The 500 - #166 - Imperial Bedroom - Elvis Costello

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

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Album: #166
Album Title: Imperial Bedroom

Artist: Elvis Costello

Genre: New Wave, Baroque Pop, Art Rock

Recorded: Air Studios, London, England

Released: July, 1982

My age at release: 16
How familiar was I with it before this week: One song

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Man Out Of Time

For the past twelve years, more than half of my students have been multi-language learners. Some arrive in my class directly from another country and speak almost no English. Most are well on their way to becoming strong English speakers, with several years of experience behind them. No matter their level, I am amazed at how quickly their language skills evolve. My job is, typically, helping them refine their grammar skills and navigate the trickier aspects of the English language -- irregular spellings, rich vocabulary and, often the hardest part, idioms and word play.

Imperial Bedroom, the seventh studio album from Elvis Costello, brims with layered lyrics, clever word play and surprising turns of phrase. Costello is able to blend evocative storytelling with biting sarcasm in his exploration of love, regret and disillusionment. In Shabby Doll, Costello uses the image of a worn out rag doll as a metaphor for someone being cruelly manipulated and discarded in a failed relationship.

Album cover for Shabby Doll single.

However, the stand out track for me is Man Out Of Time, the second single released from this week’s subject, Imperial Bedroom.  The title evokes a sense of desperation and plays on multiple meanings. Is this a person who feels out of place in their own era, or is it someone who has lost relevance? Perhaps it is simply a man who is literally running out of time. In it, the English singer-songwriter flexes his sharp and playful linguistic dexterity, writing with shifting perspectives and fragmented imagery, all of which contribute to a feeling of instability and disorientation. My favourite two verses read:

There`s a tuppeny hapenny millionaire
Looking for a fourpenny one
With a tight grip on the short hairs
Of the public imagination

But for his private wife and kids somehow
Real life becomes a rumour
Days of Dutch Courage
Just three French letters and a German sense of humour

There is so much going on with these eight lines and I loved wrestling with their meaning. In particular, I loved the inclusion of idiomatic phrases lifted from British soldier vernacular, circa 1945. 

• Dutch Courage (alcohol induced bravery),
• French Letters (condoms)
• German sense of humour (irony and a straight-faced, resigned acceptance of life's absurdity)

Recently, my wife and I have been watching a new HBO series called The Pitt. It is a medical drama set in the Emergency Room of The Pittsburgh Trauma Hospital that takes place in real time over 15 one hour-long episodes. The show offers a realistic window into the world of medical professionals under the most stressful circumstances. Consequently, the language and medical jargon they use is not explained to the viewers. One is simply immersed in the chaos and, much like the medical students depicted in the show, figure things out as they happen.

Costello's writing on Imperial Bedroom is similar. It is rich with word play, regional idioms and references that are left for the listener to decipher and interpret. Add to this the ambitious musical choices Costello and his band, The Attractions, create and it is easy to see why this album ranked in the top 200 on The 500. The record, produced by Geoff Emerick, best known for his work with The Beatles, reinvents the Post-Punk and New Wave sound of Costello's earlier releases. It contains orchestral flourishes, jazz influences and even Baroque Pop, a sound made famous by The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys -- #1 and #2 respectively on The 500.

Album covers for Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's.

Unsurprisingly, critics and fans have consider Imperial Bedroom to be Costello's "Sgt. Pepper moment". However, despite the strength of his record, it did not make the 2020 ticket. The updated list placed more emphasis on diversity of genre and contemporary cultural impact. As a result, many selected albums, including Imperial Bedroom, were shuffled down or bounced off to make way for new material, such as To Pimp A Butterfly from Kendrick Lamar and Lemonade by Beyoncé.  But, who knows, with another list likely to be released in the next few years, this clever, witty and ambitious record may crack the docket again. After all, I constantly have a new batch of music listeners to teach the joys of word play.

