Nick Lowehas been making great music for so long that we often take him
for granted. Over a career that has spanned nearly forty years, Lowe has
released around a dozen albums of consistently entertaining and adventurous
songs that venture into sounds of pop, rock, country, and all things in
between.
As member of early ‘70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz,
Nick Lowe earned a reputation as a snappy songwriter with a skill for turning a
phrase. The 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. The independent spirit of Brinsley
Schwarz, combined with the band’s part in convincing British pubs to feature
live music, paved the way for the back-to-the-basics movement of punk rock and
helped spawn the legendary class of ‘77 that included the Damned, the Clash, and
the Sex Pistols.
Nick Lowe’s Jesus of Cool
Lowe had a direct hand in shaping both punk and new wave, working for
Stiff Records as a producer on important and influential records from talents
like Graham Parker, Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello, the Pretenders, and the
Damned. During this post-Brinsley period, Lowe also toured the U.S. as part of
Dave Edmunds’ band, opening for Bad Company. Lowe released an initial single –
“So It Goes” – on Stiff in 1976, and would subsequently launch his solo career
in earnest 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 wonderfully descriptive title Pure Pop
For Now People with different sequencing and songs. Under either title, the
album won no little amount of critical acclaim. Although it has sadly been
out-of-print for better than a decade, this situation has recently been
remedied by Yep Roc Records. The label has reissued Jesus of Cool in a 30th
anniversary edition with its original schizo cover art and track sequencing,
with a wealth of bonus material and a swanky package that includes a nifty
annotated booklet with liner notes and lots of photos. The entire package
folds out into a cool stained-glass cross-type thingie in keeping with the
whole “Nick Lowe is the Jesus of Cool” theme.
Pure Pop For Now
People
What has made Jesus of Cool a cult favorite for three
decades, though, is the undeniably entertaining music contained within. Lowe’s
talents aren’t contained by any single pigeonhole, and musically the songs
here run the gamut from the hard-edged martial minimalism of the anti-industry
“Music For Money” and the twisted ‘50s-styled rock ballad “Little Hitler” to
the whimsical casual vandalism of “I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass.”
The swaggering “Shake And Pop” features a Jerry Lee-styled
piano-bashing as its musical signature, while the song’s lyrical doppelganger,
“They Called It Rock,” is an equally breathless exploration of the rock ‘n’
roll lifestyle, supported this time around by a rollicking rhythm and stabs of
Duane Eddy-styled guitarwork. “So It Goes” is a popish new wave roller with an
infectious chorus and a bit of vocal gymnastics by the good Mr. Lowe. The
finely-crafted power-pop construction and lighthearted vocals of “Marie
Provost” barely cover the dark humor of the song’s sordid subject matter.
“Nutted By Reality” offers up a funky bass groove and lively rhythm before
dropping into an unlikely bit of McCartneyesque pop surrealism. A live version
of “Heart of the City” is a driven slab o’ rootsy rock with squirrely guitar,
rapidfire vocals, and a perfect bash-and-crash drumbeat.
There are
a number of gems thrown in amidst the ten bonus tracks afforded this deluxe
edition of Jesus of Cool. The uber-groovy instrumental “Shake That Rat” is a
Dick Dale inspired walk on the beach while “I Love My Label” is a delightfully
tongue-in-cheek observation of recording industry expectations. The Phil
Spectorish “Halfway To Paradise” is an understated, ‘60s-style flight-of-fancy
with delicious harmonies and lofty instrumentation. The fan-tastic “Rollers
Show” is a fab slice of teen-beat adoration for the Bay City Rollers,
delivered with a Britpop beat and a heart of gold. An original take on the
classic “Cruel To Be Kind” is faster-but-slighter than that found on Labour of
Lust, but no less fetching with its beautiful pop sheen.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
Beneath all of the bluster and genius, however, Jesus of Cool is
a wonderfully concise collection of songs that evince as much anger and
vitriol as anything recorded by new wave’s “angry young men” like Graham
Parker and Elvis Costello. Unlike either of those talented artists, however,
Lowe – a veteran tunesmith with better than a decade of performing and
recording beneath his belt – learned how to mask his venom with a spoonful of
sugar. The result is a timeless classic of true rock ‘n’ roll music –
intelligent, witty, clever, angry and, most of all...cool! (Yep Roc Records, 2008)
Review originally published by the Trademark of Quality (TMQ) blog
Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite – 100 Years of Blues (Alligator Records) Guitar maestro Elvin Bishop and harp wizard Charlie Musselwhite are both bona fide blues legends, and it’s a cryin’ shame that they’ve never made an album together until now. This pairing of two beloved bluesmen, both masters of their craft, is as much of a sure thing as you’ll find in these sorry times, and 100 Years of Blues doesn’t disappoint. The duo’s blending of blues and roots-rock goes down like honey mead, ol’ Charlie handling the heavy lifting on the hardcore blues tunes with his soulful vocals and fluid harmonica-play while ol’ Elvin tackles the humorous material with his usual aplomb, peppering every performance with gut-wrenching tone and texture. For instance, “Birds of A Feather” is an old-school blues jam with plenty of harmonica and guitar boogie; the pointed topical lyrics of “What the Hell” are delivered with Bishop’s slyly disarming vocals and Musselwhite’s instrumental counterpoint; and the instrumental “South Side Slide” gives both musicians a chance to shine while transporting the listener back to Chicago circa 1966. Much like Musselwhite’s recent recordings with Ben Harper, the collaboration of these two seasoned blues veterans makes sense, and if you dig either artist, you’re gonna love 100 Years of Blues! Grade: A BUY!
