Costello w/Unreleased ’78 Live Album

Legendary 1978 Concert At Hollywood High School Released In Its Entirety For The First Time On Live At Hollywood High.

By Blurt Staff

Elvis Costello was 23 years old when he performed a sold-out concert at the auditorium of Hollywood High School.  It was June 4, 1978 and he had been introduced to America with a controversial appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and two albums Rolling Stone would eventually rank among the 200 greatest of all time.  Twenty-five years later, in 2003, Costello would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the following year would be ranked by Rolling Stone among its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Now that historic 20-song concert will be issued for the first time in its entirety, including 11 previously unreleased recordings, on Live At Hollywood High released January 12 by Hip-O/UMe. This second installment in The Costello Show live performance series of complete concerts follows Live At The El Mocambo, released in September (and reviewed by BLURT here).

Just three months prior to the Hollywood High concert, This Year's Model had become his second album but first as Elvis Costello And The Attractions, with singer-songwriter-guitarist Costello joined by keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas.  Producing the concert would be Nick Lowe, who would helm Costello's first five albums.

From Costello's 1977 debut album My Aim Is True, the show included "Alison," "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Mystery Dance," "Waiting For The End Of The World," "Miracle Man" and "Watching The Detectives."  From This Year's Model, the band cranked out "Pump It Up," "The Beat," "Lip Service," "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" (only on the U.K. album), "Radio Radio" (only on the U.S. edition), "Lipstick Vogue," "No Action," "This Year's Girl," "Living In Paradise" and "You Belong To Me" plus the bonus single "Stranger In The House."

The band also previewed "Accidents Will Happen," "Party Girl" and "Goon Squad" from Armed Forces, which they would begin to record three months later.  That album released in early 1979 would become Costello's highest charter (#10) and his third straight to earn gold or platinum.  Included as a promotional giveaway with initial copies was a 7" single with the Hollywood High performances of "Accidents Will Happen," "Alison" and "Watching The Detectives."  A 2002 reissue of Armed Forces would add a disc with those tracks and six others from Hollywood High.

Unreleased, however, would be the concert's "Lip Service," "The Beat," "Living In Paradise," "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "(I Don't Wanna Go To) Chelsea," "This Year's Girl," "No Action," "Radio, Radio," "Pump It Up," "Waiting For The End Of The World" and "Miracle Man" - all of which make their debuts on Live At Hollywood High.

Upcoming releases of The Costello Show will include, among others, concerts performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Royalty Theater in London.