The opening four songs of "Imperial Bedroom" are a simply amazing outpouring of Elvis at his finest; "Beyond Belief", "Tears Before Bedtime", "Shabby Doll", and "The Long Honeymoon" come at you like a brilliant bully, daring you not to be dazzled by their lyrical dexterity and musical diversity. "Beyond Belief" is that, with a spine tingling delivery of Elvis at-his-best lyrics that almost qualify as an instrument in itself. The first four are followed by "Man Out Of Time", which is fine also, and which manages to pull in the reigns of the almost out-of-control locomotive energy created by the first four songs. This definitely is a work of great ambition by an Elvis Costello at the peak of his songwriting powers, and its sprawl only occasionally dilutes the towering achievement of "Imperial Bedroom". "Town Cryer" is promising but never finds its edge, and is not helped by overproduction. In general it is the (over)production that is the only real weakness, and it's not a significant weakness. The sheer, raw talent of the young Elvis flexing his prodigious songwriting muscles more than compensates for a few too many horns.