Costello Unpacks Debut Album's Surprising Origins

A comprehensive 104-track retrospective of Elvis Costello's debut album, "My Aim Is True," marks its 49th anniversary with a significant reissue. This collection offers listeners unheard songs and era-spanning live performances, many of which foreshadow Costello's diverse musical explorations. Pre-debut tracks included in the set highlight a stylistic breadth that ranged from roots music to vaudeville influences.

Costello reflects on the creation of "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," noting the lyric's contemplative themes of mortality penned at age 22. He shares insights into his early songwriting process, discussing how songs developed and the influences, such as Neil Young and Van Morrison, that shaped his initial work. The boxed set also features early "ragtime" and "vaudeville-sounding" songs, which Costello felt revealed too much at the time of their writing.

The reissue delves into the making of the album, including recording sessions that amounted to approximately 24 hours of studio time across several sessions. Costello details the context of "new wave" music and his detachment from the label, as well as the initial struggles of the singles before the album found its audience. He also touches upon the enduring legacy of his music and a new production of his musical "A Face in the Crowd" currently in development.