Elvis Costello - 1976-08-15 - London, UK (FM)

Elvis Costello

1976-08-15

BBC Studios

London UK

FM Broadcast

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Lip Service

02. White Flag

03. Blame It On Cane

04. Mystery Dance

05. Poison Moon

Elvis Costello - 1976-08-15 - London, UK (FM)

In 1976, at the outset of the punk rock/new wave boom, entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman (aka Jake Riviera) founded Stiff Records in London. They quickly signed and promoted dozens of new artists, including Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric Ian Dury, and one Declan Patrick MacManus, better known as Elvis Costello. Costello released his first single on Stiff, Less Than Zero, in March 1977. It failed to chart, the same fate that befell his next 2 singles, Alison and (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes. Stiff Records had faith in Costello, however, and released his debut album, My Aim is True, in July 1977. The album did far better than the singles, reaching #14 on the UK charts. At the time, neither the singles nor the album were released in the US, however, as Stiff only had distribution deals in the UK. Stiff’s faith in Costello was further rewarded when he became the clear star of the Live Stiffs Tour of the UK that ran from October 3 to November 5, 1977. Folks across the pond started to notice Costello, and he signed with CBS records. As the Stiff Tour concluded, Elvis crossed the Atlantic for his first series of live shows in the US. He capped that tour off with an appearance on Saturday Night Live, where his decision to stop playing Less Than Zero in order to perform Radio Radio, would result in his being banned from that show for over a dozen years!  This FM broadcast captures Costello before his rise to prominence, playing an acoustic set on BBC radio on August 15, 1976, 44 years ago today

Elvis Costello/Jerry Garcia Connections

• The ever versatile Mr. Costello was one of the artists who participated in the Deadicated tribute album in 1991, performing a cover of the Garcia/Hunter composition Ship of Fools. 
• He later covered another Garcia/Hunger tune, It Must Have Been The Roses on a 2nd tribute album entitled Stolen Roses. 
• In addition to those 2 tracks, Costello has also played 3 more Garcia/Hunter songs, Friend of the Devil, Ripple, and Tennessee Jed in concert. 
• In 1989, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir joined Costello for a jam session at the Sweetwater in Mill Valley CA (posted here on So Mnay Roads). It was so spontaneous that Jerry had to borrow Elvis' guitar! 
• Costello has continued his relationship with the grateful Dead even after Jerry's  passing - he joined Further on stage in on March 27, 2001, at a show in New York. where he sang vocals on three "Jerry tunes" - Friend of the Devil, Ship of Fools, and Ripple - while wife Diana Krall sat in on keyboards!