The Bridge to New Wave
On his debut album, My Aim Is True, Costello established himself as an iconic Buddy Holly-like pub rocker with a punk sensibility. The follow-up, This Year’s Model, showed his “considerable dexterity as a songwriter, and knack for pumping up innocent hooks into expressions of anger, if not outrage.” TM His third outing, Armed Forces, is “where Costello realizes that the doors are wide open and he can make any kind of snarly (or idealistic) noise he wants.” TM
“Tricked out in sumptuous pop arrangements, these tales of bedroom and boardroom resentment cut sharper and deeper than the flailings of the punks. Costello was originally lumped in with.” VB Armed Forces is “the bridge between Costello the ‘punk singer-songwriter’ and Costello the unabashed romantic of rock’s New Wave.” TM
“Vocals by male new-wave performers often had a hiccup-y Buddy Holly feel, but the music and songs were ruthlessly nervous, like rockabilly with a chip on its shoulder. Songwriting also became more personal and cryptic. Instead of using universal themes, songs often focused on artists’ pitfalls and flaws, archly cloaked in coded phrases and pop hooks that were far from formulaic.” MM
Costello was “one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of the new-wave era.” MM He “had a clever complexity that was reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley greats from the 1930s and ‘40s who favored arch phrases and cosmopolitan wit.” MM
The Recording
The album was recorded at Eden Studios in London in “a frantic six weeks.” RD It was “a distinct step back from the confrontational music of its predecessor, This Year’s Model.” RD The album “lashes Costello’s acerbic wit to slightly more elaborate production,” TM again provided by “secret power-pop weapon” BL Nick Lowe, who’d produced This Year’s Model.
More Pop-Oriented
The album certainly “boasted a detailed and textured pop production” AM compared “to the stripped-down pop and rock of his first two albums… but it was hardly lavish.” AM “Some of the songs, like the light reggae of Two Little Hitlers and the impassioned Party Girl, build on his strengths, while others like the layered Oliver’s Army take Costello into new territories. It’s a dense but accessible pop record and ranks as his third masterpiece in a row.” AM
However, the more spacious arrangements – complete with ringing pianos, echoing reverb, layered guitars, and harmonies – accent Costello’s melodies, making the record more accessible than his first two albums.” AM In fact, the album went all the way to #2 on the UK charts. He’d repeat that feat two more times but never top the chart. The album was also the highest charting of his career in the U.S., peaking at #10.
The Impact of the Attractions
“The Attractions, vacuum-tight after a solid year on the road, frame Costello’s show-offishly catchy melodies and acerbic wordplay in grand, tricky arrangements.” BL The album’s “pop arrangements betrayed the hand of classically trained keyboardist” RD Steve Nieve, who “was exerting an increasing influence on proceedings.” RD
Costello also acknowledged the music that had influenced them in crafting the album. He and the Attractions had been listening to Abba, Cheap Trick, Loretta Lynn, and Conway Twitty. TM
The Album’s Themes
“Perversely, while the sound of Costello’s music was becoming more open and welcoming, his songs became more insular and paranoid, even though he cloaked his emotions well. Many of the songs on Armed Forces use politics as a metaphor for personal relationships, particularly fascism, which explains its working title, Emotional Fascism.” AM
The album is “a songwriting landmark about nasty collisions of the personal and the political.” BL “Oliver’s Army and Goon Squad are tales of burgeoning fascism among militaristic buffers, old and young, but with Senior Service or Chemistry Class, Costello examines Fuehrer-and-follower tendencies in work, sex, life generally.” MJ
“Armed Forces is no period piece thanks to Costello’s strenuously subtle way with a theme.” MJ “Few records in rock nail the details, musical and emotional, the way Armed Forces does.” TM
The Music
“Occasionally, the lyrics are forced, but the music never is – the album demonstrates the depth of Costello’s compositional talents and how he can move from the hook-laden pop of Accidents Will Happen to the paranoid Goon Squad with ease.” AM
Notes
“The Rykodisc/Demon 1993 CD reissue…restored the album to its original British running order, adding the B-side cover of Nick Lowe’s ‘What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?’ – which had been substituted for ‘Sunday’s Best’ on the American version of Armed Forces – as one of the disc's bonus tracks. The CD also includes the B-sides ‘My Funny Valentine,’ ‘Tiny Steps,’ ‘Clean Money,’ the free single ‘Talking in the Dark’/‘Wednesday Week,’ which was included with the initial Radar pressings of Armed Forces, and the Live at Hollywood High EP, which was also included on the first Radar edition.” AM
The Rhino double-disc released in 2002 added another 9 songs, for a whopping total of 30. Most of the tracks came from an expanded version of the Live at Hollywood High sessions.
The Songs
Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.
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