Nick Lowe
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe (born 24 March 1949), is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.
A pivotal figure in UK pub rock
, punk rock
and new wave
, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica
. He is best known for his songs "Cruel to Be Kind
" (a US Top 40 single
), and "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello
, Graham Parker
, and others. Lowe also wrote "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
", a hit for Costello.
He currently lives in Brentford
, London, England.
's first five albums, including My Aim Is True
, This Year's Model
, and Armed Forces. He also produced The Damned's first single, "New Rose
", considered the first English punk single, as well as the group's debut album, Damned Damned Damned.
His early 'rough and ready' production style earned him the nickname Basher (as in 'bash it out now, tart it up later'). Upon moving from Stiff to Jake Riviera
's Radar
and F-Beat
labels, Lowe became selective in his choice of production tasks.
. They released a few singles on the Parlophone
record label as Kippington Lodge before they re-named the band Brinsley Schwarz
in late 1969, and began performing country
and blues-rock
. Lowe wrote some of his best-known compositions while a member of Brinsley Schwarz, including "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", a hit for Elvis Costello in 1979, and "Cruel to Be Kind", a solo hit for Lowe in 1979.
After leaving Brinsley Schwarz in 1975, Lowe began playing in Rockpile
with Dave Edmunds
. In August 1976, Lowe released "So It Goes
" b/w "Heart of the City", the first single on the Stiff Records
label
where he was an in-house producer. The single and thus the label was funded by a loan of £400 from Dr. Feelgood
's Lee Brilleaux. The label's first EP
was Lowe's 1977 four-track release Bowi
, apparently named in response to David Bowie
's contemporaneous LP Low. (The joke was repeated when Lowe produced The Rumour
's album Max as an 'answer' to Fleetwood Mac
's Rumours
). Lowe continued producing albums on Stiff and other labels. In 1977 he produced Dr. Feelgood
's album, Be Seeing You
, which included his own song, "That's It, I Quit". The following year's Dr. Feelgood album, Private Practice
, contained a song Lowe jointly penned with Gypie Mayo
– "Milk and Alcohol
". Along with "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass", "Milk and Alcohol" is one of only two Lowe compositions to ever reach the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart
.
Because the two main singers in Rockpile had recording contract
s with different record labels and managers, albums were always credited to either Lowe or Edmunds, so there is only one official Rockpile album, which was not released until the waning days of the collaboration: 1980's Seconds of Pleasure
, featuring the Lowe songs "When I Write The Book" and "Heart". However, two of the pair's most significant solo albums from the period; Lowe's Labour of Lust
and Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary
, were effectively Rockpile albums (as was Carlene Carter
's Lowe-produced Musical Shapes
album).
Lowe was quoted as saying that he had "escaped from the tyranny of the snare drum" in No Depression, (September–October 2001) when explaining his move away from regular pop music that would get played on mainstream radio.
Other well-known Lowe songs include "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass," "All Men Are Liars," and Cruel to Be Kind
, co-written with Ian Gomm
and originally recorded with Brinsley Schwarz, a re-recording of which was his only US Top 40 hit
, reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1979.
In 1979, Lowe married country singer Carlene Carter
, daughter of fellow country singers Carl Smith
and June Carter Cash
and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash
. He adopted her daughter, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe. The marriage ended in 1990, but they remained friends, and Lowe remained close to the Carter/Cash family. He played and recorded with Johnny Cash, and Cash recorded several of Lowe's songs.
After the demise of Rockpile, Lowe toured for a period with his band Noise To Go and later with The Cowboy Outfit, which also included the noted keyboard player Paul Carrack
. Lowe was also a member of the short-lived mainly studio project Little Village
with John Hiatt
, Ry Cooder
and Jim Keltner
, who originally got together to record Hiatt's 1987 album Bring the Family
.
In 1992, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was covered
by Curtis Stigers
on the soundtrack album to The Bodyguard
, an album that sold about 44 million copies world-wide.
