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Punch the Clock
A picture of a man with a hat and glasses touching his left ear, surrounded by a red border
Studio album by
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Released5 August 1983 (1983-08-05)
RecordedJanuary–April 1983
StudioAIR (London)
Genre
Length45:19
Label
Producer
Elvis Costello and the Attractions chronology
Imperial Bedroom
(1982) 		Punch the Clock
(1983) 		Goodbye Cruel World
(1984)
Singles from Punch the Clock
  1. "Everyday I Write the Book"
    Released: August 1983
  2. "Let Them All Talk"
    Released: September 1983

Punch the Clock is the eighth studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, and his seventh with the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas (no relation). It was released on 5 August 1983 through F-Beat Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States. Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, the album was Costello's attempt at making a commercial record following years of dwindling commercial success. It was recorded at London's AIR Studios in early 1983 and features contributions from the TKO Horns and Afrodiziak.

Featuring genres such as new wave, pop rock, R&B and soul, commentators have compared the album's sound to Costello's previous records Armed Forces (1979) and Get Happy!! (1980). The songs are filled with catchy choruses and lyrics covering relationships and political themes. The record contains Costello's version of "Shipbuilding", co-written with Langer and featuring a trumpet solo by Chet Baker. The album takes its title from a lyric in "The Greatest Thing" and the cover artwork was designed by Phil Smee.

Extensively promoted through live performances, Punch the Clock yielded Costello's first US Top 40 hit, "Everyday I Write the Book". "Pills and Soap" was released as a single under a pseudonym and through Costello's own IMP label, which reached number 16 in the UK. The album was his best-selling since Get Happy!!, reaching number three in the UK and number 24 in the US, eventually certified gold in both countries. Despite its success, Costello later expressed disdain for the record, finding its sound dated.

The album received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics on release and in later decades. Many highlighted individual tracks, particularly "Shipbuilding" and "Pills and Soap", but felt it was below the standards set by his previous works. Nevertheless, NME ranked Punch the Clock the best album of 1983 and, thirty years later, number 345 in their list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". It has been reissued multiple times with bonus tracks.

Background

[edit]

Elvis Costello released his seventh studio album Imperial Bedroom in July 1982. Despite receiving critical acclaim, its modest commercial performance forced the artist to reevaluate his musical style. His American label, Columbia Records, remained eager for another success akin to 1979's Armed Forces and showed little interest in his less-commercial works.[1] He had garnered a loyal fanbase—largely through his own merits—but Costello knew his heavily artistic and challenging material was doing him more harm than good, so he decided to change direction with his next record. Having already co-written the song "Shipbuilding" with producer Clive Langer for musician Robert Wyatt, whose original version charted at number 36 in the UK in May 1983, Costello chose Langer and his production partner Alan Winstanley to produce his next album.[a][1][3] Langer and Winstanley were one of the most popular production teams in Britain at the time, having recently had several hit singles with groups such as Madness, Dexys Midnight Runners and the Teardrop Explodes.[1][3][2]

Costello and his backing band the Attractions—keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas—toured Britain from mid-September to early-October 1982, road-testing several new songs that would appear on his next album, including his own interpretation of "Shipbuilding" and "Everyday I Write the Book",[b] which was written quickly one night in September and performed the following evening.[1][3] He continued writing new material for the rest of the year, debuting working versions of "Mouth Almighty", "Everyday I Write the Book", "The Comedians", "Pills and Soap" and "The World and His Wife" during three Christmas concerts in Liverpool and London in late December. These performances featured new arrangements of songs with a horn section.[1][5]

Recording

[edit]

Rehearsals for Costello's eighth studio LP began in early 1983. His goal was to tailor the album toward hit singles and less on critical acclaim, stating at the time: "Counting [1981's] Trust, we'd gone three records without any substantial hit apart from 'Good Year for the Roses'. You have to consider if you allow that contact with the mainstream audience to be served for too long, you may lose the freedom to do what you want to do."[6] The sessions commenced on 27 January 1983 at AIR Studios in London,[2][7] the same studio used for Imperial Bedroom.[5]

[Langer and Winstanley] favoured the 'building-block' method of recording: retaining very little from the original 'live' take and tailoring each instrumental overdub to best serve the arrangement. This system naturally precluded the spontaneity of our past 'happy accidents' but could yield startling results when the last piece was in place.[4]

—Elvis Costello, 1995

Unlike the more relaxed approach of Imperial Bedroom's producer Geoff Emerick, Langer and Winstanley inserted themselves into the creative process, structuring the songs intently and left little room for improvisation; the former wanted the band to play their parts the same way over and over again.[1] Langer commented: "We don't have any morals when it comes to studio craft. We always mix in sections, then stick it together afterwards."[2][7] Discussing the duo's process in an interview with Record Collector in 1995, Costello said that "in the past, we'd never conformed to any great production design. [...] This was the first time we'd taken a formal approach, and to some extent it really worked."[6]

With Langer's influence, Costello wrote "more rhythmic songs" than he was used to. Having written the majority of Imperial Bedroom on piano, the producer instructed him to work on guitar to create "more lively material", arguing that he had only become known for "the most cynical and disillusioned songs" that pervaded Imperial Bedroom. This process yielded a pair of "proud and wishful songs" on "Love and Marriage": "The Greatest Thing" and "Let Them All Talk", and a couple about the "Ugly Truth": "Mouth Almighty" and "Charm School".[1][4] Langer felt the singer could write "incredible pop music", later reflecting: "I think he accepted that that's what we did as producer: [have] hits. He always reacts against what he's done before, so we went for it. We tried to get singles."[1]

Caron Wheeler in 1990
Caron Wheeler, one of the album's backing vocalists, in 1990.

Other than the Attractions, the sessions employed several outside musicians who helped shape the album's sound. The singers Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine, known as Afrodiziak, contributed backing vocals to several songs, improvising all their parts.[1][3][2] The same horn section from the Christmas shows, now dubbed the TKO Horns, were also brought in. Consisting of Big Jim Paterson on trombone, Jeff Blythe on alto saxophone and Paul Speare on tenor saxophone,[1] the horns utilised the sound they had fashioned for their work in Dexys Midnight Runners. To not mimic the sound entirely, Costello added the trumpeter Dave Plews to the horns;[4] the latter's prior commitments as a member of Eurythmics' touring band led to his substitution on "The World and His Wife" by Stuart Robson.[7] String arrangements were conducted by David Bedford, Morris Pert contributed percussion, while Chet Baker played a trumpet solo on "Shipbuilding".[1][2][4] Although Langer felt the band enjoyed playing with other musicians in the studio, not all of them were convinced. Bruce Thomas later stated: "Those trendy production values. Everything gated together, very bright and shiny. It wasn't our thing, but it worked on a couple of tracks."[c][1]

In later decades, Langer asserted that the production was a mutually creative process: "At certain times I would have control, other times I'd just let him do it, but if he really didn't like something it wouldn't go on, it was as simple as that."[1] Nevertheless, Costello felt that he lost control of the studio and was difficult on the Attractions as a result, saying, "it's the only time I've given myself over to the production sound, rather than working in collaboration with the producer."[2] The artist wanted the outtakes "Heathen Town" and "Flirting Kind" on the finished album, but kept "Love Went Mad" at Langer's insistence; he stated in the album's 1995 reissue liner notes that he devised a scheme to replace "Love Went Mad" with "Heathen Town" after the initial vinyl pressing.[1][4] The album was mixed outside of London[8] at Genetic Studios in Streatley, Berkshire.[9]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

Punch the Clock was our chance to get reacquainted with the wonderful world of pop music and still maintain a sense of humour.[4]

