King of America


King of America is the tenth studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1986. It peaked at No. 11 on the UK album chart, and at No. 39 on the Billboard 200. It was selected as one of Rolling Stone's top twenty albums of the year.
In 2000 it was voted number 540 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.
Released in the United Kingdom as F-Beat ZL 70946, and in the United States as Columbia JC40173, some songs have a Country feel, reflecting his interest in Americana, whilst 'American Without Tears' deals with the experience of Irish immigrants in the US, and 'Little Palaces' references Costello's working-class roots. It was originally billed as by "The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates" in the UK and Europe, and "The Costello Show featuring Elvis Costello" in North America.

Content

During late 1984 and early 1985, Costello undertook a series of solo tours, sharing the bill with musician T-Bone Burnett. Costello and Burnett recorded a single together in early 1985, "The People's Limousine", and ventured to imagine appropriate backing musicians for Costello's new songs. They booked time at Ocean Way and Sunset Sound studios in Los Angeles, and assembled members of the TCB Band who had backed Elvis Presley in the 1970s. Other sessions included the jazz bassist Ray Brown and New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer, and a group of musicians dubbed 'the Confederates', featuring T-Bone Wolk, Mickey Curry, and producer Mitchell Froom. Costello's usual backing musicians the Attractions appear on only one track, "Suit of Lights", but returned to record in full his next album Blood & Chocolate.
In the album credits, Costello uses three different noms de plume for himself: his given name of Declan MacManus; his stage name of Elvis Costello; and the nickname given him by producer Nick Lowe earlier in his career, the Little Hands of Concrete, this being a reference to his habitual breaking of guitar strings during recording sessions.
The version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", a song first recorded in 1964 by Nina Simone, was released as a single and peaked at No. 33 on the UK singles chart. However, it missed the Billboard Hot 100, as did the follow-up single released only in America: "Lovable". The single by Burnett and Costello as the Coward Brothers did not chart in either nation. Though not released in 1986, "Brilliant Mistake" saw release as a single in 2005.

Release history

The album was released initially on vinyl in 1986, with the Rykodisc Records reissue arriving nine years later on a single compact disc with five bonus tracks, including the Coward Brothers single. Early limited edition pressings also included a six-track bonus disc: Elvis Costello & The Confederates – Live on Broadway, 1986.
In 2005, Rhino Records issued a two-disc, remastered version of the album. The bonus disc contained all five bonus tracks from the Rykodisc version and all six Live on Broadway tracks, as well as ten more bonus tracks. The Rykodisc and Rhino editions are both out of print.
The album was issued a third time on CD by Universal Music Group, after its acquisition of Costello's complete catalogue in 2006. This release was a standalone version featuring no bonus tracks, and features the same mastering as the Rhino edition.

Track listing

All tracks written by Declan MacManus except as noted; track timings taken from Rhino 2005 reissue.

1995 bonus tracks

  1. "The People's Limousine" ' – 3:43 IMP single No. 006
  2. "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" ' – 2:55 IMP single No. 006 b-side
  3. "Suffering Face" – 3:08 demo recording
  4. "Shoes Without Heels" – 4:20 released as the b-side to "Blue Chair"
  5. "King of Confidence" – 2:48 session outtake

    Live on Broadway, 1986 (limited edition bonus disc)

  6. "That's How You Got Killed Before" – 3:14
  7. "The Big Light" – 3:08
  8. "It Tears Me Up" – 3:27
  9. "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" – 2:42
  10. "Your Mind is on Vacation" / "Your Funeral and My Trial" / – 5:16
  11. "That's How You Got Killed Before" – 7:00
Tracks 1–8 and 13 are solo demo recordings; tracks 15–20 are the Live on Broadway tracks; track 21 is a previously unreleased performance from the Broadway show.
  1. "Having It All" – 3:57
  2. "Suffering Face" – 3:08
  3. "Deportee" – 3:35
  4. "Indoor Fireworks" – 3:50
  5. "I Hope You're Happy Now" – 3:06
  6. "Poisoned Rose" – 4:12
  7. "I'll Wear It Proudly" – 3:26
  8. "Jack of All Parades" – 3:32
  9. "The People's Limousine" ' – 3:43 IMP single No. 006
  10. "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" ' – 2:55 IMP single No. 006 b-side
  11. "King of Confidence" – 2:48 session outtake
  12. "Shoes Without Heels" – 4:20 released as the b-side to "Blue Chair"
  13. "End of the Rainbow" – 3:28
  14. "Betrayal" – 2:25 session outtake with The Attractions
  15. "That's How You Got Killed Before" – 3:14
  16. "The Big Light" – 3:08
  17. "It Tears Me Up" – 3:27
  18. "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" – 2:42
  19. "Your Mind Is On Vacation/Your Funeral My Trial" / – 5:16
  20. "That's How You Got Killed Before " – 7:00
  21. "True Love Ways" – 3:33

    Personnel