GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD

ORIGINAL ALBUM (44:24)
  1. The Only Flame In Town (4:01)
  2. Home Truth (3:11)
  3. Room With No Number (4:13)
  4. Inch By Inch (2:28)
  5. Worthless Thing (3:03)
  6. Love Field (3:30)
  7. I Wanna Be Loved (4:47)
  8. The Comedians (2:32)
  9. Joe Porterhouse (3:29)
  10. Sour Milk-Cow Blues (2:50)
  11. The Great Unknown (2:59)
  12. The Deportees Club (2:53)
  13. Peace In Our Time (4:08)
BONUS DISC (79:49)
  1. The Only Flame In Town (alternate version) (4:04)
  2. Young Boy Blues (demo) (3:27)
  3. Turning The Town Red (3:17)
  4. I Hope You're Happy Now (2:51)
  5. Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) with Madness (2:51)
  6. Get Yourself Another Fool (4:02)
  7. Baby It's You with Nick Lowe (3:10)
  8. I Wanna Be Loved (demo) (3:21)
  9. The Great Unknown (demo) (2:34)
  10. She Loves The Jerk (demo) (3:09)
  11. Turning The Town Red (demo) (3:36)
  12. Peace In Our Time (demo) (3:29)
  13. Withered And Died (3:12)
  14. The Comedians (demo) (2:24)
  15. Inch By Inch (demo) (2:10)
  16. Mystery Voice (demo) (2:23)
  17. Joe Porterhouse (demo) (3:19)
  18. The Town Where Time Stood Still (demo) (2:15)
  19. Blue Murder On Union Avenue (demo) (2:30)
  20. Home Truth (demo) (3:04)
  21. The Only Flame In Town (live) (4:12)
  22. Worthless Thing (live) (3:10)
  23. Sleepless Nights (live) (2:40)
  24. What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend (live) (2:10)
  25. Motel Matches (live) (2:39)
  26. Love Field (live) (3:21)
Goodbye Cruel World was recorded at SARM West Studios in February 1984. Its longstanding reputation as Costello's "worst album" may have the beneficial effect of making reissue producers feel like they have something to prove. Ryko's 1995 reissue was impressive, with its 10 bonus tracks (six previously unreleased) filling the disc to capacity.

In fact, the original plan was even more ambitious. At one point it was to include a second disc entitled Hello Cruel World which was to feature highlights from Elvis' first solo tour. Eventually these plans were scaled back, and only four live tracks were included on the final release. Since no real details have surfaced about just what would have been on Hello Cruel World, it is difficult to speculate about what was lost. The relatively skimpy six tracks on Live On Broadway, 1986, the bonus disc included with Ryko's King Of America, suggest that Hello Cruel World could also have been more of a "bonus EP" rather than anything resembling the album-length bonus discs typical of Rhino's reissue program.

Although Rhino's bonus disc adds two more live tracks, for the most part it goes in a different direction, delving heavily into demos. At just shy of 80 minutes, Rhino's bonus disc is the longest yet and features alternates of most of the Goodbye Cruel World songs, all of them free of the cluttered production of their album incarnations. It also adds two studio outtakes from the period and a collaboration with Madness previously available only on vinyl. One track from the Ryko CD, "Deportee," is missing from the new release, although an alternate version of the song can be found on Rhino's King Of America bonus disc.

WHAT'S NEW
THE ONLY FLAME IN TOWN (ALTERNATE VERSION)
This previously unheard outtake from the Goodbye Cruel World sessions is a full-band arrangement of the song in ballad form.

YOUNG BOY BLUES (DEMO)
"Young Boy Blues" is a Doc Pomus/Phil Spector composition best known in a version by Ben E. King, but Elvis' version is based on a cover version by the Black Sorrows. It was recorded at the same session as "Get Yourself Another Fool" and the earliest version of "I Hope You're Happy Now." Although identified as a demo, it features the full band and sounds pretty much finished. Elvis calls it a "warm up song" in the liner notes.

I WANNA BE LOVED (DEMO)
THE GREAT UNKNOWN (DEMO)
SHE LOVES THE JERK (DEMO)
TURNING THE TOWN RED (DEMO)
PEACE IN OUR TIME (DEMO)
This series of solo demos was recorded at Eden Studios in December 1983. Elvis accompanies himself on piano for "I Wanna Be Loved" and guitar for the others. These songs were all featured in Elvis' few concert appearances the same month, with all but "I Wanna Be Loved" played in similar solo arrangements. "She Loves The Jerk" is a John Hiatt cover. "Turning The Town Red" is an early version of the song with significant differences in both lyrics and melody.