—Elvis Costello, 1995

A more rock-oriented effort than Imperial Bedroom,[10] the author Graeme Thomson described Punch the Clock as an attempt "to be a slicker, more calculated take on the pop-soul sound".[1] Characterised by critics as new wave,[11] pop rock,[12] soul,[13] and R&B,[14][15] the author Mick St. Michael opined that the LP showed the widest variety of musical styles since Trust.[7] Critics drew comparisons to both Armed Forces and 1980's Get Happy!![16][17][18][19] In NME, Graham Lock identified musical references from more widely-known acts such as the Beatles to more obscure acts such as Lewis Furey.[17] In The New York Times, Stephen Holden wrote that Punch embraces genres from 1960s soul, late Beatles psychedelia and cool jazz, "compacting and juxtaposing these allusions with a dazzling sleight of hand".[20] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine found Langer and Winstanley's production gives the album a "slick, glossy surface".[21]

According to the author James E. Perone, the songs are filled with catchy choruses and "easy, safe wordplay". He also believed the lack of uniquely British references made Punch the Clock more accessible to American audiences compared to Costello's prior works.[14] Lock wrote that the lyrics contain bouts of black humour are and presented with "calmness and compassion" that makes them more "chilling";[17] the biographer Brian Hinton felt they amounted to "a terrifying world picture". He wrote:[2]

Far more frightening than the fantasies of Armed Forces, this is an everyday place where love grows stale, work palls and time is rapidly ebbing away. In a reversal of Get Happy!! the words are claustrophobic and the music enhancing, even if notably lacking in tunes.

The biographer David Gouldstone found Punch the Clock to be Costello's "most sustained and powerful political statement since Armed Forces", saying that political tracks such as "Shipbuilding", "The Invisible Man", "King of Thieves" and "Pills and Soap", and others such as "Charm School" all offer a brief glimpse at "the workings of the world at large".[16] Hinton also felt that some songs present commentaries on Thatcherism and Reaganomics, wherein humanity is "reduced to an economic transaction".[2]

Side one

[edit]

The album's opener, "Let Them All Talk", evokes 1960s Motown through the use of brass instrumentation.[14] In the lyrics, which serve as a reminder that time is lost as it passes,[16] the narrator has lost his girlfriend and all hope for the future. The theme that "talk" is "cheap and meaningless" is resonated by the horns. Hinton argues that the "fa-fa-fa" section's echo of Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" (1977) foreshadows the rest of the album's impulse to inflict violence.[2] "Everyday I Write the Book" has a retro feel in its lyrics and R&B musical style.[14] AllMusic's Mark Deming summarised: "Both lyrically and melodically, the song suggested an updated variant on classic '60s soul, with the influence of Smokey Robinson peeking through Costello's extended literary metaphor in yet another look at the complexities of romance."[22] Through heavy wordplay,[14] the song concerns the breakdown of a relationship but the author turns to his pen and paper as a way to envision a better connection; he is already working on a sequel in which he wins her back. With its relaxed vocal,[2][16] the song's lack of a happy ending is juxtaposed with a reflective and humorous tone. Deming said its theme is that "love doesn't last, but it's not bad for as long as it chooses to stick around".[22]

The album takes its title from a line in "The Greatest Thing".[14][23] With lyrics describing love as a type of fantasy in a unique language, Costello uses the phrase "punching the clock" for the narrator as an expression of starting his work shift or stopping the passage of time in order to find a new lover who will "take his breath away" following a failed marriage. Nevertheless, the song clears the notion that not all marriages turn out this way, resulting in an endless cycle of "punching the clock".[2][16] The song's music is uplifting;[16] Perone deems its arrangement resembles Men at Work and remarks that it is closest in style to the new wave pop sound of the day.[14] "The Element Within Her" provides a look at human relationships that idolises the woman.[16][14] With Beatle-like harmonies, the song's title is, in Hinton's words, "a weird sexual pun on [the narrator's] girlfriend's electric heater: the man is a frigid partner here".[2] Perone opines that Costello's playing of both acoustic and electric guitar shows off his skills as an instrumentalist.[14] In "Love Went Mad", the woman fails to respond to the man, so the home is reduced to a battleground and the man is, in Hinton's words, "reduced in scale to a 'big cheese in the workhouse'".[2] Gouldstone says that the chorus is "from an anguished unrequited love song" while the verses come "from a song of denunciation".[16] St. Michael opines that the song's vocal quote of Armed Forces' "Accidents Will Happen" serves as an acknowledgement of Costello's past and openness for the future with a new musical direction.[7]

Chet Baker in 1983
"Shipbuilding" features a trumpet solo by Chet Baker (pictured in 1983).

Described by Perone as the artist's "most overtly antiviolence, antiwar and anti-Thatcher statement to date",[14] "Shipbuilding" is a heavy critique of the Falklands War.[24] Sung from the perspective of an unemployed shipyard worker at the war's start,[16] Costello's lyrics represent a swarm of conflicting emotions: the building of ships brings revenue to the coastal town, but their use brings devastation and death to the young men constructing them.[24][25] Perone summarises the song as questioning the "balance between monetary gain that comes from the military-industrial complex—in this case the builders of warships—and the loss of life that results from the complex's products."[14] Hinton argues its message is "as direct as an arrow straight through the heart".[2] Additionally, Gouldstone remarks that the artist's sombre response to a political event represents a stark contrast his angry responses displayed on Armed Forces.[16] Compared to Wyatt's original, Costello's vocal performance is sadder and more accepting. [2] Musically, "Shipbuilding" demonstrates Costello's knowledge of jazz, particularly with Baker's trumpet solo,[14] who Hinton argues "brings out the haunting tones of an instrument which usually brags and blusters".[2] AllMusic's Stewart Mason describes it as one of Costello's finest ballad performances.[25]

Side two

[edit]

Breaking the evocative mood of "Shipbuilding" is side two opener "T.K.O. (Boxing Day)", a fast-paced R&B song driven by the TKO Horns, who influenced its title.[16][14] The lyrics concern the ironic comparison of the double-meaning of "Boxing Day": the British day after Christmas and a prize fight.[14] While Gouldstone refers to it as "a wife beater's manifesto",[16] Hinton disagrees with this assessment, stating that the non-celebratory song concerns bullying rather than violence, both in the workplace and bedroom, which is reiterated by Costello's "distasteful" vocal performance.[2] The music and lyrics of "Charm School" frequently refer to post-World War II popular culture and history. Described by Perone as one of the album's "most evocative" pieces,[14] Nieve's keyboard quotes "Theme from Summer of '42".[23][26] The upbeat music clashes with nasty lyrics. Similar to Trust's "Clubland", the setting is in a nightclub, depicting the breakdown of a marriage.[2] According to Gouldstone, its main theme is "the difficulty of living a happy life", expressed through the description of a disappointing relationship.[16]

"The Invisible Man" refers to H. G. Wells' 1897 novel of the same name and its 1933 film adaptation.[14] Assembled from three earlier tracks,[4] the song deals with, in Gouldstone's words, the "dehumanisation of modern life".[16] In the song, the main character escapes the reality of daily life by watching films;[14] he is the "invisible man" as he feels outcast by people around him, leading him to imagine a nightmarish totalitarian world.[16] "Mouth Almighty" is about a man who cannot control his tongue, which drives his lover away.[2][16][14] Gouldstone compares it to some of Imperial Bedroom's songs, such as "Human Hands".[16] Costello described "King of Thieves" as "a tricky tune about the trials of a blacklisted songwriter".[4] Filled with vague lyrics and a sense of paranoia, Gouldstone argues that the song belongs with Costello's other tracks that denounce the treatment of big business on everyday people, from "Welcome to the Working Week" (1977), "Senior Service" (1979) and "Opportunity" (1980). "King of Thieves" is sinister like "The Invisible Man", and similar to 1978's "Night Rally", represents a warning, "foreseeing a world ruled by bureaucracies and unelected despots".[16] St. Michael compares its complex arrangement to the ones on Imperial Bedroom.[7]

