The Costello Show was Elvis (the porky Liverpudlian, not the peanut-buttered American) without The Attractions for the first time since his debut.

Costello took his love of American music to new heights on this 1986 set, recorded in part with Presley stalwarts James Burton, Jerry Scheff and Jim Keltner. Already Costello's favourite work from this era, King Of America has been re-crowned with yet more jewels as the concluding release of his deluxe 2-CD series. The new bonus disc, 21 tracks in chronological order, has eight primal solo demos, among them the overlooked Having It All and Deportee; the Coward Brothers' jaunty The People's Limousine; the anti-Thatcher scorn of Betrayal; and Elvis's rollicking night with The Confederates at New York's Broadway Theater. Costello the archive curator surpasses himself with his 6,300-word sleeve dissertation - his longest yet - and even Terence Donovan's cover shot has new regal tinting.

Updated: 11:31 Thursday, July 14, 2005