Nick Lowe - Labour Of Lust

Original Release Date

1979

Release Information

UK LP 1979 (Radar - RAD 21)

A1 Cruel To Be Kind 3:26
A2 Cracking Up 2:57
A3 Big Kick, Plain Scrap 2:27
A4 Born Fighter 3:05
A5 You Make Me 1:49
A6 Skin Deep 3:12
B1 Switchboard Susan 3:46
B2 Endless Grey Ribbon 3:12
B3 Without Love 2:27
B4 Dose Of You 3:19
B5 Love So Fine 3:52

___________________________________________________

US LP 1979 (Columbia - JC 36087)

A1 Cruel To Be Kind 3:26
A2 Cracking Up 2:57
A3 Big Kick, Plain Scrap 2:27
A4 American Squirm 2:29
A5 You Make Me 1:49
A6 Skin Deep 3:12
B1 Switch Board Susan 3:46
B2 Dose Of You 3:18
B3 Without Love 2:27
B4 Born Fighter 3:07
B5 Love So Fine 3:52

___________________________________________________

UK CD 2011 (Proper Records - PRPCD077)

1 Cruel To Be Kind 3:29
2 Cracking Up 2:58
3 Big Kick, Plain Scrap 2:27
4 American Squirm 2:30
5 Born Fighter 3:08
6 You Make Me 1:51
7 Skin Deep 3:13
8 Switchboard Susan 3:47
9 Endless Grey Ribbon 3:15
10 Without Love 2:28
11 Dose Of You 3:19
12 Love So Fine 3:52
13 Basing Street 2:32

1-3, 5-12: from the UK version of LP
4: A-Side of the American Squirm 7", 1978. Also included on the US version of the LP in place of 'Endless Grey Ribbon'
13: B-Side of Cracking Up 7", 1979

Chart Placings

UK Chart Hit: 43, 6 wks

Credits

UK LP:

Recorded at Eden Studios, London and Love Studios, Helsinki, Finland.
Taped by Roger Bechirian
Production co-ordination: Sebastian Bach

Personnel on Labour Of Lust:
Nick Lowe - bass guitar, vocals
Dave Edmunds - rhythm and solo guitars, background vocals
Billy Bremner - rhythm and solo guitars, background vocals
Terry Williams - drums

Nick Lowe thanks Huey Lewis for harmonica on 'Born Fighter' and Bob Andrews for oberheim on 'Endless Grey Ribbon'

Produced by the artist for Rivera Global Record Productions Ltd

Reviews & Opinions

RED STARR, SMASH HITS, JULY 12 -25, 1979: The arch-thief at work again - no wonder they call him Nick. Spotting the steal is an entertainment in itself on this tuneful, cheerful, all-purpose pop-rock collection. Interesting country music touches too. Very catchy and nicely unpretentious stuff, but hardly earth shattering. Best Trax: 'Cruel To Be Kind', 'Cracking Up'. (7 out of 10).

PUNKY GIBBON: Less adventurous in both arrangements and subject matter than Jesus Of Cool, this is new wave pub rock, but with killer tunes and funny lyrics. ‘Cruel To Be Kind’ and ‘Skin Deep‘ are pop songs of the very highest order, while ‘Crackin’ Up’ is agreeably neurotic. ‘Born Fighter’ proffers forth a more defiant, never-say-die image for Lowe, and does it with aplomb. As testament to Lowe’s charisma, he manages to make the brazenly sexist garbage of ‘Love So Fine’ quite wholesome, and pulls off the feat of delivering a succession of Carry On-style double entendres on ‘Switchboard Susan’ without sounding like a twat.

TERRY STAUNTON, RECORD COLLECTOR, 2011: Rockpile were a nigh-on permanent fixture on Top Of The Pops in the summer of 1979, courtesy of a string of hit singles released under the names of their two figureheads Lowe (Cracking Up, Cruel To Be Kind) and Dave Edmunds (Girls Talk, Queen Of Hearts). They were the chart-friendly fruits borne from two albums recorded simultaneously, the latter’s Repeat When Necessary and this sparkling set of bouncy guitar-based pop. Labour Of Lust was very much a band affair, compared to the bits-and-pieces approach Lowe took on his solo debut Jesus Of Cool the previous year; the sound of a crack unit equally at home on the fast-paced rock of Born Fighter or Switchboard Susan as they were on the more acoustic introspection of Skin Deep or Endless Grey Ribbon. Lowe’s wit shines through in abundance on the cheeky chat-ups of Love So Fine or Dose Of You, while the hopped-up hoedown of Without Love (later covered by Johnny Cash) is an early indication of the more countrified path he’s taken on recent releases. This reissue adds a couple of bonus tracks, the B-side Basing Street and the non-album single American Squirm, the latter with backing from Elvis Costello & The Attractions, but a TV documentary screened shortly after its first release saw Rockpile working on other material in the studio. Presumably, unreleased tracks remain in the vaults, and it would have been nice for them to have been given an airing here.

Additional Notes

None yet

Images

UK LP 1979 (Radar - RAD 21). Click here for more

US LP 1979 (Columbia - PC 36087). Click here for more

UK CD 2011 (Proper Records - PRPCD077)

 

You can add stuff and make comments/corrections by emailing me at:

[email protected]

COMMENTS

Back To Top