ELVIS COSTELLO “Armed Forces” LP COLUMBIA WHITE LABEL PROMO + bonus EP NM

$

40

Artist:   ELVIS COSTELLO                                  

Title:   “Armed Forces”

Label:   COLUMBIA ~ JC 35709.  Original stereo pressing.  Label is white with black text.

Year:   1978. 

Condition: 

DISC:  Vinyl is NEAR MINT with 100% of original gloss, as clean as can be found.  Appears to have been played one or two times at most, and handled with care.  Labels are clean.  Fidelity is superb.  A gorgeous disc you will never need to upgrade.

JACKET:   Jacket is NEAR MINT in original factory shrink wrap.  Flawless front and back panels.  Excellent seams and corners.  A beautiful jacket worthy of display.

Promotional timing strip is neatly affixed on the bottom of the front, under the shrink wrap.  Gold promotional stamp is at the upper left on the reverse panel.  Two hype stickers are on the outside of shrink wrap, on the front.

Bonus EP:  Limited addition EP “Elvis Costello Live at Hollywood High” is included in NEAR MINT condition, with no issues.  Disc has white promotional labels.  Tracks include:

• Accidents Will Happen
• Alison
• Watching the Detectives
•  

(Note: I’m not sure if all EP’s were pressed this way, but the first song is misspelled on the EP sleeve as “Adcicents Will Happen”).

Track Listing: 

Side One:

• Accidents Will Happen
• Senior Service
• Oliver’s Army
• Big Boys
• Green Shirt
• Party Girl

Side Two:

• Goon Squad
• Busy Bodies
• Moods for Moderns
• Chemistry Class
• Two Little Hitlers
• (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Review:

“After releasing and touring the intense This Year’s Model, Elvis Costello quickly returned to the studio with the Attractions to record his third album, Armed Forces.  In contrast to the stripped-down pop and rock of his first two albums, Armed Forces boasted a detailed and textured pop production, but it was hardly lavish.  However, the more spacious arrangements -- complete with ringing pianos, echoing reverb, layered guitars, and harmonies -- accent Costello's melodies, making the record more accessible than his first two albums.  Perversely, while the sound of Costello's music was becoming more open and welcoming, his songs became more insular and paranoid, even though he cloaked his emotions well.  Many of the songs on Armed Forces use politics as a metaphor for personal relationships, particularly fascism, which explains its working title, Emotional Fascism.  Occasionally, the lyrics are forced, but the music never is -- the album demonstrates the depth of Costello's compositional talents and how he can move from the hook-laden pop of "Accidents Will Happen" to the paranoid "Goon Squad" with ease.  Some of the songs, like the light reggae of "Two Little Hitlers" and the impassioned "Party Girl," build on his strengths, while others like the layered "Oliver's Army" take Costello into new territories.  It's a dense but accessible pop record and ranks as his third masterpiece in a row.”

(courtesy Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com.)

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