| "Next Time Round" | |
|---|---|
| Song byElvis Costello andthe Attractions | |
| from the albumBlood & Chocolate | |
| Released | 15 September 1986 |
| Recorded | March–May 1986 |
| Studio | Olympic Studios |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:28 |
| Label | Demon |
| Songwriter | Elvis Costello |
| Producers |
|
"Next Time Round" is a song written bynew wave musicianElvis Costello and recorded by Elvis Costello andthe Attractions. The track was released on his 1986 albumBlood & Chocolate after an earlier attempt to record the song for his previous albumKing of America was scrapped.
Featuring a sarcastic tone, "Next Time Round" employs classic rock andCalifornia Sound-esque musical elements. It has since been positively received by critics and appeared in Costello's live setlists.
Like several other songs onBlood & Chocolate, "Next Time Round" was attempted by Costello during the sessions for his previous 1986 albumKing of America, but this version would ultimately be scrapped.[1] In addition to recording an aborted demo at Red Bus Studios in London, Costello tried to record the song during the sessions with his longtime backing bandthe Attractions.[2] These sessions would be fraught with tension and only the recordings of "Suit of Lights" and the B-side "Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo" would see release. Costello described this version of "Next Time Round" as "lacklustre" and noted the song woulld "have to wait until theBlood & Chocolate sessions to be more fully realised."[2]
When Costello reunited with the Attractions to recordBlood & Chocolate, he decided to revive "Next Time Round" for a recording that was "amplified and roughed up by the deliberately crudeOlympic sound."[3] He explained, "The more sarcastic tone of 'Next Time Round' had ... not found a place on the previous record, but it now provided a rave-up finale for an album that stays mostly in the dark."[4] Costello further noted that this new recording exhibited traces of theCalifornia Sound in its backing vocals.[4]
"Next Time Round" was released as the final track onBlood & Chocolate in September 1986. Author Frankin Bruno noted the song as one of the many "rave-ups" that Costello used to close albums, playing a similar role to songs like "The World and His Wife" onPunch the Clock and "Radio Radio" onThis Year's Model.[5] "Next Time Round" was not released as a single.
"Next Time Round" has seen positive reception from music writers. In a 1986 review ofBlood & Chocolate,Spin Magazine described the song as "a truly towering fit of persecution mania with a great melody and a good beat."[6]Rolling Stone praised it as "suicidal, iron-fistedMerseybeat,"[7] while theMontreal Gazette dubbed it a "scalding last put-down."[8] Author James Perone commented, "Although this song is not among those that find their names on lists of 'Elvis's greatest,' it is a solid example of Costello's rock-song craftsmanship."[9]
"Next Time Round" has made intermittent appearances in Costello's live setlist since its release. Costello has noted that these live takes often accentuate the California Sound characteristics that were hinted at in the studio version; he specifically highlights a performance during his "Spinning Wheel" tour, where members ofthe Bangles made a guest appearance and providedMamas and Papas-inflected backing vocals.[1][10]
"Next Time Round" was covered by Canadian rock bandthe Trews.[11]
Citations
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