Music

One of the most interesting—and often forgotten—musical cross-pollinations in rock history is the connection forged between punk and reggae in 1970s England. The scenes were so connected that when Bob Marley visited London in 1977, he wrote "Punky Reggae Party" to celebrate the common ground these communities were finding.

Though the Clash was the band that permanently fused these two styles, it was the Police—this week's guests on SPECTACLE—who took Jamaican rhythms to the top of the rock charts. And while Elvis Costello was no more purely a punk than Sting, Andy Summers, or Stewart Copeland, he too played a significant role in moving reggae to the center of the pop universe.

As Copeland notes in his conversation with Elvis, Costello's most celebrated island-influenced beat was probably his final single for Stiff Records, "Watching the Detectives." But that was hardly the only song in Elvis's early work that had a reggae feel—such tracks as "Less than Zero," from My Aim is True, and "Living in Paradise" or "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea, from This Year's Model, shared an off-kilter groove. It was a time when Elvis and British-based reggae stars Aswad could share the bill at a 1978 Rock Against Racism concert.

On subsequent albums, the reggae influence lessened, but could still be heard on such songs as "Lover's Walk," from Trust, and "Human Touch" on Get Happy!! (as well as the version of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons's "So Young" included on that album's 2003 reissue; in the album's notes, Elvis also refers to an attempt at a ska-style cover of "I Stand Accused" by the Merseybeats).

But Elvis's greatest contribution to reggae history was his role as the producer of the 1979 debut album by the Specials, the magnificent band at the forefront of the UK ska revival. This rediscovery of the choppy, sped-up rhythms that served as a prototype for reggae in the late 1950s and early '60s would prove crucial to such later ska inheritors in the US as No Doubt, Sublime, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Elvis would also work with Madness, one of the other leading lights in the "2-Tone" ska movement.

In 1986, Elvis collaborated with reggae giant Jimmy Cliff on Cliff's song "Seven Day Weekend" for the Club Paradise soundtrack. In the mid-'80s, Elvis also covered Cliff's classic "Many Rivers to Cross" on stage.

In recent years, Elvis hasn't ventured back into reggae territory, but he has taken some steps in the direction of Latin rhythms. He has worked with Panamanian-born salsa superstar Ruben Blades on several occasions, and, most recently, appeared on Mar Dulce, the acclaimed 2008 album by the Argentinian/Uruguayan "electrotango" group Bajofondo. The world beat goes on.

Whether you’re spending New Year’s Eve in black tie or in your bathrobe, you could do a lot worse in the entertainment department than watching Elvis and the great Tony Bennett. (Although if you are in your bathrobe, you may want to put on an ascot or heels – or both.)

Now, unbelievably, an octogenarian, Mr. Bennett is the epitome of elegance and practically the embodiment of what has come to be known as the Great American Songbook, the astonishing collection of clever and popular songs composed (mostly) in the United States around the middle of the 20th century.

As luck would have it, Tony Bennett is more or less the last man standing from that magical era – and it really is lucky for us that he is still here to song those songs, and we’re luckier still that he sings them with such feeling and poignancy (not to mention with that inimitable voice, which is a wonder of the world itself) after all these years.

There is no way to cover a career like Tony Bennett’s in an hour, so we didn’t try. Besides, much of Tony’s rollercoaster ride has been well documented. But to let him hold forth in a relaxed setting, with some gentle prodding from Elvis on certain topics, and for the music to go where Tony wanted it to go (with his own hand-picked accompanist on piano, the brilliant Bill Charlap) didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Tony’s arrival and brief soundcheck at the studio just a couple of hours before the taping was a master class in itself. Immaculately groomed and dressed, impeccably mannered and the very definition of the consummate pro, he wastes no time and is a pleasure to deal with from start to finish. His presence commands not only respect but also the feeling that it is a privilege to witness a master at work. We hope you feel the same way when you watch the program.

Tony chose the songs in the show (other than the slightly surprising opening number, which Elvis picked for reasons that will become apparent), and, again, it’s hard to argue with the man’s taste. We get a sampling of the songwriters he knew and admired, and a few insights into these geniuses who created words and music that have stood the test of time – just as Tony Bennett has.

And as an added bonus, Tony plucks a certain jazz superstar from the audience for a totally spontaneous duet that provides just one of many special moments in this edition of Spectacle.

Thanks for watching, and although you don’t have to wear a tuxedo or an evening gown, you might enjoy it more if you do.

Happy New Year!

Stephen Warden
Executive Producer/Creator
Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…

What is a "standard?" The dictionary on my desk, as its fifth definition for the word, says that it is "a piece of music that has remained popular for many years." Which is actually a pretty good, non-partisan description from an old dictionary, since the word is almost always applied to a specific body of work—the classic compositions, mostly from the 1930s and '40s, written by the likes of George Gershwin and Cole Porter, that are sometimes called "The Great American Songbook," and that can still be heard, inescapably, in bars and lounges around the world.

No one alive has found more depth to this set of standards than this week's guest on SPECTACLE, Tony Bennett. For almost sixty astonishing years, Bennett has explored the full range of pop styles, delivering thoughtful, sometimes definitive versions of these glorious songs.

Elvis Costello has taken his shot at some of music's most celebrated standards, too. In 1979, he released his version of Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine" as a 45 on red vinyl, given away at his show on February 14 (making him one of over a thousand people to record the song). Soon after, he cut a version of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" during the sessions for 1981's Trust album.

He's found occasion to return to other songs from that era throughout his career. While the covers album Kojak Variety concentrated on songs by contemporary writers, the bonus disc included on the 2004 reissue contained two masterpieces by George and Ira Gershwin—"How Long Has This Been Going On" and "But Not For Me." Elvis's 2003 appearance on Marian McPartland's NPR show Piano Jazz—released as an album two years later–includes his takes on such numbers as "The Very Thought of You" and Jerome Kern's "They Didn't Believe Me."

But if we go by the dictionary's words above, several of Elvis's own compositions now almost qualify as standards themselves. "Alison," from My Aim Is True, was most famously covered by Linda Ronstadt, but has also been recorded by such artists as Everything But the Girl, Holly Cole, and Brandon Boyd of Incubus. "Almost Blue," the 1982 Elvis song that probably still feels the most like an old-school standard, was cut by jazz great Chet Baker, as well as Alison Moyet, Gwen Stefani, and his wife, Diana Krall.

But as Tony Bennett recounts on SPECTACLE, his unlikely Number One hit with Hank Williams's "Cold Cold Heart" proves that standards can come from surprising places. The song associated with Elvis that has truly come to resemble a new-generation standard is "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding," written by Nick Lowe and included on the US version of the 1979 Armed Forces album. Since then, the song has been recorded by dozens of singers, ranging from Curtis Stigers (on the gazillion-selling soundtrack to The Bodyguard) to the Wallflowers, from the Flaming Lips to Steve Earle.

It was used by Bruce Springsteen (joined by R.E.M. and Conor Oberst) as an encore on the 2004 Vote for Change tour; given an unforgettable karaoke treatment by Bill Murray in the film Lost in Translation; and recently Elvis joined Feist, John Legend, Toby Keith, and Willie Nelson to perform the song on Stephen Colbert's Christmas special. And there's nothing standard about any of that.