The 500 - #167 - Master Of Puppets - Metallica

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

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Album: #167
Album Title: Master Of Puppets

Artist: Metallica

Genre: Thrash Metal

Recorded: Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark

Released: March, 1986

My age at release: 20
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #97, rising 70 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Master of Puppets

In the summer of 2024, I penned a lengthy post about Metallica's Black Album (#255 on The 500) in which I sketched out a brief history of heavy metal -- from its founding in late-’60s heavy blues, through its commercially successful glam rock phase in the ‘80s and into the arrival of Metallica in 1984.

In that post, I recalled my introduction to Metallica in 1987 when I was working at Fluffy's Pizza with a devoted headbanger named James Fast. James worked in the kitchen and, at first, I was a delivery driver. We both worked late into the night, especially on weekends, often finishing our shifts at 3:00 a.m. Those long hours were ballasted by caffeine, cigarettes and music. The stereo system in my car (a 1981 Chevette) was in overdrive, and James had his portable cassette player blasting away at the back of the kitchen.

We quickly connected over a shared love of Rush, Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Judas Priest; however, my tastes skewed toward more progressive rock sounds (Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Marillion, Yes) and James liked his sound louder and heavier. Among his favourite bands were the Danish Black Metal band Mercyful Fate and Metallica.

Metallica in 1987 (l-r) Kirk Hammett (lead guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums),
Jason Newsted (bass) and James Hetfield (guitar, vocals).

James tried hard to make me a Metallica fan, sharing stories of their epic performances and regularly sharing cassette tapes of their albums. These included their most recent work, Master Of Puppets, which I could listen to  during deliveries. I didn't mind the music. The songs were high energy and aggressive and that helped keep me awake as I drove around, squinting for street names and house numbers during late night deliveries. In a time before Satellite navigation and on-screen mapping apps like Waze, I relied on a well-worn map that I kept stuffed in the glove compartment. It had been folded and unfolded so many times it was hard to read the street names obscured in the creases.

The approximate delivery area I served, with Fluffy's Pizza Springbank located
on the map with a red star.

Despite James' best efforts, Metallica didn't stick – just another band that I "didn't mind" but too indifferent to commit time or money. Eventually, though, I was won over and Metallica songs are now scattered through my workout playlists.

I have to give Metallica and James their due. Master Of Puppets is an important record and considered by fans and music critics to be a highwater mark for Thrash Metal -- hailed for its strong lyrics, technical excellence and influence on the genre. The guitar riffs are relentless and the lyrics tap perfectly into teen-age anger, conspiratorial curiosity, rebellion and angst.

A 500 Podcast guest and Metallica fan, Joe Manganiello, aptly described the record as containing "muscular poetry", touching on themes of addiction, anti-war, religious corruption and corporate exploitation. It also delivered  a powerful instrumental inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror series, The Call of Cthulhu. In view of those laudatory comments I wonder why the teen-age version of me didn't like the record more.

Cthulhu (The Old One) creature from H.P. Lovecraft's mythos.

Perhaps I'll check in again with my friend "Jimmy Quick", as I like to call him. We have remained in touch over these past 40 years. He works as a sound engineer on television productions and is still a fan of Metallica. I'll have to let him know his late night, oven-side persuasions finally worked.

The 500 - #168 - My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello

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

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Album: #168
Album Title: My Aim Is True

Artist: Elvis Costello

Genre: New Wave, Punk Rock, Pop Rock, Pub Rock, Power Pop

Recorded: Pathways Studios, London, England

Released: July, 1977

My age at release: 12
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #430, dropping 262 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Less Than Zero

My Aim Is True, the 1977 debut release from Elvis Costello (born, Declan Patrick MacManus) is a marvelous collection of short songs inspired by multiple genres, including doo-wop, R&B, rockabilly, power pop, punk rock, blues, jazz and even honky-tonk country. At the time of its release, it would be categorized as part of the burgeoning New Wave genre -- an umbrella term for the synth-pop and alternative dance music that came out of the post-punk in the late ‘70s. However, that term doesn't do justice to the rich musical history that Costello brought his first record.

