Kojak Varietyis an album by English musicianElvis Costello,released in 1995 throughWarner Bros. Records.It is composed ofcover songswritten by others. In 2004,Rhino Recordsreissued an expanded, double-CD version of the album, containing a bonus disc.[12]
| Kojak Variety | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 9 May 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1994[citation needed] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 53:57 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Kevin Killenand Elvis Costello | |||
| Elvis Costellochronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
| Chicago Tribune | [3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Mojo | [8] |
| Q | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| Uncut | [11] |
Background
editCostello said in the liner notes this was a "record of some of my favourite songs performed with some of my favourite musicians."[13]but that he didn't want to record songs that were too familiar. Costello had searched independent record shops: Potter's Music in Richmond,Probein Liverpool, Rock On in Camden Town, and many American thrift stores and pawn shops to discover albums that he previously had only known from singles or compilations. Costello said he made his best discoveries in what he called "the greatest record collecting store in the world",Village MusicinMill Valley,California.[13]
The first song recorded for the album was "Running Out of Fools", while the last was a new rendering of "Days" byThe Kinks,which he had previously recorded for the album soundtrack albumUntil the End of the World,for theWim Wenders'film of the same name.The titleKojak Varietyrefers to the name of avariety storein Barbados near where the album was recorded; Costello was amused by the seemingly random name of the enterprise, and in a similar spirit, decided to apply the name to his album.[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strange" (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) | Screamin' Jay Hawkins | 2:39(2:49 on 2004 reissue) |
| 2. | "Hidden Charms" (Willie Dixon) | Willie Dixon | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Remove this Doubt" (Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Edward Holland, Jr.) | The Supremes | 3:52 |
| 4. | "I Threw It All Away"(Bob Dylan) | Bob Dylan | 3:23 |
| 5. | "Leave My Kitten Alone"(Little Willie John/Titus Turner) | Little Willie John | 3:10(3:18 on 2004 reissue) |
| 6. | "Everybody's Crying Mercy" (Mose Allison) | Mose Allison | 4:05 |
| 7. | "I've Been Wrong Before" (Randy Newman) | Cilla Black | 3:01 |
| 8. | "Bama Lama Bama Loo" (Richard Penniman) | Little Richard | 2:45 |
| 9. | "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face" (Bill Anderson) | Louvin Brothers | 3:49 |
| 10. | "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man" (Drew Baker / Dani McCormick) | James Carr | 3:39 |
| 11. | "The Very Thought of You"(Ray Noble) | Al Bowlly | 3:42 |
| 12. | "Payday" (Jesse Winchester) | Jesse Winchester | 2:57 |
| 13. | "Please Stay"(Burt Bacharach/Bob Hilliard) | The Drifters | 4:49 |
| 14. | "Running Out of Fools" (Richard Ahlert / Kay Rogers) | Aretha Franklin | 3:04 |
| 15. | "Days"(Ray Davies) | The Kinks | 4:54 |
- Tracks 1 and 5 have slightly longer running times and laterfade-outson the 2004 reissue.
