Dangerous Amusements: the Elvis Costello playlist

On Elvis Costello's 70th birthday, we reach the finale of the 70@70 series. Best-selling author, musician and actor Mark Billingham joins me to discuss the top 10 in my countdown of 70 essential Costello songs.

Author Libby Cudmore joins me for the penultimate episode of the Elvis Costello 70@70 series. We've reached the top 20 now in my rundown of 70 essential Elvis Costello songs to celebrate his 70th birthday. Libby offers her take on the tracks I've chosen from 20-11.

For the fifth part of the Elvis Costello 70@70 series, it's my great pleasure to be joined by producer, engineer and Costello collaborator Steve Mandel. We chat about songs 30-21 on my rundown of 70 essential Elvis songs to mark his upcoming 70th birthday.

It's a warm welcome back to the podcast to music journalist Paul Stokes for the fourth instalment of the Elvis Costello 70@70 series. We're at the midway point of my countdown of 70 essential Costello songs to celebrate his upcoming 70th birthday. Paul and I discuss numbers 40-31 on the playlist.

Music writer Allison Rapp is my guest for the third instalment of the Elvis Costello 70@70 series. I've put together a list of 70 essential Elvis Costello songs to celebrate his 70th birthday in August 2024. In this episode, Allison and I chat about tracks 50-41 in the countdown. Make sure you check out Allison's terrific show The Big Yellow Podcast, celebrating the life and music of Joni Mitchell.

Comedian, actor and writer Connor Ratliff joins me for the second episode in the Elvis Costello 70@70 countdown. To mark Costello's 70th birthday in August 2024, I've picked out 70 of his most essential songs. Connor and I discuss numbers 60-51 in the countdown.

This is the first of seven episodes counting down the Elvis Costello 70@70. To mark Costello's 70th birthday in August 2024, I've picked out 70 of his most essential songs. Joining me to discuss the first 10 songs in the countdown is music writer, author and musician Tom Doyle.

A new series coming your way for summer 2024.

Acclaimed author and journalist Simon Garfield says of his love of Elvis Costello’s music, “no other artist has had such a deep or sustained impact on me or introduced me to such a wide range of music”. He has been a fan of Costello since hearing the Honky Tonk demos and attending early gigs at the Dominion as a teenager. Simon has gone on to interview Elvis on a number of occasions, including after every night of his 2023 residency at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. We chat about those experiences, hear about Simon’s favourite Costello songs and discuss Elvis’s stage musical projects, Cold War and A Face in the Crowd.

Photographer Tony Sacchetti has been taking pictures of Elvis Costello onstage and off it for more than 40 years. His shots have appeared everywhere from Costello fanzines and his fantastic Instagram page to official Elvis album booklets. Tony tells me about the art of music photography, covering memorable Costello gigs and his interactions with Elvis over the years. And, of course, Tony adds six of his favourite EC songs to the playlist.