BLOOD & CHOCOLATE

ORIGINAL ALBUM (47:55)
  1. Uncomplicated (3:25)
  2. I Hope You're Happy Now (3:05)
  3. Tokyo Storm Warning (6:21)
  4. Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head (5:02)
  5. I Want You (6:39)
  6. Honey, Are You Straight Or Are You Blind? (2:07)
  7. Blue Chair (3:38)
  8. Battered Old Bird (5:49)
  9. Crimes Of Paris (4:18)
  10. Poor Napoleon (3:20)
  11. Next Time Round (3:36)
BONUS DISC (48:40)
  1. Leave My Kitten Alone (3:23)
  2. New Rhythm Method (2:26)
  3. Forgive Her Anything (new version) (3:48)
  4. Crimes Of Paris (electric version) (4:35)
  5. Uncomplicated (alternate version) (3:04)
  6. Battered Old Bird (alternate version) (4:21)
  7. Seven Day Weekend with Jimmy Cliff (2:36)
  8. Blue Chair (single version) (3:38)
  9. Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo (3:23)
  10. American Without Tears No. 2 (Twilight version) (3:32)
  11. All These Things (3:00)
  12. Pouring Water On A Drowning Man (2:32)
  13. Running Out Of Fools (2:32)
  14. Tell Me Right Now (3:01)
  15. Lonely Blue Boy (2:04)
Ryko's 1995 reissue of Blood & Chocolate included only one unreleased track ("Forgive Her Anything"), but it remains essential for Costello completists since Rhino's 2002 version repeats only four of the Ryko's seven bonuses, and one of the missing tracks is "Forgive Her Anything," its place taken by an alternate version of the same song.

Also present on the Ryko but absent from the Rhino are both sides of the sole single by The MacManus Gang, "A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" and "Return To Big Nothing." Since these songs bear no resemblance to the sound of Blood & Chocolate, they were always a slightly awkward fit on the Ryko CD, and that is apparently the reason they were excluded this time around. They have yet to appear on any Rhino CD, although they were included on Edsel's UK-only release Singles, Vol. 3 in 2003.

In addition to the four tracks repeated from the Ryko CD, Rhino's bonus disc offers 11 unreleased tracks, six with the Attractions and five by Elvis alone. All are studio recordings from Olympic Studios during the Blood & Chocolate sessions between March and May 1986. (The album sessions may have also included some recording in February.)

Although interview discs are generally outside the scope of this website, it should be noted that Ryko's initial release of Blood & Chocolate included an exclusive bonus CD entitled An Overview Disc in which Elvis discusses the first decade of his career. This is not available in Rhino's reissue program.

WHAT'S NEW
LEAVE MY KITTEN ALONE
 This outtake from the Blood & Chocolate sessions (recorded April 8, 1986) was mentioned in the Ryko liner notes as "missing," but it was found for this release. (Of course, whether anyone really looked for it the first time around is questionable!)

NEW RHYTHM METHOD
 Completely unheard in any form prior to this release, "New Rhythm Method" was recorded March 13, 1986. Elvis offers this explanation in the liner notes: "I have no memory at all of recording 'New Rhythm Method.' I do remember writing a song of this title in 1977, so this may be a reworking, but what I am actually singing remains something of a mystery."

FORGIVE HER ANYTHING (NEW VERSION)
 Although it had been played live a few times in 1986, the first official release of "Forgive Her Anything" was on the Ryko Blood & Chocolate. That version has been left off the Rhino bonus disc in favor of this completely different version, recorded the same day as "Leave My Kitten Alone." Elvis says he considers this one the best of "three different recordings... in existence," although it is unclear whether the third version is the demo on the Mighty Like A Rose bonus disc or an unheard studio recording.

CRIMES OF PARIS (ELECTRIC VERSION)
Recorded April 7, 1986, this "heavier" version also lacks Cait O'Riordan's harmony vocal.

UNCOMPLICATED (ALTERNATE VERSION)
In contrast to the electric "Crimes Of Paris," this bare-bones "Uncomplicated" from March 6, 1986 lacks the heavier sound of the album version and features a rather plodding bassline.

BATTERED OLD BIRD (ALTERNATE VERSION)
Much faster than the album version, this attempt was recorded March 10, 1986.

ALL THESE THINGS
POURING WATER ON A DROWNING MAN
RUNNING OUT OF FOOLS
TELL ME RIGHT NOW
LONELY BLUE BOY
Elvis says in his liner notes that this "sequence of cover songs may well be one long take" and "was probably a vocal warm-up session where the tapes just happened to be rolling." They were recorded May 13, 1986 at Olympic Studios. "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man" and "Running Out Of Fools" were re-recorded for Kojak Variety, while these versions of "All These Things," "Tell Me Right Now," and "Lonely Blue Boy" are Costello's only officially released versions of these songs.

RYKO REPEATS
SEVEN DAY WEEKEND with Jimmy Cliff
Recorded at Eden Studios at some point during the first half of 1986, this collaboration with Jimmy Cliff was included in the film Club Paradise (co-starring Cliff) and released on that film's soundtrack and as a single before being included on Out Of Our Idiot.

