Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 259 - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Blood and Chocolate - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Imp Records

Produced by Nick Lowe

Released 15th September 1986

UK Chart #16

US Chart #84

Tracklist

A1 Uncomplicated    
A2 I Hope You're Happy Now    
A3 Tokyo Storm Warning    
A4 Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head    
A5 I Want You    
B1 Honey Are You Straight Or Are You Blind?    
B2 Blue Chair    
B3 Battered Old Bird
B4 Crimes Of Paris    
B5 Poor Napoleon    
B6 Next Time Around

Personnel
    Elvis Costello – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonium, tambourine, bellows, canes, knives, bass, Vox Continental electric organ
    Steve Nieve – piano, organ, harmonium
    Bruce Thomas – bass, electric guitar, saxophone
    Pete Thomas – drums, alto saxophone

Additional personnel
    Nick Lowe – acoustic guitar
    Cait O'Riordan – vocals on "Crimes of Paris" and "Poor Napoleon"

Singles on Blood and Chocolate

Tokyo Storm Warning Parts 1 & 2 / Black Sails In The Sunset

Imp Records

August 1986

UK Chart #73

I Want You / I Hope You're Happy Now

Imp Records

November 1986

Did Not Chart!

Blue Chair was released as a single but it was a different version to the album as it had been recorded earlier during the King of America sessions with The Confederates band.

******************

Now, I have a lot of love for the early Elvis Costello and The Atrractions  (Armed Forces and Get Happy!!) and Elvis Costello (My Aim is True and This Year's Model) albums but Blood and Chocolate is probably my favourite EC and Attractions album of all time.

Whilst I had enjoyed the previous five albums including King of America, I always felt that Nick Lowe brought something great out of EC and so it was great to see he was back at the controls having had a hand in the first 5 studio albums and absent for a few releases.

Not a great need to talk about it as the test of its quality is in the playing. I will say though in passing that I Want You has to be one of the most amazing songs ever to come from the pen of Declan P. MacManus. I am still stunned that it was never a hit record! He recorded a version of it for a recent project with The Roots which was pretty tidy as well I thought.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!