Introducing the Band:
Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Matt Murray. Matt is the recently departed editor of the Wall Street Journal, now on assignment for its parent company, News Corp. Check him out on Twitter at @murraymatt.
Matt’s Music Pick: Nick Lowe
Okay, it says “Nick Lowe” right there above this line, but we need to be straight with you -- there’s a lot of other stuff happening in this show. Nick Lowe-adjacent acts are featured prominently, too. That means talk about Brinsley Schwarz, Rockpile, Dave Edmunds, and many, many more (even Huey Lewis!).
There's a really simple way to summarize this episode: Here's a 3.5-hour love letter to Nick Lowe. That's pretty much the plot, people. Three hosts with a deep, abiding adoration for the music and production contributions of one of the biggest missing names from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Now, I imagine there are some people who are saying, "Nick who?" After all, Lowe's career is the definition of a technical one-hit wonder -- a single top-40 song (“Cruel To Be Kind”) and that's it in terms of true chart success. First of all, everyone is in for a treat, from longtime fans to newbies. Albums such as Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust are among the very best released in the 1970s. Second, Nick Lowe's musical influence and work as a producer certainly will be familiar to you.
The term “Pub Rock” describes an entire wave of U.K. acts, and Nick was at the center of most of them. This means Brinsley Schwarz and Dave Edmunds for sure, but also acts such as Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, and The Damned. This was a back-to-basics movement and a reaction to the bloat of progressive rock and the flash of glam. These artists instead looked to the rock and R&B of the '50s and '60s as guideposts.
This is such a fun story to tell because the music is undeniable. The melodies are unimpeachable. And Nick Lowe's "second act" in his career has been so creatively satisfying. Starting with The Impossible Bird, he builds an entirely new sound and feel that is just as rewarding as the early work.
He’s Nick Lowe and Political Beats is here to make the case that, although he’s not a household name, he certainly should be.
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Episode 113: Andrew Heaton / 'Weird Al' Yankovic
Episode 112: Scott Immergut / Squeeze
Episode 111: Eli Lake / Prince [Part 3]
Episode 110: Eli Lake / Prince [Part 2]
Episode 109: Eli Lake / Prince [Part 1]
Episode 108: Mike Long / Robbie Fulks
Episode 107: Rory Cooper / Paul Simon
Episode 106: Andrew Prokop / Kate Bush
Episode 105: Bruce Edward Walker / Warren Zevon
Episode 104: Charles C. W. Cooke / Fleetwood Mac [Part 2]
Episode 103: Charles C. W. Cooke / Fleetwood Mac
Episode 102: Daniel Gullotta / Michael Jackson
Episode 101: Matt Lewis / John Mellencamp
Episode 100: Andrew Fink / The Allman Brothers Band
Episode 99: Randy Barnett / Traffic & Steve Winwood
Episode 98: Jeff Dufour / Neil Young [Part 3]
Episode 97: Jeff Dufour / Neil Young [Part 2]
Episode 96: Jeff Dufour / Neil Young [Part 1]
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