A New York Daily News article quoted Lowe as saying his greatest fear in recent years was "sticking with what you did when you were famous". "I didn't want to become one of those thinning-haired, jowly old geezers who still does the same shtick they did when they were young, slim and beautiful," he said. "That's revolting and rather tragic." Rock critic Jim Farber observed: "Lowe's recent albums, epitomised by the new At My Age
, moved him out of the realms of ironic pop and animated rock and into the role of a worldly balladeer, specialising in grave vocals and graceful tunes. Lowe's four most recent solo albums mine the wealth of American roots music, drawing on vintage country, soul and R&B to create an elegant mix of his own."
In 2008, Yep Roc and Proper Records
released a thirtieth anniversary edition of Lowe's first solo album Jesus of Cool
(entitled Pure Pop for Now People in the US with a slightly different track listing). The re-issue includes tracks from the British and American releases in addition to several bonus tracks. In March 2009, he released a 49 track CD/DVD compilation
of songs which spanned his entire career. Proper Records released it in the UK and Europe, entitled Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe
.
In September 2010 Yep Roc issued The Impossible Bird
, Dig My Mood
and The Convincer
on vinyl for the first time, and after a one-night reunion concert with Elvis Costello in October in San Francisco, Lowe embarked on his first non-solo United States tour "this millennium." His backing band comprised Geraint Watkins
(keyboards), Robert Treherne (drums), Johnny Scott (guitar) and Matt Radford (bass). In March 2011, Yep Roc reissued Lowe's 1979 solo album Labour of Lust
.
Lowe played Glastonbury 2011, performing a short solo set of Brinsley Schwarz tracks on The Spirit Of 71 stage, where they played back in 1971, before heading to the Acoustic Stage for a full band show.
Lowe performed as an opening act for Wilco in their North American tour, September 2011. He performed solo with acoustic guitar.
Lowe is married to Peta Waddington, a designer and DJ. The couple have a son, Roy Lowe, who was born in 2005.
A pivotal figure in UK pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
. He is best known for his songs "Cruel to Be Kind
Cruel to Be Kind
"Cruel to Be Kind" is a 1979 single by Nick Lowe, co-written by Lowe and his former Brinsley Schwarz band-mate Ian Gomm, that peaked at #12 in both the British and US charts that summer...
" (a US Top 40 single
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
), and "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Graham Parker
Graham Parker
Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
, and others. Lowe also wrote "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
" Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1970s song written by English musician Nick Lowe and recorded in the best-known version by Elvis Costello....
", a hit for Costello.
He currently lives in Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, London, England.
Songwriter
Nick's best-known songs (mostly known for cover versions) include:- "(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding"
- "The Beast in MeThe Beast in Me"The Beast in Me" is a song from Nick Lowe's 1994 album The Impossible Bird. The song was originally recorded by Lowe's former father-in-law Johnny Cash on his American Recordings album.-Appearances in other media:...
" - "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass"
- "All Men Are Liars"
- "Cruel to Be KindCruel to Be Kind"Cruel to Be Kind" is a 1979 single by Nick Lowe, co-written by Lowe and his former Brinsley Schwarz band-mate Ian Gomm, that peaked at #12 in both the British and US charts that summer...
" - "So It GoesSo It Goes (Nick Lowe song)"So It Goes" is a song written and recorded by Nick Lowe in 1976. The single was Nick Lowe's debut following his departure from Brinsley Schwarz and was the first single released on Stiff Records....
" - "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)I Knew the Bride"I Knew the Bride " is a song written by Nick Lowe and first popularized by Dave Edmunds. It was released on Edmunds's 1977 album Get It and a year later in a live version by Nick Lowe's Last Chicken in the Shop for a compilation released by Stiff Records.Lowe performed the song during a Stiff...
"
Producer
Lowe produced Elvis CostelloElvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
's first five albums, including My Aim Is True
My Aim Is True
My Aim Is True is the debut album by Elvis Costello.The album was recorded at Pathway Studios in Holloway, London Borough of Islington, over the course of 1976 during late-night studio sessions, in a total of twenty-four hours...
, This Year's Model
This Year's Model
This Year's Model is Elvis Costello's second album and his first with The Attractions, released in 1978 . It was recorded mainly at Eden Studios in West London....
