MY AIM IS TRUE
Original album released 1977

My Aim Is True (36:49)
  1. Welcome to the Working Week (1:23)
  2. Miracle Man (3:31)
  3. No Dancing (2:40)
  4. Blame It on Cain (2:50)
  5. Alison (3:23)
  6. Sneaky Feelings (2:09)
  7. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (2:46)
  8. Less Than Zero (3:14)
  9. Mystery Dance (1:36)
  10. Pay It Back (2:32)
  11. I'm Not Angry (2:59)
  12. Waiting for the End of the World (3:22)
  13. Watching the Detectives (3:45)
(click arrows below to show/hide bonus material)
Rykodisc version (1CD) released 1993
Extended Play (23:24) [total 60:23]
  1. Radio Sweetheart (2:25)
  2. Stranger in the House (3:01)
  3. Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver) (3:36)
  4. Mystery Dance (Honky Tonk demo) (2:13)
  5. Cheap Reward (Honky Tonk demo) (2:16)
  6. Jump Up (Honky Tonk demo) (2:06)
  7. Wave a White Flag (Honky Tonk demo) (1:53)
  8. Blame It on Cain (Honky Tonk demo) (3:31)
  9. Poison Moon (Honky Tonk demo) (1:53)
Rhino version (2CD) released 2001
Disc 2: Bonus Disc (35:30)
  1. No Action (early version) (2:14)
  2. Living in Paradise (early version) (2:59)
  3. Radio Sweetheart (2:30)
  4. Stranger in the House (3:01)
  5. I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself (live) (2:27)
  6. Less Than Zero ("Dallas version") (4:17)
  7. Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver) (3:36)
  8. Mystery Dance (Honky Tonk demo) (2:13)
  9. Cheap Reward (Honky Tonk demo) (2:16)
  10. Jump Up (Honky Tonk demo) (2:06)
  11. Wave a White Flag (Honky Tonk demo) (1:57)
  12. Blame It on Cain (Honky Tonk demo) (3:31)
  13. Poison Moon (Honky Tonk demo) (1:53)
Hip-O deluxe edition (2CD) released 2007
Disc 1 bonus tracks (26:45) [total 63:41]
  1. No Action (early version) (2:14)
  2. Living in Paradise (early version) (2:59)
  3. Radio Sweetheart (2:30)
  4. Stranger in the House (3:01)
  5. Welcome to the Working Week (Pathway Studios demo) (1:24)
  6. Blue Minute (Pathway Studios demo) (1:33)
  7. Miracle Man (Pathway Studios demo) (2:22)
  8. Waiting for the End of the World (Pathway Studios demo) (2:28)
  9. Call on Me (Pathway Studios demo) (1:58)
  10. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (Pathway Studios demo) (2:06)
  11. I Don't Want to Go Home (Pathway Studios demo) (1:45)
  12. I Hear a Melody (Pathway Studios demo) (2:10)
Disc 2: Live at the Nashville Rooms, August 7, 1977 (69:56)
  1. Introduction by Dave Robinson (0:26)
  2. Welcome to the Working Week (1:18)
  3. Blame It on Cain (2:53)
  4. No Dancing (2:57)
  5. Waiting for the End of the World (3:54)
  6. Night Rally (2:34)
  7. Hoover Factory (2:01)
  8. No Action (2:31)
  9. (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea (3:03)
  10. Miracle Man (3:53)
  11. The Beat (3:46)
  12. Less Than Zero (3:27)
  13. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (2:57)
  14. Lipstick Vogue (3:59)
  15. Watching the Detectives (4:23)
  16. Lip Service (4:31)
  17. Mystery Dance (3:34)
  18. Alison (3:32)
  19. Pay It Back (soundcheck) (2:23)
  20. Radio Sweetheart (soundcheck) (2:56)
  21. Sneaky Feelings (soundcheck) (2:16)
  22. Crawling to the U.S.A. (soundcheck) (2:59)
  23. Alison (soundcheck) (3:25)
49th Anniversary Edition (5CD) released 2026
Disc 2: The Blue Print (46:40)
  1. I Turn Around (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:20)
  2. Losing You (Hope & Anchor Studio) (2:39)
  3. Leverman (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:08)
  4. Citizen Junction (Hope & Anchor Studio) (2:19)
  5. I Hear a Melody (Pathway Studios) (2:08)
  6. Poison Moon (Bedroom Recording) (1:52)
  7. Wave a White Flag (Bedroom Recording) (1:56)
  8. Mercury Wings (Ms. Dore's Tape) (1:26)
  9. Jump Up (Hope & Anchor Studio) (1:59)
  10. No Star (Hope & Anchor Studio) (2:22)
  11. Walk On (Hope & Anchor Studio) (2:39)
  12. Radio Soul (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:38)
  13. Clean Money (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:24)
  14. Don't Put a Levy on My Love (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:47)
  15. Play It Safe (Hope & Anchor Studio) (2:24)
  16. Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver) (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:47)
  17. I Can't Turn It Off (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:38)
Disc 3: The Stranger in the House (75:04)
  1. Radio Sweetheart (My Aim Is True Outtake) (2:30)
  2. Cheap Reward (Bedroom Recording) (2:15)
  3. Mystery Dance (Bedroom Recording) (2:12)
  4. Stranger in the House (My Aim Is True Outtake) (3:01)
  5. Running Out of Angels (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:23)
  6. Just Like a Jukebox (Hope & Anchor Studio) (3:19)
  7. I Don't Want to Go Home (Pathway Studios) (1:42)
  8. Blame It on Cain (Bedroom Recording) (3:31)
  9. Blue Minute (Ms. Dore's Tape) (2:34)
  10. Pay It Back (Bedroom Recording) (2:18)
  11. Exiles Road (Hope & Anchor Studio) Flip City (3:23)
  12. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Hope & Anchor Studio) Flip City (3:50)
  13. Sweet Revival (Hope & Anchor Studio) Flip City (2:58)
  14. Pay It Back (Hope & Anchor Studio) Flip City (2:49)
  15. Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver) (Hope & Anchor Studio) Flip City (3:36)
  16. Living in Paradise (Hope & Anchor Studio) (2:27)
  17. Welcome to the Working Week (Pathway Studios) (1:24)
  18. Miracle Man (Bedroom Recording) (2:27)
  19. Miracle Man (Pathway Studios) (2:10)
  20. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (Ms. Dore's Tape) (2:24)
  21. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (Pathway Studios) (1:59)
  22. Waiting for the End of the World (Pathway Studios) (2:21)
  23. Living in Paradise (My Aim Is True Outtake) (2:52)
  24. Call on Me (Pathway Studios) (1:54)
  25. Watching the Detectives (Pathway Studios Trio Version) (3:38)
  26. No Action (Pathway Studios Trio Version) (2:11)
  27. Poison Moon (Ms. Dore's Tape) (2:00)
  28. Stranger in the House (Ms. Dore's Tape) (3:47)
Disc 4: Becoming the Attractions (65:39)
  1. Alison (What's On Granada Reports) (2:31)
  2. Introduction by Dave Robinson (Live, the Nashville Room) (0:22)
  3. Mystery Dance (Live, the Nashville Room) (2:05)
  4. Pay It Back (Soundcheck, the Nashville Room) (2:19)
  5. Radio Sweetheart (Soundcheck, the Nashville Room) (2:52)
  6. Sneaky Feelings (Soundcheck, the Nashville Room) (2:09)
  7. Crawling to the U.S.A. (Soundcheck, the Nashville Room) (2:43)
  8. Lip Service (Pathway Studios) (2:44)
  9. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (Top of the Pops) (2:15)
  10. Interview No. 1 (Good Afternoon with Mavis Nicholson) (0:16)
  11. Watching the Detectives (Good Afternoon Broadcast) (2:50)
  12. Interview No. 2 (Good Afternoon with Mavis Nicholson) (0:13)
  13. Hoover Factory (Good Afternoon Rehearsal) (1:39)
  14. I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself (Live Stiffs, University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K.) (2:24)
  15. Whole Wide World (Live Stiffs, University of Leicester, Leicester, U.K.) (3:35)
  16. KSAN Intro (Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA) (0:09)
  17. Pump It Up (Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA) (3:44)
  18. Lip Service (El Mocambo, Toronto, Canada) (2:24)
  19. Mystery Dance (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA) (2:05)
  20. Blame It on Cain (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA) (3:39)
  21. Less Than Zero (Dallas Version) (Warner Theater, Washington D.C.) (4:01)
  22. Waiting for the End of the World (The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH) (4:01)
  23. Miracle Man (Warner Theater, Washington D.C.) (3:46)
  24. Watching the Detectives (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA) (6:07)
  25. I'm Not Angry (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA) (4:48)
Disc 5: Covered in Clover (Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA — November 8, 2007) (62:47}
  1. Welcome to the Working Week (1:26)
  2. Miracle Man (3:33)
  3. No Dancing (2:56)
  4. Intro to Blame It on Cain (2:13)
  5. Blame It on Cain (2:58)
  6. Alison (3:08)
  7. Intro to Sneaky Feelings (1:34)
  8. Sneaky Feelings (2:25)
  9. Intro to Red Shoes (0:24)
  10. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (2:59)
  11. Less Than Zero (3:31)
  12. Mystery Dance (2:07)
  13. Pay It Back (2:53)
  14. I'm Not Angry (2:55)
  15. Waiting for the End of the World / Gloria (3:52)
  16. Watching the Detectives (6:17)
  17. Mr. Moon (3:01)
  18. Intro to the Love Trilogy (1:30)
  19. Love Has No Pride (4:01)
  20. Love Is Gone (2:36)
  21. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? (6:31)

