# Elvis Costello discography
The Elvis Costello discography is the recorded output of the British singer-songwriter **Elvis Costello** (born Declan MacManus), spanning roughly 31 studio albums from his 1977 debut *My Aim Is True* through collaborations, covers albums, orchestral and classical works, and releases with his backing bands the Attractions and the Imposters.[1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | About 31 studio albums, setting aside compilations, live albums, and soundtrack work[1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/) |
| Debut | *My Aim Is True* (1977), recorded hastily in 24 hours, reached number 14 on the British charts[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549) • [3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf) |
| Backing bands | Over half his albums made with the Attractions (Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas, Bruce Thomas), later the Imposters with Davey Faragher on bass[1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/) |
| Biggest US hit | "Veronica" from *Spike* (1989), an album carrying two co-writing credits for Paul McCartney[4](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2003-Fall.pdf) • [5](https://www.loudersound.com/features/elvis-costello-best-albums) |
| Critical peak | *Imperial Bedroom* (1982) topped the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/) |
| Awards | Grammy win with Burt Bacharach in 1998 for "I Still Have That Other Girl"[7](https://elviscostello.com/news/qa-with-musician-elvis-costello/) |
| Recent reissue | *My Aim Is True* (49th Anniversary Edition), a 5-CD, 104-track box set released October 2, 2026 via UMe[8](https://elviscostello.com/2026/) |
## The Stiff years, 1977 to 1980
Costello signed with the London-based independent label Stiff in early 1977, adopting the stage name at that time: "Elvis" from [Elvis Presley](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-presley) and "Costello" from his mother's maiden name.[3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf) His debut *My Aim Is True*, released in the summer of 1977 to positive reviews, was recorded with the Bay Area country band Clover rather than a band of his own, and it was not released on his American label, Columbia, until later in the year.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549) • [9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-my-aim-is-true-49th-anniversary-edition/) The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound notes that although the album was recorded hastily in 24 hours, it reflected years spent honing his songwriting.[3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf)
**The Attractions era.** For his second album, *This Year's Model* (1978), Costello was joined by the three-piece Attractions, and the group backed him on most of his albums for the next eight years.[10](https://www.biography.com/musicians/elvis-costello) *Armed Forces* (1979) contained "Oliver's Army", which peaked at number two in Britain, along with "Accidents Will Happen" and his cover of [Nick Lowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-lowe)'s "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding"; none of the singles from the album charted in America.[11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549/biography) *Get Happy!!* (1980) was a Motown and Stax homage.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/) A 1980 collection of B-sides, singles, and outtakes called *Taking Liberties* appeared in America, while Britain received a similar cassette-only album, *Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers*, with different tracks.[11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549/biography)
## Genre detours, 1981 to 1986
**Country and baroque pop.** *Trust* (1981) was followed within months by *Almost Blue*, a full country covers album produced by Country Music Hall of Famer Billy Sherrill in Nashville, which introduced [George Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-jones) and [Hank Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/hank-williams) to rock audiences.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/) *Imperial Bedroom* (1982), his seventh album, was produced by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick and topped the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, though it yielded no [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) hit in either country; it debuted at number six in the U.K. and reached number 30 in the U.S.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/) • [11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549/biography) *Punch the Clock* (1983) and *Goodbye Cruel World* (1984) followed with the polished Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley production team; Costello later wrote on the reissue of his ninth record, "Congratulations, you've just purchased our worst album."[5](https://www.loudersound.com/features/elvis-costello-best-albums) • [1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/)
After *Goodbye Cruel World* he undertook his first solo tour in the summer of 1984, was relatively inactive in 1985 apart from the Coward Brothers single "The People's Limousine" with T-Bone Burnett and producing the Pogues' *Rum Sodomy and the Lash*, and then moved toward a stripped-down, folky approach on *King of America* (1986).[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549) Later that year he regrouped with the Attractions for *Blood and Chocolate*.[12](https://www.loudersound.com/features/new-wave-a-guide-to-the-best-albums)
## Solo and collaborative work, 1989 onward
**The Warner Bros. years.** *Spike* (1989), recorded in three countries on a budget Costello likened to that of "an independent film", was his most musically diverse collection to that point and yielded his biggest American hit, "Veronica", with two co-writing credits for [Paul McCartney](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-mccartney).[5](https://www.loudersound.com/features/elvis-costello-best-albums) • [4](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2003-Fall.pdf) It earned a gold album.[6](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/) *Mighty Like a Rose* (1991) followed a similar hodgepodge of styles and collaborators.[1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/) In 1993 he collaborated with the Brodsky Quartet on *The Juliet Letters*, a song cycle that was his first attempt at classical music, and wrote an entire album, *Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears*, for former [Transvision Vamp](https://www.edgepedia.org/transvision-vamp) singer [Wendy James](https://www.edgepedia.org/wendy-james).[11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549/biography) *All This Useless Beauty* (1996), his last collection of originals for Warner Bros., featured songs he had given to other artists but never recorded himself.[11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549/biography) • [5](https://www.loudersound.com/features/elvis-costello-best-albums)
**Collaborations as albums.** The discography includes full collaborative projects with the Brodsky Quartet, Burt Bacharach (*Painted from Memory*, 1998), the Roots (*Wise Up Ghost*), and [Anne Sofie von Otter](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-sofie-von-otter) (*For the Stars*), plus a series of rootsy [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana) albums with producer [T Bone Burnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-bone-burnett), including *Secret, Profane & Sugarcane* (2009).[1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549) Costello won a Grammy with Bacharach in 1998 for "I Still Have That Other Girl".[7](https://elviscostello.com/news/qa-with-musician-elvis-costello/) In 2004 he released two albums of original material in one fall: the classical work *Il Sogno* and the rock and roll concept album *The Delivery Man*, cut with the Imposters.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549)
## Recent output
*Look Now* (2018) reunited him with the Imposters in the studio for the first time in a decade, and was followed quickly in 2020 by *Hey Clockface*, the first album credited to [Elvis Costello](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-costello) as a solo act in ten years and described by Pitchfork as his 31st studio album.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549) • [13](https://elviscostello.com/news/elvis-costello-on-the-music-of-his-life/) *The Boy Named If* (2022) followed with the Imposters.[1](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/) Universal Music France notes that after *The Songs of Bacharach & Costello* in 2023, Costello returned in 2024 with an LP as the Coward Brothers, his occasional duo with T Bone Burnett.[14](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000029257) A Spanish-language reworking of *This Year's Model*, *Spanish Model* (2021), preserved the original Attractions backing tapes with new vocals by Latino musicians such as Juanes.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549)
**Reissue program.** The catalog has been extensively reissued: the 49th anniversary edition of *My Aim Is True*, a 5-CD, 104-track box set released October 2, 2026 via UMe, includes demos, live shows, a chronicle of the Attractions forming, and a 2007 reunion with Clover, and received a 9.5 from Pitchfork.[8](https://elviscostello.com/2026/) • [9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-my-aim-is-true-49th-anniversary-edition/) His official site lists the full discography from *My Aim Is True* through *The Boy Named If* and *Spanish Model*.[15](https://elviscostello.com/music/)
## Character of the catalog
The discography is unusually genre-spanning. The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound describes Costello as owing as much to the [Tin Pan Alley](https://www.edgepedia.org/tin-pan-alley) tradition of songcraft as to punk energy, and as a superb interpreter of outside material across country, soul, classic rock and roll, [British Invasion](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-invasion) rock, the singer/songwriter tradition, and big band.[3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf) Louder counts 32 studio albums exploring country music, jazz, soundtrack work, and even opera.[5](https://www.loudersound.com/features/elvis-costello-best-albums) His first decade as a recording artist has been compared in scope and ingenuity to [Bob Dylan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-dylan) and the Beatles.[9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-my-aim-is-true-49th-anniversary-edition/)
## References
1. [Every Elvis Costello Album, Ranked, SPIN](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2022/01/elvis-costello-albums-ranked/)
2. [Elvis Costello, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549)
3. [COSTELLO, ELVIS, Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Encyclopedia-of-Recorded-Sound-Hoffman-Vol-1-1993.pdf)
4. [Beyond belief: Elvis Costello's astonishing career, ASCAP Playback](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2003-Fall.pdf)
5. [Elvis Costello's Best Albums: A Buyers' Guide, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/elvis-costello-best-albums)
6. [Elvis Costello / The Attractions: Imperial Bedroom Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions-imperial-bedroom/)
7. [Q&A with musician Elvis Costello, ElvisCostello.com](https://elviscostello.com/news/qa-with-musician-elvis-costello/)
8. [ElvisCostello.com News, 2026](https://elviscostello.com/2026/)
9. [Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True (49th Anniversary Edition) Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/elvis-costello-my-aim-is-true-49th-anniversary-edition/)
10. [Elvis Costello, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/musicians/elvis-costello)
11. [Elvis Costello Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-costello-mn0000058549/biography)
12. [10 new wave and post-punk albums you should definitely listen to, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/new-wave-a-guide-to-the-best-albums)
13. [Elvis Costello on the Music of His Life, ElvisCostello.com](https://elviscostello.com/news/elvis-costello-on-the-music-of-his-life/)
14. [Elvis Costello, Universal Music France](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000029257)
15. [Music, ElvisCostello.com](https://elviscostello.com/music/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Artist discographies and song lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license