
Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink
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Narrated by:
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Elvis Costello
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By:
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Elvis Costello
About this listen
The perfect gift for music lovers and Elvis Costello fans, telling the story behind Elvis Costello’s legendary career and his iconic, beloved songs.
Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink provides readers with a master’s catalogue of a lifetime of great music. Costello reveals the process behind writing and recording legendary albums like My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Almost Blue, Imperial Bedroom, and King of America. He tells the detailed stories, experiences, and emotions behind such beloved songs as “Alison”, “Accidents Will Happen”, “Watching the Detectives”, “Oliver’s Army”, “Welcome to the Working Week”, “Radio Radio”, “Shipbuilding”, and “Veronica”, the last of which is one of a number of songs revealed to connect to the lives of the previous generations of his family.
Costello chronicles his musical apprenticeship, a child's view of his father Ross MacManus' career on radio and in the dance hall; his own initial, almost comical steps in folk clubs and cellar dive before his first sessions for Stiff Records, the formation of the Attractions, and his frenetic and ultimately notorious third US tour. He takes listeners behind the scenes of Top of the Pops and Saturday Night Live, and his own show, Spectacle, on which he hosted artists such as Lou Reed, Elton John, Levon Helm, Jesse Winchester, Bruce Springsteen, and President Bill Clinton.
The idiosyncratic memoir of a singular man, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink is destined to be a classic.
©2015 Elvis Costello (P)2015 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Some of the best writing - funny, strange, spiteful, anguished - we’ve ever had from an important musician.” (Dwight Garner, The New York Times)
“The book is fantastic - maybe the best about music by a musician that I've read.... The stuff about the collaborations alone - McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Allen Toussaint, the Roots, the Brodsky Quartet - is riveting.” (Nick Hornby)
“Revelatory, evocatively crafted, [and] highly entertaining.” (David Fricke, Rolling Stone)
Wow. Filled with fascinating tales and beautiful lyrics
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Excellent book, missing a chapter
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It is an interesting tale of a "pop star" journey during an interesting time period. A momentary escape to a life lived by another. The story is wonderfully told thought the authors eyes and voice; though he proves to not be much a voice actor IMO as the character imitations are well intentioned but cringey still. But absolutely not reason to dissuade a listener!
Musically I came from listening to Metal, Punk, and Grunge. As I grow older; I find myself searching through their influences rooted in Blues, Country, Jazz and Gospel. Hearing Elvis a self described "pop" singer going deep into influences, lyrical meaning and personal journey further allows my appreciating while on my own historical exploration.
Gave me insight and grounding to the men and women who have always been legends or influential gods discussed among my peers and elders.
Top marks; and cheers.
Entertaining, and insightful
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Elvis is the King
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Excellent!
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Awesome, interesting, beautifully read.
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Great for music lovers and lovers of music history
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This is a Brilliant Parade of memories
Glorious hearing the Author read his own
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As it should be
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Wonderfully candid, tender, comic
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