The Hangfires – Curly Q (Underground Treehouse Records) Former Georgia Satellite Dan Baird has played with fellow-traveler Joe Blanton in the Bluefields for a few years, developing an impressive musical chemistry and songwriting shorthand that reveals itself in the grooves of Curly Q. A Covid-quarantine project, the Hangfires is a studio amalgam featuring Baird and Blanton on guitars and vocals, with keyboardist Jen Gunderman and drummer Greg Morrow, all four recording remotely and swapping files online. The result is unbelievably cohesive, the talented foursome making a near-seamless album of joyful noise that blends the twang ‘n’ bang of the Bluefields with the Keef-inspired throwback sound of the Satellites. Unbridled rockers like “The Good Part” or “Mama Thinks I’m Alright” provide the cheap thrills we need in these dark times, with zealous vox and stinging six-strings, while the slower-paced “Wild Imagination” blends soulful vocals with lush instrumentation, slashing fretwork, and thoughtful lyrics. Not just another bunch o’ guitar-happy rawkers, the Hangfires bring hard-won wisdom and intelligence to their lyrics to go alongside their raucous musical soundtrack. R.I.Y.L. The Georgia Satellite, Jason & the Scorchers, Drivin’ ‘N’ Cryin’ Grade: A BUY!
Kursaal Flyers – Little Does She Know (RPM Records, U.K.) Pub-rock, that uniquely British sound, never grabbed more than a cult following stateside, with Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, and Dr. Feelgood getting all the love. But Southend’s Kursaal Flyers were one of the better bands of the era, as proved by Little Does She Know, a four-disc, career-spanning box. Including three studio and a live album circa 1975-77, plus the band’s 1988 reunion LP, the set throws in another seventeen bonus tracks, including live performances, that showcase the Flyers’ inspired blend of roots-rock, power-pop, and British R&B that was incredibly progressive at the time. The band’s guitarist, Graeme Douglas, would go onto success with Eddie & the Hot Rods, singer Paul Shuttleworth found solo success, and drummer Will Birch formed world-beating power-poppers the Records before becoming an esteemed music journalist. Pub-rock built the foundation for the punk-rock kiddies of ’77 before melting into obscurity, but the Kursaal’s timeless sound still echoes across the ages. Grade: A BUY!
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets – Walkabout (Yep Roc Records) On paper, the pairing of British rock legend Nick Lowe with Mexican wrestling mask-clad American rockers Los Straitjackets seems an odd couple but, in practice, it’s a match made in heaven. The guys in Los Straitjackets have the instrumental chops to capture the nuance and elegance of Lowe’s songs and, with a rock-solid band playing behind him, ol’ Nick can climb out on a limb now and then. Walkabout is a compilation album originally only released in Australia, collecting songs from Lowe’s recent EPs with the Straitjackets, including the swinging, jazz-tinged rockabilly swing of “Tokyo Bay” and a soulful cover of the Bee Gees’ “Heartbreaker.” Los Straitjackets strut their stuff with instrumental surf-rock covers of Lowe gems like “Half A Boy and Half A Man” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.” A previously-unreleased live version of Nick’s “Heart of the City” closes out Walkabout with a bang! Grade: A BUY!
Toots & the Maytals – Got To Be Tough (Trojan Jamaica) Reggae legend Toots Hibbert passed away in September from that damned Covid, but he left us one helluva parting gift. Got To Be Tough is the first Toots & the Maytals album in a decade, but it’s an uncompromising, tough-as-nails collection of roots, rock, and soul that will make your speakers smile in ecstasy. Even at 77, Hibbert’s rough-hewn vocals have diminished little in power or subtlety, and his original songs showcase his underrated songwriting ability. “Drop Off Head” is a chainsaw rocker and the defiant “Just Brutal” matches hurricane-strength vocals with sassy horns and socially-conscious lyrics. The title track is a masterpiece of roots-reggae with empowering lyrics while the haunting “Stand Accuse” displays Toots’ ability to mix strength and vulnerability in a single verse. Produced with a deft hand by Zak Starkey (Ringo’s son), who also contributes musically alongside some of Jamaica’s most talented, Got To Be Tough is a fitting coda to an amazing career that spanned six decades. R.I.P. Mr. Hibbert. Grade: A+ BUY!
Various Artists – Crawling Up A Hill (Grapefruit Records, U.K.) Thanks to the good folks at Grapefruit Records, you can now do a deep-dive into the British blues boom circa 1966-1971 with Crawling Up A Hill. The three-disc, clamshell-boxed, 56-song collection offers plenty of the usual suspects – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Fleetwood Mac, Ten Years After, Alexis Korner, Free, Taste (w/Rory Gallagher), Status Quo, and Savoy Brown – among its wealth of entries. It’s between these grooves that the set really shines, Grapefruit plucking jewels from the lesser-known likes of Love Sculpture, Steamhammer Medicine Head, Stack Waddy, Black Cat Bones, Blodwyn Pig, Skid Row (w/Gary Moore) and Killing Floor to paint a brilliant picture of the then-thriving scene. There are a few notable exclusions, (Jethro Tull, Zeppelin?) due to licensing, but throw in often-surprising obscurities like Heavy Jelly, Red Dirt, Levee Camp Moan, and Dr. K’s Blues Band and you have a collection well worth the roughly $30 price tag. Grade: A BUY!
The “Greasy Truckers Party” was a benefit show for Greasy Truckers, an English flower-power group raising money for a number of social causes. Held at The Roundhouse in London on February 13, 1972, the show bill featured the improbable trio of Hawkwind, Brinsley Schwarz and Man. Originally released as a two-album set back in the day, the original eight-track tapes were recently unearthed, cleaned up, and reissued as a proper thee-disc set featuring complete performances from each of the three headlining bands. In a couple of cases (Man, Brinsley Schwarz), the chance to hear the complete set is quite breathtaking – on the original LP, for instance, only two of Man’s five distinctive performances were offered, tho’ that did include the incredible “Spunk Rock.”
Man’s Spunk Rock
Prog-rockers Man opened the show strong with a set that included their impressive twenty-two-minute jam “Spunk Rock.” The song features some incredible interstellar fretwork from Mickey Jones and Deke Leonard, the two guitarists seemingly engaged in some earth-shaking duel as their jagged riffs and razor-sharp leads intertwine like concertina wire. Drummer Terry Williams acts as both a referee and a cheerleader here, his steady, explosive drumbeats providing a constant barrage of rhythm and noise for the two six-string gladiators to build upon. The song’s ever-shifting time signatures, emotions and directions is enough to put many of today’s limp-wristed so-called “virtuoso” jam bands to shame.
It would be tempting to say that the remainder of Man’s set was a letdown after the high-flying antics of “Spunk Rock,” but ‘tain’t so…the band clearly set the bar high and then attempts to demolish it with an impressive set of material, the band clearly influenced by the sounds emanating from San Francisco over the previous five years. Shimmering guitars and subdued rhythms lead into the scary, riff-driven, semi-psychedelic “Many Are Called But Few Get Up,” which sounds eerily like Volunteers-era Jefferson Starship at their dark, menacing, flower-power-is-kaput best. Once again, Williams’ machine-gun drumbeats provide the foundation for some really spacey and entertaining guitarwork.
“Angel Easy,” the other carryover from the original Truckers LP, is a shorter, more traditionally-structured rocker with distant vocals and a slightly funky rhythmic undercurrent. Whether it’s Leonard or Jones kicking in the notes here, the guitars set the pace for the song to rumble along like QMS on any given night at the Fillmore. The fourteen-minute “Bananas” sounds every bit like the band had been torching some peels on its way to the show, a mild hallucinogenic cloud settling over a rollicking pub-rock rhythm. The song extends for a whopping 14-plus, which lends itself to all sorts of cosmic abuse, lane changes, andslippery mountain curves. The set-closing “Romain” is pure electric booger-rawk, with long sweeping rhythms, bent-wire guitar tones and some of the most brilliantly bombastic drumming that you’ll ever hear.
Hawkwind’s Sonic Poetry
Hawkwind closed the show with its unique psychedelic space-rock, punctuated by Robert Calvert’s bizarro poetry. The Hawks’ set suffered from some initial sound and power problems – a bit of a drag, indeed, for a band whose entire vibe was built upon the manic manipulation of the sonic realm. Nevertheless, by the time that the band gets its set off the ground and launched towards the stratosphere with the lengthy “You Shouldn’t Do That,” the chemically-assisted among the audience were soaring wing-to-wing alongside ‘em, if you know what I mean (and I think that you do). After all, this was ‘72 kiddies, and mind-altering goodies like LSD and ‘shrooms, and even peyote had yet to be bulldozed in favor of the extreme highs-and-lows of coke and ‘ludes (and the coming tragedy of the disco era).
Even if many in attendance had brought their aviator helmets and flight jackets with them, nothing could have prepared them for the lightspeed, white lightning, brightly-flashing magic migraine that was Hawkwind in its prime. This is Lemmy the K era ‘wind, with wings of razor-sharp titanium and the most god-awful sonic roar heard this side of purgatorio. “You Shouldn’t Do That” starts with the sound of full-thrust afterburners and steadily climbs to a crescendo build upon shards of crystal riffage, claustrophobic drumbeats, and switchblade synthesizers. You didn’t have to be as high as a Greek god sitting in a stupor on Mount Olympus to enjoy this stuff, but it didn’t hurt any, either.
Not that the old Reverend would prescribe dangerous substances to his gentle readers, but as one who was around back in ‘72 and…ahem…as someone with a taste for various illicit mind-benders and cerebellum-snacks, Hawkwind was definitely playing my song. “The Awakening” is like falling headfirst into a shimmering puddle of quicksand, as slug-like, squiggly guitar lines and odd bodkins synth-squawks leave a slimy, colorful trail across your skullpan. “Master of the Universe” is a delightful proto-metal spacewalk with stunning fretwork, Lemmy’s incandescently heavy basslines, and steady backbreaking rhythms clearly spawning the entire glut of “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” bands that would stumble into the future from the Roundhouse’s doorstep that night.
Space Rock Pioneers
Of course, Hawkwind was never a band to leave an audience simply awestruck when they had a real opportunity to thoroughly reprogram their collective gray matter (reference: the band’s subsequent Space Ritual LP). Devoid of hope, the dark vibe of “Paranoia” is overwhelming in its desperation, but the short, sweet, shock-to-the-brain that is “Earth Calling” is pure Kafka set to something that approximates music, an alien-encounter with intense-sound-and-emotion unheard of in these parts of the galaxy. The out-of-this-world, hard rocking “Silver Machine” was as close to a hit song as Hawkwind’s merry pranksters were ever going to experience (albeit in a slightly different form). Almost traditional in its rock-and-roll aspirations, the song includes some high-flying synth work among its scorching guitars and driving rhythms nonetheless.
The band’s final tune here, the free-form “Brainstorm,” is a cosmic-orgy of massive proportions, a sheer lysergic-fueled attempt at traversing time and space, a mock-battle where no single instrument dominates, but rather they tend to all meld together into a singular noisy conglomeration of sound and fury. When a random guitar or voice does manage to break out of the musical miasma, it’s only to herd the listener back into the hive with electric cattle-prod efficiency. This is the kind of transcendent, out-of-control moment at which Hawkwind often excelled, and their attempt to rewrite the laws of physics that February night back in ‘72 is duly appreciated.
In the middle of the night, however, tucked between the two dynamic, prog-oriented monoliths, was Brinsley Schwarz (with a pre-cool Nick Lowe). The pub-rockers faced down a hostile crowd, winning them over with their exclusive blend of pre-No Depression twang-rock and blue-eyed soul. Whereas the previous two bands left the audience in awe of their mighty instrumental powers, the Brinsley boys pursued a vision of pure songcraft with actual melodies, choruses, and catchy hooks. “Country Girl,” one of the band’s signature songs, is a gently-rolling Byrdsian outtake with more keyboards and less 12-string, while “One More Day” is a playful mid-tempo country rocker that would have fit right in on any Uncle Tupelo album.
Brinsley Schwarz’s Pure Songcraft
The R&B stomp-and-stammer of the vintage Otis Rush tune “Home Work” benefits from some manic string-mangling, while the Nick Lowe rocker “Nervous On the Road (But Can’t Stay At Home)” offers up swaggering soulfulness, Bob Andrews’ Staxian keyboard riffing, fine vocals and subtle touches of rockabilly-tinged guitar. Blessed with two considerable songwriters in Lowe and Ian Gomm, the band had a wealth of material to choose from. Gomm’s “Range War” is a romping, stomping melodic twangfest that expands upon late-era-Byrds with ringing guitars, rapidfire keyboard-bashing and some truly odd lyrics – something about an Old West fracas with six-shooters and, for some strange reason worthy of Hawkwind’s poetic nightmares, Marvel Comics’ anti-hero the Silver Surfer.
The traditional “Midnight Train” is provided an appropriately raucous reading, with some crafty honky-tonk piano, twangy vocals, and South Nashville chicken-picking. The savvy “It’s Just My Way of Saying Thank You” offers whip-smart lyrics, strutting keyboard-led rhythms, and great live harmonies. A cover of Allen Toussaint’s New Orleans soul classic “Wonder Woman” offers a lively rhythmic soundtrack, Andrews’ finest Booker T-influenced pianowork, and some Steve Cropper-styled wiry fretwork. Brinsley Schwarz’s fourth album, 1972’s Silver Pistol, included two songs from obscure American folk-rock songwriter Jim Ford; one of those is performed here – the blues-tinged, countryish “I’m Ahead If I Can Quit While I’m Behind.”