"Pills and Soap" provides social commentary on the "abuse of animals as pets and exhibits in factory farming and scientific research".[4] Inspired by The Animals Film (1981), which had turned Costello vegetarian,[2] Costello saw Britain heading in this direction during the era of Thatcherism.[14] Gouldstone comments that it "paints a horrifying picture of the cutthroat free-market economy the Conservatives are trying to create".[16] The music reinforces the lyrical themes; the author describes its "unrelenting" drumbeat sounding like "a march to the death camps", and crashing piano chords that "fall like doom".[16] According to Costello, the beat was inspired by Grandmaster Flash's 1982 hip hop song "The Message".[1][3] "The World and His Wife" focuses on family life and marks a return to an R&B style.[16][14] Costello stated that it was "re-written from a solemn folk song about a drunken family gathering into a bilious knees-up".[4] Providing a musical uplift as the LP's closer, Hinton argues that the lyrics culminate the album's themes of "boredom, family breakdown, drunken sex and a taste for violence".[2]

Packaging

[edit]

The album's cover artwork is more conventional than Costello's previous records; Gouldstone felt it was an attempt to convince listeners that the music inside "won't be too outlandish".[16] Designed by Phil Smee,[2] the photograph of Costello was taken by Nick Knight in Dublin shortly before a warm-up show in June 1983.[4][7] The artist appears in a "pin-up picture",[16] scratching his left ear as he dons a black cap, a dark collared-up coat and steel-frame glasses. Comparing his appearance to John Lennon, Hinton describes Costello's near-smile look as "quizzical".[2] Sounds magazine's Edwin Pouncey found his appearance similar to a Beat Poet, and likened the Letraset border to the publications The Face and NME.[27] Hot Press passingly described the cover as "dressed in the glamour of commerce with ugly Elvis gazing out all soft-focus and cute".[2]

Costello and the Attractions are present on the back sleeve looking off into the distance with their hands in their pockets.[2][16] The sleeve was packaged with lyric sheet, albeit with juddered typeface; "The Invisible Man"'s title has the words 'invisible' and (to a greater degree) 'man' faded. Images of the album's musicians appear sideways on the sheet: Afrodiziak are wearing turbans, the TKO Horns are dressed in suit and ties, while Baker, with his eyes closed, Hinton believes "has the pallor of a corpse".[2][14] The album's original intended artwork, designed by Barney Bubbles, Hinton believes was "far less user-friendly". Examining the rejected piece in his 1999 biography of Costello, he writes:[2]

Elvis's face emerges in cartoon form from a cartoon which draws heavily on Russian constructivism; a metal hand offers him a screwdriver. In an even more disturbing montage, a photo of Elvis and his band has been corrupted so that the Attractions' heads are replaced with symbols; a pill capsule for Nieve, a question mark for Pete, a circle of black cogs for Bruce. What could he have meant?

Release and promotion

[edit]

The album's release was briefly delayed while F-Beat Records changed worldwide distribution from Warner Bros. to RCA Records.[2][7] In May 1983, Costello issued "Pills and Soap" as a single on his newly created IMP label,[d] an imprint of his F-Beat subsidiary Demon Records, under the pseudonym "The Imposter", after a song on Get Happy!! It was limited to 15,000 copies and was packaged in a plain sleeve and backed by an "extended version" of the A-side; Costello delivered copies to music editors himself. Discussing its rush-release, Costello stated that he "wanted it out quickly" and did not want to "wait the month or two that it would take to finalise legal matters". The single reached number 16 in the UK, becoming the artist's highest-charting single in two years. It was supposedly deleted on the eve of the 1983 General Election, although Thomson and St. Michael state this is inaccurate.[e]

From May to July 1983, Costello underwent extensive promotion for the album, conducting over 100 interviews and made regular television and radio appearances. In June, he and the Attractions performed a small series of gigs in the UK with the TKO Horns, debuting several Punch the Clock songs live.[1][2][7] From July to August, he toured America with the TKO Horns. The setlists primarily relied on material from Get Happy!!, Imperial Bedroom and Punch the Clock, although the shows suffered from Costello's hoarse voice. During this time he recorded a cover of "Walking on Thin Ice"—Yoko Ono's tribute to her late-husband John Lennon—for a tribute album in New Orleans. This was followed by a tour of the UK from late-September to late-November, which saw the addition of Afrodiziak.[2][28]

"Everyday I Write the Book" was released as the album's first single, backed by "Heathen Town", in July 1983.[29][30] It was Costello's biggest US single yet, charting at number 32;[1] it also reached number 28 in the UK.[31] Its accompanying music video features lookalikes of Prince Charles and Princess Diana getting on each other's nerves.[2][16] Punch the Clock was issued the following month on 5 August.[1][2] Reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 24 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart,[32][33] it was the artist's best-selling album since Get Happy!! and eventually certified gold on both sides of Atlantic.[1][2] Elsewhere, Punch the Clock charted in New Zealand (6),[34] Sweden (9),[35] Norway (18),[36] Australia (22) and the Netherlands (27).[37][38] "Let Them All Talk", backed by "The Flirting Kind", was issued as the second single in September 1983.[29][30] It reached number 59 in the UK.[39]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Initial reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
Record MirrorStarStarStarStarStar[40]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar[41]
Smash Hits8/10[19]
SoundsStarStarStarStar[27]
The Village VoiceB+[42]

Punch the Clock received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics.[1][20] Several compared it to its predecessor both positively and negatively. Creem's Laura Fissinger felt the new album did not "advance Costello's grand artistic plans" like Imperial Bedroom.[23] In NME, Lock wrote that if it is "a step back from the stunning sophistication of Imperial Bedroom," Punch the Clock is "perhaps a step toward pop survival".[17] More positively, Sweeting stated in Melody Maker: "Where Imperial Bedroom often wallowed low in the water under its top-heavy superstructure of grandiose arrangements and encyclopedic lyrics, Punch the Clock draws up a short-list of priorities and nails them with ruthless efficiency."[18]

Amongst positive reviews, Pouncey described Punch the Clock as an "enjoyable listening experience" in Sounds, praising the performances of Costello, the Attractions and TKO Horns. He concluded: "If you were to judge this particular 'book' by its cover then you'd probably drop it like a hot potato, but once inside you'll be amply rewarded."[27] Jock Baird of Musician magazine similarly said: "For many, critics and otherwise, the pearls of Punch the Clock will have to be dived for, but their value will be all the more increased for it."[13] In a five-star review for Record Mirror, Mike Gardner declared Punch the Clock "a vital collection that holds its head up high even amongst Elvis' vast legacy".[40] Boo Browning of The Washington Post considered it his "most honest and well-integrated work to date", one that contains his "best arrangements, melodies and singing" since My Aim Is True (1977).[26] Several felt Costello remained one of the best songwriters of the era.[17][41][26]

Some agreed that while the album is not perfect, it still contained several "knockouts".[17][15][19] David Hepworth of Smash Hits felt there was "enough power and detail" in tracks such as "King of Thieves" and "The World and His Wife" to warrant repeated listens,[19] while Jon Young deemed Punch the Clock "a smart album that protests its own cleverness too much" in Trouser Press.[43] Rolling Stone's Christopher Connelly declared it "a satisfying, if unstartling, opus", one that contains what fans expect of him: "terrific tunes, take-it-or-leave-it singing and jaw-breaking wordplay that baffles as much as it enlightens."[41] Amongst individual tracks, numerous highlighted "Shipbuilding" and "Pills and Soap" as the album's standouts;[13][40][41][19] some even felt the former was Costello's finest composition to date.[17][27]

