Editing This Year's Model (section)

==Writing and recording==
[[File:MFF N Lowe-9573 (38373656842).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|alt=An older man with glasses and grey hair|''This Year's Model'' was the second of five consecutively produced Costello albums by [[Nick Lowe]] ''(pictured in 2017)''.<ref name="2002 liner notes" />]]
''This Year's Model'' was recorded during a break in Costello's touring schedule.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}} Recording took place at [[Eden Studios (recording facility)|Eden Studios]], a 24-track studio in [[Acton, London]],{{sfn|Costello|2015|pp=314–319}} beginning towards the end of December 1977 and completing in early January 1978. Costello later said the entire album was recorded in about eleven days.<ref name="1993 liner notes">{{cite AV media notes|last=Costello|first=Elvis|title=This Year's Model (reissue)|others=Elvis Costello|year=1993|location=UK|publisher=[[Demon Records]]|type=CD booklet|id=DPAM 2}}</ref><ref name="MojoClassic">{{cite journal |last=Tyler |first=Kieron |title=''This Year's Model'': Elvis Costello & the Attractions |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo Classic]] |date=March 2008 |volume=2 |issue=5 |page=129}}</ref>{{sfn|Costello|2015|p=54}} The band briefly paused to play a three-night [[concert residency|residency]] at London's Nashville Rooms, which concluded on Christmas Eve 1977.{{sfn|Hinton|1999|loc=chap. 3}} [[Nick Lowe]] returned from ''My Aim Is True'' as producer and, in Thomson's words, was the "mad professor", pushing the band's energy further to attain the best performance.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}} Like the debut, Lowe primarily wanted to capture the songs live with few [[Overdubbing|overdubs]].{{sfn|Costello|2015|pp=314–319}} Acting as a foil to Lowe was [[Audio engineer|engineer]] [[Roger Béchirian]], who Costello recalled was tasked with interpreting Lowe's commands, such as "turn the drums into one big maraca" or "make it sound like a dinosaur eating cars".{{efn|Béchirian continued to work with Costello on his next four Lowe-produced albums.<ref name="2002 liner notes" />}}

Costello stayed at Bruce Thomas's flat during the sessions. According to Thomson, Costello remained focused despite keeping himself apart from his wife Mary during this time, which eventually led to their separation.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}} Most of the songs had been written and performed live with the Attractions before the recordings.{{sfn|St. Michael|1986|loc=chap. 3}}<ref name="2002 liner notes" /> One of the final tracks written was "[[Pump It Up (Elvis Costello song)|Pump It Up]]", which Costello began writing outside a hotel fire escape during the Live Stiffs tour, debuting the song two days later and properly recording it in the studio a week after that.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}}{{sfn|Costello|2015|p=189}} Having frequently played the tracks live, the band were able to complete them with few overdubs; some of Costello's live guide vocals ended up in the final mix. Bruce Thomas recalled: "We literally did the best tracks on the album – "Pump It Up", "[[(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea]]" – in one afternoon. It was like [[Motown]]. We'd just go in, play them, and that was it."{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}} Despite the fast-paced nature of the sessions, Béchirian recalled Costello coming off the tour with "radiating energy":{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}}

{{blockquote|He was a star almost overnight, and I think he was quite bemused by it all, swept up with the excitement. I have a great laughing image of him being fairly fresh-faced, like a little boy in a sweet shop.}}

Thomson says the sessions were "vibrant", productive and completed without difficulty. They began each day around 11 a.m. and finished around 9 p.m. According to Béchirian, "the whole thing was really good, it was really friendly, very positive. Everyone was really excited because they were the stars of the moment."{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}} Costello and the Attractions collaborated during the songwriting process. Although Costello preferred an "immaculate approach" to songwriting, wherein he would not present songs to the musicians until they were fully written, the Attractions offered suggestions that helped shape the songs. For "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea", Costello based the guitar parts on the 1964 tracks "[[I Can't Explain]]" by [[the Who]] and "[[All Day and All of the Night]]" by [[the Kinks]], which the band used to create new [[Figure (music)|figures]] to make "Chelsea" stand out on its own.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}}<ref name="2002 liner notes" /> The band recorded several [[outtake]]s, including "Radio Radio" and "Big Tears", the latter featuring a guest contribution from [[the Clash]] guitarist [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]].{{efn|In the 2002 reissue's liner notes, Costello stated that "Big Tears" was the only "genuine" outtake from the ''This Year's Model'' sessions.<ref name="2002 liner notes" />}} Other tracks written or demoed included "Crawling to the U.S.A.", "Running Out of Angels", "[[Green Shirt]]" and "Big Boys".{{efn|"Green Shirt" and "Big Boys" were both recorded for Costello's next album, ''[[Armed Forces (album)|Armed Forces]]'' (1979).{{sfn|Gouldstone|1989|loc=chap. 4}}}}{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}}<ref name="1993 liner notes" />

===Mixing===
The album was [[Audio mixing|mixed]] at Eden by Béchirian with Lowe and Costello in attendance;<ref name="SchultzMix">{{cite journal |last=Schultz |first=Barbara |title=Classic tracks: Elvis Costello and the Attractions' 'Pump It Up' |journal=[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]] |date=January 2007 |issue=31 |pages=140–141 |url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/projects/audio_elvis_costello_attractions/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530062314/https://www.mixonline.com/recording/projects/audio_elvis_costello_attractions/ |archive-date=30 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Costello did not contribute due to his relative inexperience in the studio.{{efn|Costello asserted himself more on the mixing of ''Armed Forces''.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 5}}}}{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}} The mixing console had been custom-built by Béchirian in the early 1970s after the studio had changed locations.<ref name="SchultzMix" /> According to the author Mick St. Michael, Lowe intentionally made the record louder than its predecessor.{{sfn|St. Michael|1986|loc=chap. 3}} Béchirian recalled in an interview with ''[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]]'' magazine that Lowe's primary goal was to "make sure the bass sat in well with the kick" and to bring Costello's voice to the forefront.<ref name="SchultzMix" /> With the record completed, Costello and the Attractions toured America in January 1978.{{sfn|Thomson|2004|loc=chap. 4}}{{sfn|Clayton-Lea|1999|loc=chap. 2}}