Elvis Costello

Though it spawned no big hits, Trust is a favorite of the die-hard Elvis Costello fans, since it captured him at a moment when his writing was inventive and unpredictable while the Attractions were a versatile, muscular group. After Trust and his Nashville detour, Almost Blue, Elvis delved into the unapologetic baroque ambitions of Imperial Bedroom, augmenting his band with endless studio musicians and abandoning longtime producer Nick Lowe (appropriately known as "Basher," for his knack for recording simply and quickly). So, Trust is the last of the classic Attractions-era albums, showcasing both the leader and his band at their best. Upon its first "definitive" CD reissue -- not the original Columbia issue, but the 1994 Rykodisc/Demon reissue -- the album was expanded by nine tracks. Here, on a double-disc reissue by Rhino/Demon, all but one of those tracks carry over (the one stray is "Seconds of Pleasure," which was added to Imperial Bedroom but also can be found in various versions on many other double-disc sets), and they remain the most interesting part of the bonus material, since they contain full-fledged outtakes and B-sides, including the excellent "Sad About Girls," "Black Sails in the Sunset," "Big Sister," and "Twenty-Five to Twelve," which would later morph into "Seconds of Pleasure." Of the new bonus tracks, the most noteworthy may be a previously unreleased cover of Larry Williams' "Slow Down," which is given a fairly raucous performance (although it isn't a patch on the Jam's very similar cover), since the rest of the record is devoted to alternate versions of songs from Trust (as well as three B-sides/outtakes, and an instrumental piano demo of "The Long Honeymoon"), all of them rightly rejected for being too stiff. They're worthwhile as curiosities, but they don't make for a bonus disc as consistently enjoyable as Get Happy!!'s, where the alternate takes are often very different, and always have energy in their favor. After the excellence of Trust and the previously released bonus tracks, this new bonus disc is a bit of a letdown, but the album remains necessary for any Costello collection, and this loving repackage, including great new notes from Declan himself, makes it worthwhile for most Costello connoisseurs. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi