Nick Lowe talks about aging into his songwriting (and Johnny Cash)

Here.

Thanks for posting. Can’t eloquently put it into words, but I just love the guy.

I'm with you. He's really wonderful. That was a very good read, too, I thought.

Good interview! I saw him just once in London in 1997. Did not think of him as more of an American than an English artist aesthetically. He does have a song called “The Rose of England” does he not?

Thank you for sharing the interview! I've seen Lowe three times -- once in Denver, opening for The Cars in 1982, and then again at a club show in Colorado Springs, a year or so later. Back then, he called his support band "Noise to Go." Paul Carrack was on the keyboards, so the set included Ace's "How Long" and Squeeze's "Tempted." The arena set was excellent, but the club show was just over-the-moon terrific. The third time was about seven years ago, on one of his wonderful holiday tours with Los Straitjackets. It's too bad to hear that he considers his early material to be so weak. It's certainly good that he's learned to mature into his songwriting, but "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" is one of my favorite go-to songs.

In case you weren't aware, at least "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass" has a new owner: Marti Jones.



Her 1996 album, "My Long-Haired Life" kicks off with it and if you're lucky enough to see her, she just might play it. Alas, I've only seen Marti Jones in the audience at a Don Dixon show I attended, once.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®

I just caught Lowe's show with the Straitjackets at the Bowery Ballroom, and it was absolutely wonderful. Both times I saw them open for Elvis Costello they were great (and Lowe even joined Elvis both times for a few numbers, the highlight being "Indoor Fireworks" at Pier 17) but it's pretty amazing to see them in a club. We even got a second encore, with Lowe appearing alone and performing "Heart," and it may very well have been the best rendition I've ever heard.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/2024 02:18AM by belfast.

I'm kind of surprised he feels that way too - Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust are two of my very favorite records from that era. (Before Yep Roc reissued them, I treasured the out-of-print imports I tracked down for a good deal of money.) And I love just about any Rockpile recording I've been able to get my hands on. But I do enjoy the later stuff, which clearly have an appeal that's unique to them - I probably love The Impossible Bird more than anything he did after Rockpile split, though The Rose of England comes close.

The new album's really good. If it's not up there with the Rockpile recordings, at minimum it's on par with the delightful Party of One. As I listen to it more, I may even put it on par with The Rose of England. Surprising in that he hadn't released an album in years, unsurprising when you consider that it's mostly compiled from several EP's spread out over a long period of time. (Some songs remixed and some re-recorded because the EP's were done so quickly and cheaply in whichever city they happened to be while touring.) It's probably much easier to put together a solid album when you've taken your time coming up with good songs.

All done with a gentle sway that calls back to the kind of sweet, midtempo love songs (mostly heartbreak songs) that you'd hear from the '50s or early '60s. Consistently enjoyable, there's not a bad track. Everything sounds charming on first listen, and so far it's improved with each revisit.