If Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World were steps back, the album that followed them, King of America is a huge leap forward. And that’s an understatement.

King of America was the first Costello album I ever heard, after receiving it as a gift from my sister and future brother-in-law. The gift of Elvis Costello… tough to beat that. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! I love the thrill of discovering a new artist, especially when there’s a wealth of previous material to dig through. In recent years I’ve had that experience with Stew and Josh Rouse. But Elvis remains the king in that regard.

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