Rockpile - No Rock Unturned - Live Compilation 1977-1980

Rockpile

(Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner, Terry Williams)
No Rock Unturned (Compilation of various Live tracks) (TDR-080)
1977-1980
Soundboard recordings, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 320 kbps) versions

I recently ran across this compilation of Live tracks from the legendary rock band Rockpile (for more on Rockpile, see previous posts), that I hadn't seen before and didn't have. It compiles tracks from various live sources. Most of these tracks are included in other shows I have posted here previously, but there are a few new or different ones, and they are nicely presented here as sort of extended Rockpile show. Although I prefer some of the full concerts previously posted, I thought it would be good to post this as well, for completeness, and you can never have too much Rockpile in your life. Enjoy.

Tracklist:
1. Crawling From The Wreckage
2. Little Sister
3. Back To Schooldays
4. I Knew The Bride
5. A Mess Of Blues
6. Here Comes The Weekend / So Fine
7. Girls Talk
8. Born Fighter
9. Cruel To Be Kind
10. Jailhouse Rock
11. Let It Rock
12. Fool Too Long
13. No More Mister Nice Guy
14. It's My Own Business
15. Never Been In Love
16. So Fine
17. Deborah
18. Trouble Boys
19. Never Get Me Up In One Of Those
20. Loud Music In Cars
21. Three Time Loser

#1-2 Concert for Kampachea 1979 / Robert Plant on Vocals on #2
#3-6 BBC-4 / 1977
#7-10 Palladium, NYC 1980
#11 Washington DC 1977
#12 San Francisco 1978
#13-16 Bottom Line, NYC 10/1978
#17-19 My Father's Place, NY 11/1978
#20 Billy Bremner - solo single
#21 Concert for Kampuchea 1979

FLAC - Rockpile_No Rock Unturned_Live compilation_FLAC.zip

Mp3 - Rockpile_No Rock Unturned_Live compilation_mp3.zip

 

Nick Lowe (Featuring Los Straitjackets) - Nick Lowe's Quality Holiday Revue - 2015-12-10 - Los Angeles, CA

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets
Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Review
December 10, 2015
El Rey Theatre,
Los Angeles, CA
Audience Recording, good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Now that we've entered into the Christmas Holiday Season, it's time once again for some Holiday-themed live shows. Here's a cool show from a few years ago that featured the unexpected pairing of rock legend Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets for a series of Holiday shows in 2015. Los Straitjackets, of course, are a throwback to the instrumental guitar bands of the 1960's (such as The Ventures, The Shadows, Link Wray, and Dick Dale) playing hits from that era as well as newer songs played in that style. They're a lot of fun to see live, and their pairing with Nick Lowe works well. They play a mix of their respective hits, with numerous Christmas songs thrown in, mostly taken from Nick's recent Christmas album, Quality Street (2013).  It's a fine show and great holiday fun.

Tracklist:
Disc  1  (51:10)
Nick Lowe solo
01. People Change
02. Lay It On Me Baby
03. (Nick talks)
04. A Dollar Short Of Happy
Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets
05. Walking In A Winter Wonderland
06. Ragin' Eyes
07. Christmas At The Airport
08. Without Love
09. You Inspire Me
10. Not Too Long Ago
Los Straitjackets only
11. Sleigh Ride
12. Casbah
13. Aerostar
14. Linus & Lucy
15. Untitled
16. I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass (Nick joins in at end)

Disc 2  (47:20)
Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets
01. Sensitive Man
02. Somebody Cares For Me
03. The North Pole Express
04. Half a Boy and Half a Man
05. Cruel To be Kind
06. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day
07. I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock And Roll)
08. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Encore
Los Straitjackets only
09. Bus Stop
10. Sing Sing
Nick and Los Straitjackets
11. What's So Funny (About Peace, Love and Understanding)
12. Born in Bethlehem
Nick Lowe solo
13. Alison

