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Bio |
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 b.
Declan McManus, 25 August 1954, Paddington, London, England,
but brought up in Liverpool. The son of singer and bandleader
Ross McManus first came to prominence during the UK punk era
of 1977. While appealing to the new wave market, the sensitive
issues he wrote about, combined with the structures in which
he composed them, indicated a major talent that would survive
and outgrow this musical generation. Costello failed to chart
with his early releases, which included the anti-fascist "Less
Than Zero" and the sublime ballad "Alison". The album introduced
a new pinnacle in late 70s songwriting. His first hit single,
"Watching The Detectives", contained scathing verses about
wife-beating over a beautifully simple reggae beat. His new
band, the Attractions, gave Costello a solid base: the combination
of Bruce Thomas, Pete Thomas and Steve Nieve , became an integral
part of the Costello sound. The Attractions provided the backing
on the strong follow-up, This Year's Model, and further magnificent
singles ensued prior to the release of another landmark album,
Armed Forces. "Oliver's Army", a major hit taken from the
album, was a bitter attack on the mercenary soldier, sung
over a contrastingly upbeat tune. By the end of the 70s Costello
was firmly established as both performer and songwriter.
In 1980 he released the soul-influenced Get
Happy!!, another fine album which failed to repeat the sales
success of Armed Forces. The increasingly fraught nature of
the Attractions' recording sessions informed the follow-up,
Trust, and during the same year Costello elected to relocate
to Nashville to record a country covers album, Almost Blue,
with the Attractions and legendary producer Billy Sherrill.
A version of George Jones' "Good Year For The Roses" became
the album's major hit, although a superb reading of Patsy
Cline's "Sweet Dreams" was a comparative failure.
The following year, with seven albums already behind him,
the prolific Costello returned to his own material and released
the outstanding collection, Imperial Bedroom. Many of the
songs herein were romantic excursions into mistrust and deceit,
including "Man Out Of Time" and "Tears Before Bedtime". The
fast paced "Beyond Belief" was a perfect example of vintage
Costello lyricism: "History repeats the old conceits/the glib
replies the same defeats/keep your finger on important issues
with crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues". That year
Robert Wyatt recorded arguably the best-ever interpretation
of a Costello song. The superlative "Shipbuilding" offered
an imposingly subtle indictment of the Falklands War, with
Wyatt's strained voice giving extra depth to Costello's seamless
lyric. The next year Costello as the Imposter released "Pills
And Soap", a similar theme cleverly masking a bellicose attack
on Thatcherism.
Both Punch The Clock and Goodbye Cruel World favoured a rich
production sound, courtesy of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.
The following year was another punishing year Costello released
two albums: the rock 'n' roll-influenced King Of America,
with notable production from T-Bone Burnett and guitar contributions
from the legendary James Burton and, reunited with the Attractions
and producer Nick Lowe, Costello stalled with the less successful
Blood & Chocolate. Towards the end of the 80s he collaborated
with Paul McCartney, co-writing a number of songs for Flowers
In The Dirt. A new recording contract with Warner Brothers
Records was now in place, and Costello returned after a brief
hiatus (by his standards) with the eclectic Spike in 1989.
During 1990 he delivered another artistic success, Mighty
Like A Rose. With lyrics as sharp as any of his previous work,
this introspective and reflective album had Costello denying
he was ever cynical - merely realistic. His perplexing collaboration
with the Brodsky Quartet in 1993 was a brave yet commercially
ignored outing. Brutal Youth brought him back to critical
approbation and reunited him with the Attractions. Kojak Variety
was a second album of cover versions recorded in 1991 but
released four years later, with selections from major artists
such as "Screamin" Jay Hawkins, the Supremes, Bob Dylan, Willie
Dixon, Ray Davies and Bacharach And David. The new studio
set, All This Useless Beauty (again with the Attractions),
although containing songs offered to or recorded by other
artists, was as lyrically sharp as ever. Following their collaboration
on the track "God Give Me Strength', featured in the 1996
movie Grace Of My Heart, Costello and songwriting legend Burt
Bacharach joined forces on 1998"s Painted From Memory, a finely
crafted collection of ballads. "I Still Have That Other Girl"
won a 1999 Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Costello's cover version of Charles Aznavour's "She" also
figured prominently in the Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts film,
Notting Hill, and returned the singer to the UK Top 20 in
July. The following year he composed a a new "pop" album,
When I Was Cruel. Although Costello no longer tops the charts
he remains a critics' favourite, and is without doubt one
of the finest songwriter/lyricists England has ever produced.
His contribution was acknowledged in 1996 when he collected
Q magazine's songwriter award. His left-of-centre political
views have not clouded his horizon and he is now able to assimilate
all his musical influences and to some degree, rightly indulge
himself.
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