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MY AIM IS TRUE
The Elvis Costello Story
15th and 22 March 2003, 21.00 - 22.00
Presented by Phill Jupitus
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In these programmes, Phil Jupitus journeys through Costello's quarter-century of music-making with contributions from Costello himself, The Attractions, Charlie Gillett, Dave Robinson, Clive Langer, Alan Bleasdale and Sir Paul McCartney, plus loads of Elvis classics.
His father was a trumpet player and featured vocalist with the Joe Loss Orchestra. His mother worked in the record department at Selfridges. So Declan Patrick MacManus grew up with music all around him.
Often this would be in the form of the demonstration discs sent to his father by publishing companies eager for Joe Loss to cover their tunes. Declan heard many Beatles tunes for the first time on Northern Songs acetates.
Declan took up the guitar and eventually started doing the rounds of London's pub rock circuit with his band Flip City. By day he was a computer operator; by night he was writing and recording songs in his bedroom.
When he sent a tape of original compositions to Charlie Gillett at Radio London, his songs were soon being played on Gillett's 'Honky Tonk' show. The newly founded Stiff Records were next to take notice, teaming Declan with an American country rock act called Clover and christening him 'Elvis Costello.' They emerged from Pathway Studios, Islington, with the album 'My Aim Is True', which spawned a hat-trick of classic Costello 45s: 'Less Than Zero', 'Alison' and 'Red Shoes.'
Costello had arrived, and soon he was hand-picking his own band - Bruce Thomas, Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas, known collectively as The Attractions. Their next two albums, 'This Year's Model' and 'Armed Forces' established Costello as one of the leading singer/ songwriters of his generation.
Since then, Costello has been on a unique musical journey. He's recorded a country set in Nashville, and a classical album with the Brodsky Quartet. He's written a hatful of songs with Paul McCartney and he's composed an album with Burt Bacharach.
The programmes look at all the aspects of Costello's career, bringing it up to date with his latest album, When I Was Cruel.
Owen McFadden
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Part One
