When Lowe's Jesus Of Cool was first released in England, it was immediately hailed as a power-pop masterpiece, for such hook-laden songs as "Little Hitler" and "Marie Provost." When Columbia Records released an altered version of the album in America as Pure Pop For Now People (the suits there weren't comfortable with the whole "Jesus" thing), Lowe was not only fine with it — he even floated rumors of a third album title to the music press (Wireless World).
Even while all of this was going on, Nick Lowe co-fronted the great rock band Rockpile with ex-Love Sculpture guitarist Dave Edmunds, who was releasing his own albums on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label (if only the dinosaur rock hating punks knew!). Rockpile toured the States several times, alternately promoting solo albums by both Lowe and Edmunds. Eventually their only official album as a group, Seconds Of Pleasure was released in America on Columbia Records.
So that brings us to Yep Roc's reissue of Lowe's Jesus Of Cool this week.
And they've done a great job.
Until now, all of the tracks from both the British release of Jesus Of Cool, and it's American counterpart in Pure Pop For Now People have never been brought together in a single American release. Here, at 21 tracks strong, we finally get the whole freaking enchilada. From "They Called It Rock" to "I Love My Label" to "Little Hitler" to "Nutted By Reality" to the original demo version of "Cruel To Be Kind" (the lyric of which was lifted from a Ray Davies' song for the Kinks' Schoolboys In Disgrace — "The Hard Way" — in true Nick Lowe fashion).
It's all here.
Listening to this (largely forgotten today) masterpiece for the past several days, not only reminds me of just how great (and crafty!) a songwriter Nick Lowe actually was and is. It also takes me straight back to my college days listening to stuff like this right alongside punk bands like the Stranglers, the Saints, and Radio Birdman.
Along with say, Cheap Trick, Nick Lowe was a guy I listened to without feeling the least bit conflicted, in spite of the musically polarized times records like these were being made.
If there is any justice, Nick Lowe will one day take his rightful place in the rock and roll hall of fame.
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Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
Now if there was just a real great Rockpile album to go along with it...
2 - Mark Saleski
great article glen.
to jc: what's wrong with Seconds of Pleasure?
3 - JC Mosquito
Seconds of Pleasure was OK.... but supposedly their live show put it to shame by a long, long shot. Most critics at the time were of the same opinion. I heard a boot years ago, and sound quality aside, I'd agree - they really kicked live.
4 - Mark Saleski
now that i believe. i mean, check out the Lowe's version of "I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll)" on that Live Stiffs record. really killer.
5 - JC Mosquito
Check these classic Rockpile performances (hope the links work)
6 - Glen Boyd
Thanx for the comments guys. Sketter, those links are really frickin' cool, and as you can now see I went ahead and added the one for "Down, Down, Down" to the article.
So thanx again!
-Glen
7 - JC Mosquito
No prob, Glen - greatgawda'mighty, they could sure rock and roll, couldn't they?
8 - Glen Boyd
Yes they could Skeeter, yes they could.
-Glen
9 - Leslie Bohn
The record company is being nice and streaming the whole album for free.
And of course, Jesus of Cool/Pure Pop really is a proper Rockpile album, just like Labour of Lust and the contemporaneous Dave Edmunds albums (Repeat When Necessary and Trax on Wax) are. The two guys were signed to different record companies, so they couldn't record as Rockpile, at least until Dave Edmunds eventually finished his deal with Swan Song.
True Rockpile nuts should seek out Carlene Carter's Musical Shapes from around the same time. Produced by Lowe (her husband) and backed by Rockpile, it's her best album, one that wouldn't sound out of place on the radio today next to, say, Brad Paisley or Miranda Lambert: smart, funny and very rock-informed.
10 - Glen Boyd
Seconds of Pleasure was the only "official" Rockpile album Leslie. The key word here being "official." Very cool that Yep Roc is streaming this. Smart too. Once people hear how great the record is, they'll buy it. Thanx for the comment.
-Glen
11 - Holly A Hughes
Nice review, Glen. But I'm not quite sure why you say Nick Lowe's a surprising punk/new wave candidate. I know what he's been recording lately sounds different, but the evolution makes sense if you listen to his albums in order. (Granted, the jump from his latest, "At My Age", back to "Jesus of Cool" is a bit surprising.) And if you think about it, the retro-country-soul place he's ended up isn't really all that different from where the Brinsleys were ages ago, and only a little bit away from the rockabilly sound he and Dave Edmunds were digging in the later 70s.
Still, you're right to point out what a classic craftsman of the pop song Nick always has been. If you couldn't say it in three verses and chorus -- and under 3 minutes -- then you were just being lazy. That's what punk and New Wave had in common, and for those of us who were weaned on it, no wonder we couldn't stand the extended solos of the arena rockers or the head games of the prog rockers.
12 - JC Mosquito
I liked the 3 mintues or less format since the time of the Monkees, but I also liked the songs that took up while sides of albums too (i.e., Deep Purple's live Space Truckin'). And most everything inbetween too, now that I think of it. For different reasons, obviously.
Punk & New Wave - in some ways, New Wave was a tag invented to sell punk and post punk popsters - I dunno - it was a strange but productive time, and I still don't know how the whole thing supported itself til grunge kinda blew in a newer wave altogether.
13 - Leslie Bohn
Mr. Boyd:
You lamented that there's no "real, great Rockpile album." Joyfully, there are four or five!
14 - Glen Boyd
Leslie,
I think you've got me confused with JC (comment #1).
-Glen
15 - Leslie Bohn
D'oh. Apologies!
16 - JC Mosquito
Technicalities, perhaps, Ms. B - but allmusic.com list only one album by Rockpile, and makes a pretty good case why Nick Lowe's & Dave Edmunds's albums backed by Rockpile are solo albums as opposed to band efforts.
And though they are all decent records, I just remember seeing Rockpile play Heart of the City on TV when I was younger, and wondering why their albums didn't sound as muscular.
17 - SlyStoneBio
Great article. Thanks for remembering Sly.