Costello & Nieve (1996)
Elvis & Steve’s 5CD Live Box Set
Haven’t seen this one floating around for a while so… here it is. A cool, limited edition (and now out of print) 5EP live box set from Elvis Costello and his piano player extraordinaire, Attraction Steve Nieve. The material, recorded in five different cities on five different nights, provides a suitable showcase for Costello’s songwriting skills (including some of his work with Paul McCartney) and Nieve’s impressive keyboard chops. It’s mostly just Elvis & Steve, though a few others show up on a couple of tracks to round out the proceedings. Despite how long gone this box is, you can still get it for around $30 at Amazon.
LOS ANGELES – MAY 14, 1996
Temptation
Poor Fractured Atlas
I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself
It’s Time
Man Out Of Time
Shallow Grave
SAN FRANCISCO – MAY 15, 1996
Just About Glad
Why Can’t A Man Stand Alone?
My Dark Life
All This Useless Beauty
Ship Of Fools
CHICAGO – MAY 18, 1996
Long Honeymoon
Starting To Come To Me
Other End (Of The Telescope)
All The Rage
Watching The Detectives
BOSTON – MAY 20, 1996
You Bowed Down
Long Honeymoon
Distorted Angel
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
Little Atoms
My Funny Valentine
NEW YORK – MAY 22, 1996
Black Sails In The Sunset
You’ll Never Be A Man
Just A Memory
I Want To Vanish
Alison/Living A Little, Laughing A Little/Tracks Of My Tears/Tears Of A Clown/No More Tear Stained Make-Up/Clowntime Is Over
37 Comments
We must be twins separated at birth. I own this same set & what a cool set it is. I admire your good taste & obvious good looks.
This looks great. I'm looking forward to checking out this AND the Latin Playboys stuff. Thanks Willard!
Many thanks for this set and all of the other wonderful music you bring to my ears.
Thanx as ever Capt W/
I caught this duo tour here in Melbourne, Australia. SPEC TAC ULAR!
Regards/
I've seen EC countless times in the 70s/80s. but felt he lost his way after imperial bedroom. then my nephew dragged me to see the Elvis/Steve show and YES he was great. I;ve been searching for this for some time and it doesnt disapoint. shame EC doesnt dedicate time to handling his back catalogue more user friendly. but he is on his third marriage :)
Gawd bless ya Uncle Brian
T
…and twice as many labels. Many thanks for the comments.
Great post!
The thing about Elvis – and I've seen him live about 10 times, including this past August on the "Sacred Profane & Sugarcane" tour – you never catch him dogging it. He gives every show (that I've seen) his all. We can argue about the quality of the material, but you cannot doubt his commitment level. It is as high as any performer I've ever seen.
Man, that's right. I've seen EC live 5 times & every show was smoking. Elvis doesn't leave the building, he takes it with him.
Ditto. I caught him twice, myself. The first US tour with Nick Lowe (playing with an unbilled Dave Edmunds, which almost made me wet myself) and Mink DeVille. And later @ The Fox Theatre on The Trust tour. Both stunning shows. Thanks for commenting.
Just wondering which tracks are associated with Paul McCartney? I don't have the room to get the whole thing, and I'm a bit of a Pmac collector.
Hi Penguin,
I forget all of what Elvis and Paulie wrote together (so there might be others), but EC mentions on disc one about writing "Shallow Grave" with "the great Mersey Delta bluesman… T-Bone McCartney."
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Find it all HERE
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Willard, you are a diamond my friend. Many, many thanks for this, a wonderful unexpected christmas present. Peace.
Thanks so much for this! I've wanted it for a long time…much appreciated!
Mnay thanks for this excellent set. For some reason it passed me by when it came out and by the time I was aware of it, it was going for silly prices. Lovely to hear it at last and thans again!
Sorry, Costello is one of those guys who shoulda dun give it up bout 20 years ago…better to burn out than to fade away, sumone once sed.
I was a stone cold fanatic when he first arrived. Hadn't been that obsessed in years. But, kind of warmed on him by the time Punch The Clock came out. I appreciate his work now, but don't really listen to much of his stuff from the last 15 years. He's still got quality, is an encyclopedia and has a distinctive style worth listening to, but… I catch your drift.
Thanks as always, I was lucky enough to be at the LA show.
Took my wife at the time to see this tour at the Paramount in Oakland and was quite impressed despite not being a fan. I purchased this as a gift for her and ended up enjoying it as well. During our amicable divorce, she kept it as she should've, and I've missed it since, but not enough to pay the rate it goes for these days. Thanx for the unique post, Willard.
P.S. my favorite non-trad. EC recording is King Of America. It came to me at a critical period in my life.
Penguin, the only song on this collection that's a McManus/McCartney composition is "Shallow Grave".
The others were "Veronica" and "Pad Claws And Paws" from Costello's album "Spike"
"So Like Candy" from Elvis Costello's "Mighty Like A Rose."
"Mistress And Maid" from the Rhino edition of Costello's "All This Useless Beauty".
On McCartney's "Flowers In The Dirt", the co-compositions are:
"My Brave Face"
"You Want Her Too"
"Don't Be Careless Love"
"That Day Is Done"
"Back On My Feet" (Bonus edition)
There's a song called "The Lovers That Never Were" that's only been on bootlegs.
While I agree with one commenter that I haven't really listened to much of his stuff over the past decade or so (still have bought it), this collection is one of those collections that is a must have if you like EC. Hearing him with this different arrangements and in this settings is a wonder and brings his songwriting talent to the fore. Great reminder of what a talent Elvis Costello was and is. Thanks
Thanks for the helpful replies Ken and Capt. For some reason I totally overlooked their work together (except Flowers in the Dirt).
Captain, your boat is my favorite part of the blogosphere's seven thousand seas. Friendly people here
not only friendly , but knowledgable. there are very few places where a posted piece gets like 25-30 bits of feedback like you do.
makes for fun reading for music geeks like me.
the godley-creme consequences thread for a prime example! hilarious!
it IS a credit to you mister willard!
keep up the good work, as well as time allows.
and my thanks for THIS one!
chicagoray
Thanks for the kind words.
Since yer much welcomed return(Jesus, never came back as many times as you have, man.) I Have been trawling yer archives for things I've missed over time (you truly have one of the best blogs in the blog-o-sphere, Oh My Captain.)
I attended the Chicago show featured here. It was fab, baby. No, really.
I've tended to drift to his very later period stuff as of late, and have had a bit of renaissance with yer fine Rhino bonus discs.
I feel a bit guilty as I don't always leave enough thank you's, but I feel like it would be a bit gushing. Please know you always bring the shiz, Willard.
Thank you. You are a gentlemen and a scholar.
Gratefully,
- DC
P.S. Thanks also for linking our Voodoo Wagon joint. We love you there and you are quite respected.
That's mighty kind of you, DC. Many thanks.
so glad to finally be hearing this music..thanks willard
Any chance of a re-up? Most of the links are dead for this one… :(
You bet. Check back tomorrow.
This is superb. Thanks! David, UK
I caught this tour at Guild Hall in East Hampton…a real nice intimate setting for what they were playing…brilliant and enduring
Heads up — no link to the NY show
Are you sure? Just tried NY & it’s fine.
the MF link is UNDER the picture at the bottom. It is there. trust me
Yikes! I’m a idiot! (didn’t have my specs on!) I see the link!
Thanx Willard…Been trying to fin this for my brother! He’ll be happy to hear it is re-upped!
Al
Thx Willard. Been looking for this set for a long time. Cheers.