| No. | Title | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ship of Fools" (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter) | The Grateful Dead | 5:21 |
| 2. | "My Resistance Is Low" (Harold Adamson/Hoagy Carmichael) | Hoagy Carmichael | 2:00 |
| 3. | "Innocent When You Dream" (Tom Waits) | Tom Waits | 4:30 |
| 4. | "I'm Coming Home" (T-Bone Burnett) | T-Bone Burnett | 3:13 |
| 5. | "The Dark End of the Street"(Chips Moman/Dan Penn) | James Carr | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Congratulations" (Paul Simon) | Paul Simon | 2:47 |
| 7. | "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"(Dylan) | Bob Dylan | 2:13 |
| 8. | "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man (Alternate Version)" (Baker / McCormick) | James Carr | 2:54 |
| 9. | "Still Feeling Blue" (Gram Parsons) | Gram Parsons | 2:23 |
| 10. | "Brilliant Disguise"(Bruce Springsteen) | Bruce Springsteen | 4:03 |
| 11. | "How Long Has This Been Going On?"(George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin) | Bobbe Arnst | 2:31 |
| 12. | "Sleepless Nights"(Felice Bryant/Boudleaux Bryant) | The Everly Brothers | 3:58 |
| 13. | "Step Inside Love"(John Lennon/Paul McCartney) | Cilla Black | 2:49 |
| 14. | "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"(Lennon / McCartney) | The Beatles | 2:38 |
| 15. | "Sally Sue Brown" (Arthur Alexander) | Arthur Alexander | 2:19 |
| 16. | "Sticks and Stones"(Turner) | Ray Charles | 1:36 |
| 17. | "That's How You Got Killed Before (withThe Dirty Dozen Brass Band) "(Dave Bartholomew) | Dave Bartholomew and His Orchestra | 3:14 |
| 18. | "The Night Before Larry Was Stretched"(Traditional) | Johnny Moynihan | 5:10 |
| 19. | "But Not for Me(withLarry Adler) "(Gershwin / Gershwin) | Ginger Rogers | 5:04 |
| 20. | "Full Force Gale"(Van Morrison) | Van Morrison | 2:59 |
Personnel
edit- Elvis Costello– vocals,harmonica
- James Burton–acoustic guitar,electric guitar, rhythm guitar
- Jim Keltner– drums
- Larry Knechtel– piano,Hammond organ,electric piano
- Marc Ribot–banjo,electric guitar, rhythm guitar,horn,classical guitar
- Jerry Scheff– bass
- Pete Thomas– drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard200[15] | 102 |
References
edit- ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Kojak Variety– Elvis Costello ".AllMusic.Retrieved9 May2014.
- ^Wolk, Douglas(March 2005)."Elvis Costello:Kojak Variety".Blender.Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2005.Retrieved18 March2017.
- ^Caro, Mark (18 May 1995)."Elvis Costello:Kojak Variety(Warner) ".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved18 March2017.
- ^Larkin, Colin(2011). "Costello, Elvis".The Encyclopedia of Popular Music(5th concise ed.). London:Omnibus Press.ISBN978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^Ehrlich, Dimitri (12 May 1995)."Kojak Variety".Entertainment Weekly.Retrieved18 March2017.
- ^Sullivan, Caroline (19 May 1995). "Elvis Costello:Kojak Variety(WEA) ".The Guardian.
- ^Rosenbluth, Jean (14 May 1995)."Elvis Costello 'Kojak Variety' Warner Bros".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved13 May2020.
- ^Snow, Mat(September 2004). "Elvis Costello & the Attractions:Almost Blue/Goodbye Cruel World/ Elvis Costello:Kojak Variety".Mojo.No. 130. p. 111.
- ^Aizlewood, John (September 2004). "Elvis Costello & the Attractions:Almost Blue/Goodbye Cruel World/ Elvis Costello:Kojak Variety".Q.No. 218. p. 134.
- ^Walls, Richard C. (29 June 1995)."Elvis Costello:Kojak Variety".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon 2 October 2007.Retrieved9 May2014.
- ^Roberts, Chris (September 2004). "Fifth phase of two-disc reissue series".Uncut.No. 88. p. 113.
- ^"Kojak Variety [Expanded] - Elvis Costello | Release Info".AllMusic.Retrieved25 April2021.
- ^ab"Kojak Variety (2004) liner notes - The Elvis Costello Wiki".elviscostello.info.Retrieved24 April2021.
- ^Larry David Smith -Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the Torch Song TraditionPage 218 0275973921 2004 "The Kojak Variety project was, no doubt, a wonderful relief for an artist committed to pushing the musical envelope... close to five years after it was recorded in Barbados (the album's title reflects the name of a department store near the studio)."
- ^"Elvis Costello Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 4 February 2024.
External links
edit- Kojak VarietyatDiscogs(list of releases)