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My Flame Burns Blue | 
 enlarge | Creators: Marc Scholten, Olof Groesz, Burt / Costello, Elvis Bacharach, Dave Bartholomew, Elvis Costello, Charles Mingus, Billy Strayhorn, Michael Tilson Thomas, Vince Mendoza, Christopher Laurence, Metropole Orchestra, Peter Tiehuis, London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Erskine, Steve Nieve, John Harle, Paul Van Der Feen, Jos Beeren, Leo Janssen, Bart Van Lier
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $3.82
You Save: $15.16 (80%)
New (40) Used (24) Collectible (1) from $3.82
Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 17746
Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 000599472
UPC: 028947759614
EAN: 0028947759614
ASIN: B000E0OF0W
Release Date: February 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Complete with original disc(s), case, and artwork. In stock and ships today!
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Hora Decubitus - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Favourite Hour - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | That's How You Got Killed Before - Elvis Costello, Bartholomew, Dave | | • | Upon a Veil of Midnight Blue - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Clubland - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Almost Blue - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Speak Darkly, My Angel - Elvis Costello, | | • | Almost Ideal Eyes - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Can You Be True? - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Put Away Forbidden Playthings - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Episode of Blonde - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | My Flame Burns Blue (Blood Count) - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis | | • | God Give Me Strength - Elvis Costello, Costello, Elvis |
Disc 2
| • | Suite: Prelude - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Overture - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Puck 1 - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Court - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Workers' Playtime - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Oberon and Titania - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Conspiracy of Oberon and Puck - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Puck 2 - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Identity Parade - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Face of Bottom - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Spark of Love - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Tormentress - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Oberon Humbled - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Twisted - Entangled - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Fairy and The Ass - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: Sleep - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Play - Elvis Costello, | | • | Suite: The Wedding - Elvis Costello, |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Elvis Costello takes the occasion of his first official live release (recorded with the 52-piece Metropole Orkest at The Hague's North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004) to not only recap the various non-rock/pop genres the restless veteran singer-songwriter has explored in recent years, but recast a few of his songbook favorites in striking new musical arrangements as well. The widow of Charles Mingus commissioned Costello to pen lyrics for the rousing revamp of the jazz legend's "Hora Decubitus" that anchors the album, a task he also performs for the bluesy title track, a reworking of Billy Strayhorn's final composition "Blood Count." Elvis wends through such oblique compositional corners as "Favourit! e Hour" and "Upon A Veil of Midnight Blue," a moody song originally written for blues great Charles Brown, but ultimately thoroughly reworked as "I Wonder How She Knows." "Clubland" is charged with savory Latin rhythms, "Almost Blue" recast as autumnal orchestral lament and "Watching the Detectives" re-imagined as jazzy, Bernard Herrmann-esque `50s TV theme. Other standouts include a swinging big band cover of Dave Bartholomew's "That's How You Got Killed Before" and a gorgeous rendition of his first Burt Bacharach collaboration, "God Give Me Strength." The set's bonus disc explores yet another intriguing corner of Costello's contemporary non-pop career via the 45-minute orchestral Il Sogno Suite, music culled from his '04 score for the Aterbaletto dance troupe's Italian production of A Midsummer's Night Dream. --Jerry McCulley
Album Description
