Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Having apprenticed with '60s band Kippington Lodge and '70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe became a shining beacon of traditional pop values--wit, concision, unbanishable tunes--amidst the punk furor of the late '70s. This collection is a generous 25-song single-CD selection from eight albums and a few stray singles spanning almost a decade. It may be too generous--the inclusion of a number of so-so songs and failed experiments hampers its playability. But there are still well over a dozen gems here, including his sole hit, the sparkling, textbook classic-pop masochist's anthem "Cruel to Be Kind;" the ominous voodoo breakdown "Cracking Up;" and the delightfully perverse "Marie Provost," a sumptuous power-pop tune affixed to the horrific tale of a silent-film actress who dies alone and is eaten by her starving dog. There are also at least two songs exploring Lowe's strange obsession with backstage guest lists (first single "So It Goes" and the stately "Little Hitler"), the best version of the pub-rock classic "Switchboard Susan" (containing every conceivable phone/sex double entendre), and a number of crisp rockers abetted by Rockpile, the brilliant band that, credited or not, played on much of members Lowe and Dave Edmunds's best work. --Ken Barnes --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Album Description
Nick's finest moments on one CD. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Average customer rating:
- Not bad but....
- fantastic compilation
- meek violent dance
- Hate when CD versions delete selections from the original LP!
- Saturday and Sunday, Everybody Rocks
|
Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
 General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
New Wave
| New Wave & Post-Punk
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Singer-Songwriters
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Country Rock
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Roots Rock
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Power Pop
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
- Seconds of Pleasure
- From Small Things: The Best of Dave Edmunds
- The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy
- At My Age
- The Anthology (1968-1990)
ASIN: B0000026V1
Release Date: 1989-09-20 |
Tracks:
- So It Goes
- Heart Of The City
- (I Love The Sound Of) Breaking Glass
- Little Hitler
- No Reason
- 36 Inches High
- Marie Provost
- American Squirm
- Cracking Up
- Big Kick, Plain Scrap
- Born Fighter
- Switch Board Susan
- Without Love
- Cruel To Be Kind
- When I Write The Book
- Heart
- Raging Eyes
- Time Wounds All Heals
- Maureen
- Half A Boy And Half A Man
- 7 Nights To Rock
- She Don't Love Nobody
- The Rose Of England
- I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock 'N' Roll)
- Lovers Jamboree
Amazon.com
Having apprenticed with '60s band Kippington Lodge and '70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe became a shining beacon of traditional pop values--wit, concision, unbanishable tunes--amidst the punk furor of the late '70s. This collection is a generous 25-song single-CD selection from eight albums and a few stray singles spanning almost a decade. It may be too generous--the inclusion of a number of so-so songs and failed experiments hampers its playability. But there are still well over a dozen gems here, including his sole hit, the sparkling, textbook classic-pop masochist's anthem "Cruel to Be Kind;" the ominous voodoo breakdown "Cracking Up;" and the delightfully perverse "Marie Provost," a sumptuous power-pop tune affixed to the horrific tale of a silent-film actress who dies alone and is eaten by her starving dog. There are also at least two songs exploring Lowe's strange obsession with backstage guest lists (first single "So It Goes" and the stately "Little Hitler"), the best version of the pub-rock classic "Switchboard Susan" (containing every conceivable phone/sex double entendre), and a number of crisp rockers abetted by Rockpile, the brilliant band that, credited or not, played on much of members Lowe and Dave Edmunds's best work. --Ken Barnes
Album Description
Nick's finest moments on one CD.
Customer Reviews:
Not bad but...........2007-02-16
Some very poor selections on here. It also almost ignores his two best CDs-The Rose of England and Cowboy Outfit. (And what is "Maureen" doing on here? uggg--where are Wishing Well, I Got the Love, Luck Dog, LAFS, etc.) 14 of these songs are from his first two albums--too much in my opinion.
But the real gripe is that the bulk of this man's CDs are unavailable. No one should have to settle for this collection when you think of what he did from about 1978 to 1990. Some truly great stuff is lost. I think he is the most underrated musician in all of rock. Bar none.
fantastic compilation.......2006-08-29
This cd does a great job in sampling Nick Lowe. I was a fan of the Rockpile, Jesus of Cool and Labor of Lust albums (the 70's work). This compilation effectively takes the cream from all of the works and crams them onto a comprehensive work. There is a lot of music here. Before I bought this, I was only familiar w/the 70's work but now I have just as much of an appreciation for the 80's and 90's stuff as well. This cd does what a good compilation should do...give an overview of all the work, push the familiar and promote the new stuff.
