Out of Our Idiot

Out of Our Idiot
Compilation album by
Elvis Costello (credited to "Various Artists")
Released4 December 1987
Length
  • 70:47 (CD)
  • 56:50 (LP)
LabelDemon
Producer
Elvis Costello chronology
Blood & Chocolate
(1986)
Out of Our Idiot
(1987)
Spike
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
New Musical Express8/10

Out of Our Idiot is a compilation album by English musician Elvis Costello. It was released only in the United Kingdom on 4 December 1987, through Demon Records. The album consists of B-sides, non-album tracks, and previously unreleased material recorded between 1979 and 1987. Rather than being credited to Elvis Costello, the album is instead credited to "Various Artists" due to Costello's use of pseudonyms on many of the tracks (including "Napoleon Dynamite", "The Emotional Toothpaste", and "The Costello Show"), as well as the numerous collaborations with other artists, including Jimmy Cliff, T Bone Burnett (as "The Coward Brothers"), and Nick Lowe.

Out of Our Idiot has received positive reviews for critics, with many praising its eclecticism and the quality of songwriting, though some have also noted it as being inconsistent. The album was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in January 1988, denoting sales in excess of 60,000 copies.