Beyond Belief – Elvis Costello tribute CD featuring powerpop greats coming soon

I met John Borack very briefly at an IPO show and, after having read his most excellent book, Shake Some Action – The Ultimate Powerpop Guide, I learned of the numerous other worthwhile literary endeavors he was involved in. I wondered where he found the time. Well, Borack is at it again, having assembled the talent for a 3CD tribute to Elvis Costello entitled Beyond Belief: A Tribute to Elvis Costello. It is scheduled for release later this year.

I’ve always been a huge EC fan but this disc holds a few special surprises for powerpop fans in the southeast. The disc features covers of EC songs from a few of this site’s favorites including Jamie & Steve (Charlotte), A Fragile Tomorrow (Charleston), and The Stars Explode (Chapel Hill). Add to it some other current favorites like Lannie Flowers (who did an awesome cover on a recent Records tribute), former Merrymaker David Myhr (who performs Veronica, a PERFECT selection for him), Anderson Council and Throwback Suburbia and you’ve got a wealth of talent performing some of the best written songs in the last 20 years.

This is where the cheez-y K-Tel Records pitch man says “But THAT’S NOT ALL”!

There’s a few special offerings for those of us old enough to remember his first SNL appearance or the night Bonnie Raitt kicked his ass at a bar in Nashville. Remember Romeo Void? Anyone who loved eclectic, frenetic, incredibly dance-able, angst ridden songs will remember Debbie Iyall and her hit “Never Say Never”. Debbie and her new band perform EC’s “Watching the Detectives” – perfect song for her. Anyone who has heard “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” (or the Avril Levign rip-off thereof) will remember The Rubinoos and they’re back, performing “Pump It Up”.

And Lannie Flowers doing “Radio Sweetheart”… that should be awesome.

Here’s the full track list:

“Almost Blue” – Nick Heyward & the 13 Satellites
“Accidents Will Happen” – Throwback Suburbia
“I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Severo
“New Amsterdam” – Parallax Project
“Radio Radio” – Tim Cullen
“London’s Brilliant Parade” – Corin Ashley
“Watching the Detectives” – Debora Iyall Group
“Blame It On Cain” – Jamie & Steve
“Everyday I Write the Book” – Gameface
“Pump It Up” – The Rubinoos
“No Action” – Chris Richards and the Subtractions
“Mystery Dance” – sparkle*jets UK
“Daddy Can I Turn This?” – A Fragile Tomorrow
“So Like Candy” – Paul Myers
“(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea” – The Stars Explode
“Night Rally” – The Smith Bros.
“The Other End of the Telescope” – Butch Walker
“Monkey to Man” – Kelley Ryan
“Green Shirt” – Scott Bennett
“Kinder Murder” – Popdudes
“Uncomplicated” – Walter Clevenger & the Dairy Kings
“Possession” – Barry Holdship
“Man Out of Time” – Bill Lloyd
“Girls Talk” – Rob Smith
“This Year’s Girl” – The Molly Pitchers
“God’s Comic” – Robbie Rist
“Welcome to the Working Week” – Ron Flynt
“Deep Dark Truthful Mirror” – Gail George
“Strict Time” – Anderson Council
“Riot Act” – Brandon Schott
“Sleep of the Just” – Steve Kobashigawa
“Indoor Fireworks” – Doug Davis
“Veronica” – David Myhr
“God Give Me Strength” – Mike Viola
“No Hiding Place” – Michael Carpenter
“Beyond Belief” – Nelson Bragg and Ken Cleveland
“(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” – The Klank
“Tokyo Storm Warning” – Fireking
“Blue Chair” – Bart Mendoza & True Stories
“Little Triggers” – Cloud Eleven
“From a Whisper to a Scream” – The Tickets
“The Only Flame in Town” – Frank Royster
“Brilliant Mistake” – Dennis Schocket & Cliff Hillis
“Alison” – Matthew Sweet
“High Fidelity” – Kurt Baker
“Crimes of Paris” – An American Underdog
“Radio Sweetheart” – Lannie Flowers
“My Little Blue Window” – Johnny Monaco
“Doll Revolution” – Hans Rotenberry
“Big Sister’s Clothes” – Matt Brown

While we wait for a street date for the release, several of the bands above will be appearing in and around the Carolinas this summer, the dates and locations of which are listed on this site’s home page under “Carolina Concert Calendar”. Check it out. And if you want to know when this disc becomes available, check out the release’s facebook page.

On a side note, John has one of the greatest sneaker collections the world has ever seen. Perhaps that’s an idea for the next Borack project…Get Some Traction, the Ultimate Sneaker Guide. Just a thought…