Paradoxical title aside, the song is a freak-folk ballad featuring Schwarz’s finely-crafted guitarwork, mournful vocals, and weeping rhythms … a heartbreaking hillbilly lament if ever there was one. Lowe’s wonderful “Surrender To the Rhythm” is a fine example of what Brinsley Schwarz did best, a seamless fusion of Nashville-by-way-of-Camden-twang with a rolling R&B backbone, ‘60s-era pop aspirations and an “anything goes,” ‘70s rock mentality that lends a timeless quality to a relatively obscure but vastly underrated pub-rock genre.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
Sadly, rather than closing on a high note with the delightful “Surrender To The Rhythm,” the second CD in this set instead crawls out on all fours with the atrocious hippie-cretin blathering of Magic Michael. The sort of free-spirited acid-casualty that the late ‘60s and early ‘70s spit out by the handful, Magic Michael haunted London’s rock underground like a drooling phantom, often gracing the stage during mid-band set changes, offering the audience the measure of his limitless lack of talent. Michael’s “Music Belongs To the People” is a mindless, improvised mess including members of the audience climbing onstage to “jam” alongside the magic one’s yelping vocals and cacophonic guitar strumming. This insipid, fetid chunk of stoner-era trash wouldn’t cut the mustard at the height of Flower Power’s drug-fueled insanity; in this day-and-age, it’s more painful than a botched root canal by a drunken dentist.
If this all sounds like an odd combination of music that I’ve described for you all well, yeah, it is. Any one of these three bands stands on its own, and all three are distinctly different in both style and ambition. That was the magic of the early ‘70s, however…long before corporate radio and major label homogenization lowered expectations across the board, young music fans had a gluttonous buffet of bands to choose from, and we often ate from the trough with glee. It was a high-flying time for “music-as-culture,” and art often times outweighed commerce. Although it’s unlikely that a performance of the diversity and scope of the Greasy Truckers Party concert could take place these days, the album represents more than a mere cultural artifact – Greasy Truckers Party also captures a magical night of music. (Liberty Records, released November 2, 2007)
Review originally published on the Trademark of Quality (TMQ) music blog, 2007
Nashville’s Los Straitjackets are everybody’s favorite Mexican wrestler mask-clad instrumental surf-rock band, hands down! The band has been on tour recently with British rock legend Nick Lowe as part of his “Quality Rock & Roll Revue,” but they’ve somehow found the time to compile a new album for the upcoming holidays.
On October 19th, 2018 Yep Roc Records will release Los Straitjackets’ Complete Christmas Songbook on CD and digitally; a vinyl version will follow on December 7th, which isn’t too late to add to your favorite fan’s Christmas list. Through the years, Los Straitjackets have released various Christmas albums and singles to near universal acclaim.
Los Straitjackets’ Complete Christmas Songbook includes the entirety of two previous LPs (2002’s ‘Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets and 2009’s limited-edition Yuletide Beat) as well as limited-edition singles, a song from Yep Roc’s Oh Santa! compilation disc, and a live performance of “Linus & Lucy” from the Straitjackets’ 2015 tour with Lowe. The album is now available for pre-order from Yep Roc and includes a six-ornament bundle that features each of the five band members’ masks on an ornament, and a sixth tree-hanger in the shape of a guitar. Check out the complete tracklisting below and either order the set directly from Yep Roc Records or head over to Amazon.com.
Los Straitjackets’ Complete Christmas Songbook tracklist:
1. Here Comes Santa Claus 2. It’s a Marshmallow World 3. Feliz Navidad 4. Jingle Bell Rock 5. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 6. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 7. Frosty the Snowman 8. Christmas in Las Vegas 9. Let It Snow 10. Sleigh Ride 11. Christmas Weekend 12. Little Drummer Boy 13. The Christmas Song 14. Deck the Halls 15. We Three Kings 16. Que Verdes Son 17. O Come All Ye Faithful 18. Groovy Old Saint Nick 19. Silent Night Rock 20. Joy to the World 21. Close to Christmas (The First Noel) 22. Jingle Bells 23. Soul’d Lang Syne 24. Holiday Twist 25. Hark the Herald Angels Sing 26. Silver Bells 27. Linus & Lucy
Brinsley Schwarz – Live Favourites (Vogon Records)
British pub-rock legends Brinsley Schwarz never released a live album during their brief time in the spotlight (roughly 1969-1975), and ‘tis more the shame. Any band that can boast of Nick Lowe and, later, Ian Gomm as songwriters is aces in my book, and band namesake Schwarz’s fretwork is uniformly superb. Why they never made a commercial splash over the course of half-dozen studio albums is a mystery. Live Favourites is a semi-legit release of a June 1974 show, shortly before the release of The New Favourites Of..., their final album, and it’s a spankin’ fine effort at that. Sound quality is good with clear separation while the setlist – which includes treasures like “Country Girl,” “Trying To Live My Life Without You,” and “What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” – displays the band’s deft alchemical mix of rock, country, and soul; highly recommended for any rock ‘n’ roll fan. Grade: A BUY IT!