BLUE CHAIR (SINGLE VERSION)
The single version of "Blue Chair" is a completely different recording from the album version, combining an instrumental track (featuring T-Bone Wolk, Mitchell Froom, and Mickey Curry) recorded at Ocean Way Studios during the King Of America sessions in 1985 with a new vocal recorded at Eden Studios in January 1987. Aside from its appearance as a single, it was also included on Out Of Our Idiot.

BABY'S GOT A BRAND NEW HAIRDO
Also dating from the King Of America sessions (August 21, 1985 at Ocean Way) but featuring the Attractions, this was first issued as the B-side of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and also included on Out Of Our Idiot.

AMERICAN WITHOUT TEARS NO. 2 (TWILIGHT VERSION)
 This solo recording from Eden Studios in January 1987 was originally the B-side of "Blue Chair," most notably on the 12-inch single which paired the sequel with the original "American Without Tears." It was also included on Out Of Our Idiot.

WHAT'S MISSING (RELEASED RECORDINGS)
FORGIVE HER ANYTHING (RYKO VERSION)
    [Blood & Chocolate Ryko CD & 1995 Demon CD]
As explained above, this version of "Forgive Her Anything" made its debut on the Ryko Blood & Chocolate but was left off Rhino's version in favor of a different version which Elvis considered superior.

UNCOMPLICATED (ORIGINAL UK CD MIX)
    [Blood & Chocolate UK CD (Demon IMP FIEND 80)]
The original 1986 UK CD release of Blood & Chocolate included a unique (but only marginally different) mix of "Uncomplicated" most notable for lacking the anvil noises after the line "a horse that knows arithmetic." This also appears on Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ & Girls, but all current releases of Blood & Chocolate use the more common mix.

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (LIVE, DUBLIN, MAY 17, 1986)
    [Live For Ireland CD & single LP by various artists]
LEAVE MY KITTEN ALONE (LIVE, DUBLIN, MAY 17, 1986)
    [Live For Ireland double LP by various artists]
Elvis and the Attractions played the "Self-Aid" concert (intended to raise money for Ireland's unemployed) the same day he married Cait O'Riordan. Highlights from the concert were released in both single-LP and double-LP configurations. Oddly, Elvis was represented by a different track on each release. The only CD release of Live For Ireland matches the single-LP lineup.

A TOWN CALLED BIG NOTHING (REALLY BIG NOTHING)
    [A-side of 12-inch single; also on Out Of Our Idiot and Ryko Blood & Chocolate]
The omission of the Ryko version of "Forgive Her Anything" from Rhino's Blood & Chocolate was somewhat understandable, since a different version of the same song was included in its place. The omission of "A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" from the Rhino CD, however, is a bit more puzzling. When asked about it on the "Ask Elvis" section of his website. Elvis answered: "We have tried to make the second CD of each Rhino reissue have a closer relationship to the original album. 'Big Nothing' will appear on a future release." Indeed, it was eventually released on Singles, Vol. 3, although whether that was the future release Elvis had in mind is questionable. The song was written for the film Straight To Hell, recorded at Ocean Way Studios in 1986 (and clearly not 1987, as claimed in the Ryko notes, since the recording was used to open Costello concerts in late 1986), and released under the name The MacManus Gang. In addition to Declan MacManus, the track features Ross MacManus, Cait O'Riordan, Steve Hart (better known as Nieve), Pete Thomas, and a voiceover by Straight To Hell star Sy Richardson. An edited version of the track appears exclusively on the 7-inch single. All CD releases use the longer 12-inch version.

A TOWN CALLED BIG NOTHING (THE LONG MARCH)
    ["A Town Called Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" 12-inch single]
BIG NOTHING
    [Straight To Hell soundtrack album by various artists]
Both of these are alternate mixes of the more common "A Town Called Big Nothing" track. Both lack Sy Richardson's voiceover and feature a shorter intro and a longer outro. "The Long March" still includes Elvis' whispered "big nothing" vocals, while "Big Nothing" omits them. "The Long March" can also be found on Singles, Vol. 3.

RETURN TO BIG NOTHING
    [B-side of "A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)"; also on Ryko Blood & Chocolate]
The companion to "A Town Called Big Nothing (Really Big Nothing)" was an unlisted bonus track on the Ryko release and can be found on Singles, Vol. 3.

SHIP OF FOOLS / IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE ROSES (LIVE, SAN JOSE, APR. 16, 1987)
     [Stolen Roses: Songs Of The Grateful Dead album by various artists]
This slightly lo-fi recording received its first official release on a 2000 compilation of Grateful Dead covers. Although it would fit here chronologically, it seems unlikely that it was ever a serious contender for the Blood & Chocolate bonus disc.

WHAT'S MISSING (UNRELEASED & UNRECORDED)

THE LAST TIME YOU WERE LEAVING ME
This piano-based ballad was played live on two occasions in 1986, but an official recording has yet to surface. When asked about the song on the "Ask Elvis" section of his website in 2002, Elvis said, "Don't believe that I ever did record it. Perhaps I should look at it again."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Some versions of the "Tokyo Storm Warning" single divided the lengthy song into two separate tracks, "Tokyo Storm Warning (Part 1)" and "Tokyo Storm Warning (Part 2)." These are edits rather than mix variations, so they are not listed above. They can be found on Singles, Vol. 3.

The Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ & Girls compilation includes the so-called "single version" of "I Want You," which simply lops off the first minute or so of the song. The actual "I Want You" single includes the album version of the song!


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