by Kevin Frick
Punch the Clock – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Producers: Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley
Singles: “Everyday I Write the Book,” “Let Them Talk”
original release date: 5 August 1983
original label: F Beat; Columbia
reissue label: Rykodisc (1995)
CD catalog#: RCD 20279
The Skinny
Released forty years ago this August, Elvis Costello’s 1983 album, Punch the Clock, is the quintessential EC ’80s album. I know the overtly-commercial, slickly-produced follow up to the critically-acclaimed Imperial Bedroom is much maligned, even by Elvis himself. But here’s why I love it – it sounds great.
Sounds like
Madness, Dexys Midnight Runners, Squeeze, Crowded House
Deeper Thoughts
Punch the Clock is a fun record. There are plentiful pop hooks and Elvis’s verbal sharp-shooting, with the overall effect being more playful and less acerbic than his earlier releases. Right from the start “Let Them All Talk” puts the big horn sound on full display as Elvis questions the current state of pop music, “Listening to the sad song that the radio plays / Have we come this fa-fa-fa to find a soul cliche?” Punch the Clock gives a nod to 1960s soul sounds, but it never feels stale or cliched. It also features EC’s first top 40 U.S. single, “Everyday I Write the Book,” a refreshingly simple song reminiscent of those soulful Motown sounds of the 60’s.
There are a couple great album tracks that are distinct from the glossy production of the rest of the recording; these may actually be my favorites. “Shipbuilding” is a haunting, ethereal ballad about war profiteering, featuring sparse instrumentation and jazz progressions. It also features an amazing trumpet solo by the late Chet Baker. “Pills and Soap” has political leanings, and a stark and unsettling arrangement. It features a somber Elvis singing poignant lyrics, sometimes repeated, backed only by a drum-machine beat and Steve Nieve’s wonderful piano. Steve Nieve’s keyboard wizardry is showcased throughout the album, with the gleeful jam “The Invisible Man” a notable example.
The Sonics
I listened to the Rykodisc 1995 reissue CD. Album producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley layered Punch the Clock with high-end sonics. Producers of the likes of Madness and Dexys Midnight Runners, they brought in a horn section and back-up singers to create a big, bright sound. The record has a distinctive up feel that is full of punch beats, sweet hooks and clever lyrics, all wrapped in bright, slick production. Although the album is a bit uneven, and the glossy sheen wears thin at times, it has plenty of textural contrasts throughout which manage to sound commercial but not cliched.
Punch the Clock is an underrated album. And with the 40th anniversary of its release coming in August, now is a good time to give it another long look.
Search all the versions of Punch the Clock on discogs.com
