Photographers: Barry Plummer; Keith Morris; Adam Starr.

As an encapsulation of the most vital period in Elvis Costello's career, THE FIRST TEN YEARS portrays of a rule-breaker who nevertheless had a deep respect for his musical roots. Even as he was defining New Wave in the late 1970s with "Watching the Detectives," "Pump it Up," and "Radio, Radio," Elvis was paying homage to the Byrds on "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" and copping Spinners riffs on "Alison." The collection follows Costello into the '80s as he expands his songwriting and production palette ("New Lace Sleeves," "Beyond Belief") while tackling old-school country ("Good Year for the Roses") and Stax soul ("I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down").

In the years that followed this collection's scope, Costello would launch himself whole-heartedly into everything from big-band jazz to classical orchestration, but the seeds of all that eclecticism (not to mention the aesthetic template for most of his subsequent work) lie in the tracks presented here. As one of the most original artistic personalities of his era, Costello proved enormously influential for multiple generations, and THE FIRST 10 YEARS shows the achievements on which his legend is built.