THE COMEDIANS (DEMO)
INCH BY INCH (DEMO)
MYSTERY VOICE (DEMO)
JOE PORTERHOUSE (DEMO)
THE TOWN WHERE TIME STOOD STILL (DEMO)
BLUE MURDER ON UNION AVENUE (DEMO)
HOME TRUTH (DEMO)
The track notes do not identify a recording location, but these demos were probably recorded either at home or in the Demon Records office where many of the Goodbye Cruel World songs were written. Elvis accompanies himself on guitar on all songs, with "The Comedians" also featuring a piano overdub and "Inch By Inch" having multi-tracked vocals. "The Comedians" is performed as it was in its December 27, 1982 concert debut: in its original time signature and with slightly different lyrics. (It should probably go without saying that this is completely different from the demo on the All This Useless Beauty bonus disc.) "The Town Where Time Stood Still" has been condensed considerably compared to either of the earlier versions. "Blue Murder On Union Avenue" is essentially an early version of "Worthless Thing" with a different chorus and some different lyrics. "Mystery Voice" includes elements which were later used in two different songs on Goodbye Cruel World: "Room With No Number" and "Worthless Thing."

WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT YOU IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND (LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, APR. 28, 1984)
LOVE FIELD (LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, APR. 28, 1984)
 The Ryko CD had included four songs from this solo concert. Rhino adds two more. The cover of "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" is unusual in that it was actually performed a few months prior to the release of the original version by The Special A.K.A. Elvis presumably had the chance to hear the song in advance while producing a different track for their album.

WHAT'S OLD (BUT NOT ON THE RYKO CD)
TOMORROW'S (JUST ANOTHER DAY) with Madness
Elvis is the lead vocalist on one of two versions of "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" included on Madness' February 1983 12-inch single. When asked about this track in a 1995 online chat, Elvis responded that it was a Madness track, and it was up to them to re-release it. Despite the release of several Madness compilations in recent years, "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" remained exclusive to that 12-inch single until it finally appeared on the Goodbye Cruel World bonus disc in 2004. This is a slightly strange place for it to end up, since it was recorded either during or slightly before the sessions for Punch The Clock and would seemingly be more appropriate for that bonus disc. That said, the lyrics share some thematic similarities with the Goodbye Cruel World songs.

RYKO REPEATS
TURNING THE TOWN RED
This song was written especially for the television series Scully and recorded during the Goodbye Cruel World sessions with vocal and guitar overdubs done at AIR Studios. It was first issued as the B-side of "I Wanna Be Loved" and later included on Out Of Our Idiot and the cassette version of Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ & Girls.

I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW
 This version of "I Hope You're Happy Now" was recorded at Eden Studios in October 1984 during the Goodbye Cruel World tour and released for the first time on the Ryko CD. Originally intended as a non-album single, it was ultimately shelved, with Elvis attempting the song again for his next two albums.

GET YOURSELF ANOTHER FOOL
Although Rhino's track notes identify this as a 1985 recording, this appears to be an error carried over from the Ryko edition. "Get Yourself Another Fool" was most likely recorded at the same October 1984 session as "Young Boy Blues" and "I Hope You're Happy Now." It was first released on the 12-inch single for "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and was also the B-side of "Lovable" in the US and included on Out Of Our Idiot prior to the Ryko CD. "Get Yourself Another Fool" has been released in three unique mixes (described in detail in the "what's missing" section below). Rhino has chosen the original single mix, which has very heavy reverb on the vocals and includes the three-note guitar intro but does not include the slightly longer ending. This is the first CD appearance of this mix.

BABY IT'S YOU with Nick Lowe
At the suggestion of Columbia Records, Elvis and Nick recorded this duet at Am-Pro Studios during sessions for the album Nick Lowe And His Cowboy Outfit in May 1984. According to the Ryko liner notes, the original plan was to promote their joint US tour by releasing a promo-only 12-inch single which would include the duet along with Elvis and Nick's own current singles, but the plan changed when Columbia feared the track would draw attention away from the official singles. Instead it was hidden away as the bonus song on the the 12-inch singles for Nick's "L.A.F.S." in the UK and Elvis' "The Only Flame In Town" in the US. It was later included on Out Of Our Idiot and Nick's The Doings box set.

WITHERED AND DIED
Originally the B-side of "Peace In Our Time" and also included on Out Of Our Idiot, this had been an unlisted bonus track on the Ryko CD. It was recorded at Riverside Studio toward the beginning of 1984.

THE ONLY FLAME IN TOWN (LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, APR. 28, 1984)
WORTHLESS THING (LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, APR. 28, 1984)
 SLEEPLESS NIGHTS (LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, APR. 28, 1984)
 MOTEL MATCHES (LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO, APR. 28, 1984)
These live tracks from Elvis' first solo tour were released for the first time on the Ryko CD. "Sleepless Nights" includes a previously unheard spoken introduction on the Rhino bonus disc.

