January 17, 2008
Details have just surfaced for This Year's Model: Deluxe Edition, coming March 4.

September 9, 2007
My Aim Is True: Deluxe Edition hits US stores Tuesday. That page will remain under construction for at least the next few days.

June 20, 2007
Billboard has the big news about the upcoming 30th anniversary edition of My Aim Is True

March 18, 2007
The Rock And Roll Music compilation includes two unreleased tracks: a demo version of "Welcome To The Working Week" and an alternate of "Honey, Are You Straight Or Are You Blind?"

March 10, 2007
MusicTAP.net reports the latest reissue series (via Universal's Hip-O imprint) will kick off May 1 with the first 11 albums — My Aim Is True, This Years Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, Trust, Almost Blue, Imperial Bedroom, Punch The Clock, Goodbye Cruel World, King Of America, and Blood & Chocolate — plus two new compilations, Rock And Roll Music and The Best Of Elvis Costello The First 10 Years.

Although there are rumors of a newly expanded My Aim Is True, it appears that for the most part the main albums will be reissued without any bonus tracks. More details will be posted here as they become available.

August 2, 2006
Today Universal Music Enterprises, Elvis' current record label, issued a press release announcing the acquisition of Elvis' 1977-1987 catalog and plans for "definitive reissues, box sets, live albums, multiple CD sets, compilations for the company's highly successful branded series and rarities discs as well as limited editions via the award-winning Hip-O Select imprint. DVD collections of music videos and concert/TV performances are also anticipated."

It is unclear whether the "definitive reissues" will be straight reissues of the Rhino CDs or something else entirely. Hopefully details will be coming soon.

March 15, 2006
The Juliet Letters page has been updated throughout. It will almost certainly remain "under construction" until at least March 21.

(Also, the Painted From Memory page received a very minor update: the addition of the "explicit version" of "Who Are These People?")

March 13, 2006
"Sweetest Punch" on the Elvis Costello Fan Forums points out that online retailers now show an April 24 UK release date for The Juliet Letters. The US release date remains March 21.

February 2, 2006
Where can you find a basic list of all the previously released tracks from 1977 to 1997 not included on the Rhino CDs? That's now answered on the Frequently Asked Questions page. (Will we see some of these tracks on an official "mop up" release from Rhino? Or will it merely be a guide to create our own CD-Rs? I wish I knew!)

January 31, 2006
The track listing for The Juliet Letters bonus disc is revealed!

January 26, 2006
Rhino's reissue of The Juliet Letters is scheduled for March 20 in the UK and March 21 in the US. Details will be coming soon.

December 4, 2005
Added a page for When I Was Cruel to the Hypothetical Reissues section. (And thanks to Larry C. for convincing me to add a mention of "I Throw My Toys Around" to the Painted From Memory page.)

November 3, 2005
As we wait for news about The Juliet Letters (still scheduled for 2006), this site is being expanded with a new section, The Hypothetical Reissues. The idea is to catalog the non-album and unreleased material since 1998, meaning after the period covered by the Rhino reissues. So far there is just one album in this section, but the plan is to add to it soon. Feedback regarding this section would be particularly appreciated.

August 31, 2005
Now Billboard is showing the old date of September 27 for the US release of The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos. This should be the final date.

August 25, 2005
The good news: Both Amazon and Deep Discount DVD now show the earlier September 20 US release date for The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos. (Thanks to "snarling pup" at the Elvis Costello Fan Forums.)

The bad news: Rhino's reissue of The Juliet Letters won't be out until 2006.

August 19, 2005
According to Amazon.com, the US release date for The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos, is now September 27. The UK date remains September 5.

July 20, 2005
The Elvis Costello Home Page shows a US release date of September 20 for The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos (two weeks later than previously reported).

July 8, 2005
The DVD The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos will (finally) be released September 5 by Demon in the UK and September 6 by Rhino in the US.

Rhino's expanded version of The Juliet Letters is scheduled for release this fall. Further details are not yet available.

