Taking Liberties
| Taking Liberties | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The negative was reversed for this image of Costello in a phone booth. | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | November 1980 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1977–80 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 50:43 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producers |
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| Elvis Costello chronology | ||||
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Taking Liberties is a compilation album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, consisting of tracks not previously released on his albums as released in the United States. It is largely made up of B-sides, and also features three previously unreleased recordings.
The album was released only in the US and Canada; its track listing is very similar to that of the UK release Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers. The differences are that on the latter, the tracks "Night Rally", "Sunday's Best" and "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" are replaced by "Watching the Detectives", "Radio, Radio" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding".
The sleeve note by Gregg Geller is very nearly a direct lift from the 1958 album A Gene Vincent Record Date, with Costello's name substituted for Vincent's, and song titles being substituted as appropriate.
The LP version features nostalgic Columbia labels. The legend on the Side One label reads "COSTELLO" instead of "COLUMBIA", in a similar fashion to This Year's Model.
Critical reception
Record World said that the inclusion of previously unreleased material made Taking Liberties "the ideal way to complete any Elvis collection." Billboard praised the presence of Costello's backing band The Attractions on this release, saying that they were "always economical and just to the point." Cashbox called Taking Liberties "better than most artists' greatest hits packages."
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Robert Christgau | (B) link |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Elvis Costello, except "Getting Mighty Crowded" by Van McCoy and "My Funny Valentine" by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Clean Money" | previously unreleased | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Girls Talk" | B-side of "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down", 1980 | 1:56 |
| 3. | "Talking in the Dark" | single, 1978 | 1:56 |
| 4. | "Radio Sweetheart" | B-side of "Less Than Zero", 1977 | 2:28 |
| 5. | "Black and White World" (demo) | previously unreleased | 1:51 |
| 6. | "Big Tears" | B-side of "Pump It Up", 1978 | 3:10 |
| 7. | "Just a Memory" | B-side of "New Amsterdam", 1980 | 2:14 |
| 8. | "Night Rally" | This Year's Model (UK), 1978 | 2:40 |
| 9. | "Stranger in the House" | This Year's Model pack-in single, 1978 | 3:01 |
| 10. | "Clowntime Is Over No. 2" | B-side of "High Fidelity", 1980 | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 24:51 | ||
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Getting Mighty Crowded" | B-side of "High Fidelity" | 2:05 |
| 2. | "Hoover Factory" | previously unreleased | 1:43 |
| 3. | "Tiny Steps" | B-side of "Radio Radio", 1978 | 2:42 |
| 4. | "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" | This Year's Model (UK) | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Dr Luther's Assistant" | B-side to "New Amsterdam" | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Sunday's Best" | Armed Forces (UK), 1979 | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Crawling to the U.S.A." | from Americathon (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 1979 | 2:52 |
| 8. | "Wednesday Week" | B-side of "Talking in the Dark" | 2:02 |
| 9. | "My Funny Valentine" | B-side of "Oliver's Army", 1979 | 1:25 |
| 10. | "Ghost Train" | B-side of "New Amsterdam" | 3:05 |
| Total length: | 25:52 | ||
Personnel
- Elvis Costello – vocals, guitar, keyboards; all instruments on "Black and White World", "Hoover Factory", "My Funny Valentine" and "Ghost Train"
- The Attractions
- Steve Nieve – keyboards on all tracks except "Radio Sweetheart", "Black and White World", "Hoover Factory", "Dr. Luther's Assistant", "My Funny Valentine", "Ghost Train" and "Stranger in the House"
- Bruce Thomas – bass on all tracks except "Radio Sweetheart", "Black and White World", "Just A Memory", "Hoover Factory", "Dr. Luther's Assistant", "My Funny Valentine", "Ghost Train" and "Stranger in the House"
- Pete Thomas – drums on all tracks except "Radio Sweetheart", "Black and White World", "Just A Memory", "Hoover Factory", "My Funny Valentine", "Ghost Train" and "Stranger in the House"
- Additional personnel
- Dave Edmunds – backing vocal on "Clean Money"
- John McFee (Clover) – guitar on "Radio Sweetheart" and "Stranger in the House"
- Nick Lowe – bass on "Radio Sweetheart"
- Mickey Shine (Clover) – drums on "Radio Sweetheart" and "Stranger in the House"
- Mick Jones – lead guitar on "Big Tears"
- Sean Hopper (Clover) – keyboards on "Stranger in the House"
- Johnny Ciambotti (Clover) – bass on "Stranger in the House"
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | US Billboard Top LPs & Tape | 28 |
References
- 1 2 Debra Rae Cohen (11 December 1980). "Taking Liberties". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ "Elvis Costello | Songs, Wife, Albums, & Oliver's Army | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- 1 2 "Review: Elvis Costello – Taking Liberties" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 40. 4 October 1980. p. 108. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- ↑ "Hits of the Week | Albums" (PDF). Record World. 4 October 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. 29 September 2026. p. 11. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "Taking Liberties – Elvis Costello". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Costello, Elvis". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ↑ "Elvis Costello Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
External links
- Taking Liberties at Discogs (list of releases)
