This Year's Model

This Year's Model is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, originally released on 17 March 1978 in the United Kingdom through Radar Records. After using the American band Clover for his debut album My Aim Is True (1977), This Year's Model marked Costello's first album with the Attractions–bassist Bruce Thomas, drummer Pete Thomas (no relation) and keyboardist Steve Nieve–whom he formed in mid-1977 as a permanent backing band. Recording sessions took place at London's Eden Studios in about eleven days from late 1977 to early 1978. Returning from the debut as producer was musician Nick Lowe, while Roger Béchirian acted as engineer. Most of the material was written prior to the sessions and debuted live throughout the latter half of 1977.

This Year's Model
Original UK cover.[lower-alpha 1] The original US cover uses a slightly different shot.
Studio album by
Elvis Costello[lower-alpha 2]
Released17 March 1978 (1978-03-17)
Recorded1977–1978
StudioEden, London
Genre
Length35:44
LabelRadar
ProducerNick Lowe
Elvis Costello chronology
My Aim Is True
(1977)		 This Year's Model
(1978)		 Armed Forces
(1979)
Singles from This Year's Model
  1. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea"
    Released: 3 March 1978
  2. "Pump It Up"
    Released: 10 June 1978

Embracing new wave, power pop and punk rock, the songs on This Year's Model are primarily driven by the Attractions, with influences including works by the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Meanwhile, the vicious lyrics reference subjects from technologies of mass control to failing relationships, which some reviewers found misogynistic. Like some of the tracks, the cover artwork, featuring Costello behind a camera on a tripod, emphasised observation. Designed by Barney Bubbles, the initial sleeves were off-centre and exposed a printer colour bar on the right, which was corrected for later releases.

Accompanied by the successful singles "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up", This Year's Model was a commercial success, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart. The American LP, released in May 1978 through Columbia Records, substituted "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally" for "Radio Radio" and peaked at number 30 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart. This Year's Model also received critical acclaim, with many highlighting the songwriting, artist and band performances, and appeared on several year-end lists.

In later decades, This Year's Model has continued to receive critical acclaim, with many praising the addition and performances of the Attractions, while some have commented on its influence on punk. It is regarded as one of Costello's best works and has appeared on several lists of the greatest albums of all time. It has since been reissued multiple times with bonus tracks. In 2021, Costello spearheaded a new version of the album titled Spanish Model, which featured songs from This Year's Model sung in Spanish by Latin artists over the Attractions' original backing tracks. It received favourable reviews and was packaged with a 2021 remaster of This Year's Model.

Background

After using the California-based country rock act Clover for the recording of his debut album My Aim Is True,[5] Elvis Costello decided to form a permanent backing band that would better fit his aspiring image compared to the laid-back approach of Clover.[6] Wanting himself solely on guitar,[5] the first person hired was Pete Thomas, former drummer of Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers; the second hired was Bruce Thomas, a bassist whose previous involvements included several folk rock albums earlier in the decade;[lower-alpha 3] and finally Steve Nieve, a keyboardist who trained at the Royal College of Music with no prior band experience.[7][8][9] Costello and the band, donned the Attractions, made their live debut on 14 July 1977.[5][10] Shortly after the release of My Aim Is True on 22 July,[11] the group performed an unauthorised show outside a Columbia Records convention, which led to Costello's arrest and eventual signing to Columbia in the United States months later.[5][10][6]

Costello and the Attractions conducted a short five-week tour starting from July to September 1977 to promote My Aim Is True.[6] On 3 October, the group embarked on another tour with other Stiff artists, including My Aim Is True producer Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric and Ian Dury, dubbed the Greatest Stiffs Live Tour, which was plagued with disorder and chaos.[6][12] Stiff Records co-founder Jake Riviera departed Stiff around this time due to disputes with label co-founder Dave Robinson. Per his management contract, Costello–and Lowe–followed Riviera and departed Stiff for Radar Records but retained his American deal with Columbia; his final release for Stiff was "Watching the Detectives" in October, which became Costello's first single to reach the top 20 in the United Kingdom. In the meantime, Costello had amassed a large amount of new material that would appear on This Year's Model.[5][6][12]

Costello embarked on his first tour of America from 15 November to 16 December 1977. According to author Graeme Thomson, Costello's fame in the United States skyrocketed faster than in the UK. He was earning acclaim in publications such as Time and Newsweek and was also approached to appear on NBC's Saturday Night Live as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, which took place the day after the tour's end.[6] During the appearance, Costello and the Attractions played "Watching the Detectives" and began "Less Than Zero" before Costello abruptly cut the band off and counted them into the then-unreleased "Radio Radio". The impromptu stunt angered producer Lorne Michaels and resulted in Costello's banning from Saturday Night Live until 1989.[13][14]

Writing and recording
This Year's Model was the second of five consecutively produced Costello albums by musician Nick Lowe (pictured in 2017).[7]

