Latest Release
- 14 JUN 2023
- 15 Songs
- Labour of Lust (Remastered) · 1979
- The Impossible Bird · 1994
- Jesus of Cool (Deluxe Edition) · 1978
- Tokyo Bay / Crying Inside - EP · 2018
- The Sopranos (Music from the HBO Original Series) · 1999
- Jesus of Cool (Deluxe Edition) · 1978
- The Old Magic · 2011
- Jesus of Cool (Deluxe Edition) · 1978
- Dig My Mood · 1998
- Untouched Takeaway · 2004
Essential Albums
- While his 1978 debut album was a superb sampler of styles, this follow-up found Lowe truly nailing his sound, backed by Rockpile’s in-the-pocket rhythms and pub-rock grunt. The sparkling strum-along single “Cruel to Be Kind” hitchhiked in on the New Wave movement with buoyant harmonies, a bruised heart and a twinkle in its eye. The choogling feel of “Cracking Up” is equal parts London lager and Louisiana moonshine, and that’s Elvis Costello sneering along in perfect harmony on the sprightly and cutting “American Squirm”.
- It’s no coincidence that the cover of Lowe’s 1978 debut solo album features him dressed up in different musical guises. The songwriter/producer treats Jesus of Cool like a sampler of styles and masters them all. His pub-rock roots show on “Shake and Pop”, a rollicking sneer at the music industry, while “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” rides an addictive disco groove that won’t quit. Whether being arch (“Marie Provost”) or sincere (“Tonight”), he’s at the top of his game.
Music Videos
Artist Playlists
- Hook-rich roots-pop songwriting powered this legend's career.
- Dig up his roots in pub-rock revelry and Beatles-esque swoon.
Live Albums
Compilations
Appears On
- Brinsley Schwarz
About Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe has led multiple musical lives, becoming a pillar of pub rock, punk, New Wave and roots rock over the course of a long, prolific career. Born in Surrey in 1949, he started out in the ’60s with psych-poppers Kippington Lodge before becoming bassist and singer for pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, who brought a British perspective to their earthy American influences. As a producer, he was in on the ground floor of the punk/New Wave movement, overseeing the country’s first punk single (The Damned’s “New Rose”) and the first five Elvis Costello albums—his cover of Brinsley Schwarz’s Lowe-penned “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” made the tune famous. Lowe kicked off his solo career in 1976 with the hooky, rocking single “So It Goes”; his 1979 hit “Cruel to Be Kind” briefly made him a transatlantic pop star. But Lowe was ultimately destined for cult-hero status. Over the years, his sound gradually grew rootsier and quieter, and by the turn of the century he’d reinvented himself as a cool, somewhat retro-slanted balladeer on classy, expertly crafted albums like Dig My Mood.
- HOMETOWN
- Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
- BORN
- 24 марта 1949 г.
- GENRE
- Rock