A few years ago I acquired an Elvis Costello best-of LP in a small stack of second-hand, free LPs. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but not to the extent I bought any of his actual albums. There's certainly a number of artists and bands who I enjoy on a best-of but have no desire to dig through their back-catalogues and Elvis Costello fits squarely in that group (along with David Bowie, Bad Brains, and Bob Dylan).
Elvis Presley, on the other hand, I have little to no interest in at all. A lot of people my age had parents who listened to Elvis a lot in their youth and so grew up on it t a certain extent. My parents are a bit too young for Elvis, so I grew up on Pink Floyd, Led Zepp and Sabbath instead.
When The Computers announced they'd be releasing a 10" of Elvis Costello and Elvis Presley covers I figured I'd enjoy it regardless of my opinions towards Elvis P. The similar EP they'd done of Misfits covers was excellent so it seemed like an obvious choice. Getting hold of a copy wasn't entirely trivial because it was released as a Black Friday Record Store Day exclusive (an event I still don't believe in). I tried to pick up a copy in Banquet the same day they'd sold their last copy and forgot about it for a bit. A short time later The Computers opened for Rocket From the Crypt in London (an excellent choice) and they had a few copies on the merch table. At £12 I figured it was a bit pricey, but also decided that I might not get many other chances to pick one up (not to mention that I'd already paid £5 for a one-song 7" that night). Turns out Banquet got some more in and still have them now.
The record works well (as I suspected it might); the band take on both Elvis' well but are actually more suited to Presley it turns out. They haven't converted me into a fan, but the covers here are great. The Computers have been gradually evolving into a 50's greaser band for a while now, so it's no wonder they do these songs so well. The choice of Elvis C songs is good but I wonder if it's his voice that makes them so special normally? Either way, it's a fun record and I'm glad I eventually found a copy.
Format: 10" picture disc
Tracks: 6
Cost: £12 new
Bought: gig
When: 06/12/13
Colour: Picture disc
Etching: none
mp3s: no