This is an underappreciated artist that is very worthy of a greatest hits package.
meek violent dance.......2006-08-05
Last Halloween I was out to see local (Minneapolis) band Revolver Modele and when we got to the Venue (Varisty Club), there was this black guy doing dj work to get the crowd in the mood for a night of music.
Before and in between each stage act, he played this violently vigorous funk-based rhythm and blues that sounded like it was being performed by some of the most happily tormented people ever to come out of the rock n' roll clubs of Africa.
The tunes ripped it up wildly with so much soul that it got me and the two others I was with out on the dance floor by ourselves in a room filled with, I don't know, 200 people lounging around, drinking, and waiting for the next live act.
This was probably the wildest music I'd ever heard and made the live acts of the evening boring.
There are some tunes on this cd by Nick Lowe that have that same, I would say, Violent, touch. Coming from a place so deep down that it's a little unsettling. It's just that Nick Lowe is a different person than those who performed the African funk R & B that disc jockey played last Halloween. So the violence sounds different but there is a very similar spirit working in both.
Lowe seems to be more of a mellow physical person (maybe a bit like Tom Petty) but his spirit doesn't seem to line up with his more normal, outward personae. The dwellings of the spirit will show differently, depending upon the body one was born to inhabit.
For who Nick Lowe seems to be (and I'm just perceiving from a distance; I could be so wrong), there is a lot going on in his head and heart, and when he wants to, he can do rock n' roll at its purified best.
Pleae note this review applies to only about 30 % of this cd. The rest is pretty good, too, but he's going for something completely different than what I'm writing about here.
Hate when CD versions delete selections from the original LP!.......2006-07-18
Business as usual: There are selections missing from the original double LP edition. In my LP version of this compilation, is included "Long Walk Home", one of the best instrumentals I've ever heard with a neat 50s sound.. In this CD, is gone! WHY???
Saturday and Sunday, Everybody Rocks.......2005-12-15
It's probably reflective of the broad range of artists he's produced over the years, but there's a touch of almost every style to Nicke Lowe, and this generous compilation of his work from 1976 to 1988 touches all the bases. There are times when he'll remind you of Elvis Costello (whose work he has produced), times when he'll make you think of Dave Edmunds (with whom he's worked extensively), times when he sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry, times when he resembles rockabilly, times when he's almost punkish, "So It Goes" kinda sounds like Thin Lizzy, there's a tinge of country to "Without Love," "Heart" is a bit of ska, and "I Knew the Bride" was produced by Huey Lewis.
Every kind of element is there, yet it all comes together to form something uniquely Nick. Mostly it's just great stuff; good, fun, old-fashioned, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll. "Cruel to Be Kind" was the big hit, but check out the soundbites for "Half A Boy & Half A Man," "When I Write the Book," and "7 Nights to Rock," as well. If you like rock, real rock, this is a can't-miss.
Average customer rating:
- Not bad but....
- fantastic compilation
- meek violent dance
- Hate when CD versions delete selections from the original LP!
- Saturday and Sunday, Everybody Rocks
|
Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Manufacturer: Demon Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
New Wave
| New Wave & Post-Punk
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Singer-Songwriters
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Country Rock
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Roots Rock
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Power Pop
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
New Wave
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Alternative Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Seconds of Pleasure
- From Small Things: The Best of Dave Edmunds
- The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy
- At My Age
- The Anthology (1968-1990)
ASIN: B0000260GO
Release Date: 1999-11-19 |
Tracks:
- So It Goes
- Heart of the City
- I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass
- Little Hitler
- No Reason
- 36 Inches High
- Marie Provost
- American Squirm
- Cracking Up
- Big Kick, Plain Scrap!
- Born Fighter
- Switchboard Susan
- Without Love
- Cruel to Be Kind
- When I Write the Book
- Heart
- Raging Eyes
- Time Wounds All Heels
- Maureen
- Half a Boy and Half a Man
- 7 Nights to Rock
- She Don't Love Nobody
- Rose of England
- I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock & Roll)
- Lovers Jamboree
Amazon.com
Having apprenticed with '60s band Kippington Lodge and '70s pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe became a shining beacon of traditional pop values--wit, concision, unbanishable tunes--amidst the punk furor of the late '70s. This collection is a generous 25-song single-CD selection from eight albums and a few stray singles spanning almost a decade. It may be too generous--the inclusion of a number of so-so songs and failed experiments hampers its playability. But there are still well over a dozen gems here, including his sole hit, the sparkling, textbook classic-pop masochist's anthem "Cruel to Be Kind;" the ominous voodoo breakdown "Cracking Up;" and the delightfully perverse "Marie Provost," a sumptuous power-pop tune affixed to the horrific tale of a silent-film actress who dies alone and is eaten by her starving dog. There are also at least two songs exploring Lowe's strange obsession with backstage guest lists (first single "So It Goes" and the stately "Little Hitler"), the best version of the pub-rock classic "Switchboard Susan" (containing every conceivable phone/sex double entendre), and a number of crisp rockers abetted by Rockpile, the brilliant band that, credited or not, played on much of members Lowe and Dave Edmunds's best work. --Ken Barnes
Album Description
Nick's finest moments on one CD.
