The early videos in a collection spanning from 1978 to 1994, the likes of ‘(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea’, ‘Pump It Up’ and ‘Radio Radio’, reflect this lack of inhibition. Costello’s "interpretative dancing", commented upon the man himself in the excellent commentary accompanying this DVD, looks like something a middle-aged relative of a wedding party might attempt on the dance floor at a reception. In fairness to Elvis, the fact he and backing group, The Attractions, were let loose in a white room after being plied with vodka might have something to do with their a-moving and a-grooving.

By the time we get to the video for 1984’s ‘I Wanna Be Loved’, all promos are arranged in chronological order, the budgets and ambitions of the undertaking have shot right up. Filmed in a photo booth inside Melbourne’s Flinders Street station, a distraught Costello is seen being kissed by a succession of strangers – both male and female. Director Evan English ordered Elvis to stay up all night before filming, but Costello’s overwrought expression wasn’t all down to method acting. 1984 was, as the singer admits, a bad year for him, the one in which his first wife filed for divorce.

Another quality video comes in the shape of ‘Veronica’, again directed by English. The song touches on Costello’s relationship with his grandmother as she began to suffer from Alzheimer’s in later life. McManus admits to being spooked by the actress English cast to play Veronica, revealing she was the spitting image of his gran. The promo starts off with Costello offering a monologue to camera, in the fashion of one of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, before a series of flashbacks offer an insight into how memories of her youth dominate the older woman’s brain.

One gripe would be that at stopping at 1994, we are missing out on over 10 years of Costello. Being such a prolific artist, that’s a whole lotta videos. The 68 minutes of special features more than compensate for this, featuring televised performances of Elvis plus The Attractions on shows ranging from The Tube to Mandagsboren, a Swedish TV music programme.

The Attractions numbered three amongst their number: drummer Pete Thomas, keyboardist Steve Nieve and bass player Bruce Thomas. Yet there are a further 45 attractions to be found on The Right Spectacle. That’s the sum total of the videos and TV performances. All of which, in keeping with the spirit of Costello, conform to a ridiculously high standard.
(4/5)

The Right Spectacle, The Very Best of Elvis Costello - The Videos

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