Almost Blue

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Almost Blue
Studio album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Released	October 23, 1981 (1981-10-23)
Recorded	May 1981, Nashville
Genre	Rock/Country
Length	32:35
Label	F-Beat Records (UK) Columbia (U.S.) Demon/Rykodisc (August 30, 1994 Reissue) Rhino (August 3, 2004 Reissue)
Producer	Billy Sherrill
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (B-) link Rolling Stone link Stylus Magazine (not rated) link
Elvis Costello and the Attractions chronology
Trust (1981) Almost Blue (1981) Imperial Bedroom (1982)

Almost Blue (1981) is an album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It is notable for consisting entirely of covers of country songs. It originally appeared with a warning label that read "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners."
An alternative label read "WARNING! This album contains country & western music and may produce radical reaction in narrow minded people."

Many versions of the artwork were made, with slightly different base colours.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Bonus tracks (1994 Rykodisc) 1.2 Bonus disc (2004 Rhino) 2 Personnel 2.1 Additional personnel 3 Charts

[edit] Track listing

Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.

1. "Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do)?" (Hank Williams) – 1:40
2. "Sweet Dreams" (Don Gibson) – 3:00
3. "Success" (Johnny Mullins) – 2:41
4. "I'm Your Toy" (Gram Parsons, Chris Ethridge) – 3:23
5. "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" (Merle Haggard) – 2:09
6. "Brown to Blue" (George Jones, Virginia Franks) – 2:40
7. "A Good Year for the Roses" (Jerry Chesnut) – 3:10
8. "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Charlie Rich) – 3:02
9. "Colour of the Blues" (Lawton Williams, George Jones) – 2:21
10. "Too Far Gone" (Billy Sherrill) – 3:28
11. "Honey Hush" (Lou Willie Turner) – 2:15
12. "How Much I Lied" (Parsons, Pam Rifkin) – 2:55

[edit] Bonus tracks (1994 Rykodisc)

1. "He's Got You" (Live) (Hank Cochran) – 4:07
2. "Cry Cry Cry" (Live) (Johnny Cash) – 2:45
3. "There Won't Be Anymore" (Live) (Rich) – 2:23
4. "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Live) (Rich) – 2:55
5. "Honey Hush" (Live) (Turner) – 2:31
6. "Psycho" (Live) (Payne) – 3:36
7. "Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven" (Jack Ripley) – 1:58
8. "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" (Kemp, Red Lane) – 2:37
9. "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (Lee Ross, Bob Wills) – 2:04
10. "Tears Before Bedtime" (Early Version) (Costello) – 2:27
11. "I'm Your Toy" (Live) (Parsons, Ethridge) – 3:46

[edit] Bonus disc (2004 Rhino)

1. "Stranger in the House" (Costello) – 3:39
2. "We Ought to Be Ashamed" (James, Montgomery) – 2:47
3. "Radio Sweetheart" (Live) (Costello) – 3:15
4. "Stranger in the House" (Live) (Costello) – 3:56
5. "Psycho" (Live) (Payne) – 3:35
6. "If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You)" (Live) (Even Stevens) – 2:28
7. "Motel Matches" (Live) (Costello) – 2:21
8. "He'll Have to Go" (Live) (J. Allison/A. Allison) – 2:51
9. "Girls Talk" (Live) (Costello) – 1:46
10. "Too Far Gone" (Sherrill) – 3:11
11. "He's Got You" (Cochran) – 3:51
12. "Honky Tonk Girl" (Loretta Lynn) – 2:26
13. "That's Why I'm Walking" (Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry) – 2:22
14. "Wondering" (Joe Werner) – 2:21
15. "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" (Kemp, Lane) – 2:37
16. "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (Ross, Wills) – 2:04
17. "Blues Keep Calling" (Janis Martin) - 2.07
18. "Tears Before Bedtime" (Early Version) (Costello) – 2:27
19. "Psycho" (Payne) – 3:32
20. "Cry, Cry, Cry" (Cash) – 2:45
21. "I'll Take Care of You" (Brook Benton) – 3:11
22. "Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven" (Ripley) – 1:59
23. "Brand New Heartache" (Live) (Felice Bryant/Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:29
24. "There Won't Be Anymore" (Live) (Rich) – 2:32
25. "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Live) (Rich) – 2:51
26. "Honey Hush" (Live) (Turner) – 2:30
27. "I'm Your Toy" (Live) (Parsons, Ethridge) – 3:46

[edit] Personnel

• Elvis Costello – vocals, guitar
• Steve Nieve – piano, organ
• Bruce Thomas – bass
• Pete Thomas – drums

[edit] Additional personnel

• John McFee – lead guitar and pedal steel guitar

[edit] Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1981	Billboard Pop Albums	50

v • d • e Elvis Costello discography Albums My Aim Is True · King of America · Spike · Mighty Like a Rose · Brutal Youth · Kojak Variety · North · Il Sogno Elvis Costello and The Attractions This Year's Model · Armed Forces · Get Happy!! · Trust · Almost Blue · Imperial Bedroom · Punch the Clock · Goodbye Cruel World · Blood and Chocolate · All This Useless Beauty Elvis Costello and The Imposters When I Was Cruel · Cruel Smile · The Delivery Man · Momofuku Collaborations The Juliet Letters with The Brodsky Quartet · Terror & Magnificence with John Harle · Painted from Memory with Burt Bacharach · The Sweetest Punch with Bill Frisell · For the Stars with Anne Sofie von Otter · My Flame Burns Blue with The Metropole Orkest · Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland · The River in Reverse with Allen Toussaint Live albums Live at the El Mocambo · Deep Dead Blue · Costello & Nieve Soundtracks G.B.H. · Jake's Progress Compilations Taking Liberties · Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers · The Best of Elvis Costello & The Attractions · Out of Our Idiot · Girls Girls Girls · 2 ½ Years · The Very Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions 1977-86 · Extreme Honey · The Very Best of Elvis Costello · Singles, Vol. 1 · Singles, Vol. 2 · Singles, Vol. 3