WHAT'S MISSING (RELEASED RECORDINGS)

I WANNA BE LOVED (EXTENDED SMOOCH 'N' RUNNY VERSION)
    ["I Wanna Be Loved" 12-inch single (F-Beat XX35T)]
I WANNA BE LOVED (VERSION DISCOTHEQUE)
    ["I Wanna Be Loved" 12-inch single (F-Beat XX35Z)]
Not surprisingly, the 12-inch remixes from the Goodbye Cruel World period are excluded from the bonus disc. The two variations on "I Wanna Be Loved" are completely different from each other and can be found on Singles, Volume 3. The 12-inch singles also included "I Wanna Be Loved (radio version)," which is simply the album version faded about a minute early. This is not included on Singles, Volume 3, but it can be found on CD on the 1985 Columbia release The Best Of Elvis Costello And The Attractions (although that release gets it slightly wrong by fading in on the first note, while the vinyl version opens at full volume).

THE ONLY FLAME IN TOWN (VERSION DISCOTHEQUE)
    ["The Only Flame In Town" 12-inch single]
Also excluded from the bonus disc but available on Singles, Volume 3, this same remix was given the alternate parenthetical title "special mix" in the US.

DEPORTEE (RYKO VERSION)
    [Goodbye Cruel World Ryko CD & 1995 Demon CD]
This version of "Deportee" was recorded April 15, 1985 at Red Bus Studios and appeared as a bonus track on Ryko's Goodbye Cruel World reissue in 1995. When the track failed to appear on Rhino's 2004 version of that title, it was announced that it would be used on the 2005 King Of America reissue instead. However, that bonus disc unexpectedly substituted a very similar alternate performance recorded July 21, 1985 at Ocean Way. As a result, the Red Bus version remains exclusive to the Ryko/Demon Goodbye Cruel World.

GET YOURSELF ANOTHER FOOL (OUT OF OUR IDIOT MIX)
    [Out Of Our Idiot LP & CD]
GET YOURSELF ANOTHER FOOL (RYKO MIX)
    [Goodbye Cruel World Ryko CD & 1995 Demon CD; also on Singles, Volume 3]
Three unique mixes of "Get Yourself Another Fool" are available. The original singles begin with a three-note guitar intro, end with a fadeout, and include very heavy reverb on the vocals. The Out Of Our Idiot version retains the intro and the fadeout, but has only minimal reverb on the vocals. The Ryko Goodbye Cruel World lacks the intro, includes a previously unheard full ending, and features a bit more reverb than Out Of Our Idiot but still far less than the single version. Singles, Volume 3 should have used the single mix but used the Ryko mix instead. The single mix makes its first CD appearance on Rhino's Goodbye Cruel World bonus disc.

LIVING A LITTLE, LAUGHING A LITTLE with John Hiatt
    [Warming Up To The Ice Age album by John Hiatt]
Arguably more of a guest appearance than a Costello performance, this recording from July 1984 was also released as a single and included on the Hiatt "best of" collecting Living A Little, Laughing A Little 1974-85.

WHAT'S MISSING (UNRELEASED & UNRECORDED)

LIFEBOAT
Elvis performed this song in concert just once (December 22, 1983) but apparently abandoned it quickly, with one line of its lyrics turning up in "Worthless Thing" soon after. It is unclear whether it exists in any form other than the audience tape of its one live performance.

(I LOVE YOU) WHEN YOU SLEEP
This Costello original was released in a version by singer Tracie in 1984. Elvis reused much of the lyrics and melody in "Joe Porterhouse." It seems likely that Elvis' own version existed in demo form at least once upon a time.

WORLD WITHOUT END
This song has never been heard publicly, and it remains unclear whether it was ever recorded in any form. Elvis mentions it as an "unfinished song of mine" in his liner notes for Ryko's Goodbye Cruel World. Its melody is played by trombonist Jim Paterson at the end of "Peace In Our Time."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Elvis writes intriguingly in the Ryko liner notes about spending the first two weeks of the Goodbye Cruel World sessions playing live with the band while fighting his producers' attempts to add their sound to the songs. It may be that little is considered salvageable from these initial sessions, since Elvis describes them as "tense and fairly unproductive," and only one unheard outtake (an alternate "The Only Flame In Town") from the album sessions appears on the bonus disc. Nevertheless, it seems possible that there is more of interest still in the vaults.

Other songs obviously exist from the April 28, 1984 solo concert. In addition to rearranged Costello originals, these include several covers which Elvis has never otherwise recorded: "Somebody's Back In Town," "Yes It Is," "I'll Make It Up To You," and "A Smiling Shore." The April 26 concert was reportedly also professionally recorded.


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