Billboard magazine found the songs more accessible and believed Costello was striving for a broader audience.[12] Other critics commented on Costello's change in musical direction;[17][10] Holden described the material as his "frothiest, most accessible pop music" to date in The New York Times.[20] Langer and Winstanley's production received both positive and negative comments.[f] According to Hinton, several saw the production as "over-slick" compared to Emerick's on Imperial Bedroom.[2]

Other reviewers were more negative towards Punch the Clock. In Creem, Fissinger felt it was a "(fairly) simple case of reach exceeding grasp".[23] Writing for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau criticised the album for a lack of innovation coming off its predecessor, equating to a "disparate collection" that is a "major letdown".[42] Richard Cromelin was also negative in the Los Angeles Times, disparaging the musical retread of past works and the lack of force and spirit in the songs that drove his previous works. He further condemned the singing as lacking "customary driven edge" and the production as "provides a flat sound", concluding: "The man who brilliantly dissected life in terms of "Armed Forces" appears to have declared neutrality. It doesn't suit him, and the sooner he rejoins the fray the better."[10]

At the end of the year, NME named Punch the Clock the best album of 1983.[44] In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll for the year's best albums, Punch the Clock finished at number 11.[45]

Legacy

[edit]

[Clive and Alan] were real pop producers, so obviously the records date to the time they were made in. With all due respect, that sound hasn't dated all that well.[2]

—Elvis Costello

Costello was initially disappointed with Punch the Clock.[28] He bemoaned its "lack of heart", "misplaced arrangements" and felt it disregarded longevity: "A lot of the planning, the imaginary production of the record relates to pop music of the moment." Later on, he lambasted the "passionless fads of that charmless time: the early '80s."[4]

In December 1983, Costello began writing songs for a follow-up album, attempting to put "more craft and focus" into the tunes which he believed Punch the Clock lacked.[2][28] The record's commercial success, however, enabled Costello to invite Langer and Winstanley back to produce, although relations between the songwriter and the Attractions were at a low point due to feeling sidelined by the TKO Horns and backing singers during the US and UK tours. The resulting album, Goodbye Cruel World, Costello hated and is regarded by biographers as the artist's low point.[2][28]

Retrospective appraisal

[edit]
Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[21]
BlenderStarStarStar[46]
Chicago TribuneStarStarStar[47]
Classic RockStarStarStar[48]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[49]
Entertainment WeeklyA[50]
MojoStarStarStar[51]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStar[52]
UncutStarStarStar[53]

Punch the Clock has received mixed reviews in later decades. Writing in 1991, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune considered the album "a partially successful stab at mainstream success",[47] while Entertainment Weekly's Armond White simply wrote: "Work was never more fun, never better sung."[50] Writing for Blender magazine in 2005, Douglas Wolk deemed the record a "not-entirely successful attempt to score pop hits", but saw "a whimsy and effervescence" that rarely appears in the artist's other works.[46]

In a retrospective write-up, Trouser Press called the album "another tour de force",[54] while Lee Zimmerman of Goldmine wrote that it includes some of Costello's best songs of the era and some of his most successful.[55] More unfavourably, Erlewine deemed Punch the Clock the artist's "least consistent set of original songs" up to that point, finding most of the material falls short of his standards. Erlewine enjoyed the production but found the uneven songwriting means "only portions" of the album as a whole are memorable.[21] On the other hand, Uncut's Jon Wilde felt the LP was weighed down by the "over-sheened production", the horns and backing vocalists.[53] Nevertheless, commentators particularly highlight "Pills and Soap" and "Shipbuilding" as the record's standouts;[g] Erlewine says they are "articulate and effective as any of his past work".[21] Perone argues that the two tracks anticipated the more political-charged commentary that continued to infuse Costello's work in subsequent decades.[14]

Costello's biographers have given mixed reactions to Punch the Clock. Writing positively, Clayton-Lea says that while it lacked "the sultry, sleazy sophistication" of Imperial Bedroom, its music stood out as "bright" as Armed Forces. He ultimately declares it "another stylistic triumph from a pop star who wasn't all that popular".[3] Hinton, who titled his 1999 biography of Costello after "Let Them All Talk", is more negative, calling the album's sound dated in the CD age, finding that "the album sounds unpleasantly squashed, and never quite loud enough, no matter what volume you play it at."[2] Thomson recognises the record's unified sound, but believes it was "thin contrived". He also disliked the sidelining of the Attractions and felt Afrodiziak and the TKO Horns displayed "very little subtlety" in the final mix. Thomson and Gouldstone agree that too many songs lack the "craft" and "intensity", respectively, of Costello's previous works and were ultimately not up to the artist's standards.[1][16]

Gouldstone and Perone criticise some of the lyrics as "too abstract and uninvolving" and "surface level", respectively. Although the former disregards all of the melodies aside from "Shipbuilding" (which was written by Langer), the latter found it more memorable overall than Goodbye Cruel World.[16][14] When not compared to other works, however, Gouldstone recognizes Punch the Clock as "a varied, provocative and punchy collection of well-above-average songs".[16] Perone, who deems the album "accessible, but not particularly deep", observes that the album's lyrical themes of narrators acknowledging their shortcomings and accepting responsibility for their actions were expanded upon in Goodbye Cruel World.[14]

In lists ranking Costello's albums from worst to best, Punch the Clock has placed modestly. In 2021, writers for Stereogum placed it at number nine (out of 27), saying that the artist's material ranges from "mostly good to excellent", but found the "overwhelming sonics" run their course throughout the album's runtime.[56] A year later in 2022, Michael Gallucci placed it at number 10 (out of 29) in Ultimate Classic Rock, while Spin's Al Shipley placed it at number 23 (out of 31). Both gave high praise to "Shipbuilding" but found the production becomes overbearing at times.[11][57] In 2013, NME ranked Punch the Clock at number 345 in its list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[58]

Reissues

[edit]

Punch the Clock was first released on CD through Columbia and Demon in January 1988.[30] Its first extended reissue through Demon in the UK and Rykodisc in the US on CD came on 24 February 1995,[59] which included a slew of bonus tracks and Bubbles' original artwork.[2]

Punch the Clock was again reissued by Rhino Records on 9 September 2003 as a two-disc set with additional bonus tracks, totalling 40.[55][60][61] The 2003 reissue was positively received.[48] Zimmerman praised the bonus tracks as "perfectly complement[ing]" the originals, even finding Costello's ten solo demos highlighted the strength of the songs themselves.[55] Wilde felt the bonus disc "redeemed" the record.[53] It was later remastered and reissued by UMe on 6 November 2015.[62]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs are written by Elvis Costello, except where noted.[4]

Side one

  1. "Let Them All Talk" – 3:06
  2. "Everyday I Write the Book" – 3:53
  3. "The Greatest Thing" – 3:04
  4. "The Element Within Her" – 2:52
  5. "Love Went Mad" – 3:13
  6. "Shipbuilding" (Clive Langer, Costello) – 4:51

Side two

  1. "T.K.O. (Boxing Day)" – 3:28
  2. "Charm School" – 3:55
  3. "The Invisible Man" – 3:04
  4. "Mouth Almighty" – 3:04
  5. "King of Thieves" – 3:45
  6. "Pills and Soap" – 3:43
  7. "The World and His Wife" – 3:32

Bonus tracks (1995 Rykodisc)

