Title: Elvis Costello is: Spike, the Beloved Entertainer!
Product review: "Spike" was recorded after an unusually long (for EC) hiatus from recording, and it goes all over the stylistic map, from Irish folk to jazz. This eclecticism can be jarring and means that there's probably at least one track in there you won't much care for- I've got a couple. But the advantage lies in the sense of musical travel and adventure. And the best songs are simply great. These include "Tramp the Dirt Down" (an Irish folk influenced tune with a lyrical attack on then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, including the lines "When England was all the world's whore/Margaret was her madam"); "Miss MacBeth"; the lovely "She Plays Around"; "Satellite"; and one of the fruits of EC's late '80s songwriting collaboration with Paul McCartney", "Veronica". I only own one other EC album, (the also untypical, but great) "King of America", but this album has convinced me to look out for other EC records.
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