This definitive biography of Elvis Costello paints a detailed and accurate portrait of an intensely private and complex individual. It draws on nearly fifty exclusive interviews with schoolmates, pre-fame friends, early band members, journalists, members of The Attractions, producers, collaborators and musicians from all stages of his life and career. Complicated Shadows also unearths many previously unknown details about Costello's early years and his personal life, including the circumstances surrounding his second marriage to ex-Pogue Cait O'Riordan and the bitter break-up of his long-term backing band, The Attractions. It includes a full examination of his entire musical output using the recollections of those who were there at the time, the majority of whom have never talked on the subject before, and also includes previously unpublished lyrics from his earliest songs.
Complicated Shadows: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello
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"Brilliantly written... in the absence of Elvis Costello putting pen to paper himself, this is far and away the next best thing." Record Collector; "A substantive record of the man's energy and brilliance after nearly 30 years of standing up when we might have expected him to be falling down." Observer; "A cracker... meticulously researched and fluently told." Observer Music Monthly; "Thomson's pop scholarship is strong: he has gone deep into the archives and immersed himself in the music." Guardian; "As believable and fair a picture of the man himself as I suspect is actually possible. He'll not like it though." Herald; "Vital" Uncut"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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About the Author
Graeme Thomson is a freelance writer who contributes regularly to several publications, including MOJO, the Herald, the Observer Sports Monthly, Four Four Two and Maxim. His work also features in the books The MOJO Collection and Ten: The Best of The OSM's Tens.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By "jools-r"
Format:Hardcover
I've read all the other costello biogs and they've ranged from OK (Hinton) to terrible (Clayotn Lea).
But this is a must buy for all EC fans and all serious music fans. really well written, brillianytly researched and packed with great moments, it is a full picture of Costello as we have never seen him before.
He doesn;t come out of it as a very nice man, but Thompson makes sure we all know that his music outshines his personality. A great book, adn one that I've returned to twice in the few weeks I've had it.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My brother bought me this for Christmas, remembering the shared passion we had for EC in the late 70's / early 80's. At that time, we'd both read Krista Reese's book, which was one of the first attempts at a biography. Written during a period when EC's air of mystery and antagonism didn't allow him to talk to journalists, she did a pretty good job considering how little cooperation she got from her subject. For example, his manager wrote trying to persuade her not to write anything at all; characteristically, the letter ended, "Thank you for including your address. If this matter goes any further I shall pop in for a visit the next time I am in New York." Nothing daunted, she published the book and included the letter as a frontispiece.
Although EC has mellowed somewhat with age, cooperation is just as sparse this time round, but that hasn't stopped Thomson from writing an excellent biography. This is partly due to the fact that his subject remains fascinating: the fearsome work ethic, the struggle to break through, the way in which fame was handled, his relationships with women, the wide-ranging musical interests and the variety of collaborations. But, of course, the main thing is always the music. Here, I'd rate at least three of his albums as totally essential, but the fact that they have widely different styles (they're "This Year's Model", "Imperial Bedroom" and "Painted From Memory") indicates the breadth of his application.
Also, Thomson is a good writer, well above the usual hack standard that seems prevalent for this sort of book. He even manages to incorporate a couple of Jamesian turns of phrase: "By the time they returned, [...] relations between Elvis and the band were on the contemptuous side of familiar.", "For Elvis, comfort probably couldn't have come any colder." Finally, he unearths some fascinating details - for example, the idea of a young EC playing a show-stopping version of CSN's "Wooden Ships" is irresistable, especially when you consider what he said to Stephen Stills during that fateful encounter in a bar in Columbus, Ohio in 1979. And while I knew that he'd been having an affair with Bebe Buell while married to his first wife, the revelation that the latter found out the former was pregnant via a misdirected letter which Bebe sent to EC's London house while he was in Japan makes you wonder how long it'll be before they turn this book into a movie.
Although EC has mellowed somewhat with age, cooperation is just as sparse this time round, but that hasn't stopped Thomson from writing an excellent biography. This is partly due to the fact that his subject remains fascinating: the fearsome work ethic, the struggle to break through, the way in which fame was handled, his relationships with women, the wide-ranging musical interests and the variety of collaborations. But, of course, the main thing is always the music. Here, I'd rate at least three of his albums as totally essential, but the fact that they have widely different styles (they're "This Year's Model", "Imperial Bedroom" and "Painted From Memory") indicates the breadth of his application.
Also, Thomson is a good writer, well above the usual hack standard that seems prevalent for this sort of book. He even manages to incorporate a couple of Jamesian turns of phrase: "By the time they returned, [...] relations between Elvis and the band were on the contemptuous side of familiar.", "For Elvis, comfort probably couldn't have come any colder." Finally, he unearths some fascinating details - for example, the idea of a young EC playing a show-stopping version of CSN's "Wooden Ships" is irresistable, especially when you consider what he said to Stephen Stills during that fateful encounter in a bar in Columbus, Ohio in 1979. And while I knew that he'd been having an affair with Bebe Buell while married to his first wife, the revelation that the latter found out the former was pregnant via a misdirected letter which Bebe sent to EC's London house while he was in Japan makes you wonder how long it'll be before they turn this book into a movie.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A long-time fan of EC, but with heavy reading commitments, I finally found the time to read this acclaimed bio - and devoured it. Thomson faced a difficult task here, chasing the hyperactive Costello from tour to studio and back again - often several times in one year. The book is certainly well-researched and comprehensive. It's therefore a must-read for every EC fan. The atmosphere of the early tours is evoked, the complicated relationships between band members well-covered, and the reflexions on EC's music and its development are interesting and perspicacious. I have one major reservation: that the insistence on facts and detail (e.g. the precise sets played at almost every concert) end up by giving the impression that we know everything EC has done, but we're still not quite sure who he is, in particular outside his immediate relations with his musicians. There are hints here and there (EC is a movie buff, he reads lots of books...) but they are no more than that. There is not as much on the character of the man and his motivations, nor on the private Elvis - or Declan - here, as one might have hoped, and which could have shed more light on the music, and on his songwriting in particular. It's true that he is a very private man, but then he has given many interviews, which I don't think are sufficiently exploited here. So overall: a good musical biography and wealth of information, but paradoxically a little lacking on the man himself.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Close but not Close Enough
Firstly, I would like to give the writer his dues in tackling such an interesting but distant subject matter. In this Bio. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2010 by Paul A. Kirwan
5.0 out of 5 stars
The inside track.
Great read, full of the background details on the recording of some classic albums and all those personal details that EC has keep secret. Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2005
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