 Elvis Costello Cocaine may be useful for some artists, but please, keep it away from powerpop songwriters. They're already jittery enough as it is, not to mention amply narcissistic; no need to free up the "inhibitions" when those are the only thing creating quality control. Get Happy! is the sound of a pop nerd cranking through all the songs he can, fast and furious. If you like Elvis Costello's sound, you'll love Get Happy! … because that's pretty much all it is, Elvis Costello's sound. That is to say, where were the songs? That's what I listen to this guy for. When his indignant yowl is supported by memorable melodies and lyrics, I'm on board. But when it just sounds like a white guy yelling a lot, I'm stepping out for a smoke. In his liner notes for the new reissue, Elvis dances around the inspiration for this record, which was a reinvestment in "soul music" following his much-publicized remark calling Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant nigger." Personally, I think Elvis was right on the money with that one, but at the same time, I want him to be somewhat contrite about it, at least acknowledging that he oughtn't be saying that kind of thing publicly. The disingenuous and dodgy liners are well-suited to Get Happy!, which is a fine album musically but certainly not noticeably heartfelt or in any way soulful. The best cut, a cover of Sam & Dave's "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down," contrasts with Elvis's own songwriting to reveal a real lack of inspiration. As always, he had a crammed-full notebook of lyrics, but it doesn't add up to anything eternal. The songs fall into two camps: the "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Downs" and the "Watch Your Steps" – either straight-on Northern Soul rockin' or slightly more mellow and pensive … respectively, guitar-driven, or organ-driven. The vocals are all piercing, wordy screeds, sometimes effective, but mostly just a whole lotta yelping. The lyrics, when they stand out at all, tend to fail: "New Amsterdam, it's become much too much/Till I have the possession of everything she touches/Till I step on the brake to get out of her clutches/Till I speak double Dutch to a real double duchess." Wazzat? It seems like a point's been made, but the wordplay totally breaks down if you really consider it. And too much of the album is like this. A few songs hold up well – the countryish "Motel Matches," the killer bassline of "Opportunity," the "Oliver's Army" rewrite "High Fidelity" – but mostly this is a heaping helping of reheated takeaway. Rhino's expanded reissue adds thirty more servings of takeaway, and while this stuff is clearly not up to album standards, it's far more interesting. Tons of alternate takes that reveal the true white-powder nature of these sessions, like the absolutely incoherent, we-must-play-this-as-fast-as-possible treatment of "Watch Your Step" (which didn't even make Get Happy!, but was slowed down and honed for Trust) … much of it is quite hilarious. Get Happy! is cherished by many, and even though I've never been able to really dig into it, I wouldn't call it a failure. Rather, just too much of a not-great thing, like trying to binge-eat on low-carb chocolates. You can do it, but it's not very satisfying.
Review by Le Boob |