Before Elvis Costello was one of Rolling Stone's greatest artists of all time he was Declan P. McManus, an office drone with a dull suburban life and a side gig in a pub rock band. In 1976, under the guidance of legendary label Stiff Records, he transformed himself into the snarling, spectacled artist who defied the musical status quo to blaze the trail for a new kind of rock star with his debut album, My Aim Is True. Here Richard Crouse examines how the music of this arrestingly original album smashed the trends of the era to bridge the gap between punk and rock 'n' roll.