Eric Corne – Happy Songs For the Apocalypse (Forty Below Records)
In his role as studio engineer and producer, Forty Below Records founder Eric Corne has shepherded into the world some of the most essential blues albums of the past decade by legends Walter Trout and John Mayall. Few know that Corne is also a talented singer and songwriter in his own right, as attested to by Happy Songs For the Apocalypse, which offers an inspired blend of country-flavored folk-rock with blues influences. Corne’s “Mad World” is a lilting, folkish song featuring weeping pedal steel. The bluesy “The Gilded Age” reminds of Charley Patton with its high lonesome vocals, languid fretwork, and flowing harmonica tones. My favorite is “The Distance You Run,” a sort of country waltz with spry vocals and intelligent lyrics while the anguished “Forbidden Town” is wrought with emotion. With his sophomore solo LP, the talented Eric Corne delivers an altogether solid effort of primo-grade American music. Grade: B+ BUY IT!
Shuggie Otis – Inter-Fusion (Cleopatra Records)
When everybody else in popular music is running, lemming-like, in a single direction, Shuggie Otis is veering off towards left field. For his first studio album in better than forty years, the songwriter responsible for soulful gems like “Strawberry Letter 23” and “Inspiration Information” delivers a mostly-instrumental set guaranteed to blow your mind. Working with talented journeymen like bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, Otis puts the emphasis on his flamethrower fretwork, contributing only a pair of songs to Inter-Fusion but leaving his fingerprints all over the grooves. A buffet of rock, soul, funk, and jazz, Inter-Fusion is a breathtaking collection of virtuosity and, when Otis opens his mouth to sing as on “Ice Cold Daydream,” there’s little rust in his voice, just silky lyrical flow. Inter-Fusion is proof that Otis has lost none of the chops, imagination, or innovation that made him a legend in the first place. Grade: A BUY IT!
Wow! July offered a slew of new album releases but the month of August just backs the truck up to your garage and dumps a ton of great new albums for our listening experience. For one, there are a number of very cool vinyl reissues, including LPs by New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands Samson (featuring pre-Iron Maiden Bruce Dickinson) and Jaguar as well as some of Brian Eno's best work, appearing on high-resolution 45rpm vinyl for the first time since the 1970s. Throw in more great Nick Lowe albums as part of Yep Roc's restoration of the pub-rock legend's back catalog, a previously-unreleased album by power-pop kings the Raspberries, and new music by the likes of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Hard Working Americans, George Thorogood, Will Hoge, and others and August is a month destined to bankrupt our music budgets!
AUGUST 4
Accept - The Rise of Chaos BUY!
Coldplay - Kaleidoscope EP BUY!
Def Leppard - Hysteria [deluxe 5 CD/2 DVD reissue] BUY!
Brian Eno - Another Green World [vinyl reissue] BUY!
Brian Eno - Before and After Science [vinyl reissue] BUY!
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets [vinyl reissue] BUY!
Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) [vinyl reissue] BUY!
Hard Working Americans - We're All In This Together BUY!
Jaguar - Power Games [vinyl reissue] BUY! Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual Live at 25BUY!
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - Lay It On Down BUY!
Samson - Shock Tactics [vinyl reissue] BUY!
Kim Simmonds - Jazzin' On the Blues BUY!
Thor - Beyond the Pain Barrier BUY!
George Thorogood - Party of One BUY!
The Winery Dogs - Dog Years: Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016 BUY!
AUGUST 11
Rick Estrin & the Nightcats - Groovin' In Greaseland BUY!
Peter Himmelman - There Is No Calamity BUY!
Will Hoge - Anchors BUY!
Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine BUY!
Dwight Yoakum - Live From Austin, TX BUY!
AUGUST 18
Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins BUY!
Ray Wylie Hubbard - Tell The Devil I'm Getting There As Fast As I Can BUY! The Raspberries - Pop Art LiveBUY!
Steven Wilson - To the Bone BUY!
Album of the Month: The Raspberries Pop Art Live is a two-disc set that documents that near-legendary House of Blues concert performance from 2004 by the reunited Cleveland power-pop legends. Pop Art Live features live versions of songs from all four of the
band’s classic studio albums, including favorite hits like “Go All The
Way,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Let’s Pretend,” and “Overnight Sensation
(Hit Record)” as well as their unique performances of timeless songs by
rock music legends like the Beatles and the Who. In addition to this month's CD
release, plans are to release Pop Art Live as a three-album vinyl set later this year.