Born and raised in Twickenham, West London, England, in 1954 to a record shop worker and jazz musician --his father was acclaimed musician, singer and trumpet player Ross MacManus -- young Declan was surrounded by music. In many interviews, Costello said watching his father work gave him "an innate sense of how to be a musician but also an understanding that a career in music was a job like any other, requiring discipline and hard work".

Costello's father, Ross MacManus (1968)

Costello was writing songs on his guitar by age 14 and testing them in front of audiences at unpaid "open mic" events throughout London in the early ‘70s. On the eve of the release of My Aim Is True, he told a reporter that he had written "hundreds of songs". Given his background and work ethic, it isn't surprising that his inaugural record would be a hit critically and commercially. It made it to #14 on the U.K. charts, but went on to become (at the time) the biggest selling import album in U.S. history. In fact, when it was finally released into U.S. markets, Columbia records put up a promotional billboard on the famed Sunset Strip -- a spot typically reserved for bigger, more established acts.

Promotional billboard on Sunset Strip for My Aim Is True (1977)

This is the second of four appearances by Elvis Costello on The 500 list. In June, 2019, I wrote about his third record, Armed Forces (#475). As I mentioned in that post, I was aware of Costello's music and considered purchasing this record in 1980. However, my developing tastes took me in a different direction and, despite knowing many of his songs, I didn't buy his catalogue. However, I have taken the opportunity as an adult to delve into his work and come to appreciate this talented singer, songwriter, producer and author.

Costello's memoir - Unfaithful Music &
Disappearing Ink. (2015).

He even became a television personality. From 2008-2010 he hosted a series I loved called Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... which featured interviews with  an eclectic list of musicians, including many who appear on The 500 (Elton John, Lou Reed, The Police and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few). The interviews were punctuated with performances by Costello and his guests -- separately and together.

Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... was a 20 episode
television program that aired 2008 - 2010.

My favourite discovery on Less Than Zero was learning that Costello penned the reggae-influenced protest song after seeing  British fascist Oswald Mosley being interviewed on television. In the liner notes to the record, Costello wrote:

"Less Than Zero was a song I had written after seeing the despicable Oswald Mosley being interviewed on BBC television. The former leader of the British Union of Fascists seemed unrepentant about his poisonous actions of the 1930s. The song was more of a slandering fantasy than a reasoned argument."

The chorus served as a warning to British youth who, at the time, were being influenced by far right, white nationalist types like Mosely through the media. I can't help but draw comparisons to the resurgence of white nationalism, fascism and toxic masculinity among young men that, fueled by social media, we are witnessing today. It is something that educators have been recognizing for some time. There is a crisis brewing for young men in our culture and we need to address it soon. However, that is a discussion for a future blog. Perhaps when we return to Mr. Costello in a couple of weeks with Imperial Bedroom (1982), which appears at #166 on The 500 list.

White Nationalist protestors at the Charlottesville, Virgina
"Unite The Right" rally, August, 2017.

The 500 - #169 - Exodus - Bob Marley

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

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Album: #169
Album Title: Exodus

Artist: Bob Marley and The Wailers

Genre: Reggae

Recorded: Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica; Island Studios, London, England

Released: June, 1977

My age at release: 11
How familiar was I with it before this week: Quite

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #71, moving up 98 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Three Little Birds

Students in my Grade 7 class are always amazed when they learn that high schools in my era had school-sanctioned "smoking patios". These days, at schools throughout our Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), smoking, vaping and use of marijuana products are prohibited within 20 metres of any school property. In retrospect, it seems a little strange that prior to the turning of the millennium society tolerated smoking almost everywhere. As teens, my chums and I were well aware that some teachers smoked in their offices and the staff lounge. We even suspected a few of them dabbled in more than tobacco.

A joke from the 2002 episode of The Simpson's that hit close

to home for me and many friends.

On-campus smoking of any substance was not only allowed at my high school (Saunders Secondary in London, Ontario), the building's design seemed to encourage it. Built in the early ‘70s, it mixed modern and brutalist architecture to create a menacing structure that seemed more like a prison than a learning institution.

