Was there a cooler MFer on the planet in the late 1970s than Elvis Costello? Technically, probably, there might have been (in fairness, there was no shortage of competition in that era of music). But, whatever the case, you could certainly make a strong argument for Mr. Costello, and perhaps Exhibit A in that case would be this incredibly badass performance of “Watching the Detectives” from 1978. Granted, “Watching the Detectives” has always been one of Costello’s coolest, most distinctive tunes, thanks in large part to its sultry reggae flavor, but this performance really takes things to an entirely new level in the coolness category. His intensity is more than palpable here (you can practically feel the sweat dripping off his face), it seems borderline malevolent at times, but in any event, the entire thing is fantastically captivating. This is peak Costello here folks; soak it in:
