The results are a mixed bag of treats, though. Randy Newman is a spiritual kin to EC anyway, so it's little surprise that his "I've Been Wrong Before" comes of very strong. "Remove This Doubt" recasts EC as a Supreme, which is good for a smile, and he also does a passable Dylan on "I Threw It All Away." And since country-esque ballads have long been one of his strong suits, "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face" is a perfect fit.

On the other hand, "Bama Lama Bama Loo" and "Leave My Kitten Alone" provide evidence that not every song needs to be re-recorded. And as good as "Days" is from the Kinks' catalog, it comes across as clumsy sounding here. (As opposed to the Wim Wenders' "Till End Of The World" soundtrack where it was a standout.)

How much you need to have "Kojak Variety" depends on how fanatical of an EC completist you happen to be. I will say it will never leave my library and if he ever does release another volume, I'll be there to buy it. Can't wait to see what his favorite songs from the seventies were.....

A Big Disappointment
Costello's 1995 album Kojak Variety is a collection of songs Costello wish he'd written himself. I hate to say this, but I feel he lacks inspiration on many of these songs; especially on most of the slow ballads.

Of course there a good tracks here, but they're few.

My clear favourites are "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man" and the obscure Bacharach song "Please Stay". Both songs are performed like the were his own songs.

"Strange", "I Threw it All Away" and "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face" are good too.

The rest of the songs are either uninteresting, uninspired or downright bad; Ray Davies'"Days" is the worst of all. Costello succeeds in turning one one the best songs into the worst!

Not looking forward to the next one
In the liner notes to KOJAK VARIETY, EC mentions that he considers this CD the first volume in a series. My question is "Why?" This mixed bag of R&B, ballads and the occasional well-known classic (Ray Davies "Days") is unsatisfying to say the least. Actually the liner notes are the best part, insightful looks at Costello's past and how his taste in music developed. The problem is I don't understand why Costello needed to make this record. Better he had put his name on a compilation of original recordings and let the listener in on what motivated him to create CD's like GET HAPPY. As it stands this CD is just a mistake. Costello's take on the various tunes lack the vitality of his original work and even the songs he should make his own, like Randy Newman's "I've Been Wrong Before" and "Days" are more annoying than memorable. If KOJAK VARIETY Vol. 2 does appear as promised, I think I'll skip it.

For once, a cover album that almost sounds worth the effort
For those with a keener sense of music, when Elvis Costello arrived in the late 1970s amidst the punk movement, it was clear Elvis had much more talent that most of the other punk rockers & definitely a better sense of pop songcraft. That's right, even with Elvis' take-no-crap attitude, he still can write some of the best pop songs you'll ever lay your ears on. In fact, his knowledge of pop music history is so encyclopedic, that a covers album (which has been the bane of many an artist) would seem appropriate for him because he can always pick the most obscure songs for it. With 1995's KOJAK VARIETY, he certainly didn't disappoint.

While the reviews of this album seem to indicate this wasn't one of Elvis' finest hours, I think he created this album not for the sake of art, but fun & to give people a heads-up on some of the music that inspired him. In the liner notes, Elvis says this is "Volume 1" because the songs range from 1930 to 1970. Some people may shudder at the thought of KOJAK VARIETY, VOL. II, but for me, this album is enough to make me hope a sequel does come to pass. Here's a song-by-song rundown:

1. "Strange"---Originally appeared as a B-side to a Screamin' Jay Hawkins single, you can always count on the British to make B-sides into their own classics & with this one, Elvis may have just made this one his own. I bet Mr. Screamin' would have been proud.

2. "Hidden Charms"---Willie Dixon wrote many blues classics like "Wang Dang Doodle" & "Hoochie Coochie Man", but Elvis did the right thing in covering one of Dixon's lesser-known songs. Instead of giving the 10,000th version of a well-known classic, Elvis takes the road less travelled.

3. "Remove This Doubt"---This forgotten Supremes song is a perfect example of the "popular ballads" tag on the cover of the album with its very cinematic production. "My Heart Will Go On", eat your heart out!

4. "I Threw It All Away"---From Bob Dylan's underrated NASHVILLE SKYLINE album, this just about erases any memories of Duran Duran's horrible rendition of "Lay Lady Lay" on their covers album THANK YOU.