Saunders Secondary School, east profile.

The front of the school featured a row of large brick support walls built on a concrete set of stairs above a short and seldom used service road. These "stalls", as they were dubbed, provided the perfect place for students to hide from staff.. It was a teen stoner's paradise, and marijuana products were smoked and sold daily in the secluded alleys.

The stalls - circled in red, can be seen behind the fencing and

sign (additions long after I left the school).

Despite being a "non-smoker" in 1981, I still spent a lot of time hanging around the stalls. It was where many of the older, cooler and rebellious kids staked their claim, holding court with conversations about music, school gossip and teen philosophy. One day, a senior began waxing poetic, between puffs, about how he was adopting Bob Marley's Rastafarian lifestyle. He  boldly asserted: "I can't get arrested for smoking weed because it's my religion." I was fascinated, and had many questions. In a time before the Internet, taking advantage of a senior student's experience was critical to one's social currency. To his credit, a lot of what he shared about the Rastas was accurate.

Bob Marley enjoying a marijuana joint on the cover
of his 1975 album, Catch A Fire (#126 on The 500).

Now, with the benefit of research technology, I can summarize the practice more easily and accurately. Rastafari is a religious and political movement that developed in Marley's home country of Jamaica in the 1930s. It combines Protestant Christian beliefs with a pan-African political consciousness. It borrows heavily from the Old Testament stories of the Israelites' enslavement in the book of Exodus, their forced detention in Babylon (598-586 BCE) and their exile from Palestine. Rastafarians extend their philosophy to the people of African descent who were shipped around the world during the Atlantic Slave Trade (15th-19th Century). They believe they are "exiles of Babylon" who are being tested by Jah (God) through slavery, economic injustice and oppression. Rastafarians await their deliverance and return to Zion. However, this is not the historical Zion of the Old Testament -- the two easternmost hills in Jerusalem. Rather, the Zion of Rastafarians is the name for Ethiopia. Symbolically, it represents a place of unity, peace and freedom.

The Lion of Judah, originally a symbol from the 
Jewish faith and later adopted by the Rastafarian faith.

Much of the connection to Ethiopia as the ultimate home for all Africans comes from the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I (1930 - 1974) who steered his country into the modern age following World War II, allowing the country to join the United Nations and the League of Nations.

Haile Selassie I.

Rastafarians strive to live a "balanced lifestyle" and typically ascribe to the following practises:

• They wear their hair in dreadlocks (long, rope-like strands of knotted hair that have been ‘locked-in”, or entwined, by leaving it uncombed).
• They dress in red, green, gold and black colours - symbolizing blood, herbs, royalty and Africanness.
• They are vegetarian.
• They practice "itation" (meditation), with the inclusion of "ganja" (marijuana) which they believe helps them get closer to Jah (God).
• They also participate in "bingis" - all-night drumming ceremonies -- hence the connection to Reggae Music

Bob Marley was not the first Rastafarian musician, but his ability to combine his music with blues, soul and elements of British rock propelled his albums to international acclaim. Exodus was a commercial and critical success for Marley, remaining on the U.K. charts for a staggering 56 weeks. He is, without a doubt, the most popular and best-selling reggae star of all time -- a universal icon of the genre and the Rastafarian movement.

Side One of Exodus focused on themes of social change, religion and politics -- informed largely by the intense, polarizing political violence wracking Jamaica at the time. However, Side Two addressed the universal themes of love and faith. It included the massively popular Three Little Birds, a gentle anthem encouraging positivity and resilience in the face of adversity. In times of stress, the simple lyrics are a soothing antidote and one I share with students facing moments of academic anxiety:."Don't worry about a thing/'cause every little thing, gonna be alright".

