I don’t have much to add about Kojak Variety other than to say it’s odd to be in the dark about an Elvis Costello album.
My Bob Dylan Weekends gave me a chance to familiarize myself with some of the albums I’d missed over the years, but Dylan had amassed a huge discography before I was ever a fan, so that was to be expected.
Costello, on the other hand, has put out the lion’s share of his albums since I discovered him so there aren’t many blind spots.
In 1995, Elvis Costello followed the previous year’s Brutal Youth with his second album of covers. The first, 1981’s Almost Blue, was dedicated to country songs. Kojak Variety, on the other hand, was all over the map.
Costello recorded the album in Barbados, and introduced it like this in the original liner notes: “This is a record of some of my favourite songs performed with some of my favourite musicians.” And that pretty much sums up the laid-back vibe of the album. Its title comes from the name of a grocery store down the street from the recording studio in Barbados. It’s also the most memorable thing about the record.
Meet Me In Montauk 