Purse is an extended play by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello with the Imposters. It was originally released exclusively on vinyl for Record Store Day on April 13, 2019, with a digital release following the next month. It was produced by Costello and Sebastian Krys and was released through Concord Records. The release contains songwriting collaborations between Costello and Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan.
Contents
Content
Purse contains four tracks, each a co-write with another songwriter. "Everyone's Playing House" was co-written with Burt Bacharach, with whom Costello previously made the album Painted from Memory (1998). "The Lovers That Never Were" is a collaboration with Paul McCartney which originally appeared on McCartney's album Off the Ground (1993). "If You Love Me" uses lyrics written, but never recorded, by Johnny Cash, which Costello set to music. "Down on the Bottom" was originally recorded as part of The New Basement Tapes, featuring new music written to old, unused Bob Dylan lyrics; this recording also features "other words" contributed by Costello.
Personnel
Adapted from the EP liner notes:
Musicians
Elvis Costello – vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (all tracks), acoustic guitar (1–3), Wurlitzer electric piano (2), glockenspiel (1), vibraphone (1, 2)
The Imposters:
Pete Thomas – drums (all tracks), percussion (1)
Davey Faragher – bass (all tracks)
Steve Nieve – piano (3, 4), grand piano (2), Wurlitzer electric piano (1), Hammond B-3 organ (1, 3, 4)
Other musicians:
Rebecca Lovell – vocals (4)
Megan Lovell – vocals (4)
Technical
Elvis Costello – production
Sebastian Krys – production, engineering, mixing
Ron Taylor – additional engineering
Roger Alan Nichols – additional engineering
Chaz Sexton – second engineer
Scott Moore – second engineer
Seth Presant – second engineer
Gosha Usov – second engineer
Kerry Pompeo – second engineer
Spencer Bleasdale – second engineer
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Doug Emery – charts, pre-production
Tim Mech – guitar and backline technician
Duarte Figueira – production assistant
Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
Packaging
Coco Shinomiya – sleeve layout
Elvis Costello – artwork, photography
Sebastian Krys – photography
Tim Mech – photography