エルヴィス・コステロ＆ジ・アトラクションズとして78年に発表され名盤と絶賛されている「ジス・イヤーズ・モデル」が30周年記念としてコステロ自らが選曲に携わった2枚組として復活。Disc 1にはオリジナル・ヴァージョン13曲に加えて、デモ・ヴァージョン、ライヴ・ヴァージョン、別テイク、B面曲など10曲を収録、Disc2には78年2月にワシントンDCのワーナー・シアターでの伝説的なライヴを完全収録している。全17曲のうち16曲が未発表という貴重な内容となっている。

タワーレコード （2009/04/08）

Rolling Stone (p.60) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "The music is surprisingly lush and pretty....Yet it's all punk rage, thanks to Pete Thomas' drums and Steve Nieve's cranky organ." Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.118) - Ranked #98 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...The most 'punk' of Costello's records....Costello vs. the world. And Costello wins..." Rolling Stone (2/28/02, p.61) - 5 stars out of 5- "...Loosed punk's bilious hyperactivity upon the soul-based virtuosity of pub rock....uncoiling with an intensity Costello rarely equaled afterward..." Spin (12/03, p.122) - "...Some of the most stinging songs ever committed to record...' Spin (p.102) - "His nastiest and most awesome record..." Entertainment Weekly (2/22/02, p.149) - "...Redefined the quirky troubadour as bilious rocker...For those alienated by his C&W and classical forays, this is a reminder of the black-hearted virtuoisty they fell for in the forst place." - Rating: A+ Q (6/00, p.62) - Ranked #82 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" Q (5/02 SE, p.135) - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums". Q (11/93, p.143) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...THIS YEAR'S MODEL shows the benefits of [Costello] establishing his own band..." Uncut (p.84) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e delivered a scathing attack on everything from his own status as Next Big Thing to celebrity culture to boy-girl romance itself, all backed with The Attractions' wired intensity." Uncut (1/03, p.97) - Included in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" Mojo (Publisher) (p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t still dazzles....His goggle-eyed legacy remains inspiring." Mojo (Publisher) (3/02, p.122) - "...The petulant intensity strikes you first. It's all gall. With his part Dylan, part Lydon, part, ahem, Graham Parker delivery, he was so 'cross'..." Paste (magazine) - "Songs like 'Pump It Up' and 'Radio, Radio' are as energetic as anything in his catalog..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.90) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "THIS YEAR'S MODEL was the post-punk distillation of the times, especially in its portraits of London."

Rovi