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Strengths: Great song selection; coverage of Costello's first 11 albums.
Weaknesses: You can't sum up Costello in a single disc.
Summary: You can't hardly swing a dead cat without hitting Costello's early material in reissue form. With Ryko and Rhino both having taken ever-lengthening passes at his albums, Hip-O picks up the catalog years of 1977-1986 for another round. In addition to a new pair of compilations (this one and "Rock and Roll Music") that skim the initial decade's eleven albums, their May 1 release date also marks the re-re-re-reissue of the albums on CD and the catalog's digital download debut (initially from iTunes, later from addtiional services). ¶ After so many Costello reissues and compilations, this collection is mostly a retail shelving refresher and a beacon for Hip-O's album reissue and digital programs; all 22 of these tracks have been available on CD before. And as with other single-disc Costello anthologies such as Sony's 1990 19-track "Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions" and Ryko's 1994 22-track "Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions," there's simply too much worthy material in Costello's initial eleven albums (not to mention assorted singles and B-sides) to fully essay in 80 minutes. ¶ What you get here is a well drawn sketch that provides the neophyte a sense of Costello's incredible torrent of early creativity, the sustain of his first few years, a few missteps in the mid-80s, and a stronger-than-ever comeback with 1986's "King of America" and "Blood & Chocolate" LPs." Though fans of the albums will mentally flinch at the inter-album segues (and thus the missing classics), condensing Costello's career arc does demonstrate how his punk-era angst and blistering song-writing aged and then reasserted itself in a more mature, but no less powerful form a decade later. Reducing 10 years to a single CD also creates a bit of genre whiplash as Costello applied himself to rock, punk, pop, soul, R&B blues, and jazz. ¶ As on Ryko's 1994 collection, Costello aided in the track selection. No surprise then that there are 19 tracks in common with Ryko's earlier release. The three substitutions add the essential "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Almost Blue," and "New Lace Sleeves" in place of the expendable "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field," making this the best single-disc Costello anthology on the market. Costello fans are better off making their own anthologies from the original albums, but those just coming to his work decades after the fact will find this an excellent primer. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]
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