Kojak Variety
| Kojak Variety | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 9 May 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1994[citation needed] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 53:57 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Kevin Killen and Elvis Costello | |||
| Elvis Costello chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
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] |
Kojak Variety is an album by English musician
Background
Costello 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, Probe in 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 Music in Mill Valley, California.[13]
The first song recorded for the album was "Running Out of Fools", while the last was a new rendering of "Days" by The Kinks, which he had previously recorded for the album soundtrack album Until the End of the World, for the Wim Wenders' film of the same name. The title Kojak Variety refers to the name of a variety store in 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
| No. | Title | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strange" ( Ray Noble) | Nat King Cole | 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 later fade-outson the 2004 reissue.
| No. | Title | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ship of Fools" ( The 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 (with Larry Adler)" (Gershwin / Gershwin) | Ginger Rogers | 5:04 |
| 20. | "Full Force Gale" (Van Morrison) | Van Morrison | 2:59 |
Personnel
- Elvis Costello – vocals, harmonica
- acoustic guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Larry Knechtel – piano, Hammond organ, electric piano
- horn, classical guitar
- Jerry Scheff – bass
- Pete Thomas – drums
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[15] | 102 |
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Kojak Variety – Elvis Costello". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas (March 2005). "Elvis Costello: Kojak Variety". Blender. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Caro, Mark (18 May 1995). "Elvis Costello: Kojak Variety (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Ehrlich, Dimitri (12 May 1995). "Kojak Variety". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ 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. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ 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 from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (September 2004). "Fifth phase of two-disc reissue series". Uncut. No. 88. p. 113.
- ^ "Kojak Variety [Expanded] - Elvis Costello | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Kojak Variety (2004) liner notes - The Elvis Costello Wiki". www.elviscostello.info. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Larry David Smith - Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the Torch Song Tradition Page 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 (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
External links
- Kojak Variety at Discogs (list of releases)
