The Punk movement of 1977 happened so quickly that it caught a lot of artists by surprise. A few dismissed it and suffered the consequences, while others were malleable enough to fit themselves into a style that allowed them to be accepted. Elvis Costello is a perfect example of the latter.  He had been writing quite good songs before he had any idea of what ‘punk’ music was (which was only natural, as he was an Englishman not particularly paying close attention to the musical stylizations emanating from New York City), until it was made obvious (by his manager Jake Riviera and his record label Stiff) that he needed to comply if he expected to be accepted and fit in with the burgeoning generation. A photo of him standing almost impossibly skinny, with a nerdy and pigeon-toed posture on his debut cover made him seem plausible as a spokesman for the new style. Most important, his vitriolic style of songwriting spoke volumes. The only problem was that his band was almost conventional, but that would be resolved before his debut album reached the market. Regardless, his clever wordplay completely disarmed anybody who held doubts about his innate talent.

Featured Tracks:

Side one

"Welcome to the Working Week" – 1:22

"Miracle Man" – 3:31

"No Dancing" – 2:39

"Blame It on Cain" – 2:49

"Alison" – 3:21

"Sneaky Feelings" – 2:09

Side two

"(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" – 2:47

"Less Than Zero" – 3:15

"Mystery Dance" – 1:38

"Pay It Back" – 2:33

"I'm Not Angry" – 2:57

"Waiting for the End of the World" – 3:22

Watching the Detectives