GOLD PROMO stamp on back. Image sticker on front. Vinyl plays nicely (play-graded). Cover looks good; light-scuffing and a few creases (front/back); some surface impressions on front and small surface abrasions near top on front and discoloration near bottom edge. Inner-sleeve is original (lyrics). Spine is easy-to-read with mild-wear. Little shelf-wear along top-edge, slightly heavier wear along bottom-edge and corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and a few divots and creases at bottom. Red label with Columbia around edge. (Not a cut-out.)
King of America is the tenth studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello. It peaked at No. 11 on the UK album chart, and at No. 39 on the Billboard 200. In the album credits, Costello uses three different noms de plume for himself: his given name of Declan MacManus; his stage name of Elvis Costello; and the nickname awarded him by producer Nick Lowe earlier in his career, the Little Hands of Concrete, that last a reference to his habitual breaking of guitar strings during recording sessions. A reviewer on allmusic.com says, "Elvis Costello returned to his folk-rock and pub rock roots with King of America, creating one of his most affecting and personal records. Costello literally took on the album as a return to roots, billing himself by his given name Declan MacManus and replacing the Attractions with a bunch of L.A. session men (although his old band appears on one cut), who give the album a rootsy but sleek veneer that sounds remarkably charged after the polished affectations of his Langer/Winstanley productions. And not only does the music sound alive, but so do his songs, arguably his best overall set since Trust. Working inside the limits of country, folk, and blues, Costello writes literate, introspective tales of loss, heartbreak, and America that are surprisingly moving... What separates King of America from the underrated Almost Blue is that Costello's country now sounds lived-in and worn, bringing a new emotional depth to the music, and that helps make it one of his masterpieces."