New Nick Lowe album

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:54 am

Incidentally, Nick Lowe is playing at the Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 23rd October if anyone's interested

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/all-ev ... 2007-10-13

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:09 pm

Nick is on Conan O'Brien's show on Monday.

Emotional Toothpaste · Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:14 am

Did anyone catch Nick on Conan last night? Forgot to tape it. Youtube - nothing yet. But I did find a bunch of new stuff on youtube, including an interview with Nick and Elvis from around '78-79.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:53 pm

I'm ashamed to say I missed it.

I'm turning in my Jesus of Cool badge and going to live amongst the badgers of northern Idaho.

There's badgers there, right?

MistakenForLilies · Post by **MistakenForLilies** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:24 pm

I saw it, and aside from wishing Nick's microphone was turned up more, it was pretty enjoyable. He did "Long-Limbed Girl," backed by Conan's band, the Max Weinberg 7.

The interesting thing is that Max Weinberg's band typically play a lot of Nick Lowe songs on a regular basis, so I was wondering if they were going to do so this time to mark the occasion. They did, playing PLU, Maureen, Half a Boy and Half a Man, and maybe more, before all the commercial breaks.

migdd · Post by **migdd** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:31 pm

Wow! I'm slapping myself for missing this!

Neil. · Post by **Neil.** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:20 pm

For those who don't know already, Nick is doing a BBC Four Session - here are the screening dates.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/s ... h+Listings

(that link won't show the screening dates after they've been screened, in case you're clicking next week!)

There are also plans to show extra tracks and an interview on the BBC Four website, but it's no finalised yet.

Cheers,

Neil

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:41 pm

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20045000,00.html

another brief article, covering American Idol, Paul McCartney's greed, and tea with Elvis.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 6:30 pm

From Yep Roc:

"NPR's Fresh Air will air an interview with Nick Lowe on Tuesday, July 24th."

Don't miss this one, moody!

littletriggers · Post by **littletriggers** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:49 am

Nick Lowe was great last night on BBC4 great versions of I new the bride, peace love & understanding and long limbed girl. Just finished playing 3 NL vinyl and Get It by Dave Edmunds a particular fav of mine. Must dig out some Brinsleys !

ReadyToHearTheWorst · Post by **ReadyToHearTheWorst** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 5:43 pm

And for those without BBC4, but with a dime account:
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=155245

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:45 pm

Charlie Gillett posts on his forum -

http://www.charliegillett.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=4159

Fri Jul 13, 2007

When Nick played on my Thirtieth Anniversary Broadcast from the Kashmir Club, in March 2002, he raised a laugh by saying, here's one to suit Charlie's world music leanings, and sang a cajun song in French. Afterwards, off air, he said, Charlie, you're the best kind of friend I could have, you only play my good songs.

That shook me, because, while knowing perfectly well that Nick hardly ever listens to me any more, he must have spies who do, and they keep him informed of 'Nick Lowe sightings' such as 'Love is a Battlefield' and 'the Beast in Me' from his 1994 album, The Impossible Bird.

I haven't played much since, despite listening in hopeful anticipation to each new album, and reading the ever more enthusiastic reviews. I am baffled at what anybody can hear in the latest, In My Age, which sounds pretty much like a Marty Wilde album from 1959 (not that I actually listened to such a thing - but I can imagine it).

Live, Nick is beyond compare.

But in the studio, with each of his recent albums he has become less interesting, less involved, sort of gong through the motions. And all these rave reviews don't help him at all.

It's frustrating, because he is capable of making a great album, but I'm not sure he can be bothered to do one.

He needs to bring somebody into the studio to argue with him, to prod him into doing it better, with more menace or sadness or joy, instead of keeping it so cool.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:24 pm

I am baffled at what anybody can hear in the latest, In My Age, which sounds pretty much like a Marty Wilde album from 1959

That's pretty bang-on, I have to agree. To my ears it sounds a bit Daniel O'Donnell, though wee Daniel would probably give a bit more welly.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:22 am

I had an absolutely brilliant reply to this that got lost in cyberspace, but this is the jist:

HERESY! HERESY!

Elvis should listen to this about 900 times before he attempts another North.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:07 am

Gotta agree with moody. I don't know who in the world those singers are, but I think Nick's new album is ace.

