Editorial Reviews
Music Review:
Music Review
In the Wake of Poseidon [Import] [Original recording remastered]
Variations: Song of the Rain God / Song of Earth
What Sound [Enhanced] [Import]
Welcome to America [Explicit Lyrics]
Villa-Lobos: String Quartets Nos. 2 & 7
Welcome to Texas [Explicit Lyrics]
Amazon.com
Imperial Bedroom was the bridge between Elvis Costello's early rock-oriented records and his later, more musically complex creations. The album found the singer-songwriter trying to approximate the jazz-tinged music of pre-rock Tin Pan Alley composers like the Gershwins and Cole Porter. Whether he completely succeeded is still argued, but the late, great Chet Baker did make the beautiful saloon song "Almost Blue" part of his concert repertoire. Costello's other goal was to capture the lush, symphonic production techniques used by the latter-day Beatles. This he achieved by hiring longtime Fabs engineer Geoff Emerick to produce. The album's first five songs work as an almost seamless suite of music, with "Man Out of Time" standing as one of Costello's most gorgeous compositions. A second disc features alternate takes and singles, including the extra-catchy "Imperial Bedroom," written and recorded after the album's completion. --Bill Holdship
Album Description
Produced under the direct supervision of Elvis Costello. Housed in a slim-line package, each rerelease contains a deluxe 28-page booklet with brand-new liner notes by Elvis Costello, rare photos, reproductions of memorabilia, and printed song lyrics. Album includes an entire second disc of bonus material!