May 28, 2005
Thanks to Phil D. for correcting an error on the King Of America page. "Why Don't We Try Anymore," the song Elvis co-wrote with John Doe, is not entirely unreleased, as it appears in a version by The Knitters on the 1999 album Poor Little Knitter On The Road: A Tribute To The Knitters. Strangely, John Doe is the only credited writer, but it is the same song Elvis did in concert in 1985.

May 22, 2005
Today's New York Times has an interesting article about the Rhino reissues (including a reference to this website!).

The Jewish Journal features a profile of reissue co-producer Gary Stewart. (The Costello content is minimal.)

April 8, 2005 (second update)
Added a mention of the alternate mix of "Little Palaces," which few people seem to have noticed was mistakenly used on the 1995 King Of America reissue.

April 8, 2005
Major "construction" on the King Of America page is pretty much finished.

March 26, 2005
Although it should be considered "under construction" for the next month or so, the King Of America page has been updated throughout.

101cd.com reports that a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl single featuring "Brilliant Mistake" and "True Love Ways" from the King Of America reissue will be released April 18. It is reportedly limited to 2,000 copies. (This may be a UK-only release.)

March 19, 2005
The UK release date for the King Of America reissue is April 25.

February 22, 2005
ICE magazine has spilled the beans about the King Of America reissue, due April 26 in the US. (The article is in ICE's March issue but not on the magazine's website. The text can be found at CostelloNews.com.)

The track listing for the bonus disc, according to ICE: "Having It All," "Suffering Face," "Deportee," "Indoor Fireworks," "I Hope You're Happy Now," "Poisoned Rose," "I'll Wear It Proudly," "Jack of All Parades," "The People's Limousine," "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me," "King of Confidence," "Shoes Without Heels," "End of the Rainbow," "Betrayal," "That's How You Got Killed Before," "The Big Light," "It Tears Me Up," "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," "Your Mind is on Vacation/Your Funeral My Trial," "That's How You Got Killed Before (Reprise)," and "True Love Ways."

Unlike past reissues, which grouped Costello albums into threes, King Of America will be a stand-alone release.

Additional details can be found on the King Of America page.

February 14, 2005
In the tour program available at his recent UK shows, Elvis provides a teaser for the upcoming King Of America reissue. He promises "a definitive edition including a number of previously unreleased outtakes and highlights from an 'Elvis Costello and His Confederates' concert at the Broadway Theatre, New York City. Once again, I have tried to write accompanying notes that may interest those who enjoy this record."

January 25, 2005
The only real news is bad news: The UK release of The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos has been delayed due to unspecified "legal reasons." Although there has been no official confirmation, this is expected to delay the US release as well. (Since Rhino never really publicized the US release in the first place, there is little reason for them to call attention to a delay.)

As for future CD reissues, no new details have surfaced. I'd love to be wrong, but I suspect the next release is still several months away.

November 17, 2004
The DVD The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello — The Videos will be released January 17, 2005 by Demon in the UK and February 15, 2005 by Rhino in the US. Play.com has a detailed listing of what's included. (Note that Play.com is selling the UK version, which will not work on most US and Canadian DVD players.)

The King Of America and The Juliet Letters reissues are expected in 2005, but a more precise release date is not yet available. The previously reported date of February 2005 seems extremely unlikely.

September 5, 2004
Site updates: Confirmed that the version of "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" on The Love Songs Of Burt Bacharach is not a unique mix. (See the My Aim Is True page.) Added "That's What Friends Are For (demo)" to the Armed Forces page. Added several demos ("I'll Wear It Proudly," "Sleep Of The Just," "Blue Chair," "Next Time Round," and "King Of Confidence") to the King Of America page. Corrected a point regarding "Pills And Soap (extended version)" on the Punch The Clock page.

August 8, 2004
It appears the UK release of Kojak Variety will actually happen August 16.

August 3, 2004
The expanded editions of Almost Blue, Goodbye Cruel World, and Kojak Variety are in stores now.

August 1, 2004
Added a few more details to the Almost Blue, Goodbye Cruel World, and Kojak Variety pages, most notably concerning "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" and the live "Sittin' And Thinkin'" on Almost Blue and "Strange" and "Leave My Kitten Alone" on Kojak Variety. Finally added a long overdue comparison of the various mixes of "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" to the My Aim Is True page, which also now has a new quote from Dave Robinson about some early Costello recordings.