NPR "Fresh Air" interview is now online:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=12197655

lostdog · Post by **lostdog** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:07 am

"But in the studio, with each of his recent albums he has become less interesting, less involved, sort of gong through the motions. And all these rave reviews don't help him at all."

What a weird, and uncharactersitically arrogant, thing for Gillett to say - as if he's right and everyone else is wrong. It's an absolutely stunning record.

debbie · Post by **debbie** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:12 pm

I think that the Charlie Gillett review is spot on - Nick's produced some really good stuff in the past but what heâ€™s doing now sounds to me like a niche product of â€˜music for middle aged blokesâ€™ â€“ it could more appropriately be called 'For my age' (as in for people of my age) rather than â€˜At my ageâ€™!

Mood swing says 'Elvis should listen to this about 900 times before he attempts another North' but at least 'North' at times triggers an emotional response in contrast to the slightly humorous, but fairly lifeless, Nick Lowe songs. North has some clumsy moments and a few ropey songs but most of the first half is quite good, especially â€˜When It Singsâ€™ or â€˜Stillâ€™ for instance.

Emotional Toothpaste · Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:47 pm

Two very different types of music really North vs. At My Age. North has some great tracks as Debbie mentions, but in my opinion, an equal number of clunkers. At My Age is definitely lighter fare, and artistically, it clearly isn't trying to be as much as North wants to be, but thats where the comparsions should end, or maybe where they shouldn't even start.

Nick's music always has had a lighter feel, and especially his work as a producer. Still, I wish he had put a little more effort into this latest release. Its not as good as The Convincer or The Impossible Bird -- and at only 33 minutes, it feels a track or two short.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:56 pm

Well, call me crazy, I'd rather listen to paint peeling than to listen to North, the cd. I liked it live, although guitar-free Elvis was visually disturbing. The last four songs on At My Age: heaven.

welcome to the board, debbie!

Fishfinger king · Post by **Fishfinger king** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:17 pm

Live and let live.
It's all personal taste and nothing absolute.
If anyone's interested in my views At my age isn't a patch on The Convincer but I'd still rather listen to either of them, any day of the week, ahead of North.

Adam2 · Post by **Adam2** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:13 pm

Emotional Toothpaste wrote:I wish he had put a little more effort into this latest release. Its not as good as The Convincer or The Impossible Bird -- and at only 33 minutes, it feels a track or two short.

Are you serious? This album is 6 years in the making. He obviously worked very hard on it to make the album he wanted to. This was the first of Lowe's recent albums I've heard, and I listened to the Impossible Bird for the first time yesterday. At My Age is better. The singing, songs, are all impeccable, as are the musicians. The album is very subtle and its unfortunate that some people won't pick up on it.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:06 pm

North and At My Age might be very different types of music - I think they both come out of some strange Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra time warp (with a little of that 24 Hours to Tulsa dude thrown in, in Nick's case), but I think they are trying to accomplish very similar things: Old dude goes thru life changing experience, lives to tell tale. Elvis wants to write that in granite with a hammer and chisel. Nick wants to write it on a note you might fold up and keep in your wallet. I happen to find notes a lot more personal and moving than granite monuments, but, hey, I frequently misinterpret things. I just heard a vitamin commercial tonight and thought they were going on about New Age-ing phenomena, not new aging phenomena. I also think Elvis would write an entirely different North today, and I might like that version.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:23 am

Nick played 4 songs on a radio show last week - http://popdrivel.blogspot.com/

debbie · Post by **debbie** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 2:25 pm

Mood Swung wrote

Elvis wants to write that in granite with a hammer and chisel. Nick wants to write it on a note you might fold up and keep in your wallet.

That's a very good way of summing it up. I suppose the approach you prefer, as a listener, depends on what you're looking in music and in what context you listen to music - if you have the time to actually sit down and relax and listen as opposed to listening while you're doing something else.

Washing up in my flat, where the dull thud of hip hop is constantly droning out from under my son's bedroom door, I'll go for the granite any day of the week 'cos I'd be bound to lose the note in the wallet!

I agree that Elvis would do a different North now because he's always moving on and getting into new things - that's what's so special about him.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:27 am

Nick's doing a free gig in New York...

Wed 9/19

Nick Lowe, Holmes Brothers, Ollabelle
World Financial Center Plaza
All Ages free

May have to take the day off!

Here's a map for anyone who is interested...

Elvis Costello Fan Forum

New Nick Lowe album

Nick Live Set on BBC Four