This Year's Model was recorded during Costello's break in his touring schedule.[6] Recording took place at Eden Studios, a 24-track studio in Acton, London,[15] and began towards the end of 1977 and was completed in early 1978. According to Costello, the entire album was recorded in about eleven days.[16][17] The band briefly paused to play a three-night residency at London's Nashville Rooms, which concluded on Christmas Eve 1977.[1] Returning from My Aim Is True as producer was Lowe, who acted as, in Thomson's words, the "mad professor", pushing the band's energy further to attain the best performance.[6] Like the debut, Lowe primarily wanted to capture the songs live with little overdubs.[15] Acting as a foil to Lowe was engineer Roger Béchirian, whom Costello recalled was tasked with interpreting Lowe's commands, such as "turn the drums into one big maraca" or "make it sound like a dinosaur eating cars".[lower-alpha 4]

Costello resided at Bruce Thomas's flat during the sessions. According to Thomson, he excluded himself from his wife Mary during this time, which eventually led to their separation. He nevertheless remained focused and the album was completed without difficulty.[6] Most of the songs had been written and performed live with the Attractions prior to the recording of the album.[7][3] One of the final tracks written was "Pump It Up", which Costello began writing outside a fire escape during the Live Stiffs tour, debuting the song two days later and properly recorded in the studio a week after that.[6][18] Having frequently played the tracks live, the band were able to complete them with little overdubs; a few of Costello's live guide vocals ended up in the final mix. Bruce Thomas recalled: "We literally did the best tracks on the album – 'Pump It Up', 'Chelsea' – in one afternoon. It was like Motown. We'd just go in, play them, and that was it."[6] Despite the fast-paced nature of the sessions, Béchirian recalled Costello coming off the tour with "radiating energy":[6]

He was a star almost overnight, and I think he was quite bemused by it all, swept up with the excitement. I have a great laughing image of him being fairly fresh-faced, like a little boy in a sweet shop.

According to Thomson, the sessions were vibrant and productive. The days began around 11 a.m. and finished around 9 p.m. Regarding the environment, Béchirian commented: "The whole thing was really good, it was really friendly, very positive. Everyone was really excited because they were the stars of the moment."[6] Costello and the Attractions collaborated during the songwriting process. Although Costello favoured the "immaculate approach" to songwriting, wherein he would not present songs to the musicians until they were fully written, the Attractions provided input that elevated the songs. For "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea", Costello originally based certain figures on tracks by the Who and the Kinks, which the band used to create new figures that made the track stand out on its own.[7][6] The band recorded several other tracks in addition to the final track-listing, including "Radio Radio" and "Big Tears", which featured a guest contribution from the Clash guitarist Mick Jones.[lower-alpha 5] Other tracks written or demoed included "Crawling to the U.S.A.", "Running Out of Angels", "Green Shirt" and "Big Boys".[6][16] Due to his still relatively little experience in the studio, Costello did not contribute during the mixing stage, instead leaving full control to Lowe.[6] According to author Mick St. Michael, Lowe intentionally made the record louder than its predecessor, telling the engineer to "just bash it down and make it as loud as possible".[3] With the record completed, Costello and the Attractions embarked on a tour of America in January.[6][19]

Music and lyrics

This Year's Model is a collection of songs that focused as much on Costello's recent success as on his by now patented emotional self-lacerations. Musically it seethed with tension, and this fitted the obsessive elements of the majority of the songs. ... Through the music, twitching and stuttering in a series of drum bursts, rents of organ and guitar arcs, the songs breathed as if through a gas mask – tight, controlled, afraid to splutter, claustrophobic, yet with a clear view of what was happening.[19]

−Tony Clayton-Lea, Elvis Costello: A Biography

In the 2002 reissue liner notes, Costello cited the Rolling Stones' Aftermath (1965) as a significant influence for This Year's Model.[7][1] Musically, the album embraces a variety of styles, including new wave,[20][21] power pop,[22] punk rock,[23] and pop rock;[24] St. Michael also noticed references to Merseybeat and glam.[3] According to biographer Tony Clayton-Lea, rather than featuring references to rockabilly and country like My Aim Is True, This Year's Model instead opts for straightforward pop music "as influenced by punk rock".[19] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine, on the other hand, defines the album as pure punk, writing that the music is "nervous, amphetamine-fueled, [and] nearly paranoid", while the band "sounds like they're spinning out of control as soon as they crash in".[25] The songs themselves are primarily led by the Attractions, with Nieve's keyboards taking centre stage on many tracks, often outshining Costello's guitar, compared to My Aim Is True and his next album Armed Forces (1979).[26][27] With the guitar, particularly on "Lip Service", Costello displays a "less-is-more"-type technique where he strums the string once and lets it ring.[28]

