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Lee Zimmerman
Get Happy!!
Rhino (R2 73908) (Two CDs)
Trust
Rhino (R2 73909) (Two CDs)
Punch The Clock
Rhino (R2 73910) (Two CDs)
No company has done more to raise the bar for reissues than Rhino, and nowhere is that more evident than in its magnificent overhaul of Elvis Costello's Columbia and Warner Bros. catalogs. While some may have initially groused over the fact that the newly expanded editions of Get Happy!!, Trust and Punch The Clock force the repurchase of the same albums previously reissued only a couple of years before by Rykodisc, the new versions, each packaged with a companion CD chock full of bonus tracks, more than justify the purchase price.
Kudos to Rhino for pumping up the value -- at a retail cost of approximately $15, these two-disc sets are an indisputable bargain! -- while not giving in to the temptation to divert the extras into a high-priced box set.
With that in mind, it hardly seems possible that those astute music enthusiasts at Rhino have actually outdone themselves with this fourth installment of the Costello reissue series. Focusing in on his early '80s output -- specifically the albums Get Happy!! , Trust , and Punch The Clock -- the reissues provide an incredible array of vintage material by way of demos, outtakes and live performances, all of which differ significantly from the selections that grace the original albums.
Moreover, the sound is noticeably improved; where many labels boast that their reissues are remastered, in the case of these discs, the audio difference is not only stated but substantial.
The bass playing pops out of these grooves, showing off the articulate patterns and undercurrents displayed in Bruce Thomas' fretwork. The keyboards sparkle, revealing a sharper tone, higher highs and a more vibrant quality. Even the drums sound better, crisper and richer than ever before. Add to that the exhaustive liner notes by Costello, and these packages become the defining standard by which all other reissues will forever be measured.
This wealth of riches inevitably reveals...