  2. "Heathen Town" – 3:10
  3. "The Flirting Kind" – 3:00
  4. "Walking on Thin Ice" (Yoko Ono) – 3:52
  5. "The Town Where Time Stood Still" – 3:32
  6. "Shatterproof" (Demo) – 2:19
  7. "The World and his Wife" (Live) – 3:13
  8. "Everyday I Write the Book" (Live) – 2:21

Bonus disc (2003 Rhino)

  1. "Everyday I Write the Book" (Alternate version) – 2:22
  2. "Baby Pictures" – 1:30
  3. "Heathen Town" – 3:10
  4. "The Flirting Kind" – 3:00
  5. "Walking on Thin Ice" (Ono) – 3:52
  6. "Big Sister's Clothes/Stand Down, Margaret" (BBC Session) (Costello, Roger Chalery, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele, Dave Wakeling) – 5:17
  7. "Danger Zone" (BBC Session) (Percy Mayfield) – 2:18
  8. "Seconds of Pleasure" – 3:44
  9. "The Town Where Time Stood Still" – 3:33
  10. "The World and his Wife" (Solo version) – 2:44
  11. "Shatterproof" – 2:15
  12. "Heathen Town" (Demo version) – 2:17
  13. "The Flirting Kind" (Demo version) – 2:52
  14. "Let Them All Talk" (Demo version) – 2:14
  15. "King of Thieves" (Demo version) – 3:20
  16. "The Invisible Man" (Demo version) – 2:124
  17. "The Element Within Her" (Demo version) – 2:13
  18. "Love Went Mad" (Demo version) – 3:01
  19. "The Greatest Thing" (Demo version) – 2:25
  20. "Mouth Almighty" (Demo version) – 3:03
  21. "Charm School" (Demo version) – 2:17
  22. "Possession" (Live) – 2:29
  23. "Secondary Modern" (Live) – 3:02
  24. "The Bells" (Live) (Johnny Bristol, Marvin Gaye, Anna Gordy, Elgie Stover) – 4:14
  25. "Watch Your Step" (Live) – 3:22
  26. "Backstabbers/King Horse" (Live) (Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Costello) – 4:47

Note: The Rykodisc version has the original tracks and bonus tracks on one CD. The Rhino version has two CDs with the original tracks on the first CD.

Personnel

[edit]

According to 1995 reissue liner notes:[4]

The TKO Horns

  • Jim Paterson – trombone
  • Jeff Blythe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet
  • Paul Speare – tenor saxophone, flute
  • Dave Plews – trumpet

Additional personnel

Technical

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for Punch the Clock
Chart (1983) Peak
Position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[37] 22
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[38] 27
New Zealand Albums (RIANZ)[34] 6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[36] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 9
UK Albums Chart[32] 3
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape[33] 24

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Punch the Clock

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia

Punch the Clock is the eighth studio album by English singer-songwriter and his backing band , released on 5 August 1983 by F-Beat Records in the United Kingdom and in the United States.
Produced by and , the record marked a shift toward a more polished pop sound with prominent horn arrangements arranged by Costello and , alongside guest appearances including trumpeter on the anti-war track "" and backing vocals by .
The album yielded singles such as "Pills and Soap", which critiqued media sensationalism and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, and "", Costello's first United States Top 40 hit, peaking at number 32 on the Hot 100.
Punch the Clock debuted at number 61 on the US before climbing to a peak of number 30, while achieving greater commercial success in the UK by reaching number 3 on the Albums Chart.
Although praised for its melodic hooks and lyrical wit, Costello later expressed dissatisfaction with the overly slick production, viewing it as a departure from his rawer earlier work that diluted the songs' edge.

Development

Conception and Context

Punch the Clock, Elvis Costello's eighth studio album with the Attractions, emerged from a deliberate shift toward greater commercial accessibility amid declining sales for prior releases. Following the 1982 album , which emphasized influences and received critical acclaim but minimal chart success, Costello aimed to recapture mainstream appeal by adopting a brighter, pop-infused sound with prominent brass sections and soul elements. This direction built on earlier experiments with R&B and in albums like Get Happy!! (1980), but prioritized radio-friendly production to address three consecutive underperforming records. To execute this vision, Costello selected producers and , whose prior successes with and Madness demonstrated expertise in crafting hit-oriented yet substantive pop records. Costello later noted in reissue that the producers "knew where the charts were but they also made great records," underscoring a balance between market savvy and quality. The album's conception reflected Costello's frustration with waning commercial returns, prompting an overt bid to crack the pop charts while retaining lyrical depth and humor. Set against the backdrop of early 1980s Britain, including economic strife under Margaret Thatcher's policies and the 1982 , the album incorporated socio-political themes, such as labor exploitation in "" and in "Pills and Soap." These elements provided contextual urgency, blending personal evolution with broader commentary on working-class realities and wartime . Released on August 5, 1983, Punch the Clock thus represented Costello's strategic pivot to sustain his career trajectory.

Songwriting Process

Costello composed the majority of songs for Punch the Clock at the piano, favoring melancholy ballads, though producer urged him to incorporate guitar-based writing for more upbeat, pop-oriented material to mitigate perceptions of cynicism following the introspective . This shift aimed to re-engage with accessible pop structures while retaining lyrical depth, drawing on personal challenges to produce formulaic yet meaningful tracks. Specific compositions varied in origin and rapidity. "Everyday I Write the Book," the album's lead single peaking at No. 28 in the UK and No. 32 in the US, emerged in approximately ten minutes during a tour as a deliberate of Merseybeat tropes, serving as a self-imposed test to craft a straightforward song with substance. "The Element Within Her" was similarly expedited as a buoyant pop piece featuring a repetitive "la-la-la" chorus and regional slang humor. In contrast, "Shipbuilding" paired Costello's lyrics—prompted by the 1982 and its economic ironies—with a pre-existing piano melody from Langer, initially earmarked for . Other tracks repurposed or adapted earlier ideas amid external influences. "Pills and Soap," a UK singles chart entry at No. 16, stemmed from viewing and absorbing Grandmaster Flash's "The Message," enabling swift composition and drum-machine-backed recording. "" consolidated lyrics from discarded songs including "25 to 12," "," and "I Turn Around." "The World and His Wife" transformed a dour folk original into a horn-driven , while "The Greatest Thing" and "Let Them All Talk" incorporated premeditated brass elements to evoke aspirational romance. Songs like "Heathen Town," positioned as a retort to ' "," and "The Flirting Kind," echoing Burt Bacharach's style, were considered for inclusion but ultimately excluded due to sequencing uncertainties. This eclectic method balanced rapid ideation, revision, and thematic breadth, from sociopolitical critique to relational satire.

Production

Recording Sessions

The principal recording sessions for Punch the Clock occurred at AIR Studios in London, beginning in early 1983 following the completion of Elvis Costello's previous album Imperial Bedroom. Producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who had previously helmed successful albums for acts like Dexys Midnight Runners and Madness, oversaw the sessions, emphasizing a polished, upbeat sound with prominent brass and horn arrangements to appeal to contemporary pop audiences. Core tracking involved Costello and —keyboardist , bassist Bruce Thomas, and drummer Pete Thomas—with Langer and Winstanley engineering much of the material to incorporate layered instrumentation, including contributions from the horn section of the band Madness, credited as the Arcade French Horns and the Attractions' horn section. The sessions extended through April 1983, during which overdubs and additional recordings were added, such as the trumpet solo by on "," captured in a dedicated session that highlighted Baker's fragile yet emotive style amid the album's otherwise energetic production. Vocalist provided backing vocals on several tracks, including "," enhancing the album's rhythmic and harmonic depth. While the producers aimed for chart accessibility, Costello later expressed dissatisfaction with the overly slick results, attributing it to an attempt to balance artistic intent with commercial pressures, though the sessions yielded a diverse set of recordings completed efficiently over several months.