Elvis Costello's My Flame Burns Blue is a live album with the legendary Metropole Orkest, a 52-piece jazz orchestra from the Netherlands, recorded in concert at The Hague. A bonus disc offers a 45-minute suite from Il Sogno, Costello's first full-length orchestral work. The album alternates between imaginatively reinvented Costello favorites like "Almost Blue," "Clubland," and "Watching the Detectives" (arranged "in the style of a 1950s television theme"), Costello compositions seeing release for the first time on a Costello album, and unexpected collaborations. "This recording captures a very joyful evening at the North Sea Jazz Festival and collects together songs and arrangements that have been developed over the last decade," writes Costello in his detailed liner notes.For the opening track, "Hora Decubitus," Costello was invited by Charles Mingus's widow, Sue, to contribute lyrics to the jazzman's compositions. This song was completed in the immediate aftermath of September 11. "I could offer nothing more than a simple affirmation of life and rejection of vengeance," writes Costello. For the title track, Costello also wrote lyrics for Billy Strayhorn's final composition, "Blood Count."Other highlights seeing release on a Costello album for the first time include "Speak Darkly, My Angel" and "Upon a Veil of Midnight Blue," which was written for and recorded by West Coast bluesman Charles Brown as "I Wonder How She Knows."Il Sogno was originally commissioned by the Italian Dance Company, Aterbaletto, for their adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Following its premiere in Bologna with the Orchestra del Teatro Communale, the ballet was staged throughout Italy, Germany, France and Russia. Il Sogno was subsequently recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The recording was released in September 2004 by Deutsche Grammophon and stayed at the top of Billboard's Contemporary Classical Charts for fourteen weeks.Il Sogno received rave reviews upon its release. Mark Swed at The Los Angeles Times declared "Costello's sound is surprisingly fresh. His melodies are memorable. The sudden swings into jazz prove pure delight... [The performance is] bursting with life." The Boston Globe's Richard Dyer proclaimed "You'd have to go back to George Gershwin to find a composer-performer undertaking a project as ambitious as Il Sogno... It is full of character and storytelling, and the orchestration is skillful, unusual, and colorful." More Elvis 
Il Sogno, with the London Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas | 
The Juliet Letters, with the Brodsky Quartet | 
Painted from Memory, with Burt Bacharach | 
Imperial Bedroom, with the Attractions | 
King of America | 
The Very Best of Elvis Costello |
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| Customer Reviews:
 'My Flame' flickers (2.5 stars) July 31, 2007
Count Istvan Telecky
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one of Costello's more unique recordings. Perhaps it will grow on me with repeated listenings as has happened recently with 'All This Useless Beauty'. That said, 'My Flame Burns Blue' has proved a challenging listen early on.
Some of my problem with 'Flame' is simply song preference. There are several selections that are among my least favorite Costello songs: 'Clubland', 'Almost Blue' and '...Forbidden Playthings' among them. YECCHH!
The good stuff.....The energized version of 'That's How You Got Killed Before' is a revelation, but nothing else quite approaches that level. 'God Give Me Strength' is pretty faithful to the studio version on 'Painted From Memory' and is sturdy if not spectacular. 'Favourite Hour', 'Almost Ideal Eyes' and 'Episode of Blonde' come off solidly. The version of 'Watching the Detectives' here will likely either amuse or repulse.
Declan is nothing if not experimental. He's certainly that on 'Flame'.
 An undiscovered gem. May 24, 2007
Ray Tracy (Prince George, British Columbia Canada)
I have not been able to get this cd off my player. I hum themes from it constantly.
I Want More.
Anyone who wonders about the amount of production that goes into an Elvis Costello rock record will be astounded by the writing here, the thought, the musicality, and the professionalism of a full-time orchestra that swings. I don't mean that stilted Boston Pops crap, but real honest-to-God chops!
The sound clips here don't do this record justice.
This is absolutely one of his very best recordings and I urge everyone to go out and buy it! You won't be disappointed.
Elvis Costello does jazz! May 13, 2007
Olukayode Balogun (Leeds, England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My love & admiration for the work of Vince Mendoza, and my search for projects he's been involved with have led me in many different directions. Apart from some obvious places like Mendoza's own albums (some of which have been very hard to come by) and albums by the likes of John Abercrombie and Peter Erskine, they've also led me to people I would never have thought of on my own; people like Jane Monheit, Joni Mitchell, Stefano di Battista and Yuri Honing.
But although I'd heard of him, I never in a million years thought this search would lead me to Elvis Costello. I consider my musical tastes to be very eclectic but still, I would never have thought that I'd enjoy listening to an Elvis Costello CD, much less that I would actually own one.
But here we are. This CD of 14 very interesting songs sang in the jazz tradition, was recorded live at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004. Costello is backed by the Metropole Orkest (also known as the Metropole Orchestra), conducted by Vince Mendoza. Mendoza also arranges "That's How You Got Killed Before", "Episode of Blonde" and the title track, which is only 3 of the 14 songs but it's good enough for me. Interestingly, certainly for me, Bill Frisell & Willem Friede also arrange a song here - "Upon A Veil of Midnight Blue".
