Elvis Costello revisits whirlwind debut with five-disc My Aim Is True box set

Elvis Costello has opened up his earliest recordings in a five-disc box set released on 2 October.

My Aim Is True (49th Anniversary Edition) arrived via UMe two days before Costello discussed its making in a new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now. The set centres on his 1977 debut album, which he cut in just over 24 hours while working as a computer operator, according to Rolling Stone.

The box holds 104 tracks. Fifty-two of them are previously unreleased songs, demos, outtakes and live performances, Costello's website said in its announcement.

Disc one is a remaster of the original album. The rest reaches back and forward.

One disc is The Blue Print, acoustic recordings from 1975 and 1976. Costello said he came close to putting those early tapes out about 35 years ago, then held them back until now.

Another part of the set collects demos and outtakes. That includes country songs he kept under wraps at the time. Country was part of the record from the start, Costello said in a conversation with broadcaster Mavis Nicholson shared on 30 September.

The box also traces his live history. There are recordings that follow the formation of the Attractions, the band that became his long-running backing group. It closes with a 2007 benefit concert in San Francisco, where Costello was joined by musicians who played on the original sessions.

In the Rolling Stone interview, Costello described how one of the debut's best-known songs began. He said he started writing "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" while travelling to visit his mother. He ran upstairs when he arrived and played it through on an old guitar kept on top of a wardrobe.

He also recalled how he got his stage name. His label, Stiff Records, changed it from his birth name, Declan MacManus. He first thought the new name was a prank.

For fans, this means a chance to hear the working process, not just the finished record. Four early versions of "Watching the Detectives" were shared in August when the set was announced. A previously unreleased track, "I Turn Around" from the Hope & Anchor Studio sessions, came out on 4 September as a preview.

Alongside the box, a separate single-vinyl edition was offered. The My Aim Is True 1LP (2026 Remaster) is described in Costello's shop listing as an all-analog production. It runs to 13 songs and includes the singles "Alison" and "Watching The Detectives".

The 5CD box set is listed at $109.98 in the official shop.