Arrangements and Collaborators

Punch the Clock was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who brought a polished, pop-oriented approach influenced by their prior work with bands like Madness. The core lineup consisted of Elvis Costello on vocals and guitars, alongside the Attractions—Steve Nieve on keyboards, Bruce Thomas on bass, and Pete Thomas on drums—providing the rhythmic and harmonic foundation. To expand the album's sonic palette, horn arrangements featured the TKO Horns, including Jeff Blythe on alto and baritone saxophones and clarinet, Paul Speare on tenor saxophone and flute, Dave Plews on , and Jim Paterson on . String arrangements were handled by , incorporating orchestral elements for tracks seeking a fuller texture. Backing vocals were contributed by Afrodiziak, with and adding soulful layers. Notable guest appearances included Baker's trumpet solo on "," a collaboration that lent a melancholic inflection to the anti-war track co-written by Costello and Langer. Additional percussion came from , while Stuart Robson provided trumpet and on "The World and His Wife." These elements marked a departure from the band's earlier raw sound, aiming for broader commercial appeal through layered, ensemble-driven arrangements.

Musical and Lyrical Analysis

Overall Style and Sound

Punch the Clock exhibits a polished pop-rock style infused with new wave, R&B, and elements, characterized by bright, brassy arrangements and a radio-friendly sheen that marks a shift toward greater in Elvis Costello's catalog. Produced by and at AIR Studios in during early 1983, the album's sound emphasizes crisp rhythms, layered textures, and upbeat tempos, diverging from the denser orchestration of Costello's prior release (1982) toward a more streamlined, commercial appeal. Central to the album's sonic identity are the prominent horn sections arranged by the TKO Horns, which deliver tangy, punchy accents ranging from subtle punctuations to full-blown hooks, evoking 1960s and Stax influences without descending into pastiche. The Attractions—comprising on keyboards, Bruce Thomas on bass, and Pete Thomas on drums—provide a muscular foundation, with Nieve's and organ work adding melodic buoyancy and Thomas's bass lines contributing groovy propulsion, as heard in tracks like "Let Them All Talk." Guest appearances further diversify the palette: Chet Baker's muted on "" introduces jazzy introspection, while Afrodiziak's soulful backing vocals on selections such as "" enhance the R&B-inflected choruses. This blend yields a distinctive pop vitality—hook-laden yet intellectually sharp—where soulful grooves coexist with Costello's biting lyrical delivery, though the production's glossy finish has drawn retrospective critique for occasionally prioritizing sheen over raw edge. Despite such reservations, the album's energetic horn-driven sound and rhythmic sophistication underscore its role as a bridge between punk-derived new wave and mainstream soul revivalism.

Key Tracks and Themes

"Pills and Soap", released as a single on 21 March 1983 under Costello's pseudonym The Imposter, satirizes media hype and political opportunism, with lyrics decrying "the new improved occupation" and consumerist distractions amid social decay. The track's ominous tone and references to "fascist " target authoritarian tendencies and public , reflecting Costello's sharpened political edge during the early 1980s Thatcher era. "Shipbuilding", co-written with producer Clive Langer and featuring trumpet by Chet Baker, examines the ironic economic boost from wartime naval production in British shipyards, particularly amid the Falklands War, while underscoring the ultimate futility and human toll of conflict. Its poignant chorus—"It's all we're skilled in / We'll make the same mistake"—highlights cyclical profiteering and false hopes of employment masking impending violence, blending anti-war sentiment with regional despair in areas like Liverpool and Belfast. "Everyday I Write the Book", issued as a single on 1 1983, contrasts these critiques with a lighter dissection of romantic detachment, where the narrator prioritizes analytical documentation over genuine connection, as in lines advising "Don't try to impress me, you're just wasting your time." The song's accessible melody and chorus contributed to its status as Costello's first entry, peaking at number 36 on the in November 1983, signaling a pivot toward pop structures without diluting lyrical acuity. Other notable tracks like "Let Them All Talk" explore relational and through upbeat horns, while "The World and His Wife" critiques marital complacency and societal judgment. Overarching themes interweave personal cynicism—evident in failed intimacies and emotional barriers—with socio-political barbs against , , and Northern Ireland's sectarian strife, often delivered via dense that resists straightforward interpretation.

Artwork and Packaging

Design Elements

The sleeve design for Punch the Clock was created by Phil Smee following the rejection of an earlier proposal by Barney Bubbles. The front cover depicts a close-up photograph of Elvis Costello wearing a hat and eyeglasses as he touches his left ear, framed by a prominent red border. This imagery, combined with Letraset-style lettering for the title and artist name, gives the artwork a straightforward, somewhat dated aesthetic compared to the more elaborate designs of Costello's preceding albums like Imperial Bedroom. The back cover presents a conventional band portrait of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, accompanied by the track listing and production credits in a standard layout. The original UK LP release on F-Beat Records included a heavy stock inner sleeve with rounded corners, featuring the full lyrics and a black-and-white photographic montage. Certain international editions, such as the Greek pressing, utilized a gatefold sleeve format to accommodate additional artwork or liner notes. The lyrics themselves were printed in a variety of fonts, reflecting an eclectic typographic approach that contrasted with the album's polished sonic production.

Symbolism and Reception

The title Punch the Clock symbolizes the repetitive drudgery of wage labor, evoking the act of workers inserting time cards into a clock to record hours, as well as a broader commentary on time's relentless passage and the pressures of the music industry. Elvis Costello highlighted this duality in a 1983 interview, stating it could signify "stopping time" or "punching in" to commence work. The cover photograph depicts Costello, attired in a and , touching his left ear within a stark border, interpreted by observers as an to hearkening the tick of a timepiece, thereby reinforcing motifs of temporal awareness and urgency central to the album's lyrical content. This imagery contrasts sharply with the abstract, symbolic aesthetics of prior releases designed by , whose contributions had imbued Costello's sleeves with layered visual metaphors. Reception of the packaging centered on its departure from experimental design toward accessibility, mirroring the record's polished pop production aimed at wider commercial viability. The rejection of Bubbles' proposed artwork—featuring band-specific icons, such as a pill capsule denoting keyboardist —drew retrospective lamentation among aficionados, who regarded it as one of Bubbles' final unfulfilled visions before his on November 14, 1983. Critics like Gouldstone observed the conventional cover as an effort to signal the album's mainstream leanings to audiences accustomed to Costello's more esoteric presentations. The liner notes in reissues reflect on this shift as a humorous re-engagement with pop conventions post-experimental phases.

Release and Commercial Performance

Marketing and Promotion

The marketing campaign for Punch the Clock opened with the advance single "Pills and Soap," released on May 27, 1983, under the alias The Imposter to foster intrigue and avoid direct association with Costello prior to the album's unveiling. The track, performed by Costello but credited anonymously with obscured vocal effects and artwork, peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and received television exposure on programs such as Top of the Pops. Post-release on August 5, 1983, the album's lead commercial single drove much of the promotion, marking Costello's first Top 40 entry by reaching number 36 on the Hot 100. It also climbed to number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. A corresponding , directed by , featured the Attractions and emphasized the song's pop-oriented accessibility to broaden appeal. Additional singles included "Let Them All Talk," which received a limited release but charted lower at number 59 in the . Overall promotion emphasized live performances, including the UK-focused "Clocking In Across the Tour," alongside radio appearances where Costello engaged directly, such as guest DJ spots playing selections from contemporaries like . Printed materials, including promotional posters and advertisements distributed by labels like Columbia and F-Beat, supported retail and media outreach.

Chart Performance and Sales

Punch the Clock entered the at number 6 on August 6, 1983, before climbing to its peak position of number 3 the following week, and remained on the chart for a total of 13 weeks. In the United States, the album debuted on the at number 61 on August 13, 1983, rising to number 39 the next week and number 30 the week after, ultimately peaking at number 24 during its chart run. Specific sales figures for the album are not publicly detailed in primary industry reports, though its chart performance marked an improvement over Costello's prior releases like , which peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200. The lead single "" contributed to visibility, reaching number 28 on the UK Singles Chart and number 32 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, representing Costello's strongest US single showing to that point. Overall, the album's commercial reception positioned it as Costello's strongest seller in the UK since Get Happy!! in 1980, reflecting broader appeal from its pop-oriented production despite mixed critical response.

Critical Reception

Initial Reviews

Upon its release on August 5, 1983, in the UK and shortly thereafter in the US, Punch the Clock elicited mixed reviews from critics, who noted its polished production by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley as a departure from Costello's earlier rawer sound toward greater pop accessibility, yielding both commercial appeal and diluted edge. In Rolling Stone, Parke Puterbaugh awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars on September 15, 1983, praising its "catchy melodies" and standout tracks like "Everyday I Write the Book" for their hooks, but critiquing the "slick and detached" production and lyrics that "lack depth" amid an overly commercial sheen that sacrificed Costello's trademark intensity. British music weeklies were generally more favorable, reflecting enthusiasm for the album's brass-infused energy and thematic bite on labor and society. named Punch the Clock its Album of the Year for 1983, highlighting its bright pop sheen and verbal dexterity as a high point in Costello's catalog. Similarly, 's Adam Sweeting described it on September 1, 1983, as Costello's "hardest-hitting collection of songs in a long while," commending the urgent rhythms and horn sections on tracks like "Let Them All Talk" despite initial reservations about the producers' glossy touch. Sounds' Edwin Pouncey, in a July 30, 1983, preview that aligned with release sentiments, called it an "enjoyable listening experience," lauding ' tight performances and guest contributions from and the TKO Horns for adding vivid color without overpowering the material. The divergence underscored a transatlantic split: US reviewers often emphasized the album's concessions to radio-friendliness—exemplified by the hit single "," which peaked at number 36 on the —as compromising Costello's punk roots, while UK outlets appreciated the evolution as a sophisticated maturation, though some anticipated fan backlash over its relative lightness compared to predecessors like Imperial Bedroom.

Artist's Reflections and Criticisms

Costello intended Punch the Clock as a return to accessible pop after the relative commercial disappointments of albums like Trust (1981), aiming to secure hits that would preserve his artistic independence. He collaborated with producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, known for work with acts like Madness, to craft a polished sound emphasizing overdubs and layered arrangements over the raw energy of prior Attractions recordings. Retrospectively, Costello has voiced dissatisfaction with the album's execution, describing some songs as hastily composed "bright pop tunes that didn't have much else to them," prioritizing formula over substance amid pressure for mainstream success. In 2003 reissue notes, he likened the process to an "anxiety dream," critiquing its alignment with the "passionless fads" of early pop and the loss of spontaneity from the methodical "building-block" production style. By 1986, he explicitly called the album flawed, attributing issues to the same producers' overly slick approach, which he felt compromised its vitality. Despite these criticisms, Costello highlighted redeeming elements, such as the satirical edge retained in tracks like "Pills and Soap," released pseudonymously as by the Imposter and peaking at No. 16 in the UK in 1983. He viewed ""—composed in ten minutes and reaching No. 28 in the UK and No. 32 in the —as a deliberate experiment in crafting a "simple, almost formula song" with deeper resonance, though its commercial sheen exemplified the album's concessions. For "," featuring Baker's , Costello framed it not as overt against Falklands-era but as a subtler "warning sign" of economic desperation in British shipyards. Overall, Costello's reflections underscore Punch the Clock as a commercially motivated pivot that yielded hits but at the cost of artistic fervor, influencing his subsequent shift toward more unadorned styles in albums like King of America (1986). He has maintained that while the record reconnected him with pop's "wonderful world" and preserved humor post- (1982), hindsight reveals its limitations in capturing genuine urgency.

Legacy

Retrospective Evaluations

In later assessments, Punch the Clock has been viewed as a transitional work in Elvis Costello's catalog, blending his lyrical acuity with commercial pop production that some praise for its accessibility and others decry as overly slick. A 2023 retrospective in 360°Sound, commemorating the album's 40th anniversary, characterized it as Costello's quintessential 1980s effort, highlighting its "plentiful pop hooks" and "playful" tone less acerbic than prior releases, with standout tracks like the haunting ""—featuring Baker's trumpet solo on August 1983 recordings—and "," Costello's first U.S. Top 40 single peaking at No. 36 on the in October 1983. The review acknowledged unevenness and textural contrasts from horn sections and backup vocals but credited producers and for bright, high-fidelity sonics that enhanced its Motown-inspired swing. Costello has offered a more critical self-appraisal, lamenting in the 2003 Rhino reissue that the album captured "passionless fads of that charmless time: 'The Early '80s,'" rendering it instantly dated and hindering appreciation without . He reframed "," co-written with and released as a single on October 24, 1983, not merely as but as a prescient "warning sign" against Falklands War-related shipyard booms, underscoring thematic depth amid stylistic gloss. Attractions bassist Bruce Thomas echoed this in his 1998 memoir Complicated Shadows, critiquing the "trendy production values" as excessively bright, though effective on select tracks. Aggregate critic scores reflect persistent division: AllMusic assigns 3 out of 5 stars, noting frustration with commercial pursuits post-Imperial Bedroom but crediting stylistic variety. Rate Your Music users average 3.4 out of 5 from 1,693 ratings, while Discogs logs 3.8 from 1,571, with praise for lyrical standouts amid "unspectacular" musicianship elsewhere. A 2024 Pitchfork review of Imperial Bedroom indirectly reevaluates follow-ups like Punch the Clock as "deranged" in their horn-laden excess, treating sections as a "clown car" of commercial concessions. Audiophile outlets, such as a 2025 Skeptical Audiophile analysis, elevate it as a personal favorite for remastered sound quality surpassing original imports. Overall, reevaluations position the album as an underrated pop experiment for fans valuing hooks and horns, yet emblematic of Costello's mid-1980s pivot toward mainstream sheen that he and some critics later disavowed.

Influence and Covers

"Shipbuilding", a collaboration between Costello and producer Clive Langer featuring trumpet by Chet Baker, has proven one of the album's most enduring tracks, with multiple covers highlighting its anti-war themes rooted in the 1982 Falklands conflict. The song, originally released by in 1982 prior to Costello's version, was covered by on her 1992 album , Hue and Cry in a 1991 rendition, and in a live performance noted for its brooding intensity. These interpretations underscore the track's lyrical depth and melodic appeal across genres from pop to . "Everyday I Write the Book", the album's biggest commercial single reaching number 24 on the UK Singles Chart in 1983, has also attracted covers that adapt its literate pop structure to varied styles. British indie band Blossoms recorded an acoustic version in 2020 during lockdown isolation sessions, while reggae artist Winston Reedy issued a dub-inflected take in 1986. Additional renditions include theatrical interpretations by Kate Baldwin in 2016 live performances. Such covers demonstrate the song's versatility beyond its original new wave context. Other tracks like "Pills and Soap" have seen sporadic covers, primarily in acoustic or fan-driven formats, but lack the breadth of reinterpretations afforded to the album's hits. Overall, while Punch the Clock's polished production and horn-driven arrangements reflected mid-1980s British pop trends rather than pioneering new ones, the covers of its key songs affirm their lasting interpretive value among musicians.

