Imperial Bedroom

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Imperial Bedroom
Imperial Bedroom cover
Studio album by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Released July 2, 1982
Recorded 1982
Genre Rock
Length 50:48
Label F-Beat Records (UK)
Columbia Records (U.S.)
Rykodisc (August 30, 1994 Reissue)
Rhino Records (November 19, 2002 Reissue)
Producer(s) Geoff Emerick
Professional reviews
Elvis Costello & the Attractions chronology
Almost Blue
(1981)		 Imperial Bedroom
(1982)		 Punch the Clock
(1983)


Imperial Bedroom is a 1982 album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It was the second Costello album, following Almost Blue, not produced by Nick Lowe, the production duties handled by erstwhile Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick. "I wanted to try a few things in the studio that I suspected would quickly exhaust Nick's patience," as Costello put it in the liner notes to the 1994 Rykodisc reissue.[1]

It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. In 1998 readers of Q magazine named it the 96th greatest album ever. In 1989, it was ranked #38 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 166 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [2] The album reached number 6 in the U.K. charts and number 30 in the U.S., but none of the singles charted.

"Imperial Bedroom" is also the title song from this album, although it was cut from the original release and only included on the expanded reissue editions.

The cover painting by Barney Bubbles is a pastiche of "Three Musicians" by Pablo Picasso, and letters on the zipper-like creatures in the upper right spell "PABLO SI".

Contents

[edit] Background

In addition to being the first album of original material not produced by Lowe, this was the first of Costello's albums to be recorded without any of the songs having already been performed live. As such, the songwriting and arrangements were done during the twelve-week recording session at AIR Studios. It was recorded at the same time as Paul McCartney's Tug of War, on which Emerick simultaneously served as recording engineer.

Unlike the previous two albums, there was no intent to have the songs in any particular arrangement or production style. Instead, they covered a variety of styles and included songs that were written at the end of the Trust sessions, through Costello's production of Squeeze's East Side Story, and during the "Nashville adventure"[1] of Almost Blue.

As initially recorded, the album sounded very much like Trust, but none of these versions survived to the final recording, except the intro and outro of "Man Out of Time". Instead, the band experimented with different instrumental choices, including a 40-piece orchestra for "...And in Every Home". Costello also attempted to vary his vocal performances, such as the contrasting vocal tracks in "Pidgin English". Many of these studio embellishments had to be stripped when the songs were played live in concert.

Despite some of the lyrical content, Costello had imagined this to be his most optimistic album to date.[1]

[edit] Track listing

Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.

All songs written by Elvis Costello unless otherwise indicated.

  1. "Beyond Belief" – 2:34
  2. "Tears Before Bedtime" – 3:02
  3. "Shabby Doll" – 4:48
  4. "The Long Honeymoon" – 4:15
  5. "Man Out of Time" – 5:26
  6. "Almost Blue" – 2:50
  7. "...And in Every Home" – 3:23
  8. "The Loved Ones" – 2:48
  9. "Human Hands" – 2:43
  10. "Kid About It" – 2:45
  11. "Little Savage" – 2:37
  12. "Boy with a Problem" (Costello, Chris Difford) – 2:12
  13. "Pidgin English" – 3:58
  14. "You Little Fool" – 3:11
  15. "Town Cryer" – 4:16

[edit] Bonus tracks (1994 Rykodisc)

  1. "From Head to Toe" (Smokey Robinson) – 2:34 produced by Elvis Costello
  2. "The World of Broken Hearts" (Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus) – 3:01 produced by Elvis Costello
  3. "Night Time" (Patrick Chambers) – 2:52 produced by Elvis Costello
  4. "Really Mystified" (Tony Crane, John Gustafson) – 2:03 produced by Elvis Costello
  5. "I Turn Around" – 2:09 produced by Elvis Costello
  6. "Seconds of Pleasure" (Version 2 of The Invisible Man) – 3:43 produced by Elvis Costello
  7. "The Stamping Ground" – 3:09 produced by Elvis Costello
  8. "Shabby Doll" (Early version) – 4:18 produced by Elvis Costello
  9. "Imperial Bedroom" – 2:47 produced by Elvis Costello

[edit] Bonus disc (2002 Rhino)

  1. "The Land of Give and Take" (Early version of Beyond Belief) – 3:05
  2. "Tears Before Bedtime" (Alternate version) – 3:03
  3. "Man Out of Time" (Alternate version) – 3:43
  4. "Human Hands" (Early version) – 2:44
  5. "Kid About It" (Alternate version) – 3:18
  6. "Little Savage" (Alternate version) – 3:07
  7. "You Little Fool" (Alternate version) – 2:59
  8. "Town Cryer" (Fast version) – 2:15
  9. "Little Goody Two Shoes" (Alternate version) – 3:10
  10. "The Town Where Time Stood Still" (Alternate version) – 2:57
  11. "...And in Every Home" (Rehearsal) – 3:12
  12. "I Turn Around" – 2:09
  13. "From Head to Toe" (Robinson]) – 2:34
  14. "The World of Broken Hearts" (Shuman, Pomus) – 3:01
  15. "Night Time" (Chambers) – 2:52
  16. "Really Mystified" (Crane, Gustafson) – 2:03
  17. "The Stamping Ground" – 3:09
  18. "Shabby Doll" (Demo version) – 4:18
  19. "Man Out of Time" (Demo version) – 3:27
  20. "You Little Fool" (Demo version) – 3:11
  21. "Town Cryer" (Demo version) – 3:03
  22. "Seconds of Pleasure" (Demo version) – 3:19
  23. "Imperial Bedroom" – 2:47

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1982 Billboard Pop Albums 30

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Imperial Bedroom, (1994), Elvis Costello and the Attractions, notes from: Inset. Rykodisc, USA:
  2. ^ "166) Imperial Bedroom", Rolling Stone, November 1, 2003.


 v • d • e Elvis Costello

My Aim Is True • Spike • King of America • Brutal Youth • Mighty Like a Rose • Kojak Variety • North • Il Sogno

This Year's Model • Armed Forces • Get Happy!! • Trust • Almost Blue • Imperial Bedroom • Punch the Clock • Goodbye Cruel World • Blood and Chocolate • All This Useless Beauty

When I Was Cruel • Cruel Smile • The Delivery Man

Collaborations

The Juliet Letters with The Brodsky Quartet • Terror & Magnificence with John Harle • Painted from Memory with Burt Bacharach • The Sweetest Punch with Bill Frisell • For the Stars with Anne-Sofie von Otter • My Flame Burns Blue with The Metropole Orkest • Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland • The River in Reverse with Allen Toussaint

Live albums

Live at the El Mocambo • Deep Dead Blue • Costello & Nieve

Soundtracks

G.B.H. • Jake's Progress

Collections

Taking Liberties • Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers • The Best of Elvis Costello & The Attractions • Out of Our Idiot • Girls Girls Girls • 2 ½ Years • The Very Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions 1977-86 • Extreme Honey • The Very Best of Elvis Costello • Singles, Vol. 1 • Singles, Vol. 2 • Singles, Vol. 3

Categories

Elvis Costello albums • Elvis Costello songs
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