Serious Thinks Thought Here

Human Hands

I have been waking up with this in my head—and I am not unhappy about it at all. I first purchased this LP (on vinyl) while in college. I was a very big Elvis Costello fan (still am) and was looking forward to hearing something new from him.

I wasn’t fully ready for what EC had in store for me. Gone were the rough-hewn songs. It was pop, but not like Armed Forces. It was grander. Later on, I learned that it was produced by Geoff Emerick, the man who served as engineer on all those Beatles recordings. This was Elvis Costello’s Sgt. Pepper.

And underneath the layered musical tapestry were the angry, vitriolic lyrics we have learned to come and love. But unlike the previous Elvis Costello albums, there was no catharsis after listening. Instead there was just a slight feeling of sadness.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Human Hands