It's not surprising that the musical, spiritual, political and social revolution that Marley super-charged in 1977 made its way to the philosophical lexicon of a Grade 12 stoner in London, Ontario, by 1981. Unfortunately, despite his efforts to become a Rasta, he would have to wait until October, 2018, before marijuana was legalized in Canada. He just wouldn't be allowed to smoke it within 20 metres of his old high school -- unless he hid in the stalls.

The 500 - #170 - Live At Leeds - The Who

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

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Album: #170
Album Title: Live At Leeds

Artist: The Who

Genre: Rock, Hard Rock

Recorded: University of Leeds Refectory, West Yorkshire, England

Released: May, 1970

My age at release: 4
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very well

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #327. dropping 157 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Magic Bus

Album cover for Live At Leeds by The Who.

Well documented in this blog series is the first Rush record I purchased – their 1976 live release, All The World's A Stage. I bought it when visiting my dad in my future hometown of London, Ontario, during March Break in 1980. It was a job change and dad was setting up house in advance of the family move from Kingsville on the shore of Lake Erie.

Album cover for All The World's A Stage -- Rush.

In order to listen to this double record, I coaxed an attendant at the Central Library to allow me to borrow headphones and use a music listening booth. What I heard, blew my fourteen-year-old mind. How could three musicians create such a big, full sound? I understood that studio recordings could be enhanced with layers of multiple tracks for guitars, bass, vocals and drums, but this was a live recording...by a trio! Additionally, there were moments when the three of them seemed to be soloing at the same time, effortlessly switching between complex time signatures and melodic phrases. This was not straightforward 4/4 time rock and roll – at the time I thought of it as "orchestral rock" or "symphonic metal"?

Rush performing live in 1976.

Not surprisingly, Rush players Geddy Lee (bass/vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitars) and Neil Peart (drums) have cited several bands on The 500 as influencing their sound -- chief among them is The Who. In a July, 2020, article in Rolling Stone Magazine, Lee named The Who’s John Entwistle as the greatest rock bass guitarist of all time, saying:

"He was one of the first gods to me. Gods of rock. [Laughs] Ever since I first heard (The Who's) My Generation, it was like, “Who is that?” His was a name I needed to know."

It's easy to spot the influence on Rush when you listen to The Who's 1970 record Live At Leeds. It is equally hard to imagine that The Who’s four members made such a heavy, complex sound. Throughout Live At Leeds and much of The Who’s classic catalogue, Entwistle's bass work is riveting. One of his nicknames, Thunderfingers, is apropos Those digits of his dance up and down the fretboard with purpose and confident melodic authority. He is a master of the oft-overlooked instrument.

Entwistle in 1970.

Throughout their careers with The Who and Rush respectively, Entwistle and Lee were not content to serve as simple rhythmic bricklayers. Instead, they played their instruments more actively, finding engaging melodies that supported the piece while making it far more interesting. There’s truth in the observation that Lee and Entwistle play the bass as if it is the lead instrument. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, both began as guitar players and played trumpet in school. Their understanding of melody and counter-melody certainly informed their songwriting and bass playing.

John Entwistle surrounded by his many bass guitars.

It was at my high school friend Brent Murray's home that I first heard Live From Leeds. We were likely skipping school and hanging around at his mom's apartment while she worked. I was gobsmacked. It sounded so raw and real, as if I was standing in the crowd at the Refectory (cafeteria) at Leeds University in West Yorkshire on February 14, 1970, when the concert was recorded.

A 2019 picture of the small stage in the Refectory at Leeds University.

The extended version of the song Magic Bus, which concludes the record, remains one of my favourite Who performances, so it was an easy choice for adding it to my personal, ever-growing, 500 Playlist. However, Entwistle has called Magic Bus one of his least favourite songs to play because the bass part is so simple –  for the most part, a single note (a low A) played repeatedly. Conversely, Who guitarist Peter Townsend has termed it a favourite because of the rhythm. The song Such is the fate for even the greatest rock bassist. It was a staple of their live performances for decades. Alas, sometimes, even the greatest rock bassist of all time has to accept the role as a rhythmic bricklayer for the benefit of the band.