Nick Lowe Album Reviews

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Jesus of Cool (aka Pure Pop for Now People) (1978)
Labour of Lust (1979)

Jesus of Cool (1978)

9.5

Music for Money / I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass / Little Hitler / Shake and Pop / Tonight / So It Goes / No Reason / 36 Inches High / Marie Provost / Nutted by Reality / Heart of the City (Live) / They Called It Rock / Rollers Show

Even though it’s pretty hard to find nowadays, Nick Lowe’s debut album Jesus of Cool (or Pure Pop for Now People, as it’s called in the US) is one of the best pop albums ever released and resides in the same league as The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night, The Kinks’ Face to Face, NRBQ’s At Yankee Stadium, Squeeze’s Argybargy and The dB’s’ Stands for Decibels. Like those albums, Jesus of Cool contains an insane amount of hooks, infectious melodies and youthful energy wrapped up in the perfect pop format. Of course, this didn’t come out of nowhere, as Lowe had already quite a resume when he was suddenly all over the place in the late ‘70’s. He’d been a member of leading pub-rock band Brinsley Schwarz in the early ‘70’s, with whom he prepared the tabula rasa of the punk movement. Actually, rumour (?) has it that he recorded the “So It Goes/Heart of the City” single – often credited as the official start of Britain’s indie culture – for less than 50£ in 1976. From then on, things happened at an incredible pace, as Lowe became one of the era’s hottest producers (producing what’s arguably the first British punk album – Damned Damned Damned -, as well as albums by Dave Edmunds, Elvis Costello, Dr. Feelgood and The Pretenders), co-founded Stiff Records, became a member of Rockpile and inspired countless pop, rock and roots-rock units in Europe and the US.

Whereas he’d become a singer-songwriter with two feet firmly planted in roots music in the next few years (and he’s still there), Jesus of Cool contains the best of 25 years of pop history, with sugary melodies straight from the pre-Beatles pop era, the energy of British invasion, elements from glam, disco and straightforward, traditional pop. The cynical opening track “Music for Money” seems to promise something less accessible, as it’s dominated by one insistent riff that’s nearly robotic, but from the second song onwards, it’s pure pop bliss. “The Sound of Breaking Glass” sounds like “Sound + Vision”-era Bowie, but played as if Nile Rodgers contributed. Also: check out that fantastic, playful piano solo, it’s as ridiculous (but fun!) as they come. The same goes for “Shake and Pop,” which seems to combine a chugging glam-rock rhythm with a boogie swing. Things get considerably sweeter during “Little Hitler,” an hilarious update of early-‘60’s pop (can you keep a straight face when listening to a traditional pop song with the recurring words “Little Hitler”?), complete with rich backing vocals straight out of The Beach Boys Songbook; and the completely syrupy ballad “Tonight” that’s almost unbearably cute and contains one of the sweetest memories ever recorded. The same goes for the slightly more muscular “Rollers Show,” which brings The Beach Boys’ “I Can Hear Music” into the punk era. Doesn’t make sense? Well no, but neither do the droning “36 Inches High,” the ska/wave of “No reason” or the disco-pop of “Nutted by Reality,” which contains the classic lines “Well I heard they castrates Castro, I heard they cut off everything he had, what a dirty, low-down thing to do, to mess him up like that”), and halfway suddenly turns into an example of bouncy schlager-pop. And it works. Insane. What the album’s mostly remembered for, however, is the inclusion of singles “So It Goes” and “Marie Provost.” While the first one is an irresistible track that defines power-pop, the second is one of the funniest songs ever, telling the story of silent movie actress Provost (actually a real life-character) who alone and lonely, gets eaten up by her dog (“She was a winner that became a doggie’s dinner” goes the chorus with its over the top backing vocals). Finally, the live version of “Heart of the City” proves it’s not that far-fetched to consider Lowe as one of the godfather s of the British punk movement, as its an incendiary rock ‘n’ roll songs that sizzles with a ferocious energy that reminds of Dr. Feelgood’s equally energetic no nonsense-rock. Bursting with great ideas, nifty details and, above all, superb melodies propelled by near perfect song-craft, Jesus of Cool is one of those albums that simply won’t age and manage to even turn the worst day into a minor party.

Labour of Lust (1979)

8.5

Cruel to Be Kind / Cracking Up / Big Kick, Plain Scrap! / Born Fighter / You Make Me / Skin Deep / Switchboard Susan / Endless Grey Ribbon / Without Love / Dose of You / Love So Fine

It’s almost absurd that Labour of Lust came so quickly after Jesus of Cool (even though “So It Goes” had already been recorded two years prior), considering Lowe’s insanely busy schedule around the time. Here’s a guy who’s all over the place, producing, arranging, contributing and writing another batch of first-rate songs. This sophomore album is probably even more celebrated (although that’s perhaps overstating things a bit) than the debut, for several reasons. The first is of course “Cruel to Be Kind,” which is perhaps his most recognizable and popular song (actually his only Top 10 hit ever), the second that he was backed by Rockpile, who also performed on soul brother Dave Edmunds’ Repeat When Necessary, released simultaneously with this one. Anyone familiar with Rockpile will immediately presume the album’s a different affair than the eccentric pop of the debut. Instead, the band’s firmly rooted in traditional rock ‘n’ roll, while also fitting remarkable well in the wave music of the era. In that respect, they were a lot like Dr. Feelgood – a no-nonsense band whose tack-hard rock ‘n’ roll was even appreciated by the punks – or, on the other side of the pond, The Blasters. Now, this is still a Nick Lowe record and since he was the pop dude in the band, it’s got some of both: three-minute gems and energetic, driven roots-rock.

The best thing about pop songs such as “Cruel to Be Kind” and “Skin Deep” is that they’re so unpretentious. The songs are straightforward miniatures with a head and a tail, verses and a chorus and nothing is wasted on unnecessary frills. Of course it’s less interesting if you’re in it for the quirky songs, but those ultra-sweet melodies, combination of acoustic and electric guitars and slick backing vocals can be particularly satisfying. The same goes for the sparkling “Dose of You,” a great candidate for the feel good hit of the summer-competition, the kind of songs that finds it way into your head without you noticing it. The more anachronistic stuff is easily as impressive though. “Cracking Up” is a superb update of CCR’s “Born on the Bayou,” their take on “Switchboard Susan” pure gold wrapped in a hard-driving rock ‘n’ roll tune and “Without Love” and irresistible slice of refreshing roots-pop. During songs like “Born Fighter” and the chugging “Love So Fine” – (basically the pop –or Lite - version of AC/DC’s macho boogies, check it out) you can only imagine what a powerhouse band this must’ve been on stage, blowing people’s minds with ultra-tight rhythms and incendiary solos. All pretty impressive, though it lacks that finishing touch that made Jesus of Cool such an incredible FUN record. The majority of the songs here are equally impressive – and maybe even more timeless this time around -, but “Endless Grey Ribbon” and “You Make Me” are perhaps a bit slight (as “Music for Money” arguably was on the debut), while lone joker “Big Kick, Plain Scrap!” (Jerky! Funky! Tumbling drums! Silliness!) will probably make you long for more idiosyncratic material. These are all minor complaints though… Labour of Lust is slightly less impressive than that year’s highlights such as Squeezing Out Sparks, Rust Never Sleeps and Highway to Hell, but a place among or near London Calling, Look Sharp, The B-52’s and that debut album by The Specials is also damn impressive.