Elvis Costello - Trust
#29
By Paul Zickler
January 23 1981
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Trust
Genre: New Wave
Allen’s Rating: 5 out of 5
Paul’s Rating: 5/5
Highlights:
Clubland
Strict Time
Watch Your Step
Whisper to a Scream
New Lace Sleeves
Fish ‘n’ Chip Paper
Big Sister’s Clothes
What’s your favorite Beatles album? Are you an Abbey Road person, or do you prefer Sgt. Pepper’s? Maybe the sprawl of the White Album is more your jam, or maybe the baroque elegance of Revolver suits you better. Like most artists with a formidable catalog, Elvis Costello has several records that could make a claim for that top spot. This may not be the one most fans would choose, but it’s got a case to make.
Trust has no hit singles, unlike Last Year’s Model and Armed Forces. Nick Lowe’s production is workmanlike, not shiny and ornate like Imperial Bedroom. There’s one really fun guest appearance (Squeeze’s Tilbrook & Belmont on “Whisper to a Scream”), but nothing as notable as the famous Macca collaborations on Spike or the revolving cast of characters on King of America. It’s pretty much Pete, Bruce & Steve backing Elvis.
So why Trust? What makes this record any kind of candidate for top billing among the long list of releases issued by Declan P. McManus over his 40+ year career? For starters, it’s as lyrically venomous as EC had gotten to this point, (to be topped 5 years later by Blood and Chocolate, aka the-I-hate-my-life-my-band-and-myself album). Imagine being the subject addressed here:
“Now love’s limping on a lover’s crutch/Looking for a hand with a personal touch”
“Are you so superior, are you in such pain/Are you made out of porcelain?”
“You need protection from the physical art of conversation”
“I asked you nicely / Get my face slapped under wraps / What’s going on precisely? / Is there something wrong perhaps?”
Clearly there were troubles at home for our hero, which he faithfully (faithlessly?) recounts in song after angry song. Except they don’t sound angry. From the Bo Diddley beat of “Lover’s Walk” and the jazzy swirl of “Clubland” to the infectious piano bop of “Strict Time” and the rockabilly twang of “Luxembourg,” the music refuses to be pinned down. As side one progresses, the lyrics transcend marital woes and a bigger target emerges. “The courting cold wars weekend witch trial… All the boys are straight laced and the girls are frigid / The talk is two-faced and the rules are rigid.”
This was the first Costello album to fully acknowledge the Thatcher era. As in “You better Watch Your Step” and “You know you’ve been captured / but you feel so civilized / and you look so pretty in your New Lace Sleeves.” True, nothing here would be mistaken for a Clash song (well, except the bass line of “Big Sister’s Clothes,” which was pretty much stolen from a Clash song), but the anger is palpable if you’re paying attention. And even if you’re not, the whole thing is still a kick in the pants, as the Attractions deftly bring to life each complex musical notion without sounding like they’re trying too hard.
Side two maintains the venom, as the last three songs make the marital infidelity theme even more explicit: “He comes without warning / Leaves without feeling,” “Your girl says she’s leaving and this time she really means it,” and finally, “Sheep to the slaughter, oh, I thought this must be love.” “Big Sister’s Clothes” also manages to incorporate England’s national malaise: “With all the style and finesse of the purchase of armaments / Compassion went out of fashion / That’s all your concern meant.”
It’s a musical and lyrical tour de force, which somehow feels like just another Elvis Costello album. I guess that makes it akin to Rubber Soul in a way -- it’s probably not the one with your favorite hits on it, but as a collection of ideas, it’s a leap forward that wasn’t completely obvious at the time, but in retrospect deserves to be hailed for what it is. Top tier. Maybe even the very top.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2B6i9ZY0NF8UkESEIL0taZ?si=4KU7s0BSQ9CfP0vAuLwc0A
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