Elvis Costello and The Imposters
Club Date: Live in Memphis

(Eagle Vision)

First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2005, Volume 12, #7

Written by John Metzger

Despite his many diversions through jazz, opera, classical, and country fare, Elvis Costello still knows how to lay down a set of pure, unabated rock ’n‘ roll. For proof, look no further than his latest effort Club Date: Live in Memphis, a DVD that features 90 minutes worth of concert footage as well as a lengthy (though enjoyable) documentary in which he and drummer Pete Thomas take a road trip and visit a variety of Memphis-area landmarks. Although Costello teams with Emmylou Harris for five songs and applies his soulful croon to tracks like Either Side of the Same Town and Country Darkness, it’s the rampaging energy that he and his backing band The Imposters bring to the material, both old and new, that makes Club Date: Live in Memphis such an intriguing collection. Whether pounding its way through a brutal Waiting for the End of the World, wallowing in the gritty blues-inflected clatter of Bedlam, dabbling in the crunchy-rock of High Fidelity, or muscling its way through the Buddy Holly-on-speed fury of Mystery Dance, the ensemble retains a sharp and biting edge that is reminiscent of Costello’s early beginnings. Indeed, while he no longer can be considered an "angry young man," he still is capable of exuding more piss and vinegar than those half his age.

Club Date: Live in Memphis is available
from Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box