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With Nick Lowe producing, Armed Forces turned out to be an album of very catchy tunes, which masks the acerbic tone of the lyrics. The arrangements are especially great on songs like Busy Bodies, Green Shirt and Big Boys. My favorite track is the lilting ballad Oliver's Army, but every single song has a unique pop appeal.

Costello is amongst the most literate and versatile of rock musicians and especially on this album, the tight writing and clear melodies are prominent, whilst The Attractions must be the best band he ever recorded with. Armed Forces is a classic of late 1970s punk rock, but has always been accessible to pop fans and timeless in its melodious appeal.


Rating: 5 out of 5

At the time of its release I liked a few songs but didn`t appreciate this album as a whole. Bought it recently because of the few good tunes I remember liking only to be surprised at how good the other tunes are. This relates especially to what used to be B-side material when records were the music media; notable tracks being Sunday`s Best and Two Little Hitlers.

I recently read that Costello listened a great deal to ABBA shortly before recording this album. This is evident in the fluency of the songs, many very catchy tunes that is maybe disguised by the more organic production style. The style of singing by Costello is marvelous, a very descriptive way of expressing the words as in "...add to your collection" in the brilliant Accidents Will Happen. The texts are, by the way, well worth going through with a booklet in hand while listening.

A highly recommendable album that has aged well, a must have for anyone liking Elvis Costello.


Rating: 5 out of 5