5. "Leave Me Kitten Alone"---Originally done by 1950s teen R&B sensation Little Willie John, Elvis first heard the Beatles' version of this breakneck-tempoed stomper. He certainly took careful notes!

6. "Everybody's Crying Mercy"---Written by jazz legend Mose Allison, this torchy tune has that distinctly Costello-ian sardonic quality to it, making it a natural for Elvis to cover.

7. "I've Been Wrong Before"---Penned by another dark humored songwriter Randy Newman, this one also is a well-done ballad that proves, like Elvis did with "Alison", a seemingly ill-tempered scribe can have a heart.

8. "Bama Lama Bama Loo"---Covering Little Richard is an easy thing to do, but improving on it is next to impossible. This is one of the rare times Elvis doesn't quite reinvent the wheel. Still, it's a hell of a good time.

9. "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face"---While country music may have its share of cruel jokes attached to it, but as this Bill Anderson tune shows, it also has a sense of originality that many people overlook. This rather unsettling tune shows the country experiment of ALMOST BLUE may not have been out of Elvis' league after all.

10. "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man"---1980's GET HAPPY!!! was a faithful experiment into Southern Soul & this would have made a great addition to that overlooked masterpiece. Wherever James Carr (the song's original artist) is, he can be sure Elvis did him proud.

11. "The Very Thought Of You"---A jazz standard that's been attempted literally 1000s of times (it was written in 1930), this seems like the only obvious choice on the album. Not a bad try, but maybe Elvis wants to put that jazz album on the back burner for just a while.

12. "Payday"---The most recent song, this Jesse Winchester tune was a masterful attempt at the blues Willie Dixon & Screamin' Jay Hawkins specialized in. Does Elvis succeed with it? You betcha!

13. "Please Stay"---Elvis would collaborate with Burt Bacharach 3 years later, but before then, he covered this little-known classic from before Burt teamed up with Hal David. Another great ballad for any late night jazz club.

14. "Running Out Of Fools"---Famously inserted into the end of Aretha Franklin's "Respect", this song from Aretha's Columbia period continues the torch vibe set by the previous song & Elvis does as good a job as he can (who can overtake Aretha?!).

15. "Days"---It all closes out with this classic from the Kinks. Ray Davies is one of the greatest living songwriters of our time, so a fellow partner in crime like Elvis covering it makes perfect sense. I sense a collaboration coming along in the future.

When most artists do a covers album, the kneejerk reaction is to run & hide. After all, if an artist did a song well the first time, why try again? But when the enthusiasm & artist's love for the material is apparent throughout the recording, it actually seems worth the trouble. With Elvis Costello's KOJAK VARIETY, this is definitely proven beyond a doubt. Now about that 2nd volume, Elvis...

The best three-star cover album you'll ever listen too!
The highlights make the mistakes on this album forgivable:

"Remove this Doubt" puts a huge grin on my face - Elvis as a Supreme...brilliant fun!

"I Threw It All Away" - a better performance of a great Dylan song than the original.

"Strange" and "Must You Throw Dirt in my Face" - hilarious! I hope Elvis wants us to laugh with him at these performances - I think he does....

The rest of the songs range from pretty cool ("The Very Thought of You") to head-scratchers ("Leave My Kitten Alone," "Bama Lama..whatever") and of course, don't buy this one if you have any significant holes in your EC collection. But this is a more satisfying album for me than Goodbye Cruel World and even All This Useless Beauty. I know I'm probably about the only EC fan who likes Kojak more than Beauty, but there you have it. It's worth it for the Dylan and Supremes numbers, and you may find enjoyment in some of the other pieces where I have not.
Songs he wishes he wrote. A mixed bag, both in genre and quality of performance, but Kojak Variety is often convincing. Unsurprisingly, its best moments come on ballads. Costello's take on the Supremes nugget "Remove This Doubt" is as apocalyptic as anything he's laid down since "Riot Act" on 1980's Get Happy!!, and Dylan's "I Threw It All Away" and the Randy Newman obscurity "I've Been Wrong Before" are stunners in the Big El's hands, too. --Rickey Wright
With 'Kojak Variety', from 1995, Costello is a crooner, picking forgotten tunes by both minor & major artists (anyone from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Bob Dylan). Guest musicians include Marc Ribot & Jim Keltner. Warner Brothers.