In an interview with Creem magazine at the time, Costello stated that the record contained less humour than its predecessor: "It's more vicious overall but far less personal, though."[19] Referencing technologies of mass control, from corporate logos to night rallies, Hinton writes that the lyrics are "strongly visual, as befits the voyeurism which fuels many of the songs".[1] References to objects such as cameras, films and telephones are present throughout many tracks, in both positive and negative lights, which author David Gouldstone argues creates a disillusioned world where greed and revenge are dominant. Like the cover artwork itself, the mechanical imagery emphasises observation rather than participation. Themes of uncertainty between reality and artifice previously emerged on "Watching the Detectives", and appear throughout This Year's Model on tracks such as "Pump It Up", "This Year's Girl" and "Living In Paradise".[9] Meanwhile, author James E. Perone interprets songs such as "Lipstick Vogue", "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "This Year's Girl" as relating to Costello's former job working at Elizabeth Arden.[29]

Some reviewers identified themes of misogyny. On release, American writer Jon Pareles called the album "so wrong-headed, so full of hatred, [and] so convinced of its moral superiority" in Crawdaddy magazine.[30] Sounds magazine's Jon Savage called it the equivalent to a "1978 Aftermath" and pointed out that "at least on occasion Elvis has the grace to make clear that it's a two way process and he's at fault. Just wanna be your victim ...".[31] Costello himself later wrote in the 2002 reissue's liner notes: "I never really understood the accusations of misogyny that were levelled at the lyrics on This Year's Model. They clearly contained more sense of disappointment than disgust."[7] Indeed, Clayton-Lea writes that most of the relationships in the songs concentration on the artist failing to get the girl.[19] Rolling Stone writer Kit Rachlis agreed, stating that all romances on the album are over or are about to commence, including a situation where he is unsure of whether to answer the phone or not ("No Action") or coming to terms after rejecting all compromises ("Lipstick Vogue").[32]

Side one

"No Action" opens with Costello's voice alone before the Attractions join in.[1] The song concerns someone regretting the downfall of a relationship; the first verse is more contempt than the remaining verses. Gouldstone contends that the song is the first example of Costello using "thematic punning", meaning the incorporation of numerous references that indirectly relates to the song's main subject; "No Action", in this case, uses a telephone as comparisons to the narrator's companion.[9] According to Costello, "This Year's Girl" was written as an "answer song" to the Rolling Stones' "Stupid Girl" (1965).[7][15] Other influences included the mid-1960s works of the Beatles.[1][26][30] In his memoir, Costello wrote that the song discusses how men see women and what they desire from them.[33] Incidentally, the song's subject has achieved fame through fashion but it is only temporary, as by the next year, another girl will take her place. Once she realises it as time runs out, she feels cheated but by then it is too late. Gouldstone argues that time is also an overall theme in that it is running out not just for the girl, but for everyone.[9] "The Beat" is primarily led by Nieve's keyboard and the rhythm section of Bruce and Pete Thomas.[34] Exploring the uncertainties and pains of adolescence and early manhood,[9] Hinton regards it as the closest thing on the album to romantic love.[1] It quotes Cliff Richard's "Summer Holiday" as way to express enjoyment before the narrator is sought after by vigilantes.[9][26]

"Pump It Up" was based on the stylings of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (1965) and Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business" (1956).[9][30] An energetic attack on chic society, specifically one of its female members, the song takes place in a nightclub, where its members have to inflate their egos as a desperate attempt to appear eloquent.[9] The vocals are fueled by obsessive sexual desire,[1] while the rhythmic guitar riff is likened by Gouldstone to heavy metal.[9] In Mark Deming of Allmusic's words, the song "perfectly captures the giddy but terrifying feeling of an wild, adrenaline-fueled all-night party that's dangling on the verge of collapse."[35] A softer track changing from soft soul to Burt Bacharach,[1] "Little Triggers" is about a failing relationship caused by the woman's indifference.[9] The 'little triggers' refer to the small things that occur in the beginning of a relationship that make it meaningful, such as kissing, body-brushing and lip expressions.[26] RAM magazine's Anthony O'Grady called it "a hypnotic, frustrated, hurt love song that's almost the mirror image of 'Alison' [from My Aim Is True]."[36][37] "You Belong to Me" is heavily in debt to the Rolling Stones;[1][26] Thomson notes that it uses the same riff from "The Last Time" (1965).[30] Lyrically, it is a plea for sexual freedom and as such, is full of resentment and anger.[9] Musically, AllMusic's Stewart Mason likens it to 1960s garage rock.[38]

