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2010 Stereophile Magazine Record to Die For!
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Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 430/500!Numbered, Limited Edition! Half-Speed Mastered From Original Master Tapes!
Audio Beat Rated 4.5/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sound!
TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the April/May 2010 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
Featured in Michael Fremer's Heavy Rotation in the February 2010 Issue of Stereophile!
The definitive version of Costello's iconic 1977 debut; hear "Alison," "No Dancing," and "Mystery Dance" in unprecedented fidelity!
Elvis Costellos remarkable "My Aim Is True" announced the arrival of a singular talent. Having long ago secured its status as one of the greatest debut albums ever recorded, the 1977 set hasnt lost any of the vibrant urgency, lyrical edge, or biting wit that made Costello the pin-up model for new-wave music.
Blending punk-fueled motivation with pub-rock, reggae, and classic American rock n roll strains, the landmark effort includes many of the singers best-known and most beloved tunes: the poisoned ballad "Alison," the voyeuristic "Watching the Detectives," the slinky "(The Angels Want to Wear My) Red Shoes," and the rave-up "Mystery Dance" are all included. There isnt a bad note here.
The history behind "My Aim Is True" is as rich as the songs. Before landing at then-fledgling English indie label Stiff Records, Costello had been laboring as a computer operator housed next door to a lipstick factory. The conditions couldnt be riper for the cynical blue-collar observations and fierce humor that pierce tracks like "Welcome to the Working Week" and "Less Than Zero." Costello took inspiration from London subway rides, venomous politics, and surrounding vanity. Having been rejected by what he estimated amounted to every other label in the city, Costello began calling in sick to his day job in order to record material for what become "My Aim Is True."
Made for just 1000 pounds and over the course of four six-hour sessions, the experience found Costello recording his parts in a room the size of a telephone booth. His backing band Clover, not the Attractions (save for on "Watching the Detectives," left off the original UK release) rounded out the slinky, melodic songs with spare details such as fuzztone pedal steel guitar and organ. The minimal budget ensured that nothing extra or fancy was employed. Overdubs werent really an option; what was played is basically what you hear.
Notorious for being reissued umpteen times, Mobile Fidelity is thrilled to present the one edition of "My Aim Is True" that every fan needs to own. Half-speed mastered from the original master tapes not from copies as so many other versions are and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, this numbered limited-edition LP is the definitive "My Aim Is True". No compromises, no tricks. Just the music delivered with peerless clarity, purity, and transparency. The rawness of Costellos voice, jangle of the rhythms, hum of the organs, and even the impact of the drumsticks have never been experienced with such realism. This is what organic-sounding albums are supposed to sound like. You will hear this again for the first time. And of course, there's the iconic cover art, presented in full-scale perspective.
These will not last! World famous, My Aim is True is a cornerstone of any music collection. Also available are Costellos equally essential follow-ups, 1978s caustic This Year's Model (MFSL 1-330) and 1979's Armed Forces (MFSL 1-331)!
"What was once tinny now has a genuine sense of weight and texture, be it Costello's ringing Fender Jazzmaster guitar, a floating cymbal, or the bottom end bump of bass and drums. What was once dynamically limp now snaps to life. And Costello's vocals-from the sweet tenor of "Alison" to the more slightly adenoidal sounds heard on "Sneaky Feelings," have a clarity and "there-ness" that will give you goose bumps." Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, April/May 2010, Issue 202.
"Thus, no matter how much you spend on your digital gear, My Aim is True will never sound this good. Mobile Fidelity's GAIN 2 Ultra Analog system uses a Studer tape player with customized electronics and handcrafted cutting amps that drive the Ortofon cutting head of a Neumann VMS-70 lathe. Master tapes are played back at half-speed to best capture all of the recorded detail. The pressing is exceptionally quiet, allowing the music to reveal itself fully." - Marc Mickelson, www.theaudiobeat.com, 4.5/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sound!
"Somehow Mobile Fidelity has removed the edge and glaze and not by smothering and softening, but rather by stripping away the unpleasantness to reveal an honest, supple, remarkably three-dimensional and immediate recording. I dont know how they did it or why no one else who tried managed, but they did." - Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com, Music 9, Sound 8
"Costello on the fuel for his debut: "I spent a lot of time with just a big jar of instant coffee and the first Clash album, listening to it over and over." The music doesn't have the savage attack of the Clash; after all, Costello's backing band was Clover, which would later evolve into Huey Lewis and the News. But songs such as "Mystery Dance" and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" have plenty of verbal bite, and the ballad "Alison" is a poisoned valentine. Beginning with the line, "Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired," My Aim quickly establishes Costello as one of the best lyricists of his generation." - www.rollingstone.com
"In the summer of 1977, Costello was still an aspiring songwriter when he took the Clashs debut back to his London flat and 'listened to it for 36 hours straight,' he recalled. 'And I wrote 'Watching the Detectives.' Still, he maintained, 'I was never part of any punk-rock thing. I couldn't afford to go to nightclubs at night. I had a wife and kid, and I had to go to work.'" - Rolling Stone
"Some people think 'Alison' is a murder ballad. 'It isnt,' Costello told Rolling Stone in 2002. 'Its about disappointing somebody. Its a thin line between love and hate, as the Persuaders sang.' Costellos backup band was Huey Lewis' outfit Clover; Lewis himself didnt play on the album, presumably because Costello didnt need any harmonica players."- Rolling Stone
Features:
Numbered, Limited Edition
180g Vinyl
1/2 Speed mastered from the original master tapes
Special static free - dust free inner sleeve
Heavy duty protective packaging
Gatefold jacket
Selections:
1. Welcome To the Working Week
2. Miracle Man
3. No Dancing
4. Blame It On Cain
5. Alison
6. Sneaky Feelings
7. Watching The Detectives
8. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
9. Less Than Zero
10. Mystery Dance
11. Pay It Back
12. I'm Not Angry
13. Waiting For The End Of The World
