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Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 41 No. 18. July 24 1978

Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe

The cover of this album really sums up its contents. Six photos of Lowe dressed in a style parodying the artists of the 60s. In one he looks like the peace-love period of the Move, in another he is grinning in all the boyish exuberance of a Peter Noone. In the corner of each photo is a jumble of letters that, deciphered, read "pure pop for now people" and that's exactly what this record is about. It is a blatant and shameless copy of the pop music of the 60s with an injection of Lowe's own teasing lyrics.

Every track on this album recalls the halycon days of the 60s. Lowe's lyrics are incisive and wrapped in an enticing melodic structure that disguises what is very often rather morbid. Lowe's voice is not very strong, he relies on multi-tracking and harmonies to give it some depth, however that is not necessarily a weakness. His soft whispery style sounds rather like Peter Noone's (RIP "Sleepy Joe").

The single off the album shows how Lowe can treat a murky subject. "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" is mellifluent and extremely listenable - the only connection between the music and the lyrics comes through a solitary tambourine sound. One is lead to believe that the singer is not really serious about the subject. In fact it's deliberately repetitive yet light melody stands as a parody of contemporary new wave songs that deal with similar topics in a way that brings a real (almost painful at times) connection between lyric and melody/beat.

"Little Hitler" deliberately recalls B. J. Kramer's "Little Children" in melody and vocal delivery, yet its lyrics deal with what is almost the precise opposite. "Shake and Pop" is a rock and roll type song similar to countless others produced in the 60s. In "Tonight", a typical teenage love ballad, Lowe sounds exactly fike Peter Noone. "Marie Provost" is a deliberate parody of songs that Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich used to sing.

The song that I found most appealing was "Nutted by Reality" — a song about Castro. The song begins by attacking the Soviet puppet's masculinity, "Well I heard they castrated Castro, Heard they cut off everything he had...". The song begins with a virile reggae type beat but after Castro's plight has been described the song breaks into a commercial poppy calypso typical of Paul Simon. The song is about how what began as something laudable (Castro's 'spirit') has become nutted by reality. The medody mirrors this change. The song's tune is inoffensively pop, in fact it would have made the charts in the 'good ole days' before disco and Abba.

What is Lowe trying to do? Is he attacking the old pop music or praising it? I suspect that the album is tongue in cheek but despite that I can sense the twisted sort of admiration this guy has for the 60's pop. It's a great album if you're a sucker (like I am) for the British pop of the ′60s However like most of that music it becomes a bit boring after you've heard it countless times. Don't let that put you off the album because it really is a great party album and Lowe will pick up a lot of fans once the word gets round. There is nothing profound in the album, just a shameless and light-hearted romp with the past.

Paul McHugh