Jesus of Cool [Original recording reissued]

With ten bonus tracks of superior quality added to the original album, 'Jesus Of Cool' is one of the best reissues you'll hear. Lowe used a pool of musicians drawn mainly from his old mates in Brinsley Schwarz, some of whom were by this time in The Rumour, while his other pals from Rockpile appear here and there.

'Music For Money' is an uncharacteristically heavy track and, like several tracks, takes a wry look at the music business. Lowe's wicked undercurrent of humour was evident even in the late 1970s, a time when he was emerging as an in-demand producer, often working with new wave artists. 'I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass' is a one-off: a beaty hit recording featuring piano as sharp as the title suggests. 'Little Hitler' features a lush, Spectoresque sound which perfectly complements the gentle melody. 'Shake And Pop' is a dirty piece of mid-paced r&b that found an alternative home in the b-side 'They Called It Rock,' which was effectively a Rockpile track. 'Tonight' features superb harmonies before Lowe returns to the great, jangly rocker, 'So It Goes.'

'No Reason' features a sound and reggae-influenced style reminiscent of Elvis Costello's 'Watching The Detectives,' but more uptempo. The drum work across the album is impressive, but is superb on this track. For all his neat wordplay and catchy melodies, Lowe didn't cheat on the rhythm section. '36 Inches High' is a weird one, sparse, eerie, but like so many of the tracks on this album, unique.

The three tracks that close the album proper are among Lowe's best-known. He lets loose his full battery of lyrical knives on 'Marie Provost' yet couches it in exquisite, harmonic pop. 'Nutted By Reality' is two songs stitched together, the first funky (he couldn't resist the line 'Well, I heard they castrated Castro' - typical Lowe), the second more like a gentle knees-up. 'Heart Of The City' is a live recording, but the studio version of this lightning-fast rocker is included as a bonus. Dave Edmunds recorded this track for his 'Tracks On Wax 4' album in the same year, which Lowe produced.

As for the bonus tracks themselves, you won't find a duff 'un, but there are one or two oddities. Among these are his 'tribute' to the Bay City Rollers (very catchy), performed in the Rollers' style, the nifty instrumental, 'Shake That Rat,' which recalls Jet Harris and Tony Meehan. 'Endless Sleep' features Lowe almost whispering the vocal over a solo electric guitar and recaptures the experience of listening to vinyl with the faint background hiss. There are a couple of covers; I was surprised to find he'd done 'Halfway To Paradise.' There's also an early version of his hit 'Cruel To Be Kind,' which has a more disco-like rhythm.

I hope I've sold this to the inquisitive - it's just over an hour of intelligent and entertaining rock and pop from one of our best songwriters. Thank God he's still making music.

The best re-issue for as long as I can remember. This album has been underservedly forgotten over the years and it's great Nick Lowe is getting some of the recognition he deserves. The album (which although brilliant on it's own) comes with 10 extra tracks that make it an invaluable purchase.

All this new material, along with one of the best examples of CD packaging I have ever seen (the CD casing opens into a crucifix), plus excellent booklet notes (written by Will Birch) make this an ABSOLUTE must buy for anybody interested in popular music.

I wonder why such a talented singer & songwriter should be so obscure? To me, he’s as good as Elvis Costello. Every single one of these tracks is great. To single out just 4 of them: (I Love The Sound Of ) Breaking Glass with its killer hook (very evocative of David Bowie’s Breaking Glass on his “Low” album), the chilling tale of Mary Provost (an actress who lost it when the talkies came in and who was eaten by her doggie in a “cheap hotel up on Hollywood West”), the hilarious So It Goes with its quirky beat and the singalong Nutted By Reality. I recommend this album to those who love intelligent rock-pop with clever lyrics and catchy melodies. Very much like early Elvis Costello.