Elvis Costello’s been discredited these days, like that other ’77-emerging nerd genius David Byrne guilty of releasing too much adequate fare for too long, but for sustained invention he’s up there with Bowie. His run of form lasted 10 years?the period covered by these sets.
The first box goes from “Less Than Zero” to “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down”, the second from “High Fidelity” to “Pills And Soap” while the third ranges from “Everyday I Write The Book” to “A Town Called Nothing (Really Big Nothing)”.
Within the 35 facsimile sleeves?works of art in themselves?lie all the original B-sides, plus no fewer than 20 tracks that have never before been released on disc?even on the expansive two-CD Deluxe Edition reissues of Costello’s albums. And they call Ryan Adams prolific.