Side two

"Hand in Hand" opens with guitar feedback akin to the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. While the music provides a rock shuffle influenced by Merseybeat,[1][26] the rather dark and revenge-driven lyrics follow two lovers walking hand in hand straight to Hell. Like "No Action" and "I'm Not Angry" from My Aim Is True, the narrator tries to deal with chaotic emotions by denying they ever occurred.[9][1] "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" is a ska-infected rocker[39] that was originally directly influenced by the works of the Who, before Bruce and Pete Thomas contributed new rhythms that made the track stand out on its own.[7][26] Lyrically, the song attacks fashionable society; the girl is described as 'last year's model', as she has suffered a fall from grace. [9] In Rachlis's words, "Chelsea represents Costello's nightmare world of success, where deceit is masked by propriety and last year's model is thrown out with yesterday's wash."[32] "Lip Service" represents a culmination of the Beatles influences into a track that contains various sexual innuendos, both in its lyrics and title. It is primarily led by Bruce Thomas's bassline, which Hinton compares to the sound of the Hollies.[1][26] Gouldstone writes that "in essence", the track is a declaration of independence on a female companion and the world at large.[9]

"Living in Paradise" was written as early as 1975 during Costello's time performing with Flip City.[3] O'Grady calls it "a shuffling power-pop reggae detailing how dreams of soft-living actualise in soul-decaying corruption".[37] Indeed, Morgan Troper of PopMatters maintained that it ditches the punk workings of the rest of the album in favour of a ska-type rhythm.[26] Gouldstone notes the track as having themes already present in the album's other songs,[9] including misogynistic ideals.[26] "Lipstick Vogue" is described by AllMusic's Tom Maginnis as a showcase for the band's energy and skill.[40] It opens with a drum fill by Pete Thomas before Bruce Thomas and Nieve drive on bass and keyboards, respectively.[26] Reflecting themes of alienation,[1] the song is about the perils of imperfect love.[9] The closing track, "Night Rally", provides commentary on the then-prevalent UK National Front.[36][37] It presents a, in Hinton's words, a "nightmare of state control and worse" that argues how totalitarianism infiltrates and affects society. Costello compares conglomerate corporations to these types of governments, in how they attempt to control the people.[1][9] It cuts off abruptly, ending the album on, in St. Michael's words, "an explicit and disturbingly pessimistic note".[1][3]

Packaging and artwork

We wanted to catch people's eyes. If they said, 'Why is it printed off register?' as the initial pressing was, it was because we wanted people to ask exactly that. It meant they'd pause just that little bit longer in front of our sleeve.[1]

−Costello on the cover

The original cover artwork for This Year's Model was off-centre, making the title appear as His Year's Model and the artist "Lvis Costello".[3][1][4] Additionally, the initial design by Barney Bubbles left a printers' colour bar intact along the right side.[41] Riviera's soon-to-be-formed F-Beat Records first released the album with a corrected sleeve in May 1980, which has been retained for all subsequent reissues.[2]

Photographed by Chris Gabrin,[42] the front cover depicts Costello, wearing a dark suit with a polka dot shirt, glaring from behind a camera on a tripod. In Thomson's words, he is "expressionless" and "both observed and observing".[1][30] According to author Brian Hinton, it was a "careful reconstruction" of David Hemmings from Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up (1966). The British cover had Costello standing back with his hands open, while on the American cover, he crouched forward with both hands gripping the camera like a gun.[1] The back cover depicts Costello and the Attractions in a small, dimly-lit hotel room reacting to a television with mock horror. Three are wearing black ties while Nieve dons a V-neck pullover. Hinton compares it to The X-Files.[1] The inner sleeve depicts a robotic hand gripping a miniature TV on which Costello is playing, standing on one leg, while the other side depicts four colour-coded and dismembered mannequin bodies wearing string vests in a laundromat.[1] According to Hinton, the label's gimmick at the time was off-centre sleeves and avant-garde inner fold images.[2]

Despite the lack of personnel information and a sleeve credit on the original release, the Attractions were acknowledged on the LP labels, which St. Michael deduced as "timely and appropriate".[3][4] The LP labels also contained messages pressed that read "Special pressing No. 003. Ring 434-3232. Ask for Moira for your prize" between the holding spirals.[1] The first 50,000 copies of the LP came with a free 7" single, with "Stranger in the House", an outtake from My Aim Is True that was left off the album due to its country-influenced sound,[43] as the A-side and a live cover of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" as the B-side.[30] Initial American pressings also featured Costello's logo rather than Columbia's.[2]

Release and promotion

The American tour undertaken before the album's release lasted from January to early March 1978. The setlist primarily consisted of tracks from both My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, as well as B-sides and covers. Despite attracting critical praise, the tour contributed to growing exhaustion for Costello and the Attractions.[30] Radar Records issued the first single from the album, "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" backed by "You Belong to Me", on 3 March 1978 in the UK,[11] which received acclaim and quickly reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The album was released shortly after in the UK on 17 March,[30][44] with the catalogue number RAD 3.[4] Costello and the Attractions underwent a 28-date tour of the UK from March to April, which was plagued with problems, including Bruce Thomas cutting his hand smashing a glass bottle, requiring Lowe to substitute for him. Costello grew more exhausted throughout but continued writing new material.[30] By the tour's end, This Year's Model reached number four on the UK Albums Chart.[45][46]