Customer Reviews:
Not bad but...........2007-02-16
Some very poor selections on here. It also almost ignores his two best CDs-The Rose of England and Cowboy Outfit. (And what is "Maureen" doing on here? uggg--where are Wishing Well, I Got the Love, Luck Dog, LAFS, etc.) 14 of these songs are from his first two albums--too much in my opinion.
But the real gripe is that the bulk of this man's CDs are unavailable. No one should have to settle for this collection when you think of what he did from about 1978 to 1990. Some truly great stuff is lost. I think he is the most underrated musician in all of rock. Bar none.
fantastic compilation.......2006-08-29
This cd does a great job in sampling Nick Lowe. I was a fan of the Rockpile, Jesus of Cool and Labor of Lust albums (the 70's work). This compilation effectively takes the cream from all of the works and crams them onto a comprehensive work. There is a lot of music here. Before I bought this, I was only familiar w/the 70's work but now I have just as much of an appreciation for the 80's and 90's stuff as well. This cd does what a good compilation should do...give an overview of all the work, push the familiar and promote the new stuff.
This is an underappreciated artist that is very worthy of a greatest hits package.
meek violent dance.......2006-08-05
Last Halloween I was out to see local (Minneapolis) band Revolver Modele and when we got to the Venue (Varisty Club), there was this black guy doing dj work to get the crowd in the mood for a night of music.
Before and in between each stage act, he played this violently vigorous funk-based rhythm and blues that sounded like it was being performed by some of the most happily tormented people ever to come out of the rock n' roll clubs of Africa.
The tunes ripped it up wildly with so much soul that it got me and the two others I was with out on the dance floor by ourselves in a room filled with, I don't know, 200 people lounging around, drinking, and waiting for the next live act.
This was probably the wildest music I'd ever heard and made the live acts of the evening boring.
There are some tunes on this cd by Nick Lowe that have that same, I would say, Violent, touch. Coming from a place so deep down that it's a little unsettling. It's just that Nick Lowe is a different person than those who performed the African funk R & B that disc jockey played last Halloween. So the violence sounds different but there is a very similar spirit working in both.
Lowe seems to be more of a mellow physical person (maybe a bit like Tom Petty) but his spirit doesn't seem to line up with his more normal, outward personae. The dwellings of the spirit will show differently, depending upon the body one was born to inhabit.
For who Nick Lowe seems to be (and I'm just perceiving from a distance; I could be so wrong), there is a lot going on in his head and heart, and when he wants to, he can do rock n' roll at its purified best.
Pleae note this review applies to only about 30 % of this cd. The rest is pretty good, too, but he's going for something completely different than what I'm writing about here.
Hate when CD versions delete selections from the original LP!.......2006-07-18
Business as usual: There are selections missing from the original double LP edition. In my LP version of this compilation, is included "Long Walk Home", one of the best instrumentals I've ever heard with a neat 50s sound.. In this CD, is gone! WHY???
Saturday and Sunday, Everybody Rocks.......2005-12-15
It's probably reflective of the broad range of artists he's produced over the years, but there's a touch of almost every style to Nicke Lowe, and this generous compilation of his work from 1976 to 1988 touches all the bases. There are times when he'll remind you of Elvis Costello (whose work he has produced), times when he'll make you think of Dave Edmunds (with whom he's worked extensively), times when he sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry, times when he resembles rockabilly, times when he's almost punkish, "So It Goes" kinda sounds like Thin Lizzy, there's a tinge of country to "Without Love," "Heart" is a bit of ska, and "I Knew the Bride" was produced by Huey Lewis.
Every kind of element is there, yet it all comes together to form something uniquely Nick. Mostly it's just great stuff; good, fun, old-fashioned, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll. "Cruel to Be Kind" was the big hit, but check out the soundbites for "Half A Boy & Half A Man," "When I Write the Book," and "7 Nights to Rock," as well. If you like rock, real rock, this is a can't-miss.
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