FLAC - Nick Lowe_Los Straitjackets_Holiday Revue_2015-12-10_LA_FLAC.part1.rar
         Nick Lowe_Los Straitjackets_Holiday Revue_2015-12-10_LA_FLAC.part2.rar
Links updated 12/9/21
mp3 - Nick Lowe_Los Straitjackets_Holiday Revue_2015-12-10_LA_mp3.rar

Ry Cooder & Nick Lowe - 2009-06-27 - Rome, Italy

Ry Cooder & Nick Lowe
2009-06-27
Rome, Italy
Audience recording, Good quality
mp3@ 256 kbps

Here's one more Ry Cooder show, bringing us up to more recent times, and also a show that has him teamed up with another great, Nick Lowe. So, we get a little bit of everything here, from throughout his career (Blues, folk, rock, Mexican, etc.) plus Lowe's added vocals and pop sensibilities and stylings, all combined into a very unique show.  Not a great recording, but, overall a pretty good audience recording, and a very enjoyable performance.

Tracklist
01. Fool Who Knows
02. Fool For A Cigarette / Feelin' Good
03. Vigilante Man
04. Losing Boy
05. Chinito Chinito
06. Crazy 'Bout An Automobile (Every Woman I Know)
07. One Of These Days You Gotta Pay
08. Crying In My Sleep
09. Down In Hollywood
10. The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)
11. Half A Boy And Half A Man
12. Teardrops Will Fall
13. Jesus On The Mainline
14. Impossiblo / You Have to Go
15. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding
16. Little Sister

Bonus Tracks
2009-11-11 - Orchard Hall, Tokyo, Japan
17. A Shrinking Man
18. Across the Borderline
19. Raining Raining
20. 13 Question Method

Ry Cooder-Nick Lowe_2009-06-27_Rome+bonus.rar
Link updated 09/13/21

Rockpile - 1979-08-20 - Palladium, NYC, NY

Rockpile
1979-08-20
The Palladium
New York City, NY
FM Broadcast recording (WLIR-FM), very good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Artwork Included

Here's one more excellent radio broadcast show from the mighty Rockpile. This one from their 1979 US tour, and another WLIR radio show from New York in very good quality, and this one features (finally) a live Rockpile version of Lowe's 'Cruel To Be Kind', as well as a couple other songs ('Born Fighter', cover of  'Jailhouse Rock', etc.) not included in previous shows here. We are very lucky to have so many high quality live shows available from this excellent live band. In addition to those featured here, there are are a few others, including a 1980 NY (The Ritz) performance in a bootleg known as 'Provoked Beyond Endurance'. Also available are 2 very good official live releases (Live at Montreux 1980 and Live at Rockpalast 1980). So, once again, enjoy one more dose of Rockpile. Following this we will go back to featuring some of the other, somewhat lesser-known bands of the Pub Rock movement. 

Tracklist:
01. DJ Intro
02. Down, Down, Down
03. And So It Goes
04. I Knew The Bride
05. Switchboard Susan
06. Crawlin From The Wreckage
07. Trouble Boys
08. Girls Talk
09. Band Intros
10. Crackin Up
11. Born Fighter
12. Let It Rock
13. Cruel To Be Kind
14. I Hear You Knocking
15. Elvis Rap
16. Jailhouse Rock
17. Sweet Little Lisa
18. Love So Fine
19. Love So Fine (cont.)
20. They Call It Rock
21. Ju Ju Man
22. Encore Break
23. Promised Land
24. Lets Talk About Us
25. DJ Outro (0:17)

New Link! Updated 03-06-22
Rockpile_1979-08-20_Palladium.rar

Rockpile - 1978-11-04 - Roslyn, NY

Rockpile
1978-11-04 (Early Show)
My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY 
FM Broadcast recording (WLIR-FM), very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Ok, we're really piling on the Rock now! Here's another fine Radio broadcast show from Rockpile, this one from their 1978 US tour and a stop at My Father's Place in NY. The setlist is similar to others from this period (previously I presented the Bottom Line show from this tour here), so there is nothing new regarding the song selection, but it is another great rollicking show from Nick, Dave, Billy, and Terry, as they show us what rock is all about. 