Another American tour commenced only three days after the previous tour's end. With Bruce Thomas still unavailable, Costello brought back Clover guitarist John Ciambotti, who only had one day of rehearsal. Throughout the tour, Costello and the band continued the wild behaviour they had become known for–both on and off stage–and experienced an increase in drug use, lack of sleep and growing exhaustion. Songs that would appear on Armed Forces began appearing in the setlists.[30][46] This Year's Model was issued in America in May 1978;[2] Columbia substituted "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally" with "Radio Radio" on the notion that the lyrical content on both tracks were "too English".[7] This release peaked at number 30 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart.[47]

The tour lasted until June 1978, after which the band began yet another tour of Europe.[30] "Pump It Up", backed by "Big Tears",[9] was released as the second single on 10 June,[11] which peaked at number 24 in the UK, earning Costello another appearance on BBC's Top of the Pops. In July, Costello recorded "Stranger in the House" with country artist George Jones, which appeared on the latter's My Very Special Guests album in 1979, after which the former began recording Armed Forces.[1][30][46] After appearing on the American LP, "Radio Radio" was issued as a stand-alone single in the UK on 24 October 1978, backed by "Tiny Steps".[7][11]

Critical reception

Costello is currently the best. There's simply no-one within spitting distance of him. He has his finger on the pulse of this desperate era and his perceptions are so disquieting because all too often they're too damn real to be strenuously ignored. ... Meanwhile, Model is just too powerful, too dazzling to be ignored or sidestepped.[36]

−Nick Kent, NME, 1978

Upon release, This Year's Model received critical acclaim.[30] In Britain, the NME's Nick Kent hailed the album as an improvement over My Aim Is True in "virtually every aspect", citing the Attractions as a stronger band compared to Clover, along with improved songwriting and vocal deliveries. He ultimately called the record "too dazzling, too powerful, to be ignored".[36] Sounds magazine's Jon Savage similarly acknowledged it as a "quantum leap" over its predecessor "in most every respect bar the material, which is merely consistent". However, he found Costello "less than likable" and the Attractions "spare yet full", but ultimately considered it "an excellent, soon-to-be-popular album."[31] Allan Jones of Melody Maker wrote that the record "promotes its author to the foremost ranks of contemporary rock writers. Clear out of sight of most of his rivals and comparisons (so long, Bruce [Springsteen], baby)."[30] Jones further recognised it as "so comprehensive, so inspired, that it exhausts superlatives",[48] concluding that "the penetration of the language matches the vaulting hysteria of the performance."[1] Record Mirror's Tim Lott considered the songs "less vicious" than its predecessor's, but said the artist remains an "Aladdin's cave of anti-matter". He called Costello's voice "insubstantial but wiry", the music "clever in its very lack of detail", and compared the organ-heavy sound with Blondie: a Sixties sound "trapped for ten years on atmospherics".[1] In RAM magazine, O'Grady also praised the songs, artist and the band and summarised This Year's Model as: "The best collection of Now fashion-conscious songs since Ray Davies started his 'Dedicated Follower of Fashion' period."[37]

The album received similar acclaim in America. Writing for Rolling Stone, Kit Rachlis wrote: "While This Year's Model doesn't diminish the prodigal brilliance of My Aim Is True, the new record is musically and thematically more of a piece." He was, however, critical of the American LP's omissions of "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally".[32] Ira Robbins of Trouser Press called it a vast improvement over My Aim Is True, citing stronger songs, performances and arrangements, as well as more structurally diverse musical styles.[28] Meanwhile, reviewing in May 1978, Robert Hilburn named This Year's Model the winner of the month's "disc derby" in the Los Angeles Times, calling the album "more potent" than its Aim, and noting that Costello's vocals "bristle with conviction and bite that we rarely find in rock in the '70s".[49] Analysing Costello as an artist in Circus magazine, Fred Schruers praised his lyrics and musicianship in live performances, ultimately calling him "angry and convincing" and citing This Year's Model as having fulfilled "every new wave expectation".[50] Veteran critic Robert Christgau of The Village Voice also examined Costello's emotional delivery as full of anger and grimace, which he found "more attractive musically and verbally than all his melodic and lyrical tricks". In the midst of the punk movement, Christgau dismissed This Year's Model as punk rock, but acknowledged the genre's influence on the album and artist.[51]

This Year's Model was voted the best album of 1978 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[52] It further placed in other year-end lists by Rolling Stone, NME (3), Record Mirror (5) and Sounds (8).[53][54][55][56]

Retrospective appraisal
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[25]
Blender[57]
Chicago Tribune[58]
Christgau's Record GuideA[51]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[59]
Entertainment WeeklyA[60]
Pitchfork10/10[61]
Q[62]
Rolling Stone[63]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[64]
Uncut[65]