, and Armed Forces. He also produced The Damned's first single, "New Rose
New Rose
"New Rose" was the first single by British punk rock group The Damned, released on October 22, 1976. It was the first single by a British punk group, and was released in the Netherlands, Germany, and France in 1977....
", considered the first English punk single, as well as the group's debut album, Damned Damned Damned.
His early 'rough and ready' production style earned him the nickname Basher (as in 'bash it out now, tart it up later'). Upon moving from Stiff to Jake Riviera
Jake Riviera
Jake Riviera is a music business entrepreneur best known for his management of such performers as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe and as co-founder of pioneering British indie label Stiff Records.Riviera was in school bands and local groups in north-west London in the 60s, and became road manager of...
's Radar
Radar Records
Radar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
and F-Beat
F-Beat Records
F-Beat Records was one of the record labels set up by Jake Riviera in late 1979/early 1980, at the same time as he started Demon Records. The label's first release, I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, reached number 4 in the UK charts, the highest singles chart...
labels, Lowe became selective in his choice of production tasks.
Musical styles
- See Pub rock
- See New waveNew Wave musicNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
- See Punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
Influence in Music Industry
A 2011 article in The New York Times starts "The 40-year career of the English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe constitutes a paradox: the songs he has written are better known than he is."Biography
Lowe began his musical career in 1967, when he joined the band Kippington Lodge, with his friend Brinsley SchwarzBrinsley Schwarz (musician)
Brinsley Ernst Pieter Schwarz is an English guitarist and rock musician. He formed a band named Kippington Lodge in 1965, which evolved into the eponymous band Brinsley Schwarz...
. They released a few singles on the Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
record label as Kippington Lodge before they re-named the band Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge.-Formation:...
in late 1969, and began performing country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
. Lowe wrote some of his best-known compositions while a member of Brinsley Schwarz, including "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", a hit for Elvis Costello in 1979, and "Cruel to Be Kind", a solo hit for Lowe in 1979.
After leaving Brinsley Schwarz in 1975, Lowe began playing in Rockpile
Rockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
with Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
. In August 1976, Lowe released "So It Goes
So It Goes (Nick Lowe song)
"So It Goes" is a song written and recorded by Nick Lowe in 1976. The single was Nick Lowe's debut following his departure from Brinsley Schwarz and was the first single released on Stiff Records....
" b/w "Heart of the City", the first single on the Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
where he was an in-house producer. The single and thus the label was funded by a loan of £400 from Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood may refer to:In music:*Dr. Feelgood , an album by American band Mötley Crüe**"Dr. Feelgood" , a single and the title track from that album*"Dr. Feel Good", a song by Travie McCoy on the album Lazarus...
's Lee Brilleaux. The label's first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was Lowe's 1977 four-track release Bowi
Bowi
Bowi was the first EP released on Stiff Records. Recorded by Nick Lowe, who had also released the first Stiff single, the title and cover were a humorous response to the David Bowie album Low, released earlier in the year...
, apparently named in response to David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's contemporaneous LP Low. (The joke was repeated when Lowe produced The Rumour
The Rumour
The Rumour were a British rock band in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known as the backup band for Graham Parker, whose early records were credited to Graham Parker & The Rumour...
's album Max as an 'answer' to Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's Rumours
Rumours
Rumours is the eleventh studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Largely recorded in California during 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut and was released on 4 February 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. The record peaked at the top of both the...
). Lowe continued producing albums on Stiff and other labels. In 1977 he produced Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood may refer to:In music:*Dr. Feelgood , an album by American band Mötley Crüe**"Dr. Feelgood" , a single and the title track from that album*"Dr. Feel Good", a song by Travie McCoy on the album Lazarus...
's album, Be Seeing You
Be Seeing You
Be Seeing You was the fifth album by Dr. Feelgood, and was released in October 1977. After the departure of Wilko Johnson, this was Dr. Feelgood's first album with guitarist Gypie Mayo....
, which included his own song, "That's It, I Quit". The following year's Dr. Feelgood album, Private Practice
Private Practice (album)
Private Practice was the sixth album by Dr. Feelgood, and was released in October 1978.This was commercially rewarding when the album spawned a Top 10 hit single in "Milk and Alcohol"...