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Down Down Down
3. And So It Goes
4. I Knew The Bride
5. Deborah
6. Trouble Boys
7. Breaking Glass
8. Never Get Me Up in One of Those
9. Let It Rock
10. So Fine
11. I Hear You Knockin'
12. They Called It Rock
13. Ju Ju Man
14. Heart of the City
15. Crowd noise
16. Let's Talk About Us


mp3:  Rockpile_1978-11-04_RoslynNY_mp3.rar

FLAC: Rockpile_1978-11-04_RoslynNY_FLAC.rar

Rockpile - BBC Sessions (1977 & 1979)

Rockpile
BBC Sessions - 1977 and 1979
February 14 & April 7, 1977; June 16, 1979; BBC In Concert
FM Broadcast Recordings, excellent quality
Available in both lossless (FLAC), where available, and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more live Rockpile! And this time, in excellent quality from BBC radio broadcast recordings, and also available in lossless versions (at least for some). Just great stuff! The only down-side here is that because these are from multiple different sessions, there is some duplication of songs ('I Knew the Bride' 3 times, etc.). Also, I did not have a lossless source for the 1979 session, so that is available as mp3 only, but for the FLAC version I included some tracks from a 1979 San Francisco show (which were included in the lossless show package I received). These are of lesser quality than the BBC material, but still good quality. One other note, I put these together from multiple different partial sources, so there may be some differences or inconsistencies among tracks (volume levels, etc.), but all are high quality recordings that sound great, and together represent the most complete versions of these sessions that are available. So, rock on some more with Rockpile at their best.


Tracklist:
BBC Session February 14, 1977
1. Introduction
2. Heart of The City
3. Ju Ju Man
4. Down Down Down
5. I Knew The Bride
BBC In Concert April 7, 1977 (broadcast April 23, 1977)
6. Introduction
7. Down Down Down
8. Back To Schooldays
9. I Knew The Bride
10. Band Introductions
11. Mess of The Blues
12. I Hear you Knockin
13. They Called It Rock
14. Here Comes the Weekend - So Fine

BBC In Concert June 16, 1979 (mp3 only)
1. Intro
2. Sweet Little Lisa
3. So it Goes
4. I Knew The Bride
5. Girls talk
6. Cracking Up
7. Let It Rock
8. Love So Fine
9. Switchboard Susan
10. Ju Ju Man

1979 San Francisco (Audience recording, good quality) FLAC only;
15. Introduction
16. So It Goes
17. Fool Too Long
18. Breaking Glass
19. They Call It Rock
20. Heart of the City

mp3: Rockpile_BBC sessions_mp3.rar

FLAC: Rockpile_BBC77&SF79_FLAC.rar

Rockpile - 1980-02-06 - Liverpool University

Rockpile
1980-02-06
Mountford Hall, University of Liverpool,
Liverpool, UKAudience recording, good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here's more from Rockpile, this one several months later, back in the UK in early 1980. The setlist is similar to the previous 1979 shows, but does have a few different songs thrown in, and of course features another rollicking performance. This  show was also particularly notable for the opening act, a band billed as 'The Horace Barlow Experience". Actually, it was Elvis Costello  & The Attractions performing incognito in an unbilled, unannounced appearance. This was the first of only two shows (the other being the following night in Bedford) where this occurred. Of course, earlier in their career, Rockpile opened for Elvis for many shows on his 1978 US tour, so Elvis was returning the favor here.
 
