‘I’d give the album a solid seven out of ten and that’s a high score for me,’ says Nick Lowe
“IT’S not like I’m a hit-making machine,” decides Nick Lowe with refreshing candour.
“Quite the reverse,” he continues as he considers nearly six decades in the music business.
But I can’t help thinking: “Hang on a minute, isn’t this the bloke whose songs and production duties have left an indelible mark on pop culture?”
In tandem with punk, Lowe surfed the crest of the New Wave and, as his debut album title suggests, he was the scene’s “Jesus Of Cool”.
Among his songs is Cruel To Be Kind, originally intended for his first major band, Brinsley Schwarz, purveyors of “pub rock” in the early Seventies.
Re-recorded in 1979 for his second solo album, Labour Of Lust, the song earned Lowe a place on the list of American one-hit wonders.
“That’s high praise indeed,” he tells me with a wry smile.
Then there’s (What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, covered in style by the singer Lowe describes as “his younger, more successful brother” — Elvis Costello.
In 1992, the song reached even greater heights of popularity when the Curtis Stigers version graced the mega-selling soundtrack to The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.
Other Lowe compositions that may ring a bell include So It Goes, I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass and I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock ’n’ Roll).
There are the songs he recorded with his other band, Rockpile, alongside Dave Edmunds such as When I Write The Book and Play That Fast Thing (One More Time).
‘Smell of onions’
And what about The Beast In Me, written for Johnny Cash when Lowe was married to The Man In Black’s stepdaughter Carlene Carter?
Let’s also not forget that Lowe, as producer, helmed Costello’s first five LPs, debut singles by The Damned (New Rose) and Pretenders (Stop Your Sobbing) as well as albums by Dr Feelgood, Graham Parker and Wreckless Eric, among others.
But I’m meeting him to celebrate his first studio album in 11 years, Indoor Safari, a retro-styled trawl through rock and roll, rockabilly, soul and the golden age of Tin Pan Alley.
The 12 tracks are a masterclass in songwriting, crafted in the company of his mysterious, mask-wearing but finely tuned American partners in crime, Los Straitjackets.
“They’re a terrific bunch and they’ve found their own way of interpreting my songs,” says Lowe over a flat white outside a coffee shop near the BBC building, a stone’s throw from Oxford Circus.
As for the instrumental group’s intimidating Mexican wrestling masks, he adds: “They present themselves as one entity.
“Audiences aren’t distracted by a guitar player being a bit more handsome than the drummer.”
Lowe is happy with the results of their combined labours but keeps up his self-deprecating tone.
“I’d give the album a solid seven out of ten and that’s a high score for me,” he says. (There I was thinking of at least an eight).
At 75, Lowe is looking well — big, chunky glasses and a full, bequiffed head of white hair giving him the air of a rock elder statesman.
But I soon discover that the songwriter known to some as The Bard Of Brentford has few airs and graces, just a whole bunch of fascinating tales.
I didn’t like punk music but I did like that attitude. It was totally up my street
Nick Lowe on the punk scene’s ethos
For most of his career, Lowe has lived in the West London town that is home to the Premier League’s high-flying, red and white-striped Bees.
“Actually, I’ve got two houses in Brentford,” he informs me.
“One is the family home and the other is the little house I’ve had since I first moved there.
“I use it as a writing place, somewhere to get away from it all and stay up late.”
As for the football club, currently punching above its weight at sixth in the top tier, Lowe admits: “I have a season ticket but I don’t like it when it’s freezing cold.”
He says the club’s new ground, the Community Stadium, is a far cry from its former home at Griffin Park.
“Thinking about the old days, I can remember the smell of onions and this lethal entrance tunnel which was an accident waiting to happen,” he says.
“Now we have a fantastic stadium and the fans create a big atmosphere.”
Lowe heaps praise on Danish manager Thomas Frank, who, he says, has “great energy” and has stuck with the young team.
But we digress — this is all about the man who first plied his trade in the sweaty, smoke-filled pubs of London.
The vibrant, no-frills pub rock scene was the forerunner to punk and New Wave and Lowe, as a member of Brinsley Schwarz, recalls having “a fantastic time”.
Among his peers were “Dr Feelgood, Ian Dury with his band Kilburn And The High Roads and, lest we forget, Dire Straits, who started out as a pub rock group.”
The upbeat opening track on Lowe’s new album, Went To A Party, was first played live a few years ago when he supported his old mate Elvis Costello on tour.
Its mention brings memories flooding back, to the years from 1977 and 1981 when he produced Costello’s first five albums — My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!! and Trust.
“He’s terrific,” says Lowe.
“He’s the younger, more successful brother that I never had.
“I was very lucky to work with him at that time.
“He also had this amazing group (The Attractions).”
In turn, Costello had been a huge fan of Brinsley Schwarz, which explains how he first heard one of Lowe’s signature songs, (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding.
He says: “I didn’t get him to do it.
“He came into the studio one day and said, ‘I want to do that old Brinsleys song.’
“He did a fantastic version, the one everybody knows.”
Lowe has always been a student of numerous styles of music, dating back to the pre-Beatles era, and a magpie mentality comes through strongly in his work.
