Mighty Like a Rose (2cd)

It was that willingness to push the envelope that made the album kick off with one of his best songs ever, "The Other Side Of Summer." A pastiche of deceptively peppy Beach Boy's stylings supporting a very dark lyric, it is Elvis at his finest. It also includes terrific sly digs at Madonna, John Lennon and Pink Floyd. Almost immediately after that is a radical left turn onto the experimental sound of "Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)." It's the first of two broadsides at Thomas's book, "The Big Wheel," and also has one of the most insane guitar parts captured to record in the 80's, courtesy of James Burton. But the rancor of that song is nothing compared to "How To Be Dumb," which spends its entire running time lashing out at a man who "could have walked out anytime you wanted, but face it - you didn't have the courage." It's probably the most mean-spirited song Elvis has ever penned. It's also a total gas.

Had "Mighty Like A Rose" been able to keep up that kind of energy, it might have been another 5 star album ala "Spike." Alas, the disc starts losing steam around "Georgie And Her Rival," which seems kind of slight. The second half of the record then bogs down under the weight of too many ballads, with only the Paul McCartney co-composition "So Like Candy" being up to the task. The remaining songs are memorable for a few reasons, "Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4" has a wonderful melody and "Broken" (written by Elvis' then-wife Cait O'Riordan) is truly haunting. But it isn't enough to make this a brilliant album, and actually rates about 3 and a half stars.

The extra 1/2 star come courtesy of the bonus disc. Elvis' recording with The Chieftains, "St Stephen's Day Murders," and the quirky "Put Your Big Toe In The Milk of Human Kindness" with Rob Wasserman are gentle reminders that EC is a prolific songwriter with so many directions that it can be hard to keep track. The three selections from his "MTV Unplugged" session make me long for the whole show (which included a stunning medley of "So Like Candy/I Want You"). Perhaps a later bonus disc or DVD will unearth those. In the meantime, "Mighty Like A Rose" is another reason to be grateful for Rhino's ongoing Elvis Costello reissue effort.

It starts with The Other Side of Summer, which should be familiar enough to EC's greatest hits fans. Hurry Down Doomsday is reminiscent of Costello's punk days, a worthy effort. The anthemic 'How To Be Dumb' is where the album starts to get rich and textured. Suddenly the music starts to blend together, a true 'album' experience. Great keyboard work, wonderful melodies. This is an extraordinarily well-produced album, evoking a Beatles touch in the diversity of instruments and styles employed. It pulls from at least a dozen different styles, with diverse pacing and great melodies.

Elvis is at his snide and cynical best with All Grown Up, a song I should've listened to when I was a teenager. The orchestral movements, set as a backdrop to lyrics like "all grown up and you don't care anymore/ and you hate all the people you used to adore..." Where was this song when I was a kid? Oh wait, I was too busy listening to Metallica... sigh. And therein lies the answer.

The trilogy of songs in the middle -- Invasion Hit Parade, Harpies Bazaar, and After the Fall, -- comprise the album's hefty middle and represent some of EC's best storytelling song construction. After the Fall is particuarly stunning. This is a soft ballad featuring flamenco guitars focused on two lovers; the woman has gone to the dark side of lust and the man suddenly finds her unattractive. I am not certain I understand the plot of the song, but the emotions are spot on.

Couldn't Call it Unexpected No. 2 is a brief New Orleans jazz bridge that slides into Sweet Pear is positively majestic. You can hear in this song the hint of Elvis' future collaboration with Burt Bacharach. (Was my grip too loose, my grip too strong, that made you want to run away?) Couldn't call it Unexpected No. 4 is a solid, retrospective on the dissolution of belief set to a minstrel's accordian with a jaunty beat. Classic. Oh, and I forgot to mention Sulky Girl, an extraordinary ode to a man taken with a pouty lass. ('you're no match for that sulky girl'...)

There are a few less-than-remarkable efforts, such as Georgie and Her Rival, a jaunty number with no particuar point. Broken, a self-conscious poetic turn, left me unmoved. Playboy to a Man, which (like Sulky Girl) was co-written with Paul McCartney, is good, not great. (apparently that's pm screaming in the background.) Where Sulky Girl strikes a chord in its depiction which is haunting in its depiction of the attractiveness of the pouty sorts, this is sort of flat.

With the 2 CD format, you get a chance to enter the studio a bit. Just Another Mystery, which apparently was written in a flurry with Invasion Hit Parade, Harpies Bazaar and After the Fall, is good enough for prime time and leads off. I have long loved St. Stephen's Day Murders, which was featured on the Chieftain's "Bells of Dublin" album in the early 1990s and is included here. There's a trio of unplugged tunes as well, including The Other Side of Summer (blah, prefered his high-speed SNL version), Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (magnificent) and Hurry Down Doomsday (surprisingly good). The Home Demos are neat, and considering the robust production on the final album they provide an interesting counterpoint. An early version of Starting to Come to me, which later was included in "All This Useless Beauty", is stripped down and bare, with a Dylanesque acoustic styling.

Overall, an excellent album. Probably should've gotten to know it more than a dozen years ago when it came out. Better late than never.