This album, the debut for Mr. Costello, starts up and all I can think of is Sha-Na-Na. My Aim Is True was written and recorded in the late 70s, which was a big time for punk and disco while the waning years for classic heavy metal. Admittedly I don't know everything about the state of music at this point, but I imagine plenty of people feeling this album was something of a blast from the past. It certainly sounds like it was recorded sometime around 1955 or so. So I think of Sha-Na-Na's performance at Woodstock, and the video footage of Jimi Hendrix and the like watching the stage really confused.
To me there's nothing wrong with a little 50s nostalgia, even if this album was released in the mid 70s when music was still pretty good. Probably the best thing about this album is it doesn't sound ridiculously derivative. The beats and progressions are familiar but played with enough so the songs sound fresh. The sound is a bit tiresome, especially as Costello's voice is treated with the same double-tracking effect on all but a couple songs. It's a quick listen and there's plenty of cool tunes on here, so I'll give this one 3 stars.
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