“I like all kinds of American music including show tunes, film soundtracks — not just rock and roll and pop,” he says.
“Also, I like what happens when it comes over here to Britain.
“You can make up your own rules.”
But Lowe has never been a fan of punk.
“It had this tiresome aspect where you had to be terrible to be any good,” he says.
“I came from a generation where we played all day and all night, trying our best to get good, to work the room, to be a well-oiled machine.
“I’d been a mod. I listened to R&B.
“I liked garage rock and roll — The Stooges, MC5 and Ramones.
“They were great.
“But that shouty stuff was awful,” he affirms, before adding, “I didn’t like punk music but I did like that attitude.
“It was totally up my street.”
‘Tired of shtick’
A great example of Lowe’s musical depth and breadth is his biggest hit, Cruel To Be Kind.
Written with bandmate Ian Gomm in his Brinsley Schwarz days, it is inspired by a song they loved, The Love I Lost by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.
Lowe says: “We were very keen on disco stuff, the Philly sound etc, so I said, ‘Tell you what, I’ll write a song with The Love I Lost groove.’”
The first version of Cruel To Be Kind was intended for a never released final Brinsley Schwarz album but it surfaced as the B-side to Lowe’s solo single Little Hitler.
He picks up the story of how it finally became a hit: “I was signed to Columbia Records in the States at the same time as Elvis Costello by a really great guy called Gregg Geller.
“We’re still good friends.
“He was an old-school A&R, quietly spoken, lovely.
“He used to wear hairy sports jackets with leather patches and looked like a college lecturer.
“We could talk knowledgeably about Joe Tex and obscure Southern soul music.”
The public were tired of my shtick, as was I. I had to take myself out of the equation, dry myself out and, frankly, I had to get divorced as well.
Nick Lowe on his struggles in the Eighties
As is the way of the music business, all Lowe’s demos stretching back landed on Geller’s desk.
“He said, ‘I’ve been listening to your work and I found a song which I like very much, Cruel To Be Kind.’
“I replied, ‘Yeah, that’s great but I’ve got a film star who’s been eaten by a dog.’”
Lowe was talking about his song Marie Provost with its line, “She was a winner that became the doggie’s dinner.”
Geller persisted, however, and though Lowe “tried to get out of it until I realised he was serious”, he went into the studio with Rockpile and re-did Cruel To Be Kind.
The new version arrived with a video featuring his bride, Carlene Carter, the singing daughter of June Carter and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash.
Despite its success, the song did not kickstart a glorious, chart- topping run.
As Lowe explains, the Eighties proved tough.
“It was a time when people from a roots background lost their way — the production went all thin.
“Synths and huge drum sounds were everywhere.”
He confesses: “I went down the wormhole of drinking heavily and taking lots of drugs in a bid to inspire myself but I could tell that my time as a pop star was over.
“The public were tired of my shtick, as was I.
“I had to take myself out of the equation, dry myself out and, frankly, I had to get divorced as well.” (He and Carlene parted ways in 1990).
Between 1994 and 2001, Lowe proved his songwriting skills were undimmed on a trio of excellent albums known as The Brentford Trilogy.
Further albums At My Age, The Old Magic and the festive Quality Street are the work of an older, wiser artist, comfortable in his own skin.
Now, finally, we have the hugely entertaining Indoor Safari, even though Lowe thought he might never make another album.
“I realised that the money is in playing live these days,” he says.
“I’ve got a large catalogue to draw on so I thought I’d just do that.
“Plus I only know how to make records in the old-fashioned way.
“You have a room.
“You get a bunch of blokes in there.
“Someone counts you in and off you go.
“People don’t make records like that any more.
“Most are done in bedrooms on computers with kit that costs a couple of hundred quid.”
‘Much more fun’
But playing live with Los Straitjackets, who he met through their shared manager, changed Lowe’s mind.
Many of the songs on Indoor Safari appeared on various EPs dating back to 2018 but now they’ve all been redone, with the help of mixer Alex Hall, to make an album with a consistently sparkling sound.
I’m managing to do what I want these days. It’s a deal you make . . . you know you’re never going to make it big but life is much more fun.
Nick Lowe on his current approach to life and music
There’s Love Starvation, which Lowe likens to an old Rockpile number, and the rousing Trombone which “channels Neil Diamond”.
Tokyo Bay is classic rockabilly.
“The title sounds so romantic,” laughs Lowe, “But it’s just an enormous, filthy area with chimneys belching out smoke.”
One of two covers, A Quiet Place, originally performed by soul singer Garnet Mimms, was suggested by his musician son Roy, whose mum is Lowe’s second wife Peta Waddington.
“Roy is 19 and a drummer for a really good songwriter and performer called Willie J Healey,” says proud Dad.
“He’s done well because the rest of the band are quite a bit older.”
Next up for Lowe is a UK tour with Los Straitjackets, including a date at The London Palladium on September 24.
“I’m managing to do what I want these days,” he says.
“It’s a deal you make . . . you know you’re never going to make it big but life is much more fun.”
NICK LOWE
Powered by Los Straitjackets
Indoor Safari
★★★★☆
7/10
(Nick Lowe’s rating)