help me put together this Nick Lowe comp

[Rae]

I've got an interesting idea for a group comp... I was thinking about making a Nick Lowe sampler for a friend, but although I'm a big fan, there are definitely parts of his catalog I'm not familiar with. I know that a few people on this board are also fairly into his stuff, but I'm guessing there are just as many that could use an introduction to him, too. So here's my proposal: let's make this together, and I can send out the finished project to whoever is interested, whether you participated in its making or not. I've got five songs in particular that I'd like to start with:

-"Cruel to Be Kind", probably his biggest hit,
-"So It Goes", which has turned up on more than one comp here,
-"All Men Are Liars", a later tune which is just one of my personal faves,
-"Heart", an infectious ditty from Rockpile's Seconds of Pleasure,
-and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", which I think is his best known song.

Beyond that, I'm looking for maybe 7-10 more tracks to fill it out... we could definitely stand to have a few more from Pure Pop for Now People/Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust, but feel free to draw from his entire career. Nominate whatever you like, and we'll see if there's some consensus. I can probably find the source material myself; if I can't, I'll let you know. When I have everything, I'll sequence it and see how it comes out.

Anyone into this?

~Rae

[MindGoneHaywire]

I hate to say this, because it's too tempting to try to come up with better ideas than the folks who select the toons for best-ofs, but although it only covers 10 years or so, you really can't beat The Basher collection.

Ron Nasty/DLD/Road Warrior put together one that covered some of his more recent work, which was also very good. I'll see if I can't hit ya w'a PM reply at some point. But I'd say The Basher covers all obvious points (except for the orignal Brinsley Schwarz version of Peace, Love & Understanding, natch) & since it's easily available at retail here for $6.99 it's tough to justify trying to outdo it.

But then that's the fun in trying, isn't it?

[Rae]

Yeah, that's true, but I've got a couple of complaints about it: first off, it's got too many tracks! 25 songs on any compilation is way too many... I mean that's all right if that's all the Nick Lowe you're ever gonna get, but it doesn't really function as a good introduction because it doesn't entice you to buy more. And as you pointed out, it doesn't include one (actually two) of the songs I wanted to build around. And even if it is only $6.99 retail, I'm guessing a few people might bite on one here for free that they otherwise wouldn't have given a try.

And you're right, I'm never satisfied with the Greatest Hits selections of my favorite artists!

~Rae

[nobody]

If we can suggest Rockpile songs, how about Crawling From The Wreckage off the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea record? That version of Litter Sister on there's pretty damn good too.

[Rae]

Is "Crawling From the Wreckage" a Nick Lowe song, though?

[nobody]

well...he played on it

[MindGoneHaywire]

I say if it's on the Rockpile record, then there's no reason why it can't be on a Lowe comp. Ditto Kampuchea, even with Robert Plant singing Little Sister (which is not bad at all and foreshadowed the Honeydrippers project) which the end reveals was clearly underrehearsed. There's a Stiffs comp from a live tour circa '77-'78 that has some stuff on it...Nick Lowe & his Chicken Soup or something like that? I have it somewhere, there's some good stuff on it, Elvis Costello doing a standard, the too-rarely-heard Larry Wallis, etc. But now we're getting into obscurities.

Nothing wrong with trying to improve on the Basher...it's just one that I think works well enough as an intro & is cheap enough where the time & energy spent might be better used on, say, Edmunds?

[Rae]

That's a good idea, but I don't know how participatory I could be on that one. Outside of Rockpile, I don't think I have any Dave Edmunds at all.

[BradH]

I'd like to hear a tape of Lowe trying to sing "Squonk" when he failed the audition for Genesis in 1975.

[Monkey Bones]

There's a Stiffs comp from a live tour circa '77-'78 that has some stuff on it...

Yea, fun times, there's a clip on youtube of Nick and the band doing a super quiet take of Endless Sleep from his first solo EP. Really nice. Costello hanging out in the background, waiting for his turn. Lowe sitting with his guitar, earnest looking, singing very quietly. Edmunds on drums. Think Ian Dury on one of the guitars. Not sure who else, but good stuff. Some of these clips are priceless.

It makes you wanna lay face down
On the grass so brown,
Where the sun beats down
On the bakin ground.
To find sweet release
In endless sleep.
Endless sleep.

[tibor nagy]

Country Girl, 37 yrs old and still a beaut from B. Schwartz days
Cupid Must Be Angry, new Nick, also a beaut
The Beast in Me. Tony Soprano likes it, nuff said
American Squirm. Why was Cruel To Be Kind a hit and this wasn't
All Men Are Liars.
The Action. Nick and Little Village, Ry, Nick, and Hiatt.
High On A Hilltop. I've heard Bunnies like this song. Could be a rumour
Teacher Teacher. Not as good as sinking a long birdie putt, but close.
Lovers Jamboree, Token contribution from Prouder and Oinker, make that Pinker....
Tonight., Love the little beep beep thing going on/
Dose of You,
She Don't Love Nobody
The Rose Of England.
Big Kick, Plain Scrap
Black Lincoln Continental
Burning
Cool Reaction
Maureen

not the usual selections but even secondary Lowe is still a level above most pop rock.

[Rae]

All right, well, I think I'm going to table this for a while as it didn't exactly provoke the flurry of interest I was hoping for (except from tibor). I may come back to it at some point.

Until then, if J speaks the truth pricewise, I instruct everyone to at least go out and purchase The Basher.

~Rae

[tibor nagy]

Beware of Basher in that although the setlist is solid, sound quality is mushy, veiled, non dynamic, like that Ole ELO "best of" album. Get J to burn you that Ron Nasty comp. I hear it's pretty tasty.

[Snowbunny]

Hey, I can save you some time! I have the definitive Nick Lowe comp already. Its by some guy in Dallas, Texas named Ron Nasty. Would you like me to burn you a copy?

Snowie

(This website still sucks monkey balls!!! Slowwwww!)

[unleasHell]

Didn't he do a song called "Cracking Up"?

If so it was a cool song




PS: This is my first post since switching to a Mac Pro...

[Stone]

"Heart of the City"