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 Nick's Greatest Hits on a Single Disk Mar 12, 2009
This is a nice introduction to Nick Lowe, one of the underrated singer songwriter/producers of the English Pub Rock circuit. Nick played with and/or produced Rockpile, Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds, The Pretenders, and left a legacy of catchy pop tunes that survive the test of age. "So It Goes", "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass", "Heart of the City", "Cruel To Be Kind", "Maureen", "Raging Eyes", etc. are all included here. My only complaint is that the version of "I Knew the Bride" is the rather tepid re-release off the "Rose of England", where Nick is backed by Huey Lewis and the News. Although this was released as a single in the US, it lacks the fire of other versions. There are newer, more comprehensive Nick Lowe greatest hits in box sets, etc., but this is a nice introduction to one of the overlooked artists.
Nick Lowe Oct 07, 2008
This was a CD purchased for my husband. As he already has it in a cassette and wanted to get a CD of it, I would assume that it is a favorite of his and that he would recommend it highly.
 Bashing Out the Pop Mar 08, 2008
Anyone delving into the evolution of power pop in the 70s, should do themselves a favor and grab this album. I ran into Nick as I was checking out the early, arguably best, Costello albums. Yeah as a child of the 70s, I was familiar with the cryptic yet smart hit Cruel To Be Kind but never followed up. I think one of the reasons that Nick has fallen under the radar is that he has always been a musician/songwriter over being a star. Rather than get hung up on image, as it seems from this best of collection, he has consistently focused on craft. Consistently over this album, he is not looking to impress but on offering good compositions with enough lyrical turns and musicianship to keep you coming back. And that is impressive enough for me! The first fourteen tracks are the highlight of the record, focusing on his first two records with Rockpile (Gotta get Minutes of Pleasure). After that things get a bit spotty. Things rise and fall on the characteristics of his collaborators. The low point for me is his slower material and the stuff which sounds way too 80s. "I Knew The Bride" has way too much Huey Lewis feel for my liking. Then again "Half a Boy" runs "? and The Mysterians" through new wave production to produce a catchy little number. So when I look back at it, two-thirds is a damn good hits to miss ratio. Atop of the 14(!) song winning streak, you get little gems like "7 Nights to Rock" and "Raging Eyes". Pretty good deal. Since I've bought this disc, I have come back numerous times. It totally offsets the lesser lights. So if you want, pop craft with hooks and smarts, come and get this!
Basher, Best Of Nick Lowe Feb 28, 2008
Really good compilation of his better songs. A few were omitted,but those are for others to find.Really good quality too,which is nice.worth owning.some awesome songs that i remember wondering who in heck sang that
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Hall of Famer deserves better Sep 21, 2007
One of music's little indignities is that your greatest achievements wind up disappearing if the curators don't give a damn. Such is the case with Nick Lowe, a criminally underrated artist who helped shape the sound of the 80's. His production work with the likes of Elvis Costello and Graham Parker all but defined New Wave, his work with Rockpile is perfect and his solo albums always had reasons to actively listen.
Alas, from that classic period, this is all that remains domestically available. "Basher" (a nickname he earned for his production methods, famously described by Elvis Costello as "a fader in one hand and a vodka bottle in the other") is 25 songs from 8 albums, the first 14 from "Jesus of Cool/Pure Pop For Now People" and "Labour Of Lust." His best known song, "Cruel to be Kind" is here in all its pure pop glory, along with such proto-punk material like "I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass" from the Stiff record days. There's the perversely witty "Marie Provost" ("she was a winner that became the doggie's dinner") and "Cracking Up" as well.
After that, each album gets a slim pick or two (The Rose of England manages four) and only one solitary track from Rockpile's "Seconds of Pleasure" (and not even "Teacher Teacher!"). There's some cool pubrock/rockabilly like "Half a Boy and Half a Man" (should have been a hit!) and "7 Nights to Rock" which belies the depth of later albums. This leaves off a great deal of interesting songs ("Stick it Where The Sun Don't Shine" and "The Beast in Me" would have made my list) and stops when Lowe left Columbia for "Party of One." Lowe is one of those heritage artists who deserves a double "Essentials" collection, and his golden albums should be available to all.
Which leads to my final comments: Why is Lowe yet to be even nominated for The Rock and Roll Hall of fame? He is the architect of a lot of the sound we came to identify as a decade, even to where Huey Lewis is a producer on "I Knew The Bride" (and once covered it) and such luminaries as John Hiatt and Paul Carrack make appearances. The other is that this album is a 1989 master of songs that you can't get anywhere else. Lowe deserves better.
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