, contained a song Lowe jointly penned with Gypie Mayo
Gypie Mayo
Gypie Mayo is an English guitarist, playing in Dr. Feelgood from 1977 to 1981, and from 1996 to 2004 in the re-born Yardbirds with Alan Glen....
– "Milk and Alcohol
Milk and Alcohol
"Milk and Alcohol" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood that ranked on Britain's top-10 hit singles chart in 1979. Written by Nick Lowe and Gypie Mayo, and produced by Richard Gottehrer, the song was Dr...
". Along with "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass", "Milk and Alcohol" is one of only two Lowe compositions to ever reach the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Because the two main singers in Rockpile had recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
s with different record labels and managers, albums were always credited to either Lowe or Edmunds, so there is only one official Rockpile album, which was not released until the waning days of the collaboration: 1980's Seconds of Pleasure
Seconds of Pleasure
Seconds of Pleasure was a 1980 album by Rockpile, a band consisting of guitarists/vocalists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner, bassist/vocalist Nick Lowe, and drummer Terry Williams...
, featuring the Lowe songs "When I Write The Book" and "Heart". However, two of the pair's most significant solo albums from the period; Lowe's Labour of Lust
Labour of Lust
Labour of Lust is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Also produced by Lowe, it was released in 1979 by Radar Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded and released at the same time as Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary and features the same Rockpile personnel...
and Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary
Repeat When Necessary
Repeat When Necessary is an album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. Produced by Edmunds, it was released in 1979 by Swan Song Records...
, were effectively Rockpile albums (as was Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
's Lowe-produced Musical Shapes
Musical Shapes
Musical Shapes is the third album by Carlene Carter. The only song to make the Billboard country singles chart was "Baby Ride Easy," a duet with Dave Edmunds of the British rock band Rockpile.-Track listing:...
album).
Lowe was quoted as saying that he had "escaped from the tyranny of the snare drum" in No Depression, (September–October 2001) when explaining his move away from regular pop music that would get played on mainstream radio.
Other well-known Lowe songs include "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass," "All Men Are Liars," and Cruel to Be Kind
Cruel to Be Kind
"Cruel to Be Kind" is a 1979 single by Nick Lowe, co-written by Lowe and his former Brinsley Schwarz band-mate Ian Gomm, that peaked at #12 in both the British and US charts that summer...
, co-written with Ian Gomm
Ian Gomm
Ian Robert Gomm is a British singer-songwriter, who was the rhythm guitarist for Brinsley Schwarz from 1970 to 1974. He was named "Best Rhythm Guitarist" by NME in 1971.[]...
and originally recorded with Brinsley Schwarz, a re-recording of which was his only US Top 40 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1979.
In 1979, Lowe married country singer Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
, daughter of fellow country singers Carl Smith
Carl Smith (country musician)
Carl Milton Smith was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter and Goldie Hill, the drinking companion of Johnny Cash, and the father of Carlene Carter...
and June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. He adopted her daughter, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe. The marriage ended in 1990, but they remained friends, and Lowe remained close to the Carter/Cash family. He played and recorded with Johnny Cash, and Cash recorded several of Lowe's songs.
After the demise of Rockpile, Lowe toured for a period with his band Noise To Go and later with The Cowboy Outfit, which also included the noted keyboard player Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
. Lowe was also a member of the short-lived mainly studio project Little Village
Little Village
Little Village was an American/British rock band, formed in 1992 by Ry Cooder , John Hiatt , Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner...
with John Hiatt
John Hiatt
John Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other...
, Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
and Jim Keltner
Jim Keltner
James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
, who originally got together to record Hiatt's 1987 album Bring the Family
Bring the Family
Bring the Family is John Hiatt's eighth album. It was his first album to chart on the Billboard 200, and featured his first single entry on the mainstream rock chart with "Thank You Girl". It features Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass guitar and Jim Keltner on drums. The four would later...
.
In 1992, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Curtis Stigers
Curtis Stigers
Curtis Stigers is an American jazz vocalist, saxophonist, guitarist, and songwriter.-Early life and career:Stigers was born in Boise, Idaho, and started his music career as a teenager, playing in jazz, rock and blues groups, as well as receiving formal training in clarinet and saxophone at high...
on the soundtrack album to The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic-thriller film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s,...
