The term “classic rock” has many definitions.
From the flashy arena flair of Queen, to the hard and heavy sound of Black Sabbath, almost any rock band can fit in this catch-all category. But with such a wide spread of subgenres, there has to be a baseline – an artist that can be considered the standard for classic rock sound. That middle-ground artist has to be Elvis Costello.
Those unfamiliar with Costello only need to take one look at him on the cover of “My Aim Is True” to understand how he sounds, with a stance, sneer, and name (his real name is Declan MacManus) all swiped from Elvis Presley.
However, Costello puts his own spin on it, with nerdy black glasses and an awkward, almost comical pose, that give him a mad-scientist-turned-rocker look, reflected in his combination of new wave and electronic music with rockabilly and punk influences.
My favorite song for this album has to be the first, “Welcome to the Working Week.”
It’s incredibly short, with only 82 seconds of playtime, but that’s all that Costello needs to get you pumped for the rest of the album. It truly feels like a welcome to the rest of the album, the slow start building into a fast-paced ditty about daily struggles to make ends meet, the sadder lyrics underneath are a staple of most other songs on the album.
Costello is a musician who has it all, which is why I consider him a baseline for classic rock. Add any more of any single style, and the balance is thrown off. Not too punk, nor too electronic, but with a pop sound that works just right for everyone. I’ll continue the electronic aspects, however, in the next review, and you’d be “Fooling Yourself” if you didn’t tune in to see it.