Showing posts with label Nick Lowe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nick Lowe. Show all posts

Sunday, 20 November 2016

Nick Lowe - "Jesus Of Cool" (Radar RAD 1) 1978

Dunno about being the 'Jesus of Cool', but Nick Lowe is probably the Jesus of Pub rock.....and therefore ,ultimately The Jesus of Punk and DIY.
For 'twas he who spotted the lamentable 'Eggs Over Easy' at the Tally-Ho pub and thought it would be a good idea to get a pub residency for his group, the equally lamentable Brinsley Schwarz. From there the flood gates opened and we ended up with Punk Rock and its myriad of off shoots.
Lowe himself, was a pretty talented songsmith and producer , so it was inevitable he would have a solo album at some point; and here it is ,jam packed with clever catchy pop songs.It even contains a 'Hit'!?
Pathetically, this great album was renamed "Pure Pop For Now People" in the USA, because you can't mention Jesus over there without having death threats from the American Taliban. The memory of the John Lennon bigger than Jesus comment was still raw in the memory of the record executives.
I can just imagine the Record Company chief;like a fatter Mike Pence, wearing a double breasted polyester suit, aviator shades, Hawaiian shirt, and huge Cuban cheroot  ,bellowing 'The Jesus of WHAT!!!??..... I got it, we'll call it "Pure Pop For Now People"...now get outta here!'.
Out of all the different industries why is the record industry run by complete Twats!?
I also notice mention of the word "Hitler" in the track listing, which in the modern day politically correct world can give cause for different kinds of Twats to accuse you of antisemitism or worse. In fact just saying that could leave your author open to accusations of Holocaust Denial!?
I prefer to call it historical revisionism anyway.(more post-truth?)

Tracklist:

Music For Money 2:03
(I Love The Sound Of) Breaking Glass 3:05
Little Hitler 2:51
Shake And Pop 3:13
Tonight 3:45
So It Goes 2:23
No Reason 3:25
36 Inches High 2:50
Marie Provost 2:41
Nutted By Reality 2:46
Heart Of The City (Live) 4:15


Sunday, 28 August 2016

Various Artists - "Live Stiffs" (Stiff Records - GET 1) 1978


So, consequently, we have the infamous "Live Stiffs" package tour of 1977, and the album of....; containing at least five pub rock legends. Luckily Nick Lowe improved vastly after the demise of the awful Brinsley Schwartz. Ian Dury became the poet laureate of the new wave. Wreckless Eric was a loveable drunk who made a fine debut album. Larry Wallis was in The Deviants, Pink Fairies, and Motorhead,among others, so he can't do wrong. In fact Stiff records did very little wrong in the first three or four years of existence; except sacking the Damned after the second album?...well I thought the second album was rather good. I may have thought different if I knew who Nick Mason was, but luckily i didn't.....I do now, and finally (recently) listened to some post-syd Pink Floyd.....it was all surprisingly enjoyable, except 'The Wall' which was effing terrible!.....very nearly the opposite of Stiff.

Tracklist:

A1 –Nick Lowe's Last Chicken In The Shop-I Knew The Bride
A2 –Nick Lowe's Last Chicken In The Shop-Let's Eat
A3 –Wreckless Eric & The New Rockets-Semaphore Signals
A4 –Wreckless Eric & The New Rockets-Reconnez Cherie
A5 –Larry Wallis' Psychedelic Rowdies-Police Car
B1 –Elvis Costello & The Attractions-I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
B2 –Elvis Costello & The Attractions-Miracle Man
B3 –Ian Dury And The Blockheads-Wake Up And Make Love With Me
B4 –Ian Dury And The Blockheads-Billericay Dickie
B5 –Live Stiffs-Sex, Drugs, Rock 'N' Roll & Chaos