, an album that sold about 44 million copies world-wide.
A New York Daily News article quoted Lowe as saying his greatest fear in recent years was "sticking with what you did when you were famous". "I didn't want to become one of those thinning-haired, jowly old geezers who still does the same shtick they did when they were young, slim and beautiful," he said. "That's revolting and rather tragic." Rock critic Jim Farber observed: "Lowe's recent albums, epitomised by the new At My Age
At My Age
At My Age is an album by Nick Lowe released in June 2007 by . It was recorded in London and produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Nick Lowe; except where indicated#"A Better Man"#"Long Limbed Girl"...
, moved him out of the realms of ironic pop and animated rock and into the role of a worldly balladeer, specialising in grave vocals and graceful tunes. Lowe's four most recent solo albums mine the wealth of American roots music, drawing on vintage country, soul and R&B to create an elegant mix of his own."
In 2008, Yep Roc and Proper Records
Proper Records
Proper Records is a record label founded in 1988 by Malcolm Mills and Paul Riley. Commencing with a handful of releases, including The Balham Alligators and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, the label grew in stature and renown through its reissue marque, 'Proper Box', whose 4CD boxsets for...
released a thirtieth anniversary edition of Lowe's first solo album Jesus of Cool
Jesus of Cool
Jesus of Cool is the 1978 solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe who left Brinsley Schwarz in 1974. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK...
(entitled Pure Pop for Now People in the US with a slightly different track listing). The re-issue includes tracks from the British and American releases in addition to several bonus tracks. In March 2009, he released a 49 track CD/DVD compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of songs which spanned his entire career. Proper Records released it in the UK and Europe, entitled Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe
Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe
Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe is a 49 track career spanning collection of songs written by British songwriter Nick Lowe. As well as his solo work, it also features many of his collaborations with the likes of Rockpile, Brinsley Schwarz, Paul Carrack and Little Village. The compilation...
.
In September 2010 Yep Roc issued The Impossible Bird
The Impossible Bird
The Impossible Bird is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in the UK in 1994 on Demon Records and elsewhere by Upstart Records.-Tracks listing:#"Soulful Wind" - 3:01...
, Dig My Mood
Dig My Mood
Dig My Mood is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in the UK in 1998 by Demon Records and elsewhere by Upstart Records.-Track listing:All songs by Nick Lowe unless otherwise noted....
and The Convincer
The Convincer
The Convincer is a 2001 studio album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in Europe by Proper Records and by Yep Roc Records in the USA.-Track listing:...
on vinyl for the first time, and after a one-night reunion concert with Elvis Costello in October in San Francisco, Lowe embarked on his first non-solo United States tour "this millennium." His backing band comprised Geraint Watkins
Geraint Watkins
Geraint Watkins is a rock and roll pianist and accordionist backing artistes such as; Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Roy St. John and Shakin' Stevens...
(keyboards), Robert Treherne (drums), Johnny Scott (guitar) and Matt Radford (bass). In March 2011, Yep Roc reissued Lowe's 1979 solo album Labour of Lust
Labour of Lust
Labour of Lust is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Also produced by Lowe, it was released in 1979 by Radar Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded and released at the same time as Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary and features the same Rockpile personnel...
.
Lowe played Glastonbury 2011, performing a short solo set of Brinsley Schwarz tracks on The Spirit Of 71 stage, where they played back in 1971, before heading to the Acoustic Stage for a full band show.
Lowe performed as an opening act for Wilco in their North American tour, September 2011. He performed solo with acoustic guitar.
Lowe is married to Peta Waddington, a designer and DJ. The couple have a son, Roy Lowe, who was born in 2005.
Studio albums
- Jesus of CoolJesus of CoolJesus of Cool is the 1978 solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe who left Brinsley Schwarz in 1974. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK...
(1978, UK) (released in the US as Pure Pop for Now People) - Labour of LustLabour of LustLabour of Lust is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Also produced by Lowe, it was released in 1979 by Radar Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded and released at the same time as Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary and features the same Rockpile personnel...
