Elvis Costello’s Pomp & Pout – The Universal Years (Hip-O/UMe), released June 29, 2010, brings together for the first time an overview of the musician’s career from 1998-2008. Compiled by Costello himself, Pomp & Pout provides a sonic bookend to the 2007 Hip-O/UMe compilation The Best Of Elvis Costello – The First 10 Years.
The 18 digitally remastered selections span six albums--Painted From Memory, When I Was Cruel, North, The Delivery Man, The River In Reverse and Momofuku--plus the rare “In Another Room” from 2005’s The Clarksdale Sessions and originally available only on the limited deluxe edition of The Delivery Man; “My Mood Swings,” Elvis’ contribution to the soundtrack of the 1998 cult favorite The Big Lebowski; and “Impatience,” originally a bonus track on the U.K. and Japanese versions of 2003’s North.
In 1998, Painted From Memory marked the first album in more than 20 years from the renowned Bacharach, who co-wrote and co-produced with Costello, arranged the orchestra and played piano. Pomp & Pout culls its “The Sweetest Punch,” “This House Is Empty Now” and “In The Darkest Place.” 2002’s rowdy Top 20 album When I Was Cruel introduced Costello’s new band, The Imposters, which added bassist Davey Faragher to longtime conspirators, keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, and yielded “When I Was Cruel No. 2,” “45,” “Tart” and “Dust.”
Costello took a singular turn the following year with North, an intimate album of piano-based ballads. The disc, with “Still” featuring the Brodsky Quartet, hit #1 on traditional jazz charts. Costello and The Imposters then followed with 2004’s Top 40 charting The Delivery Man, recorded in Oxford, MS, which included “Bedlam,” “Country Darkness” and “Monkey To Man.”
Costello teamed with Allen Toussaint for 2006’s The River In Reverse, recorded in New Orleans just a few months after hurricane Katrina. Grammy nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and charting #2 Jazz, the album starred the title track and “Ascension Day.” Back with The Imposters, Costello laid down 2008’s Momofuku in Los Angeles, including Jenny Lewis on “No Hiding Place” and “Stella Hurt,” and Pete Thomas’ daughter Tennessee, drummer for exciting beat combo, The Like, also on the latter.