Costello is no Tony Bennett but he handles the songs with great charm and feeling. This is a singer who believes what he sings and as the listener, I in turn believe him. As I fully expected, the orchestration is sublime and there are some great trumpet, sax, guitar and cello solos. I enjoy the performance just as much as the applauding audience seems to and the more I listen to this CD, the more I find that surprising. Elvis Costello. Who would've thought? Definitely not me. So does this mean I might go on to buy more Elvis Costello CDs? It's difficult to say but it's certainly more likely now than it was before.
The very generous Bonus CD has another 18 songs, excerpts from Costello's Ballet after Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I'm not a Shakespeare fan, a fan of the ballet or a classical music fan per se, but I do enjoy listening to this. Maybe it's because it features people whose work I've become very familiar with over the years. People like Peter Erskine on the drums, John Harle on saxophone, Chris Laurence on double bass, all backed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
All said and done, this is a wonderful CD full of rich and very rewarding music. I'm so glad I bought it.
Long live Elvis Costello! Long live Vince Mendoza!
Is It Elvis(Presley) or Duke Ellington Or both? March 28, 2007
Original Mixed Up-Kid (New York United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Never an artist that can be labelled,EC's life as an expression of the music he makes is royally showcased here in the myriad of styles presented on this very interesting CD presenting so many shades of great music eras GONE BY BUT NOT FORGOTTEN that makes Elvis not only a very interesting musician but a historical personality that leaves the imprint of a man living life to its max.
I have been fortunate to listen to the man from "My Aim Is True" saw the original Attractions more than once, and like him can identify with his changes of tastes recognizing great music for what it is despite the chronology.
For starters, reworking his songs to fit at times Latin tinged,jazzy,classical,Sinatra Bacharach, countryish arrangements and balladry remains bold considering his penchant for his songwriters style as showcased on the rocking sophistry of "Trust" albums like 'Almost Blue"(country),homage to great songwriters (Painted From Memory) even his own development as a mature songwriter (Imperial Bedroom)avant garde classical(Juliet Letters)with his later work & experiments fusing that manic angry young rock and roller of the past nodding to his old Motown love(Get Happy),with the likes of Allen Toussaint in the homage to New Orleans(The River In Reverse)what came before New Orleans was this fine sounding CD paying it's due to great music in all it's manifold stripes with passion and excitement Ala Charles Mingus to the regal elegance of Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn.
Even the CD cover harkens back to Duke's Anatomy Of Murder(Ellington's foray into movie soundtrack), and the presented music with this jazz classical orchestra is something only a Charles Mingus was capable off so highly reminiscent of Mingus is Costello at times that it is refreshing.
An additional nod to Duke in his Shakespearean jaunts through his "Such Sweet Thunder" and major works such as "Black,Brown @ Beige" is apparent in EC as is his general appreciation of these great American jazz and big band artists in his unmistakable UK sublteties.
Such is the case of the bonus CD "Il Sogno" Suite, resembling again Duke's "Such Sweet Thunder" in theme but is pretty classical.
If any comparison can be made ,what comes to my mind stylistically and thematically are Joe Jackson albums notably(The album duplicating that early Sonny Rollins album cover) 'Body&Soul' pretty sophisticated stuff for the time,and Jackson's reworking of swing and big band for a young unsophisticated punk rock audience of the day with "Jumpin Jive".
New Orleans Dr.John the night tripper, whose involvment with great cover albums and homages to Ellington and Toussaint comes to mind as well.
EC made the grade with this one and is in good company.
I would love to hear EC do a Count Basie album with some Satchmo and King Oliver thrown in for good measure.
This man does it all January 29, 2007
Pete C. (Asheville, NC USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Elvis as a crooner? Oh yes. He pulls it off. I saw the tour for this release at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. It only supported my faith in this album. I am up for anything different and when I heard of this I couldn't resist. It holds up.
"HORA DECUBITIS" & "GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH" are the openers and closers for this disc. They are the 2 standouts on the disc and let me tell you, all else in between makes the perfect sandwich. You chew, disolve and are left with a pleasant taste in your mouth.
When I saw Costello perform in Atlanta, I was blown away by his voice. He came out for an encore and didn't even use a mic. He gave an incredible performance, and he did the same for this CD performance at NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL.
All in all, if you are a fan, or a newcomer, this man does not dissapoint on this. Costello is all over the place in the musical circles, but he remains stedfast on this release. He delivers!
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