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Watching the Detectives

The Attractions were a seriously good band. It’s amusing comparing the first and second Elvis Costello albums, the debut (backed by an uncredited Clover) is just not there compared to This Years Model with The Attractions. That and the next few are superb.

PS This thread prompted me to have yet another eBay search for the free single for This Years Model to complete my first press. Finally got what looks like a nice one. Over-paid for it, but it’s not an easy find if you want really decent condition vinyl and sleeve (my album is NM). Another one off the list (assuming the grading was accurate)…
 
Tony L said:
The Attractions were a seriously good band. It’s amusing comparing the first and second Elvis Costello albums, the debut (backed by an uncredited Clover) is just not there compared to This Years Model with The Attractions. That and the next few are superb.
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I agree and they were going to redo the first album with the attractions (Stiff style) and I think they recorded it but rightly they moved on. Nevertheless, we wouldn't have Alison without John McFee and they met up again on Almost Blue.
 
It’s actually Steve Goulding and Andrew Bodnar from The Rumour on Watching The Detectives. Recorded just before The Attractions formed. Steve Naive added keyboards later.
 
Tony L said:
The Attractions were a seriously good band. It’s amusing comparing the first and second Elvis Costello albums, the debut (backed by an uncredited Clover) is just not there compared to This Years Model with The Attractions. That and the next few are superb.

PS This thread prompted me to have yet another eBay search for the free single for This Years Model to complete my first press. Finally got what looks like a nice one. Over-paid for it, but it’s not an easy find if you want really decent condition vinyl and sleeve (my album is NM). Another one off the list (assuming the grading was accurate)…
Click to expand...
Back in the day I rang the telephone number on the dead wax and got sent a bunch of freebies from Radar…badges, postcards and the like. Great fun!
 
As I'm amongst friends, can I confess that I've always preferred My Aim is True to This Year's Model. I bought all the early Costello's on release but MAIT remains my favorite. The attractions were awesome through. I saw them a few times early on, the first time in The Nashville rooms just after My Aim Is True and I think just after the Watching the Detectives single was released. They were, rather bizarrely, supported by The Pop Group and The Soft Boys. You got some great, bills back in those days. Graham Parker and the Rumour supported by Pere Ubu was another.

Is there a live recording of that tour when The Attractions played the MAIT songs?? There were some on the Live Stiff's Live record.

I have the 7 inch from both This Year's Model and Armed Forces, both in a decent nick. Are they worth a bit? I'll let Mrs KJB know - I keep telling her I can't sell my records so, once I've pegged it, she can use the proceeds to pay for my funeral! I keep her briefed on the most valuable!
 
RickyC6 said:
Back in the day I rang the telephone number on the dead wax and got sent a bunch of freebies from Radar…badges, postcards and the like. Great fun!
Click to expand...

Cool! Have you still got them? The suggestion on Discogs is most people got a 10x8” photo with printed sig. I never bought it at the time. So little money as a teenager! I found my copy a couple of years later. I think my first EC album was actually Armed Forces. I had to buy the single later for that one too as for some reason I never got one despite having the fold-out sleeve and cards! I’ve done this other times too, e.g. Echo & The Bunnymen Crocodiles. I have a feeling the local shop pinched them, though I got the one with OMD’s Organisation! Some times I go too far, e.g. for some reason I have the one-sided Submission 7”, and that doesn’t actually belong with my ‘plain pink-back’ NMTB!
 
...so I had to look up who the rhythm section were on the track, turns out it was the drummer and bassist from The Rumour. @RickyC6 beat me to it.
 
Tony L said:
Cool! Have you still got them? The suggestion on Discogs is most people got a 10x8” photo with printed sig. I never bought it at the time. So little money as a teenager! I found my copy a couple of years later. I think my first EC album was actually Armed Forces. I had to buy the single later for that one too as for some reason I never got one despite having the fold-out sleeve and cards! I’ve done this other times too, e.g. Echo & The Bunnymen Crocodiles. I have a feeling the local shop pinched them, though I got the one with OMD’s Organisation! Some times I go too far, e.g. for some reason I have the one-sided Submission 7”, and that doesn’t actually belong with my ‘plain pink-back’ NMTB!
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I’ve definitely got the badge. The other bits will be somewhere! Stiff and Radar were great for that free promo stuff.
 
kjb said:
As I'm amongst friends, can I confess that I've always preferred My Aim is True to This Year's Model. I bought all the early Costello's on release but MAIT remains my favorite. The attractions were awesome through. I saw them a few times early on, the first time in The Nashville rooms just after My Aim Is True and I think just after the Watching the Detectives single was released. They were, rather bizarrely, supported by The Pop Group and The Soft Boys. You got some great, bills back in those days. Graham Parker and the Rumour supported by Pere Ubu was another.

Is there a live recording of that tour when The Attractions played the MAIT songs?? There were some on the Live Stiff's Live record.

I have the 7 inch from both This Year's Model and Armed Forces, both in a decent nick. Are they worth a bit? I'll let Mrs KJB know - I keep telling her I can't sell my records so, once I've pegged it, she can use the proceeds to pay for my funeral! I keep her briefed on the most valuable!
Click to expand...
There’s definitely official live stuff from that period. Probs in amongst the many reissues. I’ll check…
 
Just had a listen via Qobuz - sounds fabulous!

I think, from Googling tour dates, the show I went to was just a little later that year - maybe Christmas Eve? Nearly 50 years ago but seems like only 25 :D
 
This is from the original master tapes with new Spanish vocals

UMe – 00602438261451. CD, 2021.

MDQtMjE3OS5qcGVn.jpeg
 
Ninety4degrees said:
Great tune but, I hadn't listened to it in years...I had to play it 3 times; just could not get over how great the rhythm section sounds on that track. Brilliant.
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I went to see him at Birmingham Symphony Hall a few years back with his roulette request wheel thing and French go go dancers - the sound was sublime. Towards the end he did a 13 minute voodoo dub version of 'Watching the Detectives' whilst roaming around the audience - suffice to say it has been etched in the memory as one of the best versions I've heard of the track, totally building on the rhythmic foundation of the original track.
 
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