Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit (album)
Encyclopedia
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit is a 1984 album by British
singer-songwriter
Nick Lowe
. The record marked the official debut of Lowe's new band, the Cowboy Outfit (although all of the bandmembers had appeared on Lowe's previous album, The Abominable Showman
).
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit incorporates more of a roots rock
feel than Lowe's previous albums, including nods to Tex-Mex
music ("Half A Boy And Half A Man"), 1950s guitar instrumentals ("Awesome"), and country music
(via a cover of Faron Young
's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
"). Other notable tracks include the soul
-influenced "L.A.F.S."—which was co-produced and arranged by Elvis Costello
(a role reversal of sorts, as Lowe had produced Costello's first five albums).
The album also includes a cover of Mickey Jupp
's "You'll Never Get Me Up In One Of Those," which had been previously recorded by Lowe's former Rockpile
bandmate Dave Edmunds
(the Edmunds version can be heard on his album Twangin...
). Rockpile had also played as backing band on the Jupp original, on his 1978 album 'Juppanese'.
Despite good reviews (including a B+ grade from critic Robert Christgau
), Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit only reached #113 on the Billboard 200
. The first single off the album, "Half A Boy And Half A Man", would become a moderate chart hit in the UK, reaching #53.
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit was reissued in 2000 by Demon Music Group
.
Note: the US and UK versions of the album had different track orders; the above is the US order. However, there are no song differences between the two.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
. The record marked the official debut of Lowe's new band, the Cowboy Outfit (although all of the bandmembers had appeared on Lowe's previous album, The Abominable Showman
The Abominable Showman
The Abominable Showman is a Long Play Record Album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. It was released in 1983 and was Lowe's fourth solo LP.* See 1983 in music.-Side A:# "We Want Action" - 2:35...
).
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit incorporates more of a roots rock
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
feel than Lowe's previous albums, including nods to Tex-Mex
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
music ("Half A Boy And Half A Man"), 1950s guitar instrumentals ("Awesome"), and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
(via a cover of Faron Young
Faron Young
Faron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young was Faron Young's first number one song and his fifth consecutive top ten hit. It spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard country music charts in 1955. "This was a tune I detested," Faron said. "Ken Nelson made me record this song. I put it out and it was a...
"). Other notable tracks include the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-influenced "L.A.F.S."—which was co-produced and arranged by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
(a role reversal of sorts, as Lowe had produced Costello's first five albums).
The album also includes a cover of Mickey Jupp
Mickey Jupp
Michael 'Mickey' Jupp is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene....
's "You'll Never Get Me Up In One Of Those," which had been previously recorded by Lowe's former Rockpile
Rockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
bandmate Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
(the Edmunds version can be heard on his album Twangin...
Twangin...
Twangin'... is a 1981 album by Dave Edmunds, and his final recording for Swan Song Records before moving to the Columbia label. The album would also be the last Edmunds solo effort to feature the band he co-led at the time, Rockpile....
). Rockpile had also played as backing band on the Jupp original, on his 1978 album 'Juppanese'.
Despite good reviews (including a B+ grade from critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
), Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit only reached #113 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The first single off the album, "Half A Boy And Half A Man", would become a moderate chart hit in the UK, reaching #53.
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit was reissued in 2000 by Demon Music Group
Demon Music Group
Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Nick Lowe, except as indicated- "Half a Boy and Half a Man" - 2:52
- "Breakaway" (Tom SpringfieldTom SpringfieldTom Springfield is the brother of Dusty Springfield and an important figure in the 1960s folk and pop music scene...
) - 3:38 - "You'll Never Get Me Up in One of Those" (Mickey JuppMickey JuppMichael 'Mickey' Jupp is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene....
) - 4:38 - "Love Like a Glove" (Carlene CarterCarlene CarterCarlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
, James Eller) - 3:14 - "The Gee and The Rick and The Three Card Trick" - 4:19
- "(Hey Big Mouth) Stand Up and Say That" - 2:47
- "Awesome" (Lowe/Profile) - 2:48
- "God's Gift to Women" - 3:30
- "Maureen" - 3:04
- "L.A.F.S." - 3:32
- "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die YoungLive Fast, Love Hard, Die YoungLive Fast, Love Hard, Die Young was Faron Young's first number one song and his fifth consecutive top ten hit. It spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard country music charts in 1955. "This was a tune I detested," Faron said. "Ken Nelson made me record this song. I put it out and it was a...
" (Joe AllisonJoe AllisonJoe Marion Allison was an American Hall of Fame songwriter, a radio and television personality, a record producer, and a country music business executive....
) - 2:39
Note: the US and UK versions of the album had different track orders; the above is the US order. However, there are no song differences between the two.
Personnel
- Nick LoweNick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
- vocals, bass guitar, guitar - Martin BelmontMartin BelmontMartin Belmont is a rock 'n' roll and country-blues guitarist.After working as a roadie for Brinsley Schwarz, in 1972 he formed Ducks Deluxe, issuing two albums on RCA...
- guitar - Paul CarrackPaul CarrackPaul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
- keyboards, backing vocals - Bobby Irwin - drums, backing vocals
- Billy BremnerBilly Bremner (musician)William "Billy" Bremner is a guitarist best known for his work in the band Rockpile and on many of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds' albums...
- guitar on "Break Away" and "Love Like A Glove" - Bobby ValentinoBobby Valentino (UK)Bobby Valentino is an English violinist, singer, songwriter and actor.-Career:Born in Chatham, Kent, he adopted the stage name Bobby Valentino in 1975...
- fiddle on "God's Gift To Women" - TKO HornsThe TKO HornsThe TKO Horns were horn section formed in 1982 when Big Jim Paterson , Paul Speare and Brian Maurice left Dexys Midnight Runners. After a brief spell touring with Paul Young's Q Tips they began performing on a regular basis with Elvis Costello...
(Jeff Blythe - saxophone; Jimmy Paterson - trombone; Dave Plews - trumpet; Paul Speare - saxophone) - horns on "L.A.F.S."
Production credits
- Produced by Nick LoweNick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
, Colin Fairley, Paul RileyPaul Riley (musician)Paul Riley is an English bassist, singer and record producer. He was a member of Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers and Roogalator in the 1970s.-Biography:...
- (tracks 1-10) & Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Colin Fairley - (track 11) - Recorded and Mixed at Ampro Studios - Shepherds Bush, Riverside Studios - Chiswick, Eden Studios - Acton, Boathouse Studios - Twickenham
- Engineering assistants Colin Phillips, Tony Phillips, Chris Ludwinski
- String Arrangements by Robert KirbyRobert KirbyRobert Kirby was a British born arranger of string sections for rock and folk music. He is best known for his work on the Nick Drake albums, Five Leaves Left and Bryter Layter, but has also worked with Elton John, Ralph McTell, Strawbs, Paul Weller and Elvis Costello.-At Cambridge:Patrick...
- (track 11) - Horn Arrangement by Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
- (track 11)