Tracklist
01. Sweet Little Lisa
02. So It Goes
03. I Knew the Bride (When She Used To Rock & Roll)
04. Switchboard Susan
05. Three Time Loser
06. Trouble Boys
07. Girls Talk
08. Crawling From The Wreckage
09. Singing The Blues
10. Cracking Up
11. The Promised Land
12. I Hear You Knocking
13. They Called It Rock
14. Ju Ju Man
15. Down Down Down
16. Let's Talk About Us

Rockpile_1980-02-06_Liverpool.rar

Rockpile - 1979-07-06 - Boston

Rockpile
1979-07-06
Paradise Ballroom, Boston, MA
FM Broadcast recording (WBCN-FM), very good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

And so now it all comes back to Rockpile, certainly one of the greatest of the pub rock bands, and just a great band all around. I've chronicled the Rockpile story previously, so won't go into it again, but the combination of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds together, their superior songwriting melding with their driving rock spirit and firm grasp of music history and style, and with the able backing of Billy Bremner and Terry Williams, they were just awesome. So, here we have a radio broadcast concert from Boston in 1979. This is several months later than the last Rockpile show I featured (10-24-1978 - NY), and comes at a great period for the band, as it is right on the heels of the release of both Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary and Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust albums (both of which are among their all-time best albums, and both are really Rockpile albums), so this show adds in several new songs from those albums, that were not heard at earlier Rockpile shows (Interestingly, though, 'Cruel to Be Kind' (which would be Nick's biggest hit) had not yet become a hit, and was not played here). So, here, once again, is the legendary Rockpile in their prime, and as a bonus, this show also has Martin Belmont (from The Rumour) as a guest guitarist on 'They Called it Rock'. Enjoy.
 
Tracklist
01. Sweet Little Lisa
02. So It Goes
03. I Knew the Bride (When She Used To Rock & Roll)
04. Switchboard Susan
05. Crawling From The Wreckage
06. Deborah
07. Trouble Boys
08. Cracking Up
09. Born Fighter
10. The Promised Land
11. I Hear You Knocking
12. Queen of Hearts
13. Here Comes The Weekend
14. So Fine
15. They Called It Rock
16. Ju Ju Man
17. Let It Rock - Bye Bye Johnny
18. Let's Talk About Us

Rockpile is:
Dave Edmunds, vocals, guitar
Nick Lowe, vocals, bass guitar
Billy Bremner, vocals, guitar
Terry Williams, drums

Guest: Martin Belmont (The Rumour) plays guitar on track 15, 'They Called It Rock'.

Rockpile_1979-07-06_Boston.rar

Brinsley Schwarz - January 1974 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Brinsley Schwarz
with the Bakersfield Brass
January 1974 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Audience recording, good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Since the previous Brinsley Schwarz post has been so popular, here's some more live Brinsley. This one comes from a show in Amsterdam in 1974, and is a much longer and more complete show, as well as much less commonly available, than the widely available Cardiff, Wales show, also from 1974. More great stuff from Brinsley Schwarz.


Tracklist
01.  You Been Cheating
02.  Small Town
03.  I'll Be Doggone
04.  Love Is Gone
05.  Been So Long
06.  Ran Out Of Tears
07.  Happy Doing What We're Doing
08.  I'll Be Ahead
09.  Don't Lie To Me
10.  Surrender To The Rhythm
11.  Country Girl
12.  Range War
13.  Gonna Be A Breakdown
14.  Save The Last Dance For Me
15.  Down In The Dive
16.  Down In Mexico
17.  Ju Ju Man
18.  Wonder Woman
19.  Home In My Hand
20.  Run Run Rudolph
21.  Brown Sugar

Link updated 12/05/23
Brinsley Schwarz_1974_Amsterdam.rar

 

Brinsley Schwarz - Unknown Numbers (BBC Session Recordings) 1971-1973

Brinsley Schwarz 
1971-1973, 'Unknown Numbers' (Miscellaneous BBC Session Recordings)
FM Broadcast recordings, very good quality
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