In later decades, This Year's Model has continued to receive critical acclaim, with many praising the addition and performances of the Attractions.[25][26][61] Some reviewers even considered the Attractions one of the best backing bands in rock history.[24][26][27] Gouldstone summarises: "Together with Costello's rudimentary but passionate guitar they form a band capable of making even mediocre music listenable and of giving Costello's greatest songs an enthralling sense of intensity and immediacy."[9] Erlewine wrote for AllMusic that they give the album a "reckless, careening feel", concluding that "the most remarkable thing about the album is the sound – Costello and the Attractions never rocked this hard, or this vengefully, ever again."[25] Similarly, Pitchfork's Matt LeMay cited them as the reason the album was superior to My Aim Is True, stating that "it's not only a more complex and dynamic album, but also one that steers well clear of the retro guitar twang that marred the less interesting bits of his debut."[61] He considered This Year's Model not only Costello's best, but one of the best albums ever made, stating that its balanced the "raw energy" of its predecessor with the "more elegant pop songwriting" of his later works. He concluded: "For fans of rock music bursting with wit and character, it really just doesn't get any better than this."[61] Writing for Blender magazine, Douglas Wolk considered the Attractions "perfect creative foils" for Costello, particularly signaling out Nieve's playing throughout the record.[57]

Writing for PopMatters, Troper described This Year's Model as Costello's "most consistent" album and finest with the Attractions, ultimately finding it the artist's "most live-sounding, most punk, and most honest record of his dauntingly expansive career".[26] Other PopMatters writers Jason Mendelsohn and Eric Klinger hailed the album as "simple, refreshing, and surprisingly modern" and "an object lesson that the New Wave could compete on the old school's field", respectively.[27] Michael Gallucci of Ultimate Classic Rock agreed, calling This Year's Model Costello's masterpiece and hailed it as the work that "bridged his brief past with his wide-open future".[44] Additionally, Consequence of Sound's Ryan Bray named it one of the best albums of the 1970s and the first of Costello and the Attractions' eight-year run he nicknamed "murderer's row".[24] Reviewing in 2008, Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield named This Year's Model as an album everyone should own, calling it Costello's "angriest" work, yet the songs "remain brutally funny, sung with moments of unexpected tenderness".[63]

Some reviewers have commented on the album's influence on punk. In 2002, Uncut magazine's Chris Roberts called Costello the "bitter bard of the punk era", writing that with This Year's Model, he "articulat[ed] a generation's ire every bit as caustically as the [Sex] Pistols' gigantic guitars".[48] Meanwhile, Bray cited it as the album that proved pop and punk could co-exist.[24] Regarding Costello's musicianship, Uncut's Paul Moody argued that after he "dispensed with his musical safety net entirely" from My Aim Is True, This Year's Model marked the beginning of "his insatiable urge to 'bite the hand that feeds me'."[65] Nevertheless, the album was not without its detractors. Mojo magazine's Jim Irvin was mixed overall, finding the material "gall" and the arrangements sounding like a "tantrum". He considered the package "unfeasibly invigorating" following its "mild-mannered" predecessor, but commended Lowe's production.[66]

Costello's biographers also praise This Year's Model. Thomson hails the songs as "tight and instantly memorable", praising Costello's improved songwriting and the contributions of the Attractions.[30] Hinton considers it "light years ahead" of its predecessor, creating a "paranoid universe, where everyone is being watched."[1] St. Michael similarly writes that the record "provokes and invokes" the listener as much as it entertains.[3]

In lists ranking Costello's albums from worst to best, This Year's Model has consistently ranked as one of Costello's best. In 2021, writers for Stereogum placed it at number two, behind Armed Forces, calling it "an incredible display of focused talent and the unique capacity to make unpalatable vulgarities go down like so much poisoned sugar".[67] A year later, writing for Spin magazine, Al Shipley placed it at number one, stating despite experimenting with other genres on later records, Costello was never able surpass the "inventive punch" of This Year's Model.[68] The same year, Gallucci also placed it at number one in Ultimate Classic Rock, noting the presence of the Attractions and Lowe's production elevate it to classic status.[69]

Rankings

This Year's Model has frequently appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time.[70] It was voted number 152 in the third edition of English writer Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[71] The same year, Q placed This Year's Model at number 82 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".[72] In 1987, Rolling Stone placed it at number 11 on its list of the best albums of the past 20 years, citing how Costello charted "the modern romantic terrain with keen cynicism, caustic wit and furious energy."[1] In 2003, the album was ranked number 98 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[73] maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list,[74] and dropping to number 121 in a 2020 revised list.[75] In lists compiling the 100 greatest albums of all time, Mojo and NME ranked This Year's Model at numbers 69 and 40 in 1995 and 1985, respectively.[76][77] NME later listed it at number 256 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2013.[78] In 2004, Pitchfork ranked This Year's Model the 52nd best album of the 1970s, with Sam Ubl calling it "one of [Costello's] most deceptive rock records",[79] while in 2012, Paste placed it at number 35 in a similar list.[80] Ultimate Classic Rock also included it in their list of the 100 best rock albums from the decade.[81]