July is on the horizon and our New Music Monthly column of upcoming releases is heating up! There's lots of great new tunes coming from folks like Blind Guardian, the Melvins, Cheap Trick, Neil Young, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, the Tangent, Steve Vai, and the Nighthawks, among others. Throw in CD reissues of classic, albeit overlooked albums from Arthur Alexander, former Uriah Heep frontman David Byron, Nick Lowe, Screaming Trees, and the Cars as well as lust-worthy vinyl reissues of LPs by Iron Maiden and we're all going to have to get a summer job to pay for all this cool music...
JULY 7 Blind Guardian - Live Beyond the Spheres BUY! Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder BUY! David Byron - Babyfaced Killer [reissue] BUY! Haim - Something To Tell You BUY! Melvins - A Walk With Love and Death BUY! Screaming Trees - Dust [deluxe reissue] BUY! Steve Vai - Modern Primitive BUY!
JULY 21 Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Barefoot In The Head BUY! Marillion - Misplaced Childhood [deluxe 4 CD/1 Blu-ray reissue] BUY! Mr. Big - Defying Gravity BUY! The Ramones - Leave Home [40th anniversary deluxe reissue] BUY! Violent Femmes - Two Mics & the Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged In America BUY!
JULY 28 Alice Cooper - Paranormal BUY! Arcade Fire - Everything Now BUY! The Cars - Candy-O [expanded reissue] BUY! The Cars - Panorama [expanded reissue] BUY! Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon [expanded reissue] BUY! Iron Maiden - Flight 666 [vinyl reissue] BUY! Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier [vinyl reissue] BUY! Isley Brothers & Carlos Santana - Power of Peace BUY! The Nighthawks - All You Gotta Do BUY! Prong - Zero Days BUY! The Tangent - The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery BUY! Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Fourth TripBUY!
Album of the Month: The 40th anniversary reissue of the Ramones' Leave Home album follows the blueprint of the mucho successful deluxe reissue last year of the band's 1976 self-titled debut album. This 40th anniversary reprising of the band's sophomore effort, 1977's Leave Home, offers up three CDs and a vinyl LP as well as a swanky booklet. The first disc includes the remastered version of the original album's 14 songs as well as anniversary mixes; disc two offers up 33 unreleased alternative takes, remixes, and rarities; disc three documents a 1977 live show at New York City's notorious CBGB's club with 19 scorching tracks. As for the vinyl record, it looks like it features seven tracks comprised of the 40th anniversary mixes of tunes like "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," "Suzy Is A Headbanger," and "Pinhead." Gabba gabba hey, y'all!
Back in March we talked aboutYep Roc Records’ vinyl reissues of two long-out-of-print Nick Lowe albums in Nick the Knife and The Abominable Showman. The bad news is that the April release date has come and gone with no Nick in sight…but the great news is that Yep Roc has rescued of all six of Lowe’s ‘80s-era albums from the vagaries of obscurity and will be rolling out reissues on CD and vinyl over the months to come!
On July 4th, 2017 Yep Roc will reissue Lowe’s Nick the Knife (released 1982) and The Abominable Showman (released 1983). The following month, on August 25th, the label will reissue Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit (released 1984) and The Rose of England (released 1985) and, on October 20th, Yep Roc will complete the series with reissues of Lowe’s Pinker and Prouder Than Previous (released 1988) and Party of One (released 1990). Digital downloads of all six classic Lowe albums will be released digitally for the first time ever on July 14th.
Yep Roc’s Nick Lowe reissue series brings all fourteen of the British rock legend’s albums under one roof and spruces them up with bonus tracks comprised of demos, outtakes, and live recordings; alternative album art is also included with each set. These albums represent the heart of Lowe’s storied career, offering enduring original songs like “Raging Eyes,” “Half a Boy and Half a Man,” “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock & Roll),” and “Time Wounds All Heels” as well as Lowe’s inspired covers of tunes penned by Elvis Costello, Moon Martin, John Hiatt, Mickey Jupp, and Graham Parker.
These albums also feature musical contributions from Carlene Carter – Lowe’s wife at the time – and his former bandmates in Rockpile (Billy Bremner, Dave Edmunds, and Terry Williams) and Little Village (Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner) as well as notable friends from the pub-rock days like Martin Belmont (Ducks Deluxe) and Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze) and new friends like Kim Wilson and Jimmie Vaughan of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. All six albums are currently available for pre-order through the Yep Roc webstore both individually and as a special deluxe bundle of either the CDs or LPs that gets you a bonus exclusive, collectible Nick Lowe lunchbox.
All six titles have been out-of-print much longer than they should have been considering the depth of Lowe’s songwriting and performing talents, an egregious oversight thankfully corrected by the good folks at Yep Roc Records.