It's certainly about time I feature something from the legendary British 'pub rock' band Brinsley Schwarz (1969-1975), who despite being a great band on their own, became known primarily for what its members went on to do afterwards. Brinsley Schwarz the band consisted of guitarist Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe, keyboardist Bob Andrews, and drummer Billy Rankin, initially, and grew out of an earlier incarnation called Kippington Lodge. In 1971 (after their 2nd album), singer-songwriter Ian Gomm was added, and the roster was complete. Brinsley Schwarz released 6 fine albums between 1970 and 1974, and established a reputation as a great live band before splitting to go their separate ways in 1975. Their last album (New Favorites of...) was produced by Dave Edmunds, and they played as Edmunds back-up band on tour at that time and were featured on the live tracks from Dave's solo album, Subtle as a Flying Mallet. Of course, Nick Lowe then went on to team up with Edmunds in the great band Rockpile, as well as establish, record and produce for Stiff records (and many others, producing artists such as The Damned, Elvis Costello, Wreckless Eric, Graham Parker, and The Pretenders), as well as a full solo career of his own, on his way to becoming an icon of britiish pub rock, power pop, punk rock, and new wave, and in recent years, even gentleman crooner. Drummer Billy Rankin and guitarist Brinsley Schwarz joined up with guitarist Martin Belmont briefly in Ducks Deluxe before Schwarz and Belmont, along with keyboardist Bob Andrews then teamed up with Graham Parker to become The Rumour, and one of the best back-up bands in rock history (both with and without Graham). Ian Gomm also went on to a successful solo career. All these artists achieved some great things, but Brinsley Schwarz the band is generally only thought about as being a stepping stone to those other things. Yet, they were a great band, and their music deserves to be heard. In some ways, they are kind of the british equivalent to Buffalo Springfield, not so much in their musical style, but in the fact that although they were a great band, they are seen primarily as a pre-cursor to so much other great music (Buffalo Springfield, and members Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, and Jim Messina, of course, lead to CSN&Y, Poco, Loggins& Messina, Manassas, SHF Band, etc. as well as all their stellar solo work). But anyway, Brinsley Schwarz was pretty great, too, and their excellent musical chops, precision playing and singing, and brilliant songwriting, all stand out on these selections of tracks from various BBC live sessions. Knowing their subsequent musical directions, we expect the tight rock 'n roll sound and the soul influences they show, but what you may not expect, is the strong American country-rock influence shown here. In fact, their overall sound is more strongly influenced by The Byrds, Gram Parsons, and particularly The Band, than just about anyone else (especially in their early years). Great stuff here, yet most of it not known at all in the US. By the way, the performances/recordings included here are supposed to be different from any of the officially released BBC material (on 2 LPs, including Cruel To be Kind-2004, which is excellent), but I have not specifically verified this. So, check out Brinsley Schwarz, not for what its members did later, but for the great music they made that was all their own. 

Tracklist
1. Country Girl (Lowe)
2. Dry Land/Unknown Number (Gomm)
3. Silver Pistol (Lowe)
4. Range War (Gomm)
5. Egypt (Lowe)
6. Nervous on the Road (But Can't Stay at Home) (Lowe)
7. Rockin' Chair (Gomm)
8. Unknown Number (Lowe)
9. It's Been So Long (Gomm)
10. Don't Lose Your Grip on Love (Lowe)
11. Surrender to the Rhythm (Lowe)
12. Home in My Hand (R.Self)
13. Ju Ju Man (Jim Ford/Lolly Vegas)
14. 30 Pounder (Instr.) (Lowe/Gomm/Andrews/Rankin/Schwarz)
15. Hooked on Love (Gomm)
16. It's Been So Long (Gomm)
17. Why Do We Hurt the One We Love? (Lowe)
18. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Lowe)

Tracks 1-7, BBC In Concert, June 18, 1971
Tracks 8-13 BBC In Concert, May 4, 1972
Tracks 14-18, BBC In Concert, Apil 14, 1973

These are different performances/recordings from those on the officially released BBC recordings albums

Brinsley Schwarz_Unknown Numbers-BBC_71-73.rar
Link updated 09/27/21

John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, and Paul Carrack - 1983-12-21 - Copenhagen, Denmark