July 22, 2004
The new issue of ICE magazine confirms that "Deportee," the missing Goodbye Cruel World bonus track, will be on King Of America instead.

July 16, 2004
Added two new sections: one for Edsel Records' Singles box sets and another for The Unreissues. Also, "You Want Her Too" has been added to the Spike page by popular demand.

July 15, 2004 (second update)
The Kojak Variety page has been updated as well.

July 15, 2004
The Goodbye Cruel World page has been updated throughout. I also corrected an error regarding "The Town Where Time Stood Still" in my review of the new bonus discs.

July 14, 2004 (third update)
A few extremely nitpicky observations about the difference between Rhino and Ryko's presentation of the live tracks from Aberdeen on Almost Blue have been added to that page.

July 14, 2004 (second update)
The Almost Blue page has been updated throughout. The other two will follow within the next day or two.

You can now read my gushing review of all three of the new bonus discs. (This review was originally posted to the costello-l listserv.)

July 14, 2004
The UK release date for Kojak Variety is August 2. Stay tuned for a more extensive update in the near future.

June 17, 2004
It looks like the July 20 release date was short-lived, as Billboard is now reporting a US release date of August 3.

June 15, 2004
Finally! The track listings are revealed!

June 14, 2004
The long wait is nearing an end. It now looks like Almost Blue, Goodbye Cruel World, and Kojak Variety will be released in the US July 20. (Yes, earlier than previously reported! Let's hope that date sticks.)

In the UK, where the reissues are divided between two separate companies, Edsel's versions of Almost Blue and Goodbye Cruel World are scheduled for July 26. The UK date for Rhino's Kojak Variety has not yet been revealed, although it should be at roughly the same time.

March 31, 2004
The Elvis Costello Home Page reports that Almost Blue, Goodbye Cruel World, and Kojak Variety are now scheduled for an August 17 release date.

March 30, 2004
Although Rhino has not announced a new release date for the next set of reissues (Almost Blue, Goodbye Cruel World, and Kojak Variety), it is clear that the previously announced April date is not going to happen. Bonus disc details have not been finalized, but Kojak Variety is reportedly scheduled to include all of the demos Elvis recorded for George Jones in 1992.

The Elvis Costello Home Page reported earlier this month that the set of reissues after the next one will be King Of America, The Juliet Letters (apparently incorporating The Gwendolen Letters as bonus material), and Taking Liberties in February 2005. Since the date is so far in advance, that should probably be considered a tentative plan.

Site updates: Added a mention of solo demos for "Radio Sweetheart," "Living In Paradise," and "Radio Soul" to the My Aim Is True page. Also added a mention of the "Wave A White Flag" guitar intro which can be found on the Rhino My Aim Is True but not the Ryko. Moved "Living A Little, Laughing A Little" (originally on the King Of America page) to the more chronologically appropriate Goodbye Cruel World page.

January 28, 2004
Site updates: Moved "May 17th" (originally on the Brutal Youth page) to the Mighty Like A Rose page and explained why. Added unreleased Flip City songs (all information taken from the Flip City website) to the My Aim Is True page. Added a mention of the unfinished song "World Without End" to the Goodbye Cruel World page. Added a disclaimer about two songs which probably weren't recorded during the Get Happy!! sessions, "Slow Down" and "First I Look At The Purse." Added a mention of the cover sticker to the "Price Of Love" entry on the This Years Model page. Added recording dates for "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" and "Less Than Zero (Dallas version)" to the My Aim Is True page (which should have been there all along!).

December 23, 2003
Billboard.com has confirmed what was previously rumored: The next set of reissues will be Almost Blue, Goodbye Cruel World, and Kojak Variety. (The previous lineup included King Of America instead of Goodbye Cruel World.) They are currently scheduled for release in April 2004.

Site updates: "Mighty Man (home demo)" and "True Love (home demo)" have been added to the Get Happy!! page. A mention of an "Instant Karma!" jam has been added to the listing for "The Bridge I Burned (with 'Pop Life' quotes)" on the All This Useless Beauty page.

December 10, 2003
This website is launched!

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