Brutal Youth

Brutal Youth is an album by Elvis Costello, released in 1994.[11][12] This album contains the first recordings Costello made with his band the Attractions since Blood and Chocolate (1986). About half the album features a band consisting of Costello (guitar), Steve Nieve (keyboards) and Pete Thomas (drums) with Nick Lowe (not a member of the Attractions) on bass. Costello himself plays bass on two tracks (2 and 8), and the complete Attractions line-up (Nieve, Pete Thomas and Bruce Thomas on bass) appears with Costello on tracks 3, 4, 6, 9 and 10.

Brutal Youth
Studio album by Elvis Costello
Released	8 March 1994
Recorded	7 December 1992 – 7 February 1994, The Sound Factory, Hollywood, California, United States
Genre	Alternative rock, punk rock, power pop
Length	56:55
Label	Warner Bros. Rhino (3 August 1994 Reissue)
Producer	Mitchell Froom
Elvis Costello chronology
Live at the El Mocambo (1993) Brutal Youth (1994) The Very Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions 1977-86 (1994)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Blender	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
NME	9/10[6]
Q	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Uncut	[9]
Vox	8/10[10]

Brutal Youth was the third, and most recent of Costello's albums, to peak at number two in the UK Albums Chart, following on from Armed Forces (1979) and Get Happy!! (1980).[13]

It was among the six Costello albums featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote: "Throughout, deft instrumental touches, superb singing and the easy confidence of a still-competitive athlete returning to the scene of his greatest triumph make this another effortless win."[14] In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll for the year's best albums, Brutal Youth finished at #31.[15]

Track listing

All songs by Declan MacManus unless otherwise indicated.

1. "Pony St." – 3:25
2. "Kinder Murder" – 3:25
3. "13 Steps Lead Down" – 3:16
4. "This Is Hell" – 4:27
5. "Clown Strike" – 4:05
6. "You Tripped at Every Step" – 4:12
7. "Still Too Soon to Know" – 2:19
8. "20% Amnesia" – 3:26
9. "Sulky Girl" – 5:07
10. "London's Brilliant Parade" – 4:23
11. "My Science Fiction Twin" – 4:10
12. "Rocking Horse Road" – 4:03
13. "Just About Glad" – 3:14
14. "All the Rage" – 3:52
15. "Favourite Hour" – 3:31

Bonus disc (2002 Rhino)

1. "Life Shrinks" – 3:37
2. "Favourite Hour" (Church Studios Version) – 3:32
3. "This Is Hell" (Church Studios Version) – 4:10
4. "Idiophone" – 1:58
5. "Abandon Words" – 2:55
6. "Poisoned Letter" – 3:48
7. "A Drunken Man's Praise of Sobriety" (MacManus, William Butler Yeats) – 1:08
8. "Pony St." (Bonaparte Rooms Version) – 3:36
9. "Just About Glad" (Bonaparte Rooms Version) – 3:41
10. "Clown Strike" (Bonaparte Rooms Version) – 4:19
11. "Rocking Horse Road" (Demo) – 3:18
12. "13 Steps Lead Down" (Demo) – 2:07
13. "All the Rage" (Demo) – 3:38
14. "Sulky Girl" (Demo) – 4:31
15. "You Tripped at Every Step" (Church Studios Version) – 3:25

B-sides (available on the 13 Steps Lead Down EP)

1. "We Despise You"
2. "Basement Kiss"
3. "Puppet Girl"

"London's Brilliant Parade (EP)"

• "London's Brilliant Parade"
• "Sweet Dreams"
• "The Loved Ones"
• "From Head to Toe"[13]

Personnel

• Elvis Costello – guitar, vocals, piano; bass on 2 and 8

The Attractions

• Steve Nieve – organ, piano, harmonium
• Bruce Thomas – bass on 3, 4, 6, 9 and 10 only
• Pete Thomas – drums, percussion

with:

• Nick Lowe – bass on 1, 5, 7, 11-14

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1994	Billboard 200	34
1994	UK Albums Chart	2

Singles and EP

Year	Song	Chart	Position
1994	"13 Steps Lead Down"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	6
1994	"13 Steps Lead Down"	UK Singles Chart[13]	59
1994	"Sulky Girl"	UK Singles Chart[13]	22
1994	"London's Brilliant Parade (EP)"	UK Singles Chart[13]	48

Cultural depictions

Elvis Costello appeared on "People's Choice", a 1994 episode of The Larry Sanders Show, playing himself and promoting Brutal Youth; he and the Attractions play a live version of "13 Steps Lead Down."[16][17]

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Brutal Youth – Elvis Costello". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
2. Wolk, Douglas (March 2005). "Elvis Costello: Brutal Youth". Blender. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
3. Kot, Greg (6 March 1994). "Three Discs Worth Waiting For". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
4. Browne, David (18 March 1994). "Brutal Youth". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
5. Willman, Chris (6 March 1994). "Elvis Costello 'Brutal Youth' Warner Bros". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
6. Quantick, David (5 March 1994). "Brutal Recall". NME.
7. Maconie, Stuart (April 1994). "Reassuring". Q. No. 91. p. 104.
8. O'Connor, Rob (24 March 1994). "Brutal Youth". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
9. Roberts, Chris (April 2002). "Sweet Nerd of Youth". Uncut. No. 59.
10. Humphries, Patrick (March 1994). "Elvis Costello: Brutal Youth". Vox. No. 42.
11. Tucker, Ken (13 March 1994). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Elvis Costello, a Shrewd Pop Pro Pushing 40". Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
12. "DeLorean: Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth (1994)". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
13. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 122–3. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
14. "Elvis Costello". Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
15. "The 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 28 February 1995. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
16. Ryan, Kyle. "The Larry Sanders Show: "People's Choice"/"Hank's Night In The Sun"". TV Club. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
17. Pollock, Bruce (18 March 2014). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. ISBN 9781135462963. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020 – via Google Books.