Reissues and Remasters

In 1995, (in the US) and Demon Records (in the UK) released a remastered edition of Punch the Clock on , featuring enhanced audio quality derived from the original tapes and including three bonus tracks: "The Flirting Kind," "Walking on Thin Ice" (a cover), and "The Town Where Time Stood Still." This edition aimed to restore lost in earlier digital transfers, though it retained the original 1983 track listing for the core album. A more expansive two-disc remastered set followed in 2003 from Rhino Records () and Edsel Records (), with the first disc presenting the album remixed and remastered for improved clarity and separation, particularly benefiting horn and horn sections. The bonus disc compiled 19 tracks, including B-sides like "Let Them All Talk" (single version), "" (live), studio outtakes such as "The Greatest Thing" (demo), and session recordings from 1983, sourced from Costello's archives and licensed material. This release totaled over 100 minutes of additional content, emphasizing rarities from the album's recording era. Vinyl reissues have included a 180-gram pressing remastered from the original analog master tapes, available through Costello's official store and specialty labels like , which employed for heightened fidelity and reduced surface noise. These editions, limited and numbered in some cases, replicate the original packaging and have been praised for revealing subtleties in instrumentation previously obscured in standard pressings. No further digital expansions beyond 2003 have been documented as of 2025.

Track Listing and Credits

Track Listing

All songs written by Elvis Costello except "Shipbuilding", co-written by Costello, , and . The original 1983 LP release contains the following 11 tracks:
No.TitleLength
1"Let Them All Talk"3:06
2""3:54
3"The Greatest Thing"3:04
4"The Element Within Her"2:52
5"Love Went Mad"3:12
6""4:55
7"T.K.O. (Boxing Day)"3:28
8"Charm School"3:55
9""3:05
10"Mouth Almighty"3:00
11"King of Thieves"3:45
Total length: 45:16. UK cassette editions and subsequent reissues appended "Pills and Soap" (3:42) as an additional track.

Personnel

Punch the Clock was primarily performed by and the Attractions, consisting of Costello on lead vocals, guitars (including , , and Fender models), keyboard, and one-finger parts; on keyboards such as , Hammond B3 organ, , , Vox organ, and ; Bruce Thomas on electric bass; and Pete Thomas on drums and cymbals. Additional musicians included providing trumpet solos, notably on "Shipbuilding"; Jeff Blythe on , , and ; Jimmy Paterson on ; Paul Speare on and ; Dave Plews and Stuart Robson on trumpet; on percussion; and backing vocalists and . String arrangements were handled by , while contributed and horn arrangements. The album was produced by and , with engineering by Colin Fairley and Gavin Greenaway. Recording took place at AIR Studios in , England.

Chart Positions

Punch the Clock peaked at number 3 on the , spending 13 weeks in the top 100. In the United States, it reached number 24 on the chart.
CountryChartPeak Position
3
24

References

  1. https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Punch_The_Clock
  2. https://360degreesound.com/classic-disc-elvis-costellos-punch-the-clock/
  3. https://www.discogs.com/master/42921-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  4. https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/
  5. https://elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Punch_The_Clock_%281995%29_liner_notes
  6. https://americansongwriter.com/what-was-elvis-costellos-first-us-top-40-hit/
  7. https://recordsandcharts.com/albumrun.php?alid=5429
  8. https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-punch-the-clock/
  9. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elvis-costello-punch-the-clock/
  10. https://www.allmusic.com/album/punch-the-clock-mw0000740816
  11. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Punch_The_Clock_%281995%29_liner_notes
  12. https://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/05/28/almost-hits-elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-everyday-i-write-the-book-1983/
  13. https://americansongwriter.com/how-elvis-costello-used-a-brilliant-three-line-refrain-to-sum-up-his-anti-war-stance-in-shipbuilding/
  14. https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Punch_The_Clock_(2003)_liner_notes
  15. https://americansongwriter.com/the-meaning-behind-elvis-costello-the-attractions-everyday-i-write-the-book/
  16. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Punch_The_Clock_(1995)_liner_notes
  17. https://elviscostello.com/liner_notes/goodbye-cruel-world/
  18. https://www.facebook.com/groups/478613695592616/posts/8842203799233522/
  19. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/punch-the-clock-101673/
  20. https://www.rhino.com/article/elvis-costello-the-attractions
  21. https://twitter.com/elvis_wiki/status/1795564898514022673
  22. https://www.discogs.com/release/2144025-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  23. https://thepressmusicreviews.wordpress.com/2024/09/12/barney-bubbles-unsung-hero-of-modern-album-cover-design/
  24. https://www.instagram.com/p/C7LsfylIn6I/
  25. https://www.discogs.com/release/5167703-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  26. https://www.discogs.com/release/7795730-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  27. https://www.discogs.com/release/3324842-Elvis-Costello-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  28. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=8721
  29. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Musician%2C_October_1983
  30. https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/elvis-costellos-sleeve-covers-turned-album-art-on-its-head/
  31. https://www.discogs.com/release/537495-The-Imposter-Pills-And-Soap
  32. https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Single:_Pills_And_Soap
  33. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/uk-top-40-singles-chart/19830612/750140/
  34. https://www.facebook.com/ElvisCostello/posts/on-top-of-the-pops-elvis-performs-pills-and-soap-costello-credited-hip-hop-speci/1311822786965651/
  35. https://musicchartsarchive.com/singles/elvis-costello/everyday-i-write-the-book
  36. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elvis-costello-everyday-i-write-the-book/
  37. https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-everyday-i-write-the-book/
  38. https://unobtainium13.com/2018/07/07/music-video-of-the-day-everyday-i-write-the-book-by-elvis-costello-the-attractions-1983-directed-by-don-letts/
  39. https://www.facebook.com/lighthousepoole/posts/onthisday-2710-83-elvis-costello-the-attractions-promoting-the-classy-punch-the-/4467339086693117/
  40. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10002
  41. https://www.ebay.com/itm/254355081133
  42. https://www.japanrockarchive.com/products/elvis-costello-1983-12-punch-the-clock-album-promo-ad
  43. http://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/elvis-costello
  44. https://www.nme.com/features/1983-2-1045394
  45. https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-punch-the-clock-f-beat-
  46. https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Artist/elvis-costello?orderBy=Id
  47. https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions/punch-the-clock/
  48. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/
  49. https://ontherecord.co/2025/07/25/elvis-costello-punch-the-clock-our-white-hot-shootout-winner-for-2017/
  50. https://mylifeinmusiclists.ca/2022/04/14/100-best-covers-53-suede-shipbuilding/
  51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgqgkxQsVgE
  52. https://www.whosampled.com/Elvis-Costello/Everyday-I-Write-the-Book/covered/
  53. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im48NkKU-g8
  54. https://secondhandsongs.com/work/9803/all
  55. https://www.discogs.com/release/5010417-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  56. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Punch_The_Clock_%281995_Rykodisc/Demon_Extended_Play%29
  57. https://www.discogs.com/release/2047219-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Attractions-Punch-The-Clock
  58. https://www.elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Punch_The_Clock_%282003_Rhino/Edsel_Bonus_Disc%29
  59. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/costello-reissues-explode-with-bonus-tracks-69873/
  60. https://shop.elviscostello.com/products/punch-the-clock-lp
  61. https://www.musicdirect.com/music/vinyl/elvis-costello-punch-the-clock-numbered-180g-vinyl-lp/
  62. http://inanotherroom.com/ptc.html
  63. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1983-10-01/
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