Combining piercing, literate lyrics and an uncompromising attitude with the melodicism and stylistic breadth of classic pop groups like The Beatles, Elvis Costello forged a much-imitated style that led the way for a great deal of the “alternative” music that followed. “Since his arrival on the post-punk scene 17 years ago,” wrote Time magazine critic Guy Garcia in 1994, “Elvis Costello has shown himself to be one of the most prolific and protean songwriters of his generation.” With his band the Attractions, Costello led the “New Wave” pack into the early 1980s, producing a catalogue of songs to rival almost any other in popular music. His own artistic restlessness, however, would never permit him to settle in one mode for long; reasoning that the Attractions limited his vision, he left the group abruptly in the middle of the 80s but reunited for 1994’s Brutal Youth. He has experimented with country music, soul and avant-garde textures; wrote film scores; produced and wrote for other acts; collaborated with pop crooner Burt Bacharach; and recorded an album with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Elvis Costello & the Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2003, alongside the Police and the Clash. Looking back on his career, Costello modestly remarked to Entertainment Weekly, “I haven’t made any half-hearted records. That’s probably the most I would allow myself to say. I haven’t made any records that I didn’t really care about.” Elvis Costello, a legend, released National Ransom in 2010, and he continues to tour the world.