John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, and Paul Carrack
(with Martin Belmont & Bobby Irwin)
1983-12-21
Copenhagen, Denmark
Audience recording, Very good quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here's a unique show from 1983 that neatly shows the collaboration between these 3 great performers. Previously, I've presented shows from Nick Lowe from around this period, his 'Noise To Go' and 'Cowboy Outfit' Bands that also featured Paul Carrack. As also previously mentioned, this band (which also included ex-Rumour guitarist Martin Belmont and Bobby Irwin on drums) served to back-up both Nick and Paul's solo albums around that time (Paul-Suburban Voodoo-1982, Nick-Nick The Knife-1982, The Abominable Showman-1983, Cowboy Outfit-1984,1985). In addition, they also were featured on John Hiatt's 1983 album, Riding with the King, which was also produced by Lowe. These 1983 shows in Europe and Scandinavia (where they were much more popular than in the U.S.) put them all together for a brief tour. So, we get all three leads taking turns doing their own songs, backed up by Nick's crack ensemble. This fits in nicely with the shows by each artist previously posted. Hiatt is obviously trying to promote Riding with the King, as all of his songs performed are from that album, whereas Nick and Paul do a mixture of new songs with old favorites from their various bands. This was still a few years before Hiatt would team up with Lowe again for 'Bring the Family' and finally become 'popular'. You can then follow the rest of these folks career outlined in the previous posts. A very interesting show and a worthy addition to the shows already posted, as well as a bit of 'history' to add to what is already outlined here.

01 Soul Cruising (Carrack)
02 I Don't Even Try (Hiatt)
03 Saint Beneath the Paint (Lowe)
04 The Love That Harms (Hiatt)
05 Tempted (Carrack)
06 Cruel To Be Kind (Lowe)
07 Switchboard Susan (Lowe)
08 Love Like Blood (Hiatt)
09 Girl On a String (Hiatt)
10 Half a Boy & Half a Man (Lowe)
11 Raging Eyes (Lowe)
12 I Need You (Carrack)
13 Little By Little (Carrack)
14 Cracking Up (Lowe)
15 Falling Up (Hiatt)
16 How Long (Carrack)
17 Burning (Lowe)
18 Lesson In Love (Carrack)
19 Riding With the King (Hiatt)
20 I Can't Win With Your Love (Carrack)
21 I Knew the Bride (Lowe)
22 Heart of the City (Lowe)
23 634-5789 (Lowe, Carrack, Hiatt - Wilson Pickett cover)

New Link! (Updated 09/27/21)
Hiatt_Lowe_Carrack_-_1983-12-21_-_Copenhagen.rar

Little Village (John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, Jim Keltner) 1992-04-26 - Boston

Little Village

(Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Jim Keltner)

April 26, 1992

Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA

FM Broadcast (WBCN), Excellent Quality recording

mp3 @ 256

In 1991, following his successful run of recent albums and tours (1987-1990), John Hiatt wanted to get back together with the band lineup that started it all, the all-star group (Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner) that backed him on his breakthrough 1987 album, Bring The Family. But this time they would be a 'real' band, not just Hiatt's back-up group. So, in early 1992, it was announced that Hiatt, Cooder, Lowe, and Keltner were forming a band, to be known as 'Little Village' (after an earlier idea of calling the band 'Hiatus' was scrapped). This was welcome news for fans, who had high hopes for the reunion of these talented musicians. Unfortunately, when the album was released later that year, most fans were dissappointed with the result. Although a solid album, it just wasn't up to the expectations and high standards set by the talent involved. The songs, which were all listed as collaborations of all four members, were not as memorable as most from Hiatt's (or the other members) recent solo albums. As a result, the group disbanded later that year, and each went back to their own solo work. However, they did tour that year in support of their album, and the tour was much more successful than the album. It is a joy to hear these guys playing together as a band in concert. They are all consumate musicians and just seem to be having fun. For the most part, the Little Village songs also come across much better live than on record, as Ry Cooder's great guitar and slide work is much more prominent in the longer, looser, live versions. And live, the band also gets to do some of their earlier songs (from Bring the Family), as well as a song or two from each of their solo repertoires. So, although Little Village was somewhat of a failed experiment for these guys, their live show, as demonstrated here in Boston on one of their last shows from the American tour, was great, and we were fortunate to have had these guys get together for this tour and interesting musical venture. This is an excellent FM recording, probably the best of the recorded versions of Little Village live shows. So, check 'em out, the once and only Little Village.

