Customer Reviews

Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nick Lowe not only has produced some of the best groundbreaking albums by the likes of Graham Parker and Elvis Costello, he's also made a few great records himself. His first 2 albums were especially strong. "PURE POP FOR NOW PEOPLE", also named "JESUS OF COOL", and his second "LABOUR OF LUST" were his best works and are amply represented here by the first 14 songs. The rest of this material are from his later weaker albums. But even those albums had a few hidden gems, such as HALF A BOY AND HALF A MAN", THE ROSE OF ENGLAND, AND I KNEW THE BRIDE, which Dave Edmunds made a hit out of a few years earlier. It's hard for me to pick a favorite from these 2 early albums, I've got so many. I can tell you the 2 songs that really stick you in the ribs from the first album are SO IT GOES, in which Lowe blatantly rips off the hook to Steely Dan's REELING IN THE YEARS, and the Chuck Berry driven HEART OF THE CITY, both of which were singles for Lowe. A couple good songs off his second album is AMERICAN SQUIRM, which was another single, and the crazy Mickey Jupp rockabilly song SWITHCHBOARD SUSAN. His biggest hit was CRUEL TO BE KIND, a mid-tempo song that I remember getting alot of airplay when it first came out, but didn't stick around long. Ever since his days with the British pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz, Lowe has honed his musicial skills. He throws every kind of musical influence into his music. If you like rockabilly, soul, Motown, country, or blues, well Nick Lowe does it all. I know first hand this guy is an old accomplished workhorse musician. I once saw him when he came to Oklahoma City in the mid 80's with his band 'THE COWBOY OUTFIT". In the middle of their show the electricity that powered the bands musical instuments went out. Instead of stopping the show, Nick Lowe pulled out his acoustic guitar, and with nothing but a spotlight shining down on him, did 30 minutes of some of the best unrehearsed pop music I've ever heard come out of one person. I was sitting in the back of that big auditorium and could hear every word that he sang without a microphone. When the juice came back on, the band started playing again without missing a beat. I never forgot that night, and became an even bigger Nick Lowe fan that I already was. Nick Lowe has never been a big moneymaking artist, but at least he got a little recognition in 1992 when Curtis Stigers did a cover of his song 'WHAT'S SO FUNNY BOUT' PEACE, LOVE, AND UNDERSTANDING", which was included in the popular soundtrack THE BODYGUARD. The royalities from that song earned Lowe a nice little 7 figure check. Sometimes there is a little justice in this world. If you like pure pop music, but without the bubblegum that usually comes with it, I highly recommend you get this 77 minute 25 track essential Nick Lowe, and discover a true pop talent.

The first Lowe song I can remember was "Cruel to Be Kind" (which oddly enough reminds me of someone I once dated who often slapped me around) with its smooth rhythm guitar and biting lyrics. Soon after, I got into "So It Goes" (with that solid bottom), "Little Hitler" (I suppose Elvis Costello's "Two Little Hitlers" was an answer of sorts), "No Reason" (great reggae fill), "Heart of the City" (more solid rhythm guitar) and "Marie Provost" (for some reason he pronounces it "Mary"). The guy was just a machine when it came to writing good songs with car-radio-type hooks and solid beat. Why he wasn't a bigger star is a mystery to me.

Now along comes this album, covering most (but not all) of his career and now I have to add "Half a Boy" and "The Rose of England" to my list of faves. Just a notch below would be "When I Write the Book".

Let my add my voice to the chorus praising this album. Nick Lowe, along with Elvis Costello, were the two supreme talents to come out the "new music" period (I can't call it punk, not when there are melodies this good) of the late 70's. This CD is priced like a single album, but you get 25 tracks, uncommon value. You won't regret buying this one, especially if you liked British rock and pop of the 60's and 70's.

Nick Lowe may be best known as the producer of the best of Elvis Costello's 70's & early 80's albums, but he has crafted some the smartest & wittiest music around. Lowe came out of the early 70's English pub-rock scene, playing in the genre's biggest group, Brinsley Swarz. After he left the band, he released his first solo record, "So It Goes". It was also the first ever release on the seminal label Stiff Records. The song set the mold for which Lowe would follow for much of his career. The lyrics on the surface appear to be somewhat humorous but underneath they are laced with cynism. Other great songs include "American Squirm", "Marie Provost" which tells of an old movie star who died and the police found her half-eaten by her dog, "Little Hitler", "Cracking Up", "Heart Of The City", the reggae remake of his Rockpile song "Heart", the rockbilly of "Half A Boy, Half A Man", the pretty country-flavored "Without Love" and his only hit in America, "Cruel To Be Kind", which is one of the most overlooked hit songs of the 70's. The album is sequenced in chronilogical order and some the later songs are weak, especially compared to the early stuff, but one cannot complain when you get 25 songs on a single cd. If you love Nick Lowe, this album is indepensible and if you are unfamiliar with him, it is more than worth checking out.

