Ranking the albums produced by Elvis Costello, aside from his own

The article ranks albums Elvis Costello produced for other artists, examining whether his sharp opinions about producers are borne out by his own work. It presents him as a producer who prioritises performance and emotional force over technical methods, while noting that only a handful of outside projects make up his production career.

The supplied text discusses two entries. Costello produced or co-produced only three of the 12 tracks on Paul McCartney’s 1989 album *Flowers in the Dirt*; disagreements over the sound of “That Day Is Done” helped lead McCartney to broaden the production team, and Costello later recommended hearing the demos. Costello also produced several early singles for Scottish band the Bluebells, six of which appear on a later compilation; he did not produce their UK number one, “Young at Heart”.