Elvis Costello's debut album My Aim Is True has had four major CD reissues.

Rykodisc's 1993 CD (released by Demon in the UK) had nine bonus tracks, a fairly generous number for its time. Seven of them were previously unreleased, although they had all long been available on bootlegs.

The vault was far from empty. A 20th anniversary edition of My Aim Is True was considered in 1997 but did not materialize. The following year, Elvis explained to interviewer Simon Griggs:

"I came very close to releasing an album and a half — or at least a good album's worth — of material that came prior to My Aim Is True last year. And then I thought better of it, these being a bunch of tapes which I thought had been lost but came to light unexpectedly. I'm in two minds as to the quality of it. Some of it is incredibly precocious. I'm talking about stuff that goes right back to 1977 — and even 1975 — so whether or not anyone would be interested in it, I don't know. What I feel about it changes. I nearly released it, but the time wasn't right. This has never been bootlegged as it has been sitting in cupboards and not been seen by anybody until very, very recently. Some of it goes right up to crossing over with stuff which was released on my reissues. But some things which I noted as being missing — like stuff recorded at the time of 'Watching the Detectives' — has come to light too."

Rhino's 2001 two-CD version (released by Edsel in the UK) was probably the least interesting of the 17 Costello albums reissued by the label. Two studio tracks he had "noted as being missing" appeared for the first time, but the rest of the bonus disc was mostly a rehash of the Ryko CD. "A Pekingese in a tuxedo could sell you My Aim Is True," Elvis told Billboard at the time, apparently meaning that such a highly regarded album could lure purchasers without much in the way of bonuses. Nevertheless, the bonus disc painted a well-rounded portrait of Elvis Costello turning pro — developing his songwriting skills (the Honky Tonk demos), already exploring genres outside of traditional rock & roll (Bacharach & David's "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," the country-ish "Radio Sweetheart" and "Stranger in the House"), and hinting at where he would go next with early versions of two songs from his next album and two early live performances with the Attractions.

Hip-O's 2007 two-CD release — sometimes referred to as the 30th anniversary edition, but officially the "Deluxe Edition" — told a narrower story but with far more detail. Only four of Rhino's bonus tracks were held over, but that left room for 26 unreleased tracks, including a complete 1977 concert. It was a promising start for a planned series of deluxe editions, but the series would end with its second release (This Year's Model). Perhaps poor sales were the unsurprising result of expanding an album for a third time only six years after the last reissue.

UMe's five-CD 49th Anniversary Edition arrived in 2026. The bonus material is presented as four themed discs: The Blue Print is solo recordings from 1975-1976, including several entirely unheard songs and very early drafts that would develop into familiar songs. The Stranger in the House leans country and combines more early solo recordings, five tracks by Elvis' mid-'70s band Flip City, and the previously released outtakes from the My Aim Is True period. Becoming the Attractions follows the rapid evolution of Elvis Costello and the Attractions in their first year through mostly commonly available live recordings. Covered in Clover is a live recording from 2007 featuring most of the musicians from My Aim Is True performing the album in sequence.

REISSUE BONUS TRACKS

RADIO SWEETHEART (Single Mix) (2:30) RHINO HIP-O 49TH
RADIO SWEETHEART (Alternate Mix) (2:25) RYKO
This track from Elvis' first "professional" recording session was originally the B-side of "Less Than Zero" in 1977 and turned up that same year on the various artists collection Hits Greatest Stiffs. In 1980 it appeared on Taking Liberties and Ten Bloody Marys in an alternate mix with fewer effects on the lead vocal in the opening verse and lacking the backing vocals and piano during the line "hope in the eyes of the ugly girls." The alternate mix became the standard version for many years, also appearing on the Ryko CD (where it fades in slightly late, making Taking Liberties or Ten Bloody Marys the preferred source). The original single mix made its CD debut on the Rhino My Aim Is True and has been the standard mix on 21st century releases.

STRANGER IN THE HOUSE (3:01) RYKO RHINO HIP-O 49TH
This outtake from the My Aim Is True sessions was first issued on a bonus single included with initial copies of the This Year's Model LP in the UK and later included on Taking Liberties, Ten Bloody Marys, and the vinyl version of Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ & Girls. Elvis would later re-record the song as a duet with George Jones. (See the Almost Blue page for details.)

LIVING IN PARADISE (Early Version) (2:59) RHINO HIP-O 49TH
Elvis mentioned this outtake from the My Aim Is True sessions in the liner notes for the Ryko CD, but at that time it was considered "lost." It was "found" and released for the first time on the Rhino CD. It is notable for lyrics that differ significantly from the version later released on This Year's Model.

WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (Pathway Studios Trio Version) (3:38) 49TH
An alternate mix of the familiar performance lacks Steve Nieve's overdubbed keyboards, Elvis' guitar intro and outro, and the backing vocals.

NO ACTION (Early Version/Pathway Studios Trio Version) (2:14) RHINO HIP-O 49TH
Recorded with bassist Andrew Bodnar and drummer Steve Goulding at the same time as "Watching the Detectives," this was also mentioned as "lost" in the Ryko notes but released on the Rhino CD. Elvis probably had it in mind when he said in 1998 that "some things which I noted as being missing — like stuff recorded at the time of 'Watching the Detectives' — has come to light." A tape box pictured in the 49th Anniversary Edition book suggests that a version of "Lipstick Vogue" was also recorded at this session, but there seems to be no other evidence of this.

LIP SERVICE (Pathway Studios) (2:44) 49TH
This really belongs the This Year's Model period, having been recorded August 3, 1977, along with the album version of "The Beat" and still unheard versions of "Lipstick Vogue" and "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea." In the context of the Becoming the Attractions disc, it serves as a contrast with a later live version of the song. In the liner notes, Elvis describes it as "a rough mix which appears to be an attempt at psychedelia but is actually the product of a malfunction like many fine studio innovations."

Hope & Anchor Studio
D.P. Costello
In 2004, Stiff Records co-founder Dave Robinson told MOJO magazine about some early Costello recordings: "I had about 36 of his songs. I recorded him one evening after a gig. I merely said to him, 'Have you got any songs?' — after which I didn't get sleep for about a day and a half. I eventually sent them to him for his birthday and they became his first five or six records." Elvis told a similar story in Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink but estimated fewer songs: "I cut every song that I'd written that year, about twenty-five of them in total." He placed the session in 1975. The 49th Anniversary Edition includes 16 of these songs. Rather than a single marathon session, the notes indicate the sessions spanned 1975 and 1976 but mostly avoid attaching songs to specific dates.

I TURN AROUND (3:20) 49TH
LOSING YOU (2:39) 49TH
LEVERMAN (3:08) 49TH
CITIZEN JUNCTION (2:19) 49TH
Elvis' liner notes say these songs come from a single session in "very early '76," but he then confusingly writes of the session being noted in a March 30th diary entry, which does not seem very early in the year. All four share lyrics with familiar songs released several years later. "I Turn Around" shares its title and chorus lyrics with the 1982 outtake released in 1994 as an Imperial Bedroom bonus track. Another line would be used in "Senior Service." "Losing You" shares its chorus with "Just a Memory." (The title "Losing You" was also used for the Costello song covered by Dusty Springfield on her 1982 album White Heat, but that was simply "Just a Memory" with a newly written verse.) "Leverman" shares lyrics with the chorus of "Accidents Will Happen." "Citizens Junction" shares lyrics with the verses of "King Horse."

JUMP UP (1:59) 49TH
The bedroom recording from the Ryko and Rhino reissues of My Aim Is True has been replaced on the 49th Anniversary Edition by this version with slightly different lyrics.

NO STAR (2:22) 49TH
Elvis mentioned this song ("about the absence of any lucky, guiding light in the sky") in Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, but it remained unheard until 2026.

WALK ON (2:39) 49TH
Elvis describes this previously unknown song as "written in shameless imitation of" Bruce Springsteen.

RADIO SOUL (3:38) 49TH
The early version of "Radio Radio" has Elvis exhibiting a more positive attitude toward the medium. Flip City's version had been a bootleg favorite for decades, but this solo performance is the first and so far only one to be released officially.

CLEAN MONEY (3:24) 49TH
The title matches the "Clubland" b-side, but the 1975 incarnation of "Clean Money" is almost entirely different, sharing only some lyrics in the chorus. Elvis calls it "a ballad, set in a mythic past, an account of humiliating negotiations with a cold landlord and a bare bank book."

DON'T PUT A LEVY ON MY LOVE (3:47) 49TH
Another previously unknown song, Elvis writes that it "attempted the same note of caution contained in Nick Lowe's 'Don't Lose Your Grip on Love.'"

PLAY IT SAFE (2:24) 49TH
This otherwise unknown song includes one line later used in "Pretty Words."

IMAGINATION (IS A POWERFUL DECEIVER) (3:47) 49TH
This unreleased solo version has some lyric variations in comparison with the familiar Flip City version also included on the 49th Anniversary Edition.

I CAN'T TURN IT OFF (3:38) 49TH
About 40 seconds of this recording appeared in the extended cut of the 2013 Costello documentary Mystery Dance before the full track (which seems to suffer from some tape damage at 2:01) was released in 2015 on Unfaithful Music & Soundtrack Album, where it was identified as a 1975 recording. Elvis' performance is followed by brief studio chatter with someone (Dave Robinson?) quoting a line from "Miracle Man," a song not otherwise part of the available Hope & Anchor recordings. "I Can't Turn It Off" was revived during Elvis' solo segment at both 2007 concerts with Clover. It  includes some lyrics later used in "Watch Your Step" and one line ("young girl rehearses all her blackmail faces") similar to a line in the much later "Sulky Girl" ("sulky girl, I saw you practising your blackmail faces").

RUNNING OUT OF ANGELS (3:23) 49TH
Elvis wrote in the liner notes for the Ryko This Year's Model, which included a 1978 demo of this song, that it "sounds as if I'm making it up as I went along. I probably was." This early version has a different melody and is much longer with additional verses.

JUST LIKE A JUKEBOX (3:19) 49TH
Although unreleased until 2026, this song was revived in Elvis' solo spot at one of the 2007 concerts with Clover. It shares some lyrics with "From a Whisper to a Scream."

LIVING IN PARADISE (2:27) 49TH
The lyrics are close to the My Aim Is True outtake, but this earlier version has slight variations that also appear in Flip City's still unreleased recording.

Hope & Anchor Studio
Flip City
Elvis recorded at least 14 unique songs (some in multiple versions) with his mid-'70s band Flip City. Many first appeared on bootlegs like Our Aim Is True in the early years of Elvis' fame, while the rest have circulated only in the 21st century. (See the "Unreleased" section below.)

EXILES ROAD (3:23) 49TH
This is the slower of two versions of "Exiles Road" recorded by Elvis' mid-'70s band Flip City. In the liner notes Elvis acknowledges lifting the guitar figure from the Grateful Dead's "He's Gone." A one-minute excerpt of this version was broadcast on a BBC radio profile of Elvis in 1992, with presenter Nicky Campbell calling it "some rare BBC footage." The Flip City website has the song being attempted first at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios and later at Hope & Anchor studio. Campbell's comment suggests this is the Maida Vale version, but the official release credits it (and the other included Flip City tracks) as a Hope & Anchor recording and makes no mention of a Maida Vale session.

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR (3:50) 49TH
Elvis sings the revised lyrics from Bob Dylan's Before the Flood live album rather than the original studio recording.

SWEET REVIVAL (2:58) 49TH
Elvis describes this song as an attempt to write something like Nick Lowe's songs on Brinsley Schwarz's Silver Pistol album.

PAY IT BACK (2:49) 49TH
"Pay It Back" is closer to the My Aim Is True version than might be expected, but it has a few lyric variations and improbable saxophone accompaniment.

IMAGINATION (IS A POWERFUL DECEIVER) (3:36) RYKO RHINO 49TH
First appearing on the Ryko My Aim Is True in 1993, this was for 33 years the only Flip City recording to receive an official release. The 49th Anniversary Edition incorrectly identifies this track as previously unreleased. Two very similar alternate takes are available on bootlegs.

Bedroom Recordings
D.P. Costello
MYSTERY DANCE (2:13) RYKO RHINO 49TH
CHEAP REWARD (2:16) RYKO RHINO 49TH
JUMP UP (2:06) RYKO RHINO
WAVE A WHITE FLAG (1:57) RYKO RHINO 49TH
BLAME IT ON CAIN (3:31) RYKO RHINO 49TH
POISON MOON (1:53) RYKO RHINO 49TH
The six "Honky Tonk demos" (as they were named on an early bootleg and Rhino's 2001 reissue) were sent to radio presenter Charlie Gillett, who would play most of them on his show Honky Tonk in August 1976. In Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, Elvis remembers recording them in a single afternoon on a borrowed Revox tape recorder. "Mystery Dance" includes an additional verse omitted from the studio recording. "Cheap Reward" and "Poison Moon" include lyrics which later turned up in "Lip Service" and "Party Girl," respectively. The brief guitar intro was omitted from "Wave a White Flag" on the Ryko CD but restored on later releases. "Jump Up" does not appear on the 49th Anniversary Edition, which instead uses a Hope & Anchor Studio recording of the song. All six Honky Tonk demos circulated for years on bootlegs prior to their first official release on the Ryko CD.

PAY IT BACK (2:18) 49TH
MIRACLE MAN (2:27) 49TH
These were recorded around the time of the Honky Tonk demos but not submitted to Charlie Gillett. "Pay It Back" has the same slight lyric variations heard in the Flip City recording. "Miracle Man" is a rewrite of Flip City's still unreleased "Baseball Heroes" and shares only a few lyrics with the finished "Miracle Man."

Ms. Dore's Tape
D.P. Costello
MERCURY WINGS (1:26) 49TH
BLUE MINUTE (2:34) 49TH
(THE ANGELS WANNA WEAR MY) RED SHOES (2:24) 49TH
POISON MOON (2:00) 49TH
STRANGER IN THE HOUSE (3:47) 49TH
Singer-songwriter Charlie Dore recorded Elvis performing several songs at her London apartment in the summer of 1976. She rediscovered the cassette in 2024 and shared it with Elvis, who included five of its songs on the 49th Anniversary Edition. The fidelity is, understandably, a notch below the rest of that set, and there are noticeable dropouts. "Mercury Wings" was entirely unknown at the time of Dore's discovery. Elvis had only recorded it the one time, and while he had retained a copy of the lyrics, he had forgotten most of the melody. He would revive it in concert in 2025, and Dore would record her own version for her Still Curious EP that same year. "Blue Minute" has an additional verse not on the Pathway Studios demo. "Red Shoes" has mostly familiar lyrics but a very different rhythm, which Elvis compares to Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs' "Wooly Bully" in the liner notes. Dore provides backing vocals on "Stranger in the House," which, unlike many of the early songs from this period, had already reached its final draft as a composition.

Pathway Studios Demos
WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK (1:24) HIP-O 49TH
BLUE MINUTE (1:33) HIP-O
MIRACLE MAN (2:22) HIP-O 49TH
WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD (2:28) HIP-O 49TH
CALL ON ME (1:58) HIP-O 49TH
(THE ANGELS WANNA WEAR MY) RED SHOES (2:06) HIP-O 49TH
I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME (1:45) HIP-O 49TH
I HEAR A MELODY (2:10) HIP-O 49TH
The eight Pathway Studios demos were recorded in late 1976 during a break in a Wreckless Eric session and have Elvis accompanying himself on electric guitar. "Blue Minute," "Call on Me," and "I Hear a Melody" had already circulated among collectors prior to the Hip-O reissue (and Elvis had played "I Hear a Melody" in concert in 2005 and "Blue Minute" in 2006), but "I Don't Want to Go Home" was entirely unheard. "Call on Me" includes bits of the "Moods for Moderns" melody and some lyrics from both that song and "Lipstick Vogue." "I Hear a Melody" was described by Elvis as written in 1975 and based on Van Morrison's "You're My Woman." As for the more familiar songs, "Miracle Man" has a mostly different final verse. All of the above were first released on the Hip-O CD with the exception of "Welcome to the Working Week," which first appeared four months earlier on the Rock and Roll Music compilation in a different mix. (See the "Not on the Reissues (But Officially Released)" section below.) The 49th Anniversary Edition includes all the Pathway Studios demos except "Blue Minute," which appears instead in the Ms. Dore's Tape version.

Live at the Nashville Rooms, London, Aug. 7, 1977
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
INTRODUCTION BY DAVE ROBINSON (0:26) HIP-O 49TH
WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK (1:18) HIP-O
BLAME IT ON CAIN (2:53) HIP-O
NO DANCING (2:57) HIP-O
WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD (3:54) HIP-O
NIGHT RALLY (2:34) HIP-O
HOOVER FACTORY (2:01) HIP-O
NO ACTION (2:31) HIP-O
(I DON'T WANT TO GO TO) CHELSEA (3:03) HIP-O
MIRACLE MAN (3:53) HIP-O
THE BEAT (3:46) HIP-O
LESS THAN ZERO (3:27) HIP-O
(THE ANGELS WANNA WEAR MY) RED SHOES (2:57) HIP-O
LIPSTICK VOGUE (3:59) HIP-O
WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (4:23) HIP-O
LIP SERVICE (4:31) HIP-O
MYSTERY DANCE (3:34) HIP-O 49TH
ALISON (3:32) HIP-O
Disc 2 of Hip-O's deluxe My Aim Is True includes the complete set from this very early concert by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. "Hoover Factory" is performed by Elvis solo after Bruce Thomas breaks a string. Most of the show was previously unreleased, but three tracks were early B-sides — "Blame It on Cain" and "Mystery Dance" had appeared together on the B-side of the UK "Watching the Detectives," while "Miracle Man" was the B-side of "Alison" in the US — and had made their CD debut on the Singles, Volume 1 box set in 2003. (Hip-O's My Aim Is True track notes erroneously state that all three appeared on the original "Watching the Detectives" single. The confusion probably derives from the Singles, Volume 1 sequencing.)

PAY IT BACK (Soundcheck) (2:23) HIP-O 49TH
RADIO SWEETHEART (Soundcheck) (2:56) HIP-O 49TH
SNEAKY FEELINGS (Soundcheck) (2:16) HIP-O 49TH
CRAWLING TO THE U.S.A. (Soundcheck) (2:59) HIP-O 49TH
ALISON (Soundcheck) (3:25) HIP-O
As if a complete concert weren't enough, Hip-O's My Aim Is True concludes with five songs from the show's soundcheck, four of them not played during the show itself, and all previously unreleased. When combined with the main concert, the CD includes live versions of every song from My Aim Is True except "I'm Not Angry." "Crawling to the USA," which has some different lyrics, is erroneously listed as "Crawling in the USA."

TV appearances, July - September 1977
ALISON (What's On Granada Reports, July 21, 1977) (2:31) 49TH
Elvis' television debut was a solo performance that seems to exist only on a damaged tape. The short excerpt released on the DVD The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello - The Videos avoided the more obviously damaged portion, but the tape warble is obvious at the one minute mark of this longer version.

(THE ANGELS WANNA WEAR MY) RED SHOES (Top of the Pops, Aug. 31, 1977) (2:15) 49TH
Elvis and the Attractions re-recorded "Red Shoes" for Top of the Pops in order to avoid miming to the Clover-backed recording.

INTERVIEW NO. 1 (Good Afternoon, Sep. 27, 1977) (0:16) 49TH
WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (Good Afternoon Broadcast, Sep. 27, 1977) (2:50) 49TH
INTERVIEW NO. 2 (Good Afternoon, Sep. 27, 1977) (0:13) 49TH
HOOVER FACTORY (Good Afternoon Rehearsal, Sep. 27, 1977) (1:39) 49TH
Elvis writes fondly of his "delightful conversation" with presenter Mavis Nicholson in the liner notes and includes two very short excerpts from the interview. Both songs are available as rehearsal and broadcast performances (the rehearsal surfaced on YouTube in 2024), and the official release selects one of each. "Watching the Detectives" was incomplete in the broadcast, fading abruptly at the start of its final chorus, and it remains incomplete here.

Live recordings, August 1977 - June 1978
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF (University of East Anglia, Norwich, Oct. 18, 1977) (2001 Mix) (2:27) RHINO 49TH
Elvis' first dip into the Burt Bacharach and Hal David songbook was released on the 1978 various artists album Live Stiffs. Its first appearance on a Costello album was on Rhino's 2001 My Aim Is True in a previously unheard mix that would reappear on the 49th Anniversary Edition. Two earlier mixes are detailed in the "Not on the Reissues (But Officially Released)" section below.

WHOLE WIDE WORLD (University of Leicester, Leicester, Oct. 22, 1977) (3:35) 49TH
Wreckless Eric was on the bill most nights of the Live Stiffs tour, but he was out sick when Elvis and the Attractions covered his signature song with help from Davey Payne on sax and Denise Roudette on bass. The Leicester show was also the source for "Neat Neat Neat" and "Roadette Song" on This Year's Model reissues and allegedly "Miracle Man" on Live Stiffs. A soundboard recording of the complete show has been bootlegged.

WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, Dec. 5, 1977) (4:01) 49TH
The Cleveland concert was one of several early US shows broadcast on the radio. It was bootlegged on albums like 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong and Angry Young Sod.

KSAN INTRO (Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, Feb. 7, 1978) (0:09) 49TH
PUMP IT UP (Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, Feb. 7, 1978) (3:44) 49TH
The 49th Anniversary Edition mistakenly credits these tracks as coming from the Old Waldorf in San Francisco on November 15, 1977 (which had separate early and late shows), but they are actually from Berkeley the following February. All three shows were broadcast on KSAN-FM and long available on bootlegs. (Thanks to Ulster Boy.)

LESS THAN ZERO (DALLAS VERSION) (Warner Theater, Washington, Feb. 28, 1978) (4:01) 49TH
MIRACLE MAN (Warner Theater, Washington, Feb. 28, 1978) (3:46) 49TH
LESS THAN ZERO (DALLAS VERSION) (El Mocambo, Toronto, Mar. 6, 1978) (4:17) RHINO
LIP SERVICE (El Mocambo, Toronto, Mar. 6, 1978) (2:24) 49TH
Both of these shows had been released in their entirety prior to being excerpted on My Aim Is True reissues. The Washington concert appeared on Hip-O's 2008 This Year's Model deluxe edition. Live at the El Mocambo was originally a 1978 promo-only LP and later part of Ryko's 2½ Years box set in 1993 before being released on its own by Hip-O in 2009. Curiously, this very familiar performance of "Lip Service" is billed as an "unknown field recording" on the 49th Anniversary Edition. Elvis created the "Dallas version" of "Less Than Zero" by writing a new set of lyrics in response to American listeners mistaking the song's "Mister Oswald" for Lee Harvey Oswald rather than Oswald Mosley. Rhino's My Aim Is True and the 49th Anniversary Edition represent the rewritten song, which was never attempted in the studio, with different live performances. "Miracle Man" has a slightly incomplete intro on the 49th Anniversary Edition.

MYSTERY DANCE (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, June 7, 1978) (2:05) 49TH
BLAME IT ON CAIN (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, June 7, 1978) (3:39) 49TH
WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, June 7, 1978) (6:07) 49TH
I'M NOT ANGRY (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, June 7, 1978) (4:48) 49TH
The San Francisco concert appeared on the classic vinyl bootleg The Last Foxtrot. The instrumental intro of "I'm Not Angry" has been trimmed by about 30 seconds on the official release.

Live in San Francisco, Nov. 8, 2007
Elvis Costello and Clover
WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK (1:26) 49TH
MIRACLE MAN (3:33) 49TH
NO DANCING (2:56) 49TH
INTRO TO BLAME IT ON CAIN (2:13) 49TH
BLAME IT ON CAIN (2:58) 49TH
ALISON (3:08) 49TH
INTRO TO SNEAKY FEELINGS (1:34) 49TH
SNEAKY FEELINGS (2:25) 49TH
INTRO TO RED SHOES (0:24) 49TH
(THE ANGELS WANNA WEAR MY) RED SHOES (2:59) 49TH
LESS THAN ZERO (3:31) 49TH
MYSTERY DANCE (2:07) 49TH
PAY IT BACK (2:53) 49TH
I'M NOT ANGRY (2:55) 49TH
WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD / GLORIA (3:52) 49TH
WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (6:17) 49TH
MR. MOON (3:01) 49TH
INTRO TO THE LOVE TRILOGY (1:30) 49TH
LOVE HAS NO PRIDE (4:01) 49TH
LOVE IS GONE (2:36) 49TH
(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING? (6:31) 49TH
Elvis played the songs from My Aim Is True with most of the band that played on it at two benefit concerts for the Richard de Lone Special Housing Project (now Prader-Willi Homes of California) coinciding with the album's 30th anniversary. The Covered in Clover disc in the 49th Anniversary Edition is a composite of the two shows, taking "Miracle Man," "No Dancing," "Blame It on Cain," "Sneaky Feelings," "Less Than Zero," "Mystery Dance," "Waiting for the End of the World," "Mr. Moon," and "Love is Gone" from the early show and "Welcome to the Working Week," "Alison," "Red Shoes," "Pay It Back," "I'm Not Angry," "Watching the Detectives," "Love Has No Pride," and "Peace, Love and Understanding" from the late show. The extended encores are condensed considerably, entirely omitting Elvis' solo segment. "Mr. Moon" and "Love Is Gone" are songs from Clover's 1971 album Fourty-Niner. "Love Has No Pride" was performed in honor of Bonnie Raitt, who had included the song on her 1972 album Give It Up and was in the audience, celebrating her birthday.

A fully produced 91-minute black and white concert video, Our Aim Is True, was very briefly posted to the Vimeo website in 2014 but has yet to resurface. Billed as an "authorized bootleg" and sporting a 2008 copyright, it is missing "Love Has No Pride" from the eventual audio release but adds seven songs played by Elvis solo ("Just Like a Jukebox," "Wave a White Flag," "Blue Minute," "Jump Up," "Cheap Reward," "Poison Moon," and "I Can't Turn It Off") and another four backed by Clover ("Living in Paradise," "Stranger in the House," "I Don't Want to Go Home," and "Radio Sweetheart"). The video is mostly from the late show, but "Miracle Man," "Cheap Reward," and "Poison Moon" are from the early show.

NOT ON THE REISSUES (BUT OFFICIALLY RELEASED)

LESS THAN ZERO (Organ Mix) (3:05)
[A Bunch of Stiff Records LP by various artists]
This mix is most notable for including a prominent organ part during the opening bars which is absent from the album version. It made its first appearance on the 1977 various artists LP A Bunch of Stiff Records and reappeared — perhaps by mistake — on some later pressings of the "Less Than Zero" single.

ALISON (US Version) (3:06)
[A-side of Columbia 3-10641]
"Alison" was subjected to additional overdubs (including synth-strings and background vocals) prior to its release as a US single. "Somebody, like perhaps a radio promo guy, somebody said we could get this played on FM radio if it had strings on it," Elvis explained on the Song Exploder podcast in 2026. "And of course, we had no money for a string section. So the idea was proposed that we try and put a string synth on it, which were in their infancy, I have to say, then. These were not the kind of sounds you would have now, or would have just a few years later in the early, mid '80s. This was a ghastly-sounding instrument." As for the background vocals, "You sort of hear how it sounds a little bit more Californian with that harmony in there. I mean, can I say the E-word here? It's kind of a dangerously Eagles-sounding thing once you add that in. I was kind of allergic to that kind of music completely. But I think it was put on a single, just a few, and then we said, 'No, this is just too terrible.' But, you know, we were trying to play the game of, like, let’s see if we can infiltrate FM radio, you know, or even AM radio at that time. That didn't happen." Asked about its omission from the Rhino reissue program in 2002, Elvis responded, "I don't think we need to inflict it on the listeners a second time." Nevertheless, it eventually made its only CD appearance on Singles, Volume 1 as a hidden bonus track.

WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (Single Mix) (3:45)
[A-side of Stiff BUY 20]
Although the differences are unlikely to be noticed without headphones, the version of "Watching The Detectives" that appears on most CD releases is not the original single mix. The original mix has narrower stereo separation, while the remix adds an extraneous hissing noise at 3:18 which did not appear on the original mix for good reason! The remix was probably prepared for 1980's Ten Bloody Marys compilation and has gradually become the standard version, appearing on most CD releases. The original mix can, however, be found on the 1985 Columbia CD The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and the 2011 Japanese SACD of My Aim Is True. It can reportedly also be found on copies of the Columbia My Aim Is True CD with the matrix number DIDP 20091 41A6. (Thanks to Zarank.)

WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (A Demo Version) (4:26)
[NME Pogo A Go Go cassette by various artists]
Inexplicably labeled a demo, this tentative performance actually comes from an August 2, 1977 concert at Eric's in Liverpool recorded for UK TV's So It Goes. In light of its negligible musical value, the mystery is not so much why it has yet to appear as reissue bonus material as why it was released in the first place. The DVD The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello — The Videos includes two songs ("No Dancing" and "Lip Service") from the Eric's performance but not "Watching The Detectives."

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF (Live, Norwich, Oct. 18, 1977) (1978 Mix) (2:27)
[Live Stiffs album by various artists; also on The Songs of Bacharach & Costello]
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF (Live, Norwich, Oct. 18, 1977) (1992 Mix) (2:27)
[The Stiff Records Box Set album by various artists]
Although they all seem to derive from the same basic performance, "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" exists in three unique mixes. The mix released on the Live Stiffs LP in 1978 has much more reverb on the vocals than the mix released on The Stiff Records Box Set in 1992 or the mix released on the Rhino My Aim Is True in 2001. Each mix has slight variations in the lyrics. The 1978 mix has Elvis singing "I just don't know what to do with myself, I just don't know what to do with myself" at the start. The 1992 and 2001 mixes omit the personal pronoun and have "just don't know what to do with myself, just don't know what to do with myself." Toward the end of the song, the 1992 mix has him singing "don't know what else to do, don't know what else to do," while the 1977 and 2001 mixes have "don't know what else to do, I don't know what else to do." The "oh oh oh" at the end has Elvis holding the final "oh" longer in the 1978 and 2001 mixes than in the 1992 mix. Clearly one of more of these mixes must incorporate some overdubbed vocals, and in fact there is a faint double-tracked vocal on the line "needs the sun and rain" on the 2001 mix. The 1978 mix runs a little slow on the Live Stiffs CD. The Songs of Bacharach & Costello has it at the correct speed but omits the spoken intro ("This song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David"). My Aim Is True 49th Anniversary Edition uses the 2001 mix.

MIRACLE MAN (Live, Leicester, Oct. 22, 1977) (3:56)
[Live Stiffs album by various artists]
Unlike "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" from the same album, this has yet to appear on a Costello album. While traditionally identified as from Leicester, the officially released track sounds very different from the raw recording of the concert, which circulates in excellent quality. If the performance is correctly identified, then the song must have gone through extensive postproduction, including a complete re-recording of Elvis' vocal and some instrumental overdubs. It is also possible Live Stiffs is a composite of multiple performances or from another performance entirely.

WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK (Pathway Studios Demo) (Alternate Mix) (1:26)
[Rock and Roll Music album]
An alternate mix of this track with narrower stereo separation was released in May 2007 on the compilation Rock and Roll Music as a preview of the deluxe My Aim Is True, to be released four months later.

UNRELEASED & UNRECORDED

Studio recordings, 1974-1975
Flip City
BASEBALL HEROES (2:51)
RADIO SOUL version 1 (3:43)
Flip City's first studio recordings were made at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in the summer of 1974. The Flip City website notes that "Baseball Heroes" "later became, via about three re-writes, 'Miracle Man." The link is confirmed by Elvis' bedroom recording of "Miracle Man" and an audience recording of a similar Flip City live performance from 1975, but all traces of "Baseball Heroes" were gone by the time "Miracle Man" was recorded for My Aim Is True. This "Radio Soul" has prominent güiro accompaniment. Costello biographer Graeme Thomson describes it as having "a laid-back, good-time, West-Coast feel." A version of "Exiles Road" was also recorded at this session, but it is unclear whether it was the slower version, which has been released officially, or the faster version listed below.

RADIO SOUL version 2 (4:19) / version 3 (4:37)
IMAGINATION (IS A POWERFUL DECEIVER) version 1 (4:12) / version 3 (3:50)
The second Flip City session in early 1975 at Hope & Anchor Studio in Islington is the source of the officially released "Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)" and "Pay It Back." Two similar alternate takes of "Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)" appear on bootlegs. "Radio Soul" was also re-recorded in a peppier arrangement. Two takes — one without background vocals and one with — probably from this session have appeared on bootlegs since the 1970s. An alternate mix circulates of the version with background vocals, lacking the scream after the line "it really really hurts."

THIRD RATE ROMANCE version 1 (3:28)
PACKIN' UP version 1 (3:16) / version 2 (2:42)
PLEASE MISTER, DON'T STOP THE BAND (5:13)
EXILES ROAD version 2 (3:12)
WRECK ON THE SLIDE (3:43)
ON THE ROAD (3:03)
YOU WIN AGAIN (2:06)
Flip City's third recording session — again in 1975 at Hope & Anchor Studio — added covers to their studio repertoire in a bid to be more representative of their live set. Of the two versions of Russell Smith's "Third Rate Romance" available, the one without piano is probably the version from this session. Two versions of Chris Kenner's "Packin' Up" are available — one without background vocals (and including a couple of false starts) and one with. "You Win Again" is based on the Grateful Dead's version of the Hank Williams song. The unreleased faster version of "Exiles Road" has been placed here but may actually belong to the first Flip City session. "Please Mister, Don't Stop the Band" and "Wreck on the Slide" are unreleased Costello originals, although "Wreck on the Slide" includes one line later used in "Welcome to the Working Week." The officially released "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Sweet Revival" were also cut at this session. "On the Road" was written and sung by Flip City guitarist Steve Hazlehurst. There are conflicting reports about its recording date: The Flip City website describes it as part of this session, while Costello biographer Graeme Thomson has it as part of Flip City's first session at Maida Vale.

THIRD RATE ROMANCE version 2 (3:29)
LIVING IN PARADISE (3:45)
Flip City returned to Hope & Anchor Studio later in 1975 to re-record "Third Rate Romance" at the invitation of Dave Robinson, who hoped to release it on a record label he did not yet have. He would eventually co-found Stiff Records, but that was after plans to release "Third Rate Romance" had been abandoned. The version of "Third Rate Romance" recorded at this session is probably the one with piano. "Living in Paradise" is similar to the My Aim Is True outtake but with a few lyric variations (also heard in Elvis' Hope & Anchor solo recording). It has been tentatively placed here, but it is unclear when it was recorded. The Flip City website strangely does not mention it at all.

LIVING IN PARADISE (Alternate Demo) (2:47)
RADIO SWEETHEART (Demo) (2:26)
RADIO SOUL (Alternate Demo) (2:34)
MYSTERY DANCE (Alternate Demo) (2:19)
These demos circulate among collectors in less than ideal quality. This is the only available demo of "Radio Sweetheart." "Living in Paradise," "Radio Soul," and "Mystery Dance" are similar to the officially released demos, but these are different performances. The "Living in Paradise" lyrics match the My Aim Is True outtake version, not the slight variation heard in the Hope & Anchor solo version and the unreleased Flip City version. Richard Groothuizen and Kees den Heyer's book Going Through The Motions (Elvis Costello - 1982/1985) describes "Radio Sweetheart," "Living in Paradise," and "Radio Soul" as coming from a 15-song demo tape that also included the six Honky Tonk demos and six unidentified songs.

I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME (Ms. Dore's Tape)
The 49th Anniversary Edition includes five songs from Charlie Dore's cassette, but her account of the rediscovery mentions a sixth: "I Don't Want to Go Home."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Although not treated as a bonus track above, "Watching the Detectives" was not part of the original My Aim Is True LP. The non-album UK single was added to the 1978 US release and has appeared on most CDs since 1993.

"Mystery Dance" on disc 1 of the Rhino, Hip-O deluxe, and 49th Anniversary Edition CDs ends with a fadeout, as it did on the original LP. The Ryko version and the Girls + £ ÷ Girls = $ & Girls compilation favor a slight variation which ends with a cold stop.

Mono mixes of both "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives" were released as promo-only singles. An edited version of "Watching the Detectives" omitting the final verse was available on some promos and the 1985 "Less Than Zero" 12-inch single.

Elvis played snippets of isolated tracks from the "Alison" multitracks on the Song Exploder podcast in 2026.

Elvis Costello Reissues

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