Nick Lowe: Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit (1984)
Nick Lowe is the type of artist to whom critics like to attach descriptors like “legendary”, but in appraising his discography they’ll frequently use phrases like “released to little success” and “largely went unnoticed”.
His biggest album in America was 1979’s Labour of Lust, mainly on the strength of the single “Cruel to be Kind”, his only US top 40 hit.
But 1979 was the year of The Knack, when New Wave music was breaking. By 1984 Lowe had wisely stopped looking for the follow-up hit that would never come and turned to a rootsier sound.
“Half a Boy and Half a Man”, with its roller rink Farfisa organ arrangement, sounds like Sir Douglas Quintet-brand Tex Mex.
“Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young” is a Faaron Young cover.
“L.A.F.S.” is co-produced by Elvis Costello, whose first five albums had been produced by Lowe, and features the same TKO horns that graced Costello’s Punch the Clock of the same year.
The album as a whole is an exuberant affair, and garnered positive reviews from critics.
And fate has a way sometimes of rewarding persistent effort. Curtis Stigers’ recording of Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” appeared on the biggest-selling soundtrack in history, the My Bodyguard soundtrack, and the million dollars he made in songwriting royalties probably made Lowe’s previous sales figures a little easier to live with.
“Released to little success” indeed…
Listen to: “Half a Boy and Half a Man”
Listen to: “Breakaway”
Listen to: “God’s Gift to Women”
Listen to: “L.A.F.S.”
Listen to: “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young”
Every Moment Has A Song 