If Spike seemed frustratingly incoherent, it's nothing compared to Mighty Like a Rose, a deliberately dense, difficult record that is easily the most impenetrable that Elvis Costello ever cut.
With producers Mitchell Froom and Kevin Killen, Costello made a record with no easy entrances, even if the sparkling Beach Boys-esque "The Other Side of Summer" and the lovely "So Like Candy" would have been accessible with different production.
And, certainly, production is the most notable thing about this record.
Filled with clattering production, spongy bass, cardboard guitars, studio white noise, and layers upon layers of tracks, there's so much going on that it's hard to get to the core of the songs.
Not that Costello makes it any easier for the listener, either, since only a few songs (the aforementioned pair, plus "All Grown Up" and "Playboy to a Man") don't seem self-satisfied in their own construction.
And his performances are nearly as affected as the songs, as he over-sings (albeit for effect) and contributes to the muddy wall of sound.
Yes, this is "interesting," but it takes many plays before you realize all those "interesting" effects lead nowhere -- only to the strangest record Costello ever cut (and that's not a compliment, unfortunately).
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harpies BizarreDeclan MacManus | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | After the FallDeclan MacManus | Elvis Costello | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 3 | Georgie and Her RivalDeclan MacManus | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | So Like CandyDeclan MacManus, Paul McCartney | Elvis Costello | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Interlude: Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 2Declan MacManus | Elvis Costello | Play | 00:22 | 0 MB | 2 MB |
| 6 | Playboy to a ManDeclan MacManus, Paul McCartney | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Sweet PearDeclan MacManus | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | BrokenCait O'Riordan | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 9 | Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4Declan MacManus | Elvis Costello | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 31 mins | 71 MB | |||||
| 31 mins | 188 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Batiste | Drums, Drums (Snare), Percussion |
| 2 | Nicholas Bucknail | Clarinet |
| 3 | James Burton | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Soloist |
| 4 | The Chieftains | Guest Artist |
| 5 | Elvis Costello | Bass, Celeste, Chamberlin, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar (Rickenbacker), Keyboards, Maracas, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Toy Piano, Vocal Arrangement, Vocal Group, Vocals |
| 6 | Gregory Davis | Trumpet |
| 7 | Andy Findon | Flute |
| 8 | Mitchell Froom | Arranger, Calliope, Celeste, Chamberlin, Keyboards, Mellotron, Optigan, Organ, Organ (Hammond), Performer, Portative Organ, Producer, Tack Piano, Toy Piano, Vocal Arrangement, Vox Continental |
| 9 | Max Garcia | Assistant Engineer |
| 10 | Steve George | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Kevin Harris | Sax (Tenor) |
| 12 | Charles Joseph | Trombone |
| 13 | Kirk Joseph | Sousaphone, Tuba |
| 14 | Jim Keltner | Composer, Drum Loop, Drums, Percussion |
| 15 | Kevin Killen | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 16 | Larry Knechtel | Calliope, Clavinet, Harmonium, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Optigan, Organ, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Grand), Piano (Upright), Tack Piano, Toy Piano, Vox Continental |
| 17 | Neil Levesley | Bassoon |
| 18 | Roger Lewis | Sax (Baritone) |
| 19 | Nick Lowe | Bass, Guest Artist |
| 20 | Declan MacManus | Composer, Producer |
| 21 | Ross MacManus | Trumpet |
| 22 | Jenell Marshall | Drums, Drums (Snare), Percussion |
| 23 | Paul McCartney | Composer |
| 24 | Richard Morgan | Oboe |
| 25 | Steve Nieve | Keyboards |
| 26 | Cait O'Riordan | Composer |
| 27 | Richard Page | Vocal Group, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Simon Rayner | French Horn, Horn |
| 29 | Marc Ribot | Banjo, Cornet, E Flat Horn, Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Electric Baritone), Guitar (Rhythm), Horn, Performer, Spanish Guitar, Special Effects |
| 30 | Jerry Scheff | Bass, Bass (Electric), Fuzz Bass, Guitar (Electric), Tuba |
| 31 | Steven Soles | Vocal Group, Vocal Harmony, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 32 | Richard Sullivan | Assistant Engineer |
| 33 | Benmont Tench | Calliope, Harmonium, Piano, Spinet, Tack Piano |
| 34 | Bruce Thomas | Guitar (Electric) |
| 35 | Pete Thomas | Bells, Castanets, Drums, Finger Cymbals, Percussion, Sleigh Bells, Tambourine |
| 36 | Efrem Towns | Trumpet |
| 37 | Fiachra Trench | Arranger, Chart, Conductor, String Arrangements, Wind Arrangements, Woodwind Arrangement |
| 38 | Rob Wasserman | 6-String Electric Bass, Bass, Bass (Electric), Guest Artist |
| 39 | T-Bone Wolk | Bass |
| 40 | Gavyn Wright | String Conductor |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |