Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Blood & Chocolate, 1986 on Columbia

Costello’s 11th studio LP and 9th with The Attractions, as a follow up to King of America, and produced by Nick Lowe.

Didn’t do so well commercially at the time, but now called one of his best. Costello is credited on the rear sleeve as “Napoleon Dynamite” – which is also the name of the cover painting (also by Costello, but attributed to Eamonn Singer – though the director of the same-named film claims it is not referring to Costello.

My copy – from the merch table at an Elvis Costello / Steve Nieve show at The Cabot – is a more recent (post 2015) reissue by UMe.

Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Imperial Bedroom, 1982 on Columbia

Seventh studio LP from Costello and the sixth with The Attractions, out of F-Beat in the UK and Columbia in the US. A must have for collectors of Costello or indeed the whole new wave / alternative era of the late seventies to mid eighties.

My copy – direct from the artist at a show at the Cabot Theatre in Beverly MA with Steve Nieve — is a recent reissue by UMe, who now handle Costello’s catalog.

Saturday, October 27th, 2018 – Billy F. Gibbons at the Cabot

Billy F. Gibbons at the Cabot Theatre in Beverly

#BeverlyMA #BillyGibbons #CabotTheater

The Robert Cray Band, That’s What I Heard, 2020 on Nozzle Records

Robert Cray (often attributed as The Robert Cray Band) has been making great electric blues albums since 1980’s Who’s Been Talkin’. This is their most recent studio album and won the Soul Blues Award at the Blues Music Awards from the Blues Foundation in 2021.

I’m a huge fan of Cray’s approach to the blues and it’s great to hear what good shape his voice and his playing are in.

I picked up my copy (on clear vinyl) at a 2024 show at the Cabot Theater in Beverly MA.

#2020 #2020s #BeverlyMA #Blues #BluesMusicAwards #CabotTheater #NozzleRecords #RobertCray #RobertCrayBand #SoulBlues #vinyl #vinylcollection

Suzanne Vega at The Cabot, June 5th, 2025

Suzanne Vega is on 13-night tour of the east coast (Maine to DC), and one of the stops was in Beverly at the Cabot.

The show is Vega, accompanied by Gerry Leonard, with cellist Stephanie Winters joining on maybe 2/3rds of the songs. There are some backing tracks (percussion) on some songs and I think Leonard may be doubling some bass strings (an effect that covers for the lack of a bass player).

She did a ton of older material – back to “The Queen and the Soldier” and “Small Blue Thing” as well as hits like “Merlene on the Wall” and “Left of Center” – including of course, Luka.

They also did some material from the new album, Flying with Angels, including her adaptation of Bob Dylan’s “I Want You” rewritten from the pov of the chambermaid, and the title track. The audience kept calling for “Witches” – perhaps inspired by proximity to Salem – but Vega said they weren’t ready for that.

As an encore, the trio covered Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” and did “Love Thief” from the new album, closing with “Blood Makes Noise” of her 99.9 F° album.

#BeverlyMA #CabotTheater #GerryLeonard #Live #StephanieWinters #SuzanneVega