Music Review: Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
Published April 27, 2008
This CD is a great follow-up to At My Age, last year's groundbreaking CD which was also the fastest selling and best reviewed release since ever. It's also more than welcome on the musical landscape since it's been out of print for twenty years. And, if you're not familiar with Nick Lowe, this is an excellent CD to form an introduction.
Not only has Yep Roc Records scored a great coup by releasing this enhanced CD version, it's also issued a double vinyl LP of it as well. Of course they've really dressed this one up in the musical equivalent of a morning jacket by giving us not only the original UK tracklist, but Yep Roc has also added a full ten bonus cuts onto the original eleven.
The CD released in the US in 1978 was also notably different from the original UK version, plus the American title was Pure Pop for Now People. Yecchhh! That's 1978 American marketing for ya. No wonder it didn't hit here.
The current release has 21 cuts and totals out at nearly 63 minutes, has upgraded sleeve notes from the original, and contains an essay by Brit rock authority Will Birch. Some intense thought went into the CD case, as well. It's paper rather than plastic, and is intricately folded to give you roughly a third-life-size saintly image of Lowe posed in front of a stained-glass window, holding his guitar.
Lowe had a wide choice of accompanists, and he chose his former bandmates in Rockpile, plus members of Elvis Costello's Attractions, Graham Parker's Rumour, & Ian Dury's Blockheads. This eclectic mix gives an accurate snapshot of the London new wave scene at the time. These guys were punk rockers before the term was invented, being low-key, dress down, no stage antics, and straight ahead music.
Lowe once said, "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." Given the releases I've heard since this one was originally released, I don't think he has any worries there. He also once said, "I'm not very prolific." My one word reply is, "Hah!"
- Music Review: Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
- Published: April 27, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Punk Rock, Music: Original, Music: Indie Rock, Music: Alternative Rock, Review
- Writer: Lou Novacheck
- Lou Novacheck's BC Writer page
- Lou Novacheck's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/76250)
Nice review, Lou. There can never be enough Nick Lowe in the world, in my opinion.
Nick himself denies that he was ever a punk rocker -- he hated that sound, though he appreciated the "mischief" that came with it (and committed a fair bit of mischief himself in the Stiff Records heyday). But you're right about one thing: this record never got its due when it came out 30 years ago, either in the UK or here -- it wasn't just because of the stupid alternative title his US label saddled it with.
Maybe it would have changed the musical landscape; on the other hand, I doubt other musicians could have followed Nick's lead. Behind all the goofiness, these are incredibly solid and yet inventive pop songs -- it takes real craft to write things like this. There's been a lot of press about Nick as the godfather of punk, but he was equally a godfather of power pop, yet very little of that genre ever was this good either.
I'm glad this is back in print; YepRoc says they're going to follow it up with re-releases of his other 70s and 80s solo efforts, which I assume means we can expect Labour of Lust in the near future.
A word of warning, though -- fans who've attended Nick's current US shows expecting him to perform numbers from Jesus of Cool will be disappointed (except for the occasional rendition of Heart of the City). Nick's current thing, as At My Age demonstrates, is a mix of vintage R&B and country-soul; he plays an acoustic solo show that's wonderful indeed, but not very Jesus-of-Coolish. The man actually has had the temerity to evolve throughout his career, which is probably lousy marketing, but great artistry.