Let's face it: When it comes to pop, there's 2 distinct camps-the thoughtful, melodious songwriters (John Lennon, Ray Davies, XTC...); and the straight-forward power pop of Alex Chilton, Matthew Sweet, the Posies...Then there's Nick Lowe. Not happy to settle in either, but taking the choice bits from both, and adopting different song styles to whatever suits him, Country, Pop, Rockabilly (even reggae dancehall!). But rather than coming off as an indecisive posuer, Lowe makes the music work for him-and man does he know how to get the most out of a song. If you think the number of tracks for a single CD of a relatively obscure Brit is daunting, check out the number of hooks he pours into each and every one! So while you may not know these songs by heart (w/the possible exception of "Cruel To Be Kind"), one spin thru and TRY not to look forward to a daily dose of "Switchboard Susan" "I love the sound of breaking glass" "7 nights to rock" "So it goes"...Oh, man! Take the "Stop" button off the player, and hit repeat.

Some very poor selections on here. It also almost ignores his two best CDs-The Rose of England and Cowboy Outfit. (And what is "Maureen" doing on here? uggg--where are Wishing Well, I Got the Love, Luck Dog, LAFS, etc.) 14 of these songs are from his first two albums--too much in my opinion.

But the real gripe is that the bulk of this man's CDs are unavailable. No one should have to settle for this collection when you think of what he did from about 1978 to 1990. Some truly great stuff is lost. I think he is the most underrated musician in all of rock. Bar none.

Lots of folks who came out of the pub-rock-Stiff scene of the 70s ended up bigger stars than Nick Lowe. This shows the injustice in the music business as well as anything. Listening to this album, and taking his songs in concert with his production of and writing for Elvis Costello and Dave Edmunds, Lowe seems one of the greats of rock and roll.

Pop songs get no better than So it Goes, Cruel to Be Kind, and When I Write the Book. But even later material like The Rose of England shines, easily brighter than a good tune by a great writer like John Hiatt (She Don't Love Nobody). Lowe writes classicly hooky pop, with just enough twist in perspective and arrangement to avoid being boring. Everyone should own Pure Pop for Now People and Labor of Lust, but as a package of pop masterpieces, it's hard to think of a better collection than this one.

What other reviewers have written is all true. "Basher" hits all the high spots of Nick's most "commercial" period, from late 70's to the late 80's. That is if ANY part of Nicks carreer can be called "commercial". Others have pointed out that 14 tracks come from his first two solo albums, which are definately his strongest, but if you only have the cash to get one Nick Lowe CD, "Basher" is it.
Something to consider: Nick had already been "Bashing" it out in the pubs for over 10 years, produced Elvis Costello, produced the Damned, and as in-house producer/engineer at Stiff Records, been one of a handful of people that catapulted the D.I.Y. ethos of punk into the mainstream of the listening public.... All of this BEFORE the release of his first solo effort. Also make note of Nick's "supergroup" resume, both Rockpile, AND Little Village
Nick is not the songwriter Elvis Costello, or Bob Dylan is, but he is a journeyman at his craft. He can groove a bassline, put a hook to it, and weave some catchy words in, and before you know it, you are singing along, even if it is more "campy" than "classic" (A La current popsters Fountains of Wayne). Nick was not above borrowing from others' (a riff here, a hook there), but did so out in the open, and was up front about it. Many of his songs were written with tongue firmly in cheek, with a kind of British wit, that I have to do a double-take on, to check if he is joking or not. Truly an underappreciated artist of the punk/new wave era. Go buy this record.

Pop music is supposed to make you feel upbeat - I guess - and if that's the case The Best of Nick Lowe is a perfect tool. Lowe intelligently combines catchy pop tunes with clever, whacky, bizarre or tongue-in-cheek lyrics, which is all that "real" pop should be about. Who could write a song about an dead actress being eaten up by her pet dogs without sounding weird ("Marie Provost")? Lowe can. Who could write do a Phil Spector-ish teenie-pop kind of tune about a "Little Hitler" without sounding mental? Lowe can. In short, this album is pure fun, great music with lyrics to make you smile - instant happyness on a few ounces of plastic.

I'll be upfront, I am not an avid Nick Lowe fan and purchased this out of curiosity because I liked what I had heard of his music. What a pleasant surprise! His creative pop-wit and knack for writing those biting lyrics really sold me on this CD. "Cruel to be Kind" is probably the best pure pop song written since Paul McCartney was in his prime. Maybe some of the nitwits writing the the fluff on the radio today, could sit down listen and learn something about melody and professional songwriting. In short, there are too many quality tracks to talk about on this CD, if you are curious give in and spend the money. It's well worth it.

Basher has 25 Nick Lowe tunes from 8 different recordings. 14 of them are from Lowe's first two albums. This should probably tell you something about Lowe's career arc. The further he moved from the power pop of his early career to the rockabilly of his later work; the less focused his work became. But for a good overview of Lowe's work through the late 80's, Basher does the job. Lowe doesn't waste time, literally most of his songs clock in at about 3 minutes! There is a lot of good stuff here, "Cruel to be Kind," the sick humor "Marie Provost" (A true story sad to say) and many other gems. Basher is worthy intro to Lowe's work, but as this Greatest hits package shows, it is on his first two works, Jesus of Cool (Pure Pop for Now People in the U.S.) and Labor of Lust that Lowe's humor and style had their greatest impact.