Online only: Elvis Costello: Rock and Roll Music: C-

Another Elvis Costello "greatest hits" collection. Is Costello going broke? Doubtful, but why put out another greatest hits, "these are my singles"-type album? Rock And Roll Music is an interesting collection of his '70s and '80s run. \nWhat more can be said about the man behind the goofy-ass glasses? As the painfully blunt album title states, this is rock 'n' roll music. Pure and simple, good old-fashioned, nerdy rock 'n' roll. \nSongs from his earlier years are more straight-forward rock 'n' roll, from the dirty garage guitar on "Clean Money" to the doo-doo-doos and ah-ah-ahs of "Welcome to the Working Week." The two-minute rock song is just not as fast as the Ramones'. \nThere's another side to Costello as well. We'll call this the more artsy, mature side. The yearning musing of "Tokyo Storm Warning" shows more of an "I do take my music seriously every once and awhile" side. The man has sung with orchestras, he just has a great voice. \nBut what makes this guy the man is his all-around cheesy poppiness: the keyboard-drenched "Big Tears," the rockabilly Elvis-esque "Mystery Dance," the bouncy "My Sharona" magic of "Pump It Up." There's so much variety here, and this is just a very small taste of Costello's span of 11 studio albums.\nOne of the greatest singer/songwriter/rocker/pop superstars of the last 30 years, Costello's energy and passion for rock music has produced some damn good, catchy as hell songs. This collection captures the raw energy and the fun pop that developed early in Costello's career but merely touches the surface of what kind of musician he is.\nThere's no "Watching the Detectives" or "Radio Radio" on here, but if you've been sleeping for the past 30 years and haven't heard of Elvis Costello, I wouldn't pick up this collection first. Girls Girls Girls is two discs, has almost all the songs from this collection and has "Watching the Detectives." Don't waste your hard-earned cash on this album. Gas is more than $3 a gallon. Illegally download this one.