This, the first album Costello recorded with his long running backup band - the Attractions - is a strong contender for the best recording in a long and varied career. Not as tight or melodic as the classic follow-up Armed Forces, this 1978 album is certainly the dirtiest, punkiest album Costello had ever pulled, and the Attractions are given more space here to roam than in any of the latter, more tightly arranged albums; drummer Pete Thomas is especially wonderful here, adding a savage beat to wonderful, infectious songs like This Year's Girl and Pump It Up.

Elvis's excellent debut, My Aim Is True, signaled the arrival of one of the freshest artists of his time; but This Year's Model makes My Aim Is True sound more like practice for the real thing. This Year's Model indeed shows him to be one of the freshest recording artists of the 70's, and though it's generally labeled as punk rock - and punk's influence is certainly there - it remains fresh today like few punk albums have. Like the Beatles in the psychedelic era, Costello was not an integral part of the punk movement but instead used it to create music that's new and fresh; and This Year's Model is true timeless music, more than a bit thanks to Costello's intelligent, sarcastic lyrics. Songs like This Year's Model and the single Radio, Radio are statements that are powerful today as they were back then.

Each and every song on This Year's Model is a classic, successful singles and undiscovered gems alike; Costello drew immense amounts of depth from songs that are akin to punk in their compactness, tightness and simplicity. In less than three minutes of songs he says more than many other artists can in a forty minute album - and the songs on This Year's Model are as infectious and straightforward as they are deep, intricate and intelligent. From the incredibly short, fast and furious No Action, through dark non-conformist anthems like Lipstick Vogue, Night Rally and Lip Service, to the unbelievably catchy classic Pump It Up with its infectious groove and Dylan-ish lyrics, it's an album that flows by quickly and strongly, not leaving any listener indifferent and making them want a whole lot more.

You get some more with the bonus tracks, which are good, though not entirely essential, and the album actually works better as a whole without them. Other than the essential classic Radio, Radio - which was not part of the original album but is there on all CD versions and makes a perfect ending for the album - there's also Big Tears (the Clash's Mick Jones playing guitar), Running Out of Angels and Crawling to the USA - all good songs, though not quite as good as the original album tracks; also included are acoustic demos of two excellent songs from the Armed Forces LP - Big Boys and Green Shirt. All of the bonus tracks are worth having, but on repeated listening I usually tune out after Radio, Radio.

I was fifteen when this album came out -- I bought it soon after seeing the band perform "Radio Radio" on "Saturday Night Live". Over 22 years ago! Jeez! And this album, along with "Armed Forces" and most of "Get Happy! " are still among my all-time favorite albums. Can any other musical artist equal Elvis Costello's creative period between 1977 and 1979? I doubt it! I also must say something about the Attractions, without a doubt the tightest, most talented backup band in rock history! Especially Bruce Thomas on bass -- what's HE doing with himself lately? "This Year's Model" along with "Armed Forces" still sounds as fresh and innovative now as it did 22+ years ago...just as an aside, I stopped watching the Grammy Awards the year this came out due to the award for "Best New Artist" being given to the one hit wonder band A Taste of Honey rather than EC! What a travesty!

It's almost superfluous to offer a review of this record, Costello's, and one of rock's, finest albums. What, after all, remains to be said? From the furiously headlong beat that would quicken the pulse of a dead man (try driving 55 while "Hand in Hand" through "Lipstick Vogue" play on the car CD) to the direct and forceful writing that hadn't yet been marred by EC's need to out-Porter Cole Porter ("The Beat", "This Year's Girl"), this is the perfect soundtrack for anxious adolescence or, well, anything after. No less so than Beethoven's Fifth, it states its theme squarely at the start and only builds -- dizzyingly and ecstaticly -- from there.

It is unfair to put this inspired work up against all of the "good" albums that get 5 stars on this system.

I happened upon a leftover copy of the Rykodisc re-issue of This Year's Model after it had gone out-of-print one day at Borders. Happy I had found this hard-to-find gem (this was a while before the new 2-CD re-issues), I purchased the album and popped it in my car stereo.
Costello opens the disc proclaiming "I don't wanna kiss you, I don't wanna touch" before the Attractions explode into a fit of pop-punk rage. I was blown away. The production was crisp, rich, and full of unbridled chaotic energy. Even when Costello slows it down on this album ("Little Triggers"), the result is no less energetic or passionate. Other such classics include "Pump It Up," "I Don't Wanna Go To Chelsea," and "This Year's Girl. The Attractions are a much stronger band than Clover, who accompained Costello on My Aim Is True, thus making This Year's Model the stronger album (although My Aim Is True is still classic). The bonus tracks are also nice including the indispensible "Radio, Radio," a biting, vicious attack on radio.
This is essential listening. Please purchase.

This Year's Model is definitive Elvis Costello. It's the hardest rocking of all of his albums, and each song is a triumph of the now venerable songwriter. This album features all the classics: the stream-of-consciousness `Pump it Up'; the brilliant `I Don't Want to Go To Chelsea'; the chilling `Night Rally'; and `Radio Radio'. This album exemplifies how good Elvis can be - it is the best thing he's ever made, and lays the foundations for a lot of the contemporary punk/pop music around today. Perhaps the best feature of This Year's Model is that it's a rock album with brilliant lyrics. Costello is known for his lyricism, and This Year's Model, in my opinion, shows Costello at his lyrical best. Each song is like a poem, in that the lyrics are complex, deep and meaningful. This album is an integral part of any Costello fan's collection, and is also perfect for anyone wanting to get a feel for what his music is like. A must buy.