(1979) - Nick the KnifeNick the KnifeNick the Knife is a 1982 album by Nick Lowe. The album was Lowe's third solo LP, and his first since the 1981 breakup of his band Rockpile. However, the record still has several Rockpile ties, as Lowe's former bandmates Billy Bremner and Terry Williams play on the album...
(1982) - The Abominable ShowmanThe Abominable ShowmanThe Abominable Showman is a Long Play Record Album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. It was released in 1983 and was Lowe's fourth solo LP.* See 1983 in music.-Side A:# "We Want Action" - 2:35...
(1983) - Nick Lowe & His Cowboy OutfitNick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit (album)Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit is a 1984 album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. The record marked the official debut of Lowe's new band, the Cowboy Outfit .Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit incorporates more of a roots rock feel than Lowe's previous albums, including nods to...
(1984) - The Rose of England (1985)
- Pinker and Prouder than PreviousPinker and Prouder than PreviousPinker and Prouder Than Previous is a 1988 album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe and was released on the Columbia Records label.-Track listing:All songs written by Nick Lowe, except as indicated:# " Wildest Dream" - 3:19...
(1988) - Party of OneParty of OneParty of One is an album by English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Dave Edmunds, it was released in 1990 by Reprise Records and reissued with altered cover art and two bonus tracks in 1995 by Upstart Records....
(1990) - The Impossible BirdThe Impossible BirdThe Impossible Bird is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in the UK in 1994 on Demon Records and elsewhere by Upstart Records.-Tracks listing:#"Soulful Wind" - 3:01...
(1994) - Dig My MoodDig My MoodDig My Mood is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in the UK in 1998 by Demon Records and elsewhere by Upstart Records.-Track listing:All songs by Nick Lowe unless otherwise noted....
(1998) - The ConvincerThe ConvincerThe Convincer is a 2001 studio album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in Europe by Proper Records and by Yep Roc Records in the USA.-Track listing:...
(2001) - At My AgeAt My AgeAt My Age is an album by Nick Lowe released in June 2007 by . It was recorded in London and produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Nick Lowe; except where indicated#"A Better Man"#"Long Limbed Girl"...
(2007) - The Old Magic (2011) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
: #66
Singles
| Release date | Title | Chart Positions | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Australia | Canada | US Hot 100 | |||
| 1976 | "So It Goes So It Goes (Nick Lowe song) "So It Goes" is a song written and recorded by Nick Lowe in 1976. The single was Nick Lowe's debut following his departure from Brinsley Schwarz and was the first single released on Stiff Records.... " |
— | — | — | — | The first ever Stiff Records Stiff Records Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007.... label single. The song was featured in the movies Rock 'n' Roll High School Rock 'n' Roll High School Rock 'n' Roll High School is a 1979 musical comedy film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Allan Arkush, and featuring the Ramones.The film starred P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, and Clint Howard... and Adventureland Adventureland (film) Adventureland is a 2009 Retro comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig.-Plot:... . |
| 1976 | "Keep It Out of Sight" | — | — | — | — | Holland-only release, b/w "(I've Been Taking the) Truth Drug." |
| 1977 | "The Bowi EP" | — | — | — | — | 7" EP. Tracks: "Born a Woman" / "Shake that Rat" / "Marie Provost" / "Endless Sleep" |
| 1977 | "Halfway to Paradise Halfway to Paradise "Halfway to Paradise" is a popular song, originally recorded in 1961 by Tony Orlando in the United States. It was much more successful in the United Kingdom, recorded by Billy Fury where it reached a peak at number 3 on the UK Charts in 1961. It stayed on the charts for 23 weeks. It became known as... " |
— | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" | 7 | — | — | — | The first ever Radar Records Radar Records Radar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists... label single |
| 1978 | "Little Hitler" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | "American Squirm" | — | — | — | — | B-side featured the Elvis Costello and the Attractions version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding " Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1970s song written by English musician Nick Lowe and recorded in the best-known version by Elvis Costello.... " |
