Some attractions never get old

It's that time again, folks. Elvis Costello's new series of reissues has been released. But here's a warning: those of you looking for the album with the charging elephants on the cover will be confused. The cover art is just unreadable splatter paint, so it will be harder to show off your tasteful CD collection to new acquaintances than you might have thought. But given that the original art is in the booklet, and even more importantly, that this is a great album, all is forgiven...even if the raw versions of "Greenshirt" and "Big Boys" from This Year's Model are more effective.\nThe third EC and the Attractions album shows the band's sonic edges from the near-perfect This Year's Model rounded off a bit, and the grit is replaced with a lighter, poppier sound. The lyrics, though, are just as innovative, clever and, at times, toxic as ever. Take "Big Boys" for example: "So you take her to the pictures / trying to become a fixture / inch by inch trying to reach her / all the way through the second feature / Worrying about your physical fitness / tell me how you got this sickness." Then again, "Goon Squad" and "Two Little Hitlers" leave no doubts about whether or not Costello's lost his ability to sting.\nAside from the candy-coated poison of "Oliver's Army" and "Accidents Will Happen," Armed Forces revisits Costello's early rock fascination with the brilliantly sad "Party Girl" in a way that might make "Alison" seem uplifting.\nThe reissue also includes another 20-something page booklet full of lyrics, commentary by Costello himself and several cool pictures -- including one of keyboardist Steve Nieve in Disneyland standing beside a sign that reads "Sorry -- this attraction is not in operation today" -- and the obligatory bonus disc.\nAs far as the bonus discs go, this one is even more consistent than the one from This Year's Model. It's hard to beat live takes of "Mystery Dance," "Goon Squad," "Party Girl," "Stranger in the House," "Alison," "Lipstick Vogue" and "Watching the Detectives," in that exact order. On top of that, there are several alternate takes and an unreleased (at this time) "Tiny Steps."\nThe album itself is a must-own, and the bonus material acts almost as a live hits collection for Costello's material to this point, which is definitely among his best. You simply need this album.