Remember When Elvis Costello Went Country in 1981?

With the benefit of decades of evidence, we now know that Elvis Costello is fearless when it comes to taking on genres outside the typical pop-rock fare. But back in 1981, music fans mostly knew him as the bitingly eloquent master of the punky side of New Wave.

That’s why his 1981 release Almost Blue was such a shock. Costello and his band The Attractions tackled a bunch of country classics, confusing fans and critics but demonstrating the artist’s boldly independent streak.

‘Blue’ Moves

In retrospect, you can kind of understand why weepy country songs appealed so much to Elvis Costello circa 1981. His first marriage was crumbling beneath the weight of the separation caused by Costello’s constant touring. He was taking solace in the bottle whenever he could.

His career had taken some hits as well. Even though critics continued to praise him, sales for his most recent albums had significantly diminished. And a drunken incident in a hotel bar in 1979 had proven to be a public relations nightmare for him.

Aside from where he stood in his life and career, Costello had developed a deep passion for country music. A collaboration with George Jones on the song “Stranger In The House” helped him get his foot in the door. With Almost Blue, he went all-in with an album completely devoted to the genre.

Nashville Bound

Costello initially conceived of Almost Blue as more of a wide-ranging covers album that encompassed other genres. But once he and the band settled in Nashville with legendary producer Billy Sherrill, the decision was made to stick to a narrower focus.

To help things feel more legit, Costello called on his old buddy John McFee to supplement The Attractions. McFee had played on the pre-Attractions Costello album My Aim Is True. His pedal steel work can be heard moaning its way across the proceedings, which mostly consist of slower songs devoted to heartbreak.

Sherrill allegedly clashed with Costello and the band throughout the making of the album. The Costello camp felt that the producer only occasionally seemed dialed in to what was happening. On Sherrill’s part, he couldn’t understand why Costello was bothering and thought the band should have revved up the tempo a bit more.

Resplendent “Roses”

Almost Blue shows that Costello’s knowledge of country went pretty deep, as it rarely relies on well-worn hits to fill out the running order. In addition, it demonstrated that E.C. held a big-tent view of what the genre could entail, such as “How Much I Lied”, Gram Parsons piercing song of regret.

Costello also stumbled upon a major British hit with the single “Good Year For The Roses”. Made popular by George Jones all the way back in 1970, it featured some soothing strings and a nimble vocal by Elvis. Commercial returns were positive as well, with the album selling better than its predecessor (Trust) and the single hitting the Top 10, Costello’s last hit of that magnitude in the UK.

Time has also served Almost Blue well. Costello and company made the wise move to simply play these stellar songs as they lay, instead of trying reinvention. In years to come, his willingness to shake things up and try whatever style he felt would make this sudden swerve much more understandable.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)