NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2021 reissue on 180 gram vinyl.
Elvis Costello's second studio album, This Year's Model, was released on March 17, 1978, through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover on his debut My Aim Is True, Costello formed the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas, and drummer Pete Thomas—as his permanent backing band. Recorded at Eden Studios in London over eleven days between late 1977 and early 1978, the album was produced by Nick Lowe with Roger Béchirian as engineer. Most songs were written and debuted live during the latter half of 1977.
Embracing new wave, power pop, and punk rock, the album draws from the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, with Costello citing the Stones' Aftermath (1966) as a major influence. The lyrics explore mass control technologies and failing relationships, though some reviewers found them misogynistic. Singles "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up" achieved commercial success, with the album reaching number four on the UK Albums Chart and number 30 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart.
Critics widely praised the album, with Melody Maker calling it "an achievement so comprehensive, so inspired, that it exhausts superlatives." It was voted the best album of 1978 by both Melody Maker and The Village Voice. The album continues to receive acclaim as one of Costello's finest works and appears on numerous greatest albums lists, including number 121 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
TRACKLIST:
A1 No Action
A2 This Years Girl
A3 The Beat
A4 Pump It Up
A5 Little Triggers
A6 You Belong To Me
B1 Hand In Hand
B2 I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea
B3 Lip Service
B4 Living In Paradise
B5 Lipstick Vogue
B6 Night Rally
Bonus Tracks
B7 Big Tears
B8 Radio Radio
