Born in 1942, Colin Fulcher was better known – though not by much – as Barney Bubbles, who worked prolifically from the 1960s until his suicide in 1983. A graphic artist, designer, art and video director who preferred to remain behind the scenes (he only rarely signed his work, and when he did, often used obscure pseudonyms), Bubbles' revolutionary and innovative practice encompassed record sleeves, band posters and videos for Hawkwind (and their friend/collaborator Michael Moorcock), Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury and the Blockheads (including their iconic logo), Billy Bragg, The Specials and Depeche Mode. A retrosective of his work, Reasons To Be Cheerful, and its associated blog has a comprehensive overview of Bubbles' diverse body of work. Designer and artist John Coulthart offers up his perspective; Creative Review get behind his creative processes; a new Radio 4 documentary, In Search of Barney Bubbles , covers his work and often troubled life.
posted by Len on Mar 28, 2012 - 10 comments

Elvis Costello :: Watching The Detectives.
posted by Devils Rancher on Nov 23, 2011 - 27 comments

Hungary may be the gloomiest country on earth. Believed by its people to be suffering from a centuries long curse, it's most famous modern musical export is probably the "Hungarian Suicide Song" - Gloomy Sunday. Originally popularized by Billie Holiday in the US (with an upbeat ending tacked onto the original lyrics), it's been covered dozens of times since then. Links to a few of my favorites inside: [more inside]
posted by empath on Jan 10, 2009 - 37 comments

"Window in the Sky" is a YouTube style video synch mash-up done on a professional budget with the magic of copyright clearances. "It's a triumph of postmodern reconstruction" says the Washington Post.
posted by stbalbach on Jan 29, 2007 - 160 comments

Costello Reissues Just returned from the mall, shocked at the price tags on the new Rhino Elvis Costello reissues. Having already bought the Ryko versions as well as the original vinyl back in the day, my anger is twofold. As a big Costello fan, I feel exploited. As a habitual CD buyer, I'm amazed at the price of back catalog stuff in the chains. Somebody please tell me there's a real reason for these high CD prices. Is it me or is the gap between online and chainstore prices way wider than it should be?
posted by davebush on Sep 4, 2001 - 6 comments

500 albums essential to a happy life, says Elvis Costello. And he oughta know. (For extra credit, compare and contrast this with the RIAA top songs of the century list announced earlier this week.)
posted by jhiggy on Mar 9, 2001 - 30 comments