| 1979 | "Crackin' Up" | 34 | — | — | — | |
| 1979 | "Cruel to Be Kind Cruel to Be Kind "Cruel to Be Kind" is a 1979 single by Nick Lowe, co-written by Lowe and his former Brinsley Schwarz band-mate Ian Gomm, that peaked at #12 in both the British and US charts that summer... " |
12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
| 1979 | "Switch Board Susan" | — | — | 81 | — | North American-only release. |
| 1980 | Rockpile Rockpile Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave... : "Teacher Teacher" |
— | 83 | 31 | 51 | |
| 1982 | "Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine" | — | — | 35 | — | |
| 1982 | "Burning" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "My Heart Hurts" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "Ragin' Eyes" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "Wish You Were Here" | — | — | — | — | US-only release. |
| 1984 | "Half a Boy and Half a Man" | 53 | 66 | — | — | |
| 1984 | "L.A.F.S" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)" | — | 26 | — | 77 | |
| 1987 | "Lovers Jamboree" | — | — | — | — | US-only release. |
| 1990 | "All Men Are Liars" | — | 76 | — | — | |
| 1994 | "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | "I Live on a Battlefield" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1997 | "You Inspire Me" | — | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | "She's Got Soul" | — | — | — | — | |
EPs
- Bowi, 7" 45 rpm (Stiff 1977)
- Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds Sing the Everly Brothers, 7" 33⅓ rpm (F-Beat/Columbia 1980)
Compilation albums
- A Bunch of Stiff RecordsA Bunch of Stiff RecordsA Bunch of Stiff Records, also known as A Bunch of Stiffs, is a various artists album to promote some of the first acts to be signed by Stiff Records....
(One track, "I Love My Label") - Live Stiffs Live (1978) (Nick Lowe's Last Chicken In The Shop got two tracks, "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)" and "Let's Eat", on this live compilation of the first Stiff RecordsStiff RecordsStiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
' tour.) - 16 All Time Lowes (1984)
- Nick's Knack (1986)
- Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe (1989)
- The Wilderness Years (1991)
- The Doings (1999)
- Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick LoweQuiet Please... The New Best of Nick LoweQuiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe is a 49 track career spanning collection of songs written by British songwriter Nick Lowe. As well as his solo work, it also features many of his collaborations with the likes of Rockpile, Brinsley Schwarz, Paul Carrack and Little Village. The compilation...
(2009)
Tributes
- Labour of Love: The Music of Nick Lowe (Telarc, 2001) (features Dar Williams, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello, among others).
- Lowe Profile: A Tribute To Nick Lowe (Brewery, 2005) (two-disc, 30 song collection featuring Dave Alvin, Foster & Lloyd, Ian Gomm, among others).
Uses in media
- The music video for "All Men Are Liars" was featured in The Brothers GruntThe Brothers GruntThe Brothers Grunt is an animated TV series that aired from August 15, 1994 to February 20, 1995 on MTV. The series was created by Danny Antonucci .-Premise:...
episode "The Ugly Gruntling." - His recording of "The Beast in Me" was used in the pilot episode of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. - The song "All Men Are Liars" was featured in the Australian film All Men Are LiarsAll Men Are LiarsAll Men Are Liars is a 1995 Australian comedy film written and directed by Gerard Lee, starring Toni Pearen and David Price.-Plot:Barry decides to sell the family piano that belongs to his wife Irene. This results in Irene leaving him and their son Mick. Mick desperately wants his mother to return...
written and directed by Gerard Lee and starring Toni PearenToni PearenToni Pearen is an Australian actress, singer, songwriter and TV presenter born in Cronulla, Sydney on 5 June 1972. She initially became recognisable through her role on soap opera E Street from 1989 until 1992. She had a pop music career in the early 1990s which included the release of an album and...
, David PriceDavid Price-Military:*David Price , East India Company officer and orientalist*David Price , British Rear Admiral at the Siege of Petropavlovsk- Politics :...
and John JarrattJohn Jarratt-Early life:Jarratt was born and grew up in Wongawilli, a small rural town near Wollongong, New South Wales and later in the Snowy Mountains area. Jarratt's father was a coal miner and later concreter, who worked on the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric scheme. Both his parents were of Irish origin....
.