Elvis Costello, in his thirty-plus years in the music business, has never been one to toe the line. Who can forget his famous decision during SNL to stop playing the single the record company told him to and launch into “Radio, Radio” – a song lamenting the lack of freedom by artists and the homogenity of the airwaves?
It’s probably not surprising that the “other” Elvis and his band have come out against the stratospheric price of their (admittedly deluxe) new box set, despite the inevitable headache for their record company.
The new box set, limited to 1,500 copies, includes (among other things) a CD, DVD, vinyl LP, hardcover book, and an autographed card – and comes to around $200. On elviscostello.com, however, the set’s price is described as “either a misprint or a satire,” and a different box set, by a different artist, is recommended instead: Louis Armstrong’s “Ambassador of Jazz,” containing ten remastered albums and coming in at under $150.
Elvis Costello and the Imposters are touring currently – maybe instead of the Louis Armstrong box set, fans might want to save their money for a pair of tickets!