Elvis Costello emerged as part of the punk/new wave music revolution that exploded during the mid-1970s. While his debut was largely a guitar-centered affair, the sonic core of his second album, This Year's Model, consisted almost entirely of drums, bass guitar, and keyboards, marking the beginning of a long and illustrious collaboration with his backing band, the Attractions.
In fact, it’s almost impossible to imagine Costello’s best work without Steve Nieve on keyboards, Pete Thomas on drums, and the dynamic and inventive bass playing of Bruce Thomas. Songs like Pump It Up, and (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea sound like they were essentially written from the rhythm section up. “Generally I took my melodic cues from the vocals, and my rhythmic cues from the drums,” Thomas told BP. “Some bass parts are functional and some are creative: you don't need to play Rachmaninoff when the band wants Al Green.”
