The Jesus of Cool returns!

A member of seminal early-70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe earned a reputation as a snappy songwriter with a skill for turning a phrase. That band’s roots-rock sound never caught on far beyond the streets of London and Camden Town, however, and Brinsley Schwarz broke up in 1975 after recording five now highly-collectible albums. After working in the studio as a producer for Graham Parker, Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello and the Damned, Lowe toured the U.S. as part of Dave Edmunds' band, opening for Bad Company. Lowe launched his solo career in 1978 with the release of Jesus Of Cool, a whip-smart collection of pop-rock gems that welded contagious melodies with Lowe’s often-demented lyrical tales.

Because the album’s original British title was considered too “edgy” and controversial for the United States, Lowe’s debut album was released stateside under the title Pure Pop For Now People with different sequencing and songs. Under either title, the album won no little amount of critical acclaim; during the 30 years since Lowe has forged a lengthy and varied solo career that has resulted in a dozen studio albums and several hit songs. Long out-of-print, the original Jesus Of Cool album is being reissued on CD and limited edition vinyl on February 19th by Yep Roc Records. This thirtieth anniversary edition will include every song from both versions of the original album, as well as seven B-side and rare bonus tracks (including the original version of Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind” from his sophomore album).

One of the influential and defining albums of ‘80s-era “new wave” rock, Lowe’s Jesus Of Cool is a definite “must have” disc for any fan of intelligent power-pop, retro-sound fiends and those who have followed Lowe’s varied career from the beginning. To celebrate the return of one of rock's best albums, we decided to have us a little "Nick Lowe celebration" courtesy of YouTube. "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass" is a great tune from Lowe's Jesus Of Cool album. We have two different tracks from Lowe's collaboration with Edmunds in the band Rockpile, including the very cool tune "So It Goes." Finally, we have a pair of versions of Lowe's classic song "What's So Funny About Peace, Love & Understanding," the first performed by Lowe with his own backing band, the second video from some sort of TV special that features Lowe swapping verses with Elvis Costello and a scorching guitar performance by the legendary James Burton. Enjoy!

Nick Lowe "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass"

Nick Lowe w/Dave Edmunds "They Called It Rock"

Nick Lowe w/Dave Edmunds "So It Goes"

Nick Lowe "What's So Funny About Peace, Love & Understanding"

Nick Lowe w/Elvis Costello "What's So Funny About Peace, Love & Understanding"

(Click on the CD cover to buy Jesus Of Cool from Amazon.com)