Elvis Costello’s acclaimed 1979 album Armed Forces is the subject of an expansive box set featuring nine vinyl discs that will be released on November 6.
The Complete Armed Forces is comprised of three 12-inch LPs, three 10-inch discs and three seven-inch singles, and includes a newly remastered version of the original album, as well as B-sides, alternate versions, outtakes, demos, and a selection of live recordings, among them 23 previously unreleased performances.
Armed Forces was Costello’s third album and the second credited to Elvis and his backing band, The Attractions. It featured popular songs like “Accidents Will Happen,” “Oliver’s Army,” and Costello and the Attractions’ signature cover of Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding?” The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard 20, making it Elvis’ highest-charting studio effort to date.
The box set’s 12-inch and 10-inch discs feature the aforementioned remastered album; outtakes, demos and alternative versions from the Armed Forces sessions; and live performances from 1978 and ’79 recorded in Los Angeles, in London, in Sydney, Australia, and at Holland’s Pinkpop Festival.
The seven-inch discs feature the “Accidents Will Happen” and “Oliver’s Army” singles, and their respective B-sides, and a split single featuring Lowe’s “American Squirm” on one side and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding” on the other.
The box set comes packaged with seven comic books and pulp novels featuring liner notes and handwritten lyrics, a vintage poster and collectible post cards. The collection is available in standard vinyl and limited-edition colored-vinyl editions, and also will be released digitally.
You can order The Complete Armed Forces at uDiscoverMusic.com’s online store. Three of the live tracks were released today as an advance digital EP.
