In 1996, Elvis Costello toured in support of his All This Useless Beauty album with a series of low-key shows featuring just him on acoustic guitar and his longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve on piano.
The same year, Costello released a limited edition box set compiling performances from five nights of that tour. Each 5- or 6-track CD contained recordings from one U.S. city: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and New York. It wasn’t the most fan-friendly packaging (each CD runs a little more than 20 minutes, meaning the whole thing could have fit on one or two discs) but it was a special collection.
And it really was a limited edition, as opposed to some products that bear that label but are very easy to find. I picked up my copy toward the end of the window it was available and I’ve never seen it in a store since.
Today’s song is the opening track from the New York disc (though I don’t know if it was the opening song of the concert itself… I’m guessing not). The song, an outtake from the Trust era, is nicely suited to this stripped down instrumentation.
So let the punishment fit the crime
It’s under the table, under your skin
Into the cable, is this is the death of the glory you’re in
Black sails in the sunset
White noise goin’ “yakety yak”
All the money in the world ‘ll never bring your body back
It’s some mysterious dance nobody can do
Thought I knew all the steps quite clearly
I don’t have a clue.
You’re Cinderella with a ball and chain
The shoe seems to fit you
You tell the truth sometimes but
You wouldn’t know it if it hit you
Is this some new trick wired up in your head?
Do you make me sick, or was I just force fed?
Black sails in the sunset
White noise going “yakety yak”
All the money in the world’ll never bring your body back
It’s some mysterious dance nobody can do
Thought I knew all the steps quite clearly
I don’t have a clue.
Black sails in the sunset
White noise going “yakety yak”
Black sails in the sunset
White noise going “yakety yak”
All the money in the world ll never bring your body back.
Meet Me In Montauk 
This sounds like a collection I would like to own. Nice performance here. For me, there is nothing I enjoy more than Elvis and Steve playing acoustically together.