The 500 - #475 - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 475

Album Title: Armed Forces
Artist: Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Released: January, 1979
My age at release: 14
How familiar am I with it: A little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Peace, Love & Understanding.
Great Lyric:
"Times are tough for English babies
Send the army and the navy
Beat up strangers who talk funny
Take their greasy, foreign money
Skin shop, red leather, hot line
Be prepared for the engaged sign
Bridal books, engagement rings
And other wicked little things" (Sunday Best)


During the March Break of 1980, I was visiting my dad in London, Ontario. We would be moving there as a family that summer but, my father had already started to work at his new job as a reporter for the London Free Press. 

Each day, I would accompany him to the newspaper building which was located downtown. I had spent the last five years living in a small rural town called Kingsville - so London was a booming metropolis for a 14 year old me.  While he worked - I explored my future city - a place I still call home.

I spent most of my time in record stores. Kingsville had none (just a drug store that had a single rack with a limited selection of the hits). London had at least four downtown shops and several department stores with a record section. I had a little babysitting money tucked away - but wanted to peruse all my choices before committing to a purchase. I also had french fries, milkshakes & video games vying for my wallet's attention.

About day three, I bought "All the World's a Stage" by Rush because it was a double album - but not twice the price. I think it was $7.99. Look at me being thrifty!

While flipping through hundreds of records - it was the only way to build musical acumen in a time before the internet - I distinctly remember stumbling on an Elvis Costello album - it was My Aim is True and I had so many questions. 

• Is his real name really Elvis? Elvis Costello? (Yes & No)
• Is he from the 50's? (Yes & No)
• Does he know he looks like a math teacher? (Yes)
• Does he know that this look isn't cool? (It actually was)
• Is this album any good? (Yes it is!)

Obviously, I didn't have the money to buy this record - but I did start noticing when Detroit Rock radio stations played his stuff. It was very sporadically. He was lumped in with new wave - so I might catch a single song, alongside tracks by The Cars, Gary Numan, The Police. Sometimes, these artists would get airtime on Sunday Night during the late night broadcast of The Doctor Demento Show. This was where I first heard Devo, Weird Al Yankovic, Frank Zappa and bizarre, sometimes horrifying, tracks like...  

• Barnes & Barnes  Fish Heads or Something's in the Bag
• Tom Waits' What's he building in there?

Consequently, Elvis Costello remained a mystery to me for years. I knew that he was somehow important; but, I didn't know what I was supposed to "get" from his music. It simply didn't land with me and people that claimed to understand him also had some deeper grasp of concepts beyond my young teenage grasp. They knew (or at least claimed to know) the meaning behind terms like anarchist and decolonization as well as a whole raft of isms: consumerism, authoritarianism and egalitarianism. They seemed to know what was going on with Margaret Thatcher, The Sandinistas, Ronald Regan, Kampuchea, Amnesty International, The IRA & South African Apartheid. Again, it was an time before the internet - it was easy to get lost and overwhelmed.

I think this is the most facinating thing about giving this record a sincere listen with the maturity and knowledge I now possess. This wasn't a record for 14 year old me but, it sat there patiently waiting for 54 year old me to appreciate. I encourage you to spend some time with it and its lyrics. So many themes resonate today...

• Fidelity, Honesty & Consequences
• Incompetence in Leadership
• Corporate Greed steering Politics
• Young poor men choosing military service as their only option
• Unnecessary conflict in foreign countries for profit
• Corporate News Media Spin
• The Rise of a Police State
• Immigration as a scapegoat for unemployment
• Spoiled & Coddled Children unprepared for the world  

It's all a bit depressing ... but it ends with the a beautiful question of optimism. 

What's so funny about Peace, Love & Understanding?