The album was also included in the 2018 edition of Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[82] Based on the album's appearances in professional rankings and listings, the aggregate website Acclaimed Music lists This Year's Model as the most acclaimed album of 1978, the 28th most acclaimed album of the 1970s and the 92nd most acclaimed album in history.[70]

Reissues
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork7.0/10[83]

This Year's Model was first released on CD through Columbia and Demon Records in January 1986.[2] Its first extended reissue came in October 1993 through Demon in the UK and Rykodisc in the US, which added the bonus tracks "Radio Radio", "Crawling to the USA", "Running Out of Angels", "Greenshirt" and "Big Boys".[16][2] The 2002 CD reissue by Rhino Entertainment added additional tracks on top of the 1993 additions; with this release, "Radio Radio" was sequenced as the album closer after "Night Rally".[7][66][48] Troper states that the addition changes the record's tone immensely, stating that as "Radio Radio" is more upbeat, it brings the album to a proper conclusion compared to the disturbing imagery and abrupt ending of "Night Rally".[26] Six years later in 2008, it was reissued again by Universal/Hip-O Records as a deluxe edition, featuring most of the same tracks as the Rhino reissue, with the addition of a 13-track live bonus disc taken from a show at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. on 28 February 1978.[63][83][84]

Track listing

All songs written by Elvis Costello.

Side one

  1. "No Action" – 1:58
  2. "This Year's Girl" – 3:17
  3. "The Beat" – 3:45
  4. "Pump It Up" – 3:14
  5. "Little Triggers" – 2:40
  6. "You Belong to Me" – 2:22

Side two

  1. "Hand in Hand" – 2:33
  2. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" – 3:07
  3. "Lip Service" – 2:36
  4. "Living in Paradise" – 3:52
  5. "Lipstick Vogue" – 3:42
  6. "Night Rally" – 2:41

Notes
  • The US release dropped "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Night Rally" and added "Radio Radio" to close side two.[2] The 2002 Rhino reissue added "Radio Radio" after "Night Rally" as the album closer.[7][26][61]

Personnel

According to the liner notes of the 2002 reissue:[7]

with:

Technical

Charts and certifications

Spanish Model
Spanish Model
Remix album by
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Released10 September 2021 (2021-09-10)
GenrePop[95]
Length59:05
LanguageSpanish
LabelUMe
ProducerElvis Costello, Sebastian Krys
Elvis Costello chronology
Hey Clockface
(2020)		 Spanish Model
(2021)		 The Boy Named If
(2022)
Singles from Spanish Model
  1. "Pump It Up"
    Released: 15 July 2021

In 2018, Costello collaborated with singer Natalie Bergman for a new version of "This Year's Girl" for the second season of the American television series The Deuce. For this version, Costello and his frequent collaborator, producer Sebastian Krys, added new vocals from Bergman alongside Costello's originals. The project led Costello to conceive reimagining the entirety of This Year's Model in Spanish.[96] The project, titled Spanish Model, features 16 songs from the This Year's Model period sung by an array of Latin artists, including Juanes, Jorge Drexler, Luis Fonsi, Francisca Valenzuela, Fuego, Draco Rosa and Fito Páez, replacing Costello's original vocals but retaining the Attractions' original backing instrumentation.[lower-alpha 6] Costello and Krys worked with songwriters Elsten Torres, Ximena Muñoz, Luis Mitre, and Andie Sandoval to translate the lyrics.[96][99] Costello told Rolling Stone:[96]

The thing with the translation, and we've discovered a lot over the record, [is that] the Spanish adaptation makes the melodies sound a little different, because the sound elements are different. I sing with a lot of, shall we say, attitude, particularly then. With songs like 'Hand in Hand' and 'Living in Paradise,' I didn't realise these songs had melody — I thought it was just me sneering. I didn't realize they had tunes until I heard them sung by more melodious singers in another language.

The lyrics themselves are not literal translations. The first track completed was Cami's reinterpretation of "This Year's Girl" titled "La Chica de Hoy", which literally means "the girl of today". Costello explained that it has the same ideas as the original track, but Cami introduced ideologies from her own career.[100] "Radio Radio" was given "the most radical change" due to the track's now-outdated themes.[101] "Night Rally" and "Chelsea" were also given changes to instead reflect the rise of Spanish fascism and the updated location of Miami, respectively.[100] Krys originally intended to mimic Lowe and Béchirian's original mix, but decided it worked better when he mixed the backing tracks around the new vocals.[100]

