(New Wave, Rock & Roll) [LP] [24/96] Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!! - 1980, FLAC (image+.cue)

Elvis Costello – guitar, vocals, organ on A6, all instruments on A9
Steve Nieve – piano, organ
Bruce Thomas – bass
Pete Thomas – drums

All songs are written by Elvis Costello
except B1 by Homer Banks/Alan Jones
and B9 by Tony Colton/Ray Smith

Produced by: Nick Lowe balanced by Roger Bechirian,
Recorded at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands
"New Amsterdam," was recorded solo by Costello in a small studio in Pimlico.
Sleeve was designed by Barney Bubbles

Released: 15 February 1980
Recorded: October 1979

You'll have noticed that there are ten (?) tracks on each side of this, Elvis' new LP, making it
a real "long player".

Elvis and I talked long and hard about the wisdom of taking this unusual step and are proud that we
can now reassure hi-fi enthusiasts and/or people who never bought a record before 1967 that with
the inclusion of this extra music time they will find no loss of sound quality due to "groove cramming"
as the record nears the end of each face (i.e. the hole in the middle).
Now get happy.
Your friend,
Producer, Nick Lowe

Note:
The original album sleeve reversed the two sides; side one began with "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down"
(the current single) and ended with "Riot Act". The second side started with "Love for Tender" and ended
with "High Fidelity". Only on the record labels themselves was the true running order revealed.

From the Rykodisk liner notes:

"Several of the songs on "Get Happy" had been played on the mysteriously named "Armed Funk Tour"
in the spring of 1979, our last American trip for over two years. However our first trial sessions
revealed our "road" arrangements to be trite, brittle, and uncomfortably close to the rapidly dating
style which was now called "New Wave". The decision to change was not exactly agonized over. It took
a few drinks, a handful of old Stax singles (which I had recently bought in Camden Town) and our c
opies of "Motown Chartbusters vol. 3" for us to imagine that we could quickly find a new blueprint
for the album.

Some songs, such as "Men Called Uncle" and "Riot Act", retained the shape sketched out at the demo
sessions, while almost everything else was reworked, often to the extent of trying the patience of
more than one member of the band. Of course, just because you listen to somebody's record doesn't
mean that you will sound anything like them. Sessions were often far from coherent and anything but
analytical: A song or singer would be mentioned and it was sheer luck if we all handsome response
to a direction such as: "Play it like a Garnet Mimms tune". In other cases it is hard to imagine
who, or what, we were thinking of. Having said that it is fairly obvious that "Temptation" is based
on the Booker T. and the MG's hit "Time is Tight", while "Love for Tender" and "High Fidelity" both
quote in different ways from Supremes songs. I could also point out that "King Horse" uses the guitar
figure from the Four Tops' "Reach Out (I'll Be There)", but after that you are on your own.

http://www.discogs.com/Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Get-Happy/release/1579497