First batch of Elvis Costello releases announced

Universal has announced the first batch of releases since they acquired the rights to the first eleven records from influential songwriter and performer, Elvis Costello. The deal went down last April and includes Costello's 1977 debut, My Aim is True, and continue through This Year's Model (1978), Armed Forces (1979), Get Happy!! (1980), Almost Blue (1981), Trust (1981), Imperial Bedroom (1982), Punch the Clock (1983), Goodbye Cruel World (1986), King of America (1986) and Blood and Chocolate (1986).

According to the Billboard story, all eleven Costello album will re-appear in digipaks with their original U.S. track listings and artwork In addition, Universal has created two new compilations with track listings supervised by Costello himself. The Best of Elvis Costello -- The First 10 Years rounds up 22 songs from the period. The second album, Rock and Roll Music, is meant to showcase more up-tempo material and will also feature two alternate takes.

These will not be the first retrospective compilations for the popular songwriter, who has been the subject of at least seven other compilations since 1985, but Costello's direct involvement in the track listing does bode well for the series.