To paraphrase a vintage David Bowie promo campaign, in 1978 there was old wave, there was new wave, and there was Nick Lowe — smack in the middle. Still a year shy of 30, Lowe had already been through the ringer; his pub rock outfit, Brinsley Schwartz, spent five years drumming up boffo press and slim sales. Yet when he tried to provoke his label to drop him with the 1975 glam parody “Bay City Rollers, We Love You”, it backfired when the song became a smash…in Japan. Once freed, he co-founded Stiff Records, producing key releases for the Damned, Elvis Costello, and Wreckless Eric. But as a recording artist, he had yet to establish where, if at all, he fit in the landscape apres punk.
Rather than pick sides, Lowe courted both on his solo debut, Jesus Of Cool. (In America, that cheeky title didn’t fly; the disc was issued, with an overhauled track listing, as Pure Pop For Now People.) Accompanied by Rockpile, Lowe served up originals that showed facility in various classic genres. “Little Hitler” framed gum-chewing girl-group swagger with Beatles-worthy backing vocals, while the rapturous “Tonight” could’ve sprung from the Goffin/King team. He toyed with loping ska rhythms (“No Reason”), and, in the ever-circling “So It Goes”, offered a scruffy blueprint for what would be his biggest U.S. hit, “Cruel To Be Kind”.
Yet Lowe also boasted a cynical streak to rival Johnny Rotten’s. Several cuts attacked the music industry; some worked (the ragged “Shake And Pop”), others fell flat (“Music For Money”). One of the album’s highlights, “I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass”, with its jagged piano lines, seemed to poke fun at Bowie’s somber Low (issued the same year), yet its author claimed the inspiration actually sprang from dressing-room shenanigans he’d witnessed while touring with Bad Company. Either way, it still sounds great.
This Yep Roc repackaging amends all Lowe’s related cuts circa ’77-’78, including a peppy remake of Sandy Posey’s politically incorrect 1966 country hit “Born A Woman” (from Lowe’s Bowi EP), cuts substituted on the U.S. edition, compilation tracks (“I Love My Label”), and the one-sided Rockpile single packaged with initial British pressings. The result is a comprehensive appraisal of the cornerstone — cracks and all — of Lowe’s long, remarkable career. Even tarted up with so many accessories, Jesus Of Cool runs little risk of looking like the doggie’s dinner.
