Happy 45th Anniversary to Elvis Costello’s debut album My Aim Is True, originally released July 22, 1977.
In 1976, Declan Patrick MacManus, a singer-songwriter who worked as a data entry clerk by day, had been shopping around his demo tape for a couple of years hoping to land a recording contract. He had been playing pubs in London and Liverpool, but had not yet caught a break. Even with British DJ Charlie Gillett playing the demos on his show, MacManus was rejected by Island Records, Virgin Records and CBS Records in the US.
Performing under the name D.P. Costello, he submitted his demos to the newly formed Stiff Records and garnered interest from the label’s co-founders Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. After hearing more demo tapes from Costello, Riviera offered him a record deal, making him the first artist signed by Stiff.
Later that year, Costello began recording My Aim Is True using an American country rock act named Clover as the backing band since he had no band of his own. The members included guitarist John McFee, bassist John Ciambotti, keyboardist Sean Hopper and drummer Mickey Shine. Not included was the band’s new vocalist and harmonica player, Huey Lewis. My Aim Is True was recorded in six four-hour sessions from late 1976 to early 1977 while Costello was still working at his data entry job at Elizabeth Arden. He wrote most of the songs either late at night or on his commute to work.
When the final mix for the album was complete, Riviera convinced Costello to use the name Elvis instead of Declan as a part of Costello’s image makeover. He thought he needed a name and look that was more in line with the new punk and new wave movement. Wearing Buddy Holly-style glasses, tight jackets and jeans cuffed at the bottom combined with Costello’s bile spewing lyrics was an all-out assault on the senses.
My Aim Is True took the punk aesthetic and married it to brilliant songwriting and flawless musicianship. Costello later confessed in his 2015 memoir Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink that he did not have extensive knowledge of guitars during the recording sessions and played his Telecaster unadjusted for the first half. He didn’t always see eye to eye with Clover, but respected their mutual professionalism.
My Aim Is True is an excellent album that stands apart from the next few albums Costello released. Clover’s laid-back style of playing served Costello well because the music did not overwhelm the lyrics, which were anything but laid-back. When I listened to the album, I said to myself, “Of course these guys were in Huey Lewis & the News,” as Clover’s sound was very similar. If you listen closely, “Welcome To The Working Week” uses doo-wop backing vocals that were often used in Huey Lewis & the News’ music.
“No Dancing,” “Miracle Man,” “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” and “Mystery Dance” all deal with the different aspects of a relationship between a man and a woman. The album’s centerpiece, “Alison,” tells a different story. It’s a ballad that is lyrically gentler than the previously mentioned tracks. It tells the story of a man who longs for a woman who is married to someone else he feels is not worthy of her.
Though “Watching The Detectives” was not included on the UK album release, it was released as a single and included on the US version of the album. I can’t imagine My Aim Is True without it. Arguably, it’s one of the best tracks on the album and a great end to the LP. Its eeriness is like that of a ‘50s black and white detective movie that pulls you in and captures your attention. As a 7th grader, it was my first introduction to Costello’s music.
My Aim Is True has found itself on many lists of great debut albums and deservedly so. Unfortunately, many critics at the time felt it necessary to write pieces praising Costello while labeling him as a nerd with great lyrics and a poison pen. 45 years later, I agree with those who criticize the misogyny of some of his lyrics, but I also consider that he was 22 at the time. Think back to when you were 22.
As good as Clover was in backing Costello, he needed a band that matched the intensity of his lyrics. Give My Aim Is True a good listen, then put on This Year’s Model, his first with The Attractions. Both are superb LPs and together, they formed an excellent start to Costello’s prolific career.
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