The weaker commercial performances of these projects caused him to re-evaluate himself as an artist, leading him to take a new direction for his next album. He had also begun to deviate away from the angry lyrics of his first three albums to more introspective territory. Author Tony Clayton-Lea argues that he had turned into a caricature of himself by the end of the 1979 Armed Funk Tour, leading him to experiment musically across Get Happy!!, Trust and Almost Blue. Following the release of his country covers album Almost Blue (1981), the artist was facing diminishing popularity, particularly in America, where Trust (1981) and the Taking Liberties (1980) collection of outtakes had only reached the top 30 Armed Forces (1979) and Get Happy!! (1980) both reached number two. Appearing on several lists of the best albums of the 1980s, and of all time, Imperial Bedroom has been reissued multiple times with bonus track and extensive liner notes written by Costello himself.īy 1981, Elvis Costello had released six studio albums in four years. Widely considered a masterpiece and one of Costello's best works, retrospective reviews have praised the songwriting, production, wordplay and performances of the Attractions, although some found its density made for a tough listening experience. Its commercial performance led him to take a new direction with 1983's Punch the Clock. Nevertheless, it placed on several year-end lists. Reviewers praised the songwriting, production and instrumentation, although some were mixed on its complexity. It was greeted with massive acclaim from music critics, earning Costello comparisons to Lennon and McCartney, Cole Porter and George Gershwin. Its singles, " You Little Fool" and " Man Out of Time", failed to break the top 50 in the UK Singles Chart. Promoted under the tagline "Masterpiece?", Imperial Bedroom reached number 6 in the UK and number 30 in the US. The cover artwork, a painting by Barney Bubbles, is a pastiche of Pablo Picasso's Three Musicians. Squeeze's Chris Difford co-wrote the lyrics for "Boy With a Problem". Some tracks represented a reflection of Costello's failure to ruminate over the preceding five years. The lyrics primarily concern love and relationships, with insight into the emotional problems of individuals. Songs were rewritten constantly while Costello tinkered with the recordings, adding numerous overdubs.Įmploying a variety of pop styles that embody new wave, baroque pop and art rock, Imperial Bedroom contains an ornately lush production that several commentators compared to the Beatles and Phil Spector's wall of sound. Placing an emphasis on studio experimentation, the album saw the group use unusual instruments, including harpsichord, accordion and strings arranged by Nieve. Recording took place at AIR Studios in London from late 1981 to early 1982 with production being mainly handled by Geoff Emerick it was the artist's first album of original material not produced by Nick Lowe. It was released on 2 July 1982 through F-Beat Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States. Imperial Bedroom is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his sixth with the Attractions-keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation).
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