarly amazing memoirs 'Born To Run', I think. Two of the best books by musicians about music, those.

Nowhere Man

I'd go as far to say for that first decade alone he has one of the all time great song backcatalogs. I'd be absolutely gutted if anything happened to him. I think of him the way adamant Springsteen fans think about Bruce.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: non capisco on July 06, 2018, 08:57:08 PM
I'm listening to 'I Want You' again now and it's every bit as emotionally harrowing and brilliantly delivered as it was the first time I heard it as a callow youth who'd never even really had their heart broken. What a fucking song. Don't die just yet, Elv mate, you're ace.

I thoroughly recommend his autobiography 'Unfaithful Music And Disappearing Ink' to anyone who hasn't read it. As you might well have guessed the lad can write like a motherfucker. As well as his all-consuming love for music thundering out infectiously from every page straight into your brain the section where he writes about his father's death absolutely ended me. Spilling hot, unexpected tears all down my cheeks on the Jubilee line with that one. It came out in the same year as Bruce Springsteen's similarly amazing memoirs 'Born To Run', I think. Two of the best books by musicians about music, those.

Look at this line up! Loved to have been to this gig. And a fly on the wall at this photocall.





non capisco

#8
^ Fuck me ragged. That was a real gig, was it? EC, Tom Waits, Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt and The bleedin' Boss?! With Jackson Browne?! This'll be shit, I reckon

'Shipbuilding' has to go down as one of the best political protest songs this country has ever produced. The bit where he sadly croons "It's all we're skilled in" kills me. I understand why some people aren't mad keen on Elvis' pipes but I've always loved his timbre from when I first heard "The Other Side Of Summer", in retrospect hardly one of his classic singles, on Steve Wright In The Afternoon when I was about twelve years old. If you're instantly appreciate of his evidently Marmite tones then his back catalogue is your oyster, really, because his phrasing is often dynamite. I've posted this as an example of brilliant bits of signing countless times on CaB but the bit in 'Tokyo Storm Warning' when he hollers "I thought I was in trouble but I knew I was in...HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" has been a constant source of wonder and adoration for me since I first clapped ears on the thing. You cannot go wrong with any of 'Blood And Chocolate', he's firing all his bitter emotional guns all across the bows of that thing after two odd years of still clinging on to the idea of being some kind of pop star.

I'm gonna stop bollocking on like I'm describing someone who's already carked it. Keep on keeping on ya specky cunt.


Brundle-Fly

I loved his version of Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) with Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO-rMicIXso

C.I.P. Elvis Costello*











*convalesce in peace






I saw him perform in Cardiff just a few weeks ago and he was great. Fave albums by him are King of America (just skip the few patchy tracks, the best moments are glorious), Get Happy and This Year's Model. My favourite lyricist.


Brundle-Fly

His new album is bloody lovely, I have to say. I hate this expression but a genuine return to form. If you like early eighties pop Costello, you'll dig this.

Malcy

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on October 28, 2018, 06:12:11 PM
His new album is bloody lovely, I have to say. I hate this expression but a genuine return to form. If you like early eighties pop Costello, you'll dig this.

It's really good. I really wish he'd do another album with The Roots though.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Malcy on October 28, 2018, 06:27:58 PM
It's really good. I really wish he'd do another album with The Roots though.

Yeah, that was a corking album.

Malcy

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on October 28, 2018, 06:35:55 PM
Yeah, that was a corking album.

I've got a bootleg live album of the concert they did the night before it was released.  Songs off Wise Up Ghost and a few classics. Belting.

PaulTMA

I do like this new one, he should definitely stick to making short albums from now on - something like When I Was Cruel could have been brilliant but he insisted on putting absolutely everything on there which made it a bit of a drag to get through.  I'm not sure if Elvis has an obvious Scary Monsters getting-off-the-bus point for many people, but I do think this is probably the best album since All This Useless Beauty.

Can't really get into The Roots album, thought it was a letdown to discover he was mainly (or entirely?) using old lyrics.  Found the Sugarcane / National Ransom-era stuff really uninteresting.

I don't like All This Useless Beauty so Brutal Youth is probably my Scary Monsters.

Brutal Youth = last proper Attractions album? Elvis himself regards Blood and Chocolate as the last proper Attractions album, and that was a bitter one due to him having ditched them to do King Of America. I dunno. Brutal Youth for me is Blood and Chocolate Vol 2, despite the time gap.

McChesney Duntz

Doesn't Bruce Thomas only play on half the tracks on Brutal Youth? I don't know if that's a disqualification - at least his replacement was the guy who was there for most of the best Attractions albums already...

PaulTMA

Yup, Nick Lowe and Elvis play bass on the remaining tracks.  Hence it's credited as a solo album.

These days I think it's the best album he ever made.

PaulTMA

I just want to say that the Wendy James album 'Now Ain't The Time For Your Tears' is an absolute classic as far as I'm concerned and I'm kind of horrified it took me this long (i.e. a couple of months ago) to bother to listen to it.  Turns out it was essentially the prequel to Brutal Youth all along and Wendy does a great job, despite what has been written. 

This should have been a number one for 9 weeks smash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMWqtt_ifiI

daf

#22
Quote from: McChesney Duntz on November 02, 2018, 11:43:39 PM
Doesn't Bruce Thomas only play on half the tracks on Brutal Youth? I don't know if that's a disqualification - at least his replacement was the guy who was there for most of the best Attractions albums already...

A third - 5 songs : 13 Steps Lead Down / This Is Hell / You Tripped at Every Step / Sulky Girl / London's Brilliant Parade

Oddly, the track that seems to feature the "Bruciest" Bass is actually played by Nick Lowe  : Pony Street

This week, I are been mostly listening to one album a day (in bed on headphones) - from My Aim is True to Blood and Chocolate, *, and ending with Brutal Youth this morning.

It really feels like it's come full circle - well almost circle - back to the sound This Years Model, with added piano sprinklings from Armed Forces, and a touch of the Get Happy organ in places - a very satisfying ending to a tremendous run of albums.


- - - - - - - - -
* skipping Spike and Mighty Like a Rose (One on LP - inconveniently stored behind a stack of heavy boxes, and the other I never got round to buying)