#296/931 LISTENING POST ADMIN DISCOVERY
August 14 1985
Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit
The Rose of England
Genre: Power Pop/Rock
4.75 out of 5
Highlights:
She Don’t Love Nobody
7 Nights to Rock
I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)
Indoor Fireworks
(Hope to God) I’m Right
This is nucking futz.
I’ve never heard this album and yet!!! “I Knew the Bride” is one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time. Seriously. Although, like “From Small Things, Big Things One Day Come”, I think Dave Edmunds version is slightly better than the writer’s. I’m not kidding. Those are two songs I wish my band had covered. I can listen to them any time of day. I’m always happy when they come up and I will stop doing whatever I am doing to listen, air guitar, sing at the top of my lungs. And!!! I always get the lyrics wrong. On both songs!! Because remembering lyrics was never my forte. There’s a story about me, The Andersons and a failed attempt at “Life During Wartime” during a Wheat from Chaff festival.
I think I even forgot the lyrics to “Madeline” when I sang that song with The Piper Downs one night at Molly Malone’s (This is probably the reason I was never asked to sing with them again…)
Side Note: Huey Lewis and the News are the backing band on “I Knew the Bride” here. Yes, that’s Huey on the Harmonica at the break. It’s slower than the Edmunds version, almost as if Nick was saying, “This is how it was supposed to sound, Dave!” and yet, they are both perfect. Just the faster one is preferable.
Lowe is so great here, it’s impossible to find fault when he’s on point. And the band…listen to Carrack lick the keys on “7 Nights to Rock”. I’m air piano-ing and I’ve never heard the song before. Yes, I know it’s a cover. There’s a few here. Still great.
This album is a dance hall tossback. It’s a love letter to the “Rock and Roll” of wing tips and poodle skirts, of Mary Janes and slicked back, jet black hair. But it’s never nostalgic. It’s infused with its inspiration. That makes it brilliant.
Excuse me while I flip it over and start again.
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