The gang at Yep Roc Records did the world of rock ‘n’ roll a major favor back in 2011 when they gave British rock legend Nick Lowe’s classic 1979 album Labour of Lust its first proper U.S. release in roughly two decades. The years have since slipped by, but Yep Rock is again raiding the Lowe archives to reissue a long-lost pair of gems. On April 7th, 2017 Yep Roc will reissue Lowe’s 1982 album Nick the Knife (his long-anticipated follow up to Labour of Lust) and the following year’s The Abominable Showman on both CD and vinyl formats.
Lowe first came to prominence during the British pub-rock scene of the early ‘70s as a member of the legendary band Brinsley Schwarz. Between 1969 and ’75, Lowe sang, played bass, and wrote songs for the band’s six albums, which today are cherished collectibles for the faithful pub-rock fan. After the break-up of Brinsley Schwarz, Lowe tinkered around as a solo artist, releasing singles like “So It Goes” for Stiff Records, where he also worked as the label’s staff producer (working with Elvis Costello, the Damned, and Dr. Feelgood). Lowe also performed as part of the band Rockpile with Dave Edmunds. Lowe released his solo debut, Jesus of Cool (titled Pure Pop for Now People in the U.S.) in 1978, followed by the hit album Labour of Lust.
After marrying singer Carlene Carter (Johnny Cash’s stepdaughter) in 1979, Lowe recorded a single album with Rockpile, 1980’s Seconds of Pleasure, the band enjoying a modest hit when the album charted Top 30 in the U.S. After the break-up of Rockpile (whose members had also played played on various Lowe and Edmunds solo LPs), Lowe returned to his solo career with Nick the Knife. Recruiting former Rockpile bandmates Billy Bremner (guitar) and Terry Williams (drums), Lowe brought friends like guitarist Martin Belmont (from the Rumour) and keyboardists Steve Nieve (the Attractions) and Paul Carrack (Squeeze) into the studio. Nick the Knife features a solid set of Lowe’s pop-rock originals (including two songs co-written with Carter, who also sings on the album) as well as a version of the Rockpile song “Heart.”
The following year’s The Abominable Showman found Lowe returning to his pub-rock roots, recording with a stripped-down band that included Belmont, Carrack, and drummer Bobby Irwin, who formed the core of Lowe’s Cowboy Outfit backing band throughout the decade. The album offers up some fine rockin’ country-tinged moments and a few great songs like “Ragin’ Eyes,” “We Want Action,” and “Time Wounds All Heels,” the last two co-written with Carter. A cover of Moon Martin’s “Paid the Price” fits nicely on the track list.
Reissues of both of these long out-of-print albums is certainly welcome, and comes at a nice time as Lowe’s friends and Yep Roc labelmate’s Los Straitjackets will be releasing their tribute to the songwriter with their new album, What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and …Los Straitjackets. It’s the year of Nick Lowe, y’all!
Those Mexican wrestler-masked instrumental madmen are back at it again! Following three tours that saw the band opening for British rock legend Nick Lowe, the members of Los Straitjackets wondered “what would Nick Lowe’s songs sound like as instrumentals?” On May 19th, 2017 we’ll all get to hear the answer to that profound question when Yep Roc Records releases Los Straitjackets’ What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Los Straitjackets.
A thirteen-track collection that re-imagines some of Lowe’s most iconic songs, What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Los Straitjackets was produced by Neil Brockbank, Lowe’s longtime producer and musical collaborator, and includes Lowe band member Geraint Watkins on keyboards as well as a cameo by Lowe himself, singing on an undisclosed track. The album also represents the recording debut of Royston Lowe on percussion.
“Recording these songs reminded me what a great melodist Nick is,” observes guitarist and co-found Eddie Angel in a press release for the new album. “Everybody knows that he writes great lyrics, but he doesn’t always get credit for his amazing melodies. The fact that the songs stand up as instrumentals is proof of that. And I think that we managed to bring something new to the songs, which is what you hope to do when you’re covering other people’s material.”
Comprised of guitarists Danny Amis, Eddie Angel, and Greg Townson as well as bassist Pete Curry and drummer Chris Sprague, the hard touring Los Straitjackets have been tearing up the highways and thruways for better than two decades now, and they’ll be hitting the road in June in support of What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Los Straitjackets, performing with fellow traveler Marshall Crenshaw.
Each show will feature an instrumental set as well as vocal collaborations. The album’s first single, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding” has been released and you can check it out below before making plans to catch one of these electrifying Los Straitjacket shows when the band hits your town!
What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Los Straitjackets track list:
1. Shake and Pop 2. All Men Are Liars 3. Lately I’ve Let Things Slide 4. You Inspire Me 5. Rollers Show 6. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding 7. I Read A Lot 8. Half A Boy and Half A Man 9. Checkout Time 10. I Live On A Battlefield 11. Raging Eyes 12. Cruel To Be Kind 13. Heart of the City