Many of the Latin performers connected with the music on the original album. La Marisoul, a huge fan of Costello's, felt honoured to sing "Little Triggers", now titled "Detonantes", who approached the track by saying "Okay, I'm gonna live in these lyrics."[101] For "Radio Radio", Fito Páez amended it to current era where he presented himself "like this old dinosaur who goes back to his little radio to listen to Elvis Costello".[101] Juanes, who recalled watching the music video for "Pump It Up" on MTV, offered a Spanish take on the lyric's events for his version of the song. Francisca Valenzuela, who sang "Hand In Hand" with Luis Humberto Navejas, cited This Year's Model and Imperial Bedroom (1982) as her favourite records by Costello and was delighted when she was approached for the project, stating: "I think it reflects something we're all interested in, which is the multiculturalism and syncretism of music."[101] Meanwhile, Draco Rosa was thrilled at the opportunity to provide a new and natural take on "The Beat", titled "Yo Te Vi".[101]

Preceded by the release of Juanes's "Pump It Up" on 15 July 2021,[102] Spanish Model was issued on 10 September 2021 through record label UMe and was packaged with a 2021 remaster of the original This Year's Model.[98] The album followed the release of La Face de Pendule à Coucou, a six-track EP containing French versions of songs from Costello's 2020 album Hey Clockface.[103] Costello said in a statement: "Part of the fun of this project is its unexpected nature. Although, I think people in my audience that have been paying attention are pretty much used to surprises by now."[102] Indeed, Spanish Model marked the first instance of an artist reinterpreting of their own work, using the original backing tracks, in a different language.[100]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[104]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[95]
PopMatters7/10[97]
Under the Radar7.5/10[98]

Spanish Model has received generally favourable reviews from music critics.[104] Writing for AllMusic, Erlewine commended the new vocals, stating that the Latin singers retain the "barbed humour" and "spiky politics" of the original album.[95] He also noted that the addition of the songs that were not or the original LP improves the project overall, helping to expand the "musical and emotional palette", thereby creating an album that "winds up not as a curiosity but rather a small wonder, revealing new dimensions of the original recording while opening up these songs for new audiences."[95]

In PopMatters. Marty Lipp cited the project as a full display of the Attractions' strength as a band. He also noted how many of the Latin singers on the project were female, which represented a "striking reversal" of the "she done me wrong" mentality that pervaded a majority of Costello's early work.[97] However, he found that the absence of Costello's "brilliantly cynical wordplay" does the album more harm than good, particularly on "Pump It Up". Nevertheless, he considered the project "still as exciting and fun as ever" and commended Costello for continuing to surprise his fans.[97] Matthew Berlyant was equally positive in Under the Radar magazine, who called the project unique and likewise praised Costello for taking a major left turn almost 45 years into his career.[98] He highlighted the rearranged track listing and new additions over the original record as making the project stand on its own, concluding that Costello succeeded in both bringing attention to the original album and the Spanish-speaking artists that enveloped Spanish Model.[98]

Track listing

Track information adapted from Spotify:[105]

  1. "No Action", Nina Diaz – 2:12
  2. "(Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea" ("(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea"), Raquel Sofía and Fuego – 3:39
  3. "Yo Te Vi" ("The Beat"), Draco Rosa – 3:47
  4. "Pump It Up", Juanes – 3:28
  5. "Detonantes" ("Little Triggers"), La Marisoul – 2:42
  6. "Tu Eres Para Mi" ("You Belong to Me"), Luis Fonsi – 2:50
  7. "Hand in Hand", Francisca Valenzuela and Luis Humberto Navejas – 2:34
  8. "La Chica de Hoy" ("This Year's Girl"), Cami – 3:29
  9. "Mentira" ("Lip Service"), Pablo López – 2:38
  10. "Viviendo en el Paraiso" ("Living in Paradise"), Jesse & Joy – 3:59
  11. "Lipstick Vogue", Morat – 3:32
  12. "La Turba" ("Night Rally"), Jorge Drexler – 2:42
  13. "Llorar" ("Big Tears"), Sebastián Yatra – 3:10
  14. "Radio Radio", Fito Páez – 3:09
  15. "Crawling to the U.S.A.", Gian Marco and Nicole Zignago – 2:47
  16. "Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia" ("Running Out of Angels"), Vega – 2:08
  17. "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea [Dub Mix]", Fuego and Raquel Sofía – 3:33
  18. "Pump It Up [Duet Mix]", Juanes – 3:14
  19. "Pump It Up [Brutal Mix]", Elvis Costello and the Attractions – 3:22

Notes
  1. The initial sleeve was off-centre and featured a printer colour bar on the right.[1] Later reissues feature the sleeve corrected.[2]
  2. On the original release, the Attractions did not receive a sleeve credit but were credited on the LP labels.[3][4]
  3. Despite having the same surname, Pete and Bruce are unrelated.[6]
  4. Béchirian would continue to work with Costello on his next four Lowe-produced albums.[7]
  5. In the 2002 reissue's liner notes, Costello stated that "Big Tears" was the only "genuine" outtake from the This Year's Model sessions.[7]
  6. Some of Costello's original vocals were retained for a couple of tracks, including "Pump It Up" and "Radio Radio".[97][98]

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Sources
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