Disc 1: 66:22

1. Introduction 1:03

2. She Runs Hot 3:57

3. Band introduction by Nick Lowe 2:53

4. The Action 3:37

5. Fool Who Knows 4:31

6. Crazy About an Automobile 6:06

7. Inside Job 5:23

8. Do You Want My Job? 6:36

9. Alone in the Dark 5:42

10. Take Another Look 4:57

11. Solar Sex Panel 4:57 (tape flip during applause)

12. Don't Think About Her When You're Trying to Drive 6:04

13. Memphis in the Meantime 5:28

14. Crying in My Sleep 5:06

Disc 2: 53:54

15: Don't Go Away Mad 5:10

16: Big Love 8:15

17: Little Sister 4:35

18: Across the Borderline 7:39

19: Carter Alan Encore Break #1 1:07

20: Don't Bug Me When I'm Workin' 5:58 [tape flip during applause]

21: Half a Boy and Half a Man 3:52

22: Announcer Encore Break #2 1:00

23: Thing Called Love 7:46

24: Lipstick Sunset 6:11

25: Carter Alan Closing Credits 2:19

Total Runtime: 120:16

New Links! (Updated 09/27/21)
Disc 1: Little_Village_-_1992-04-26_-_Boston_MA_d1.rar

Disc 2: Little_Village_-_1992-04-26_-_Boston_MA_d2.rar

Nick Lowe (solo acoustic) -1987-04-18 - San Diego

Nick Lowe (solo acoustic)
April 18, 1987
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Audience recording, Very Good Quality
mp3 @ 192 kbps



OK, Here's one more Nick Lowe show that I forgot I had, that fits in here nicely, that shows a different side of him and his music, and serves as somewhat of a transition between his pop and rock beginnings and his later years. This is a solo acoustic performance, just him and his guitar, as opeining act for his buddy, Elvis Costello, for Elvis's own short 1987 solo acoustic US tour. This show, from San Diego, in fact, is the opening set for the Costello show that I posted previously (Elvis Costello - 1987-04-18 - San Diego) Thus, if you put these 2 shows together, you can relive the entire concert. As part of Elvis's set for these shows, Nick also joined Elvis for a duet on Lowe's own '(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love, and Understanding?' (which was a hit for Elvis, not Nick). This solo show really brings out the strength of Nick's vocals and his songwriting skills, which are both just superb. At this time in Nick's career, however, this solo show was a relatively novel thing for him, as he had always performed with or been part of a band. But when Elvis asked him to open for him as a solo act, he took the opportunity and made the most of it. Elvis also asked Nick back to do the same thing when he did a longer solo tour in 1989. This, then was probably the beginning of what later became Nick's preferred style. For those that have followed Nick's more recent career, you know that as he got older (from about the late 1990's on), Nick re-invented himself as more of a crooner and balladeer. As rock critic Jim Farber observed "Lowe's recent albums, epitomized by the new At My Age, moved him out of the realms of ironic pop and animated rock and into the role of a worldly balladeer, specializing in grave vocals and graceful tunes. Lowe's four most recent solo albums (The Impossible Bird, 1994; Dig My Mood, 1998; The Convincer. 2001; and At My Age, 2007) mine the wealth of American roots music, drawing on vintage country, soul and R&B to create an elegant mix of his own." For examples of Nick's more recent shows and sound, you can check out a show from 2001 (10/14 - London) at T.U.B.E here and a 2007 solo concert (09/17 - Virginia) from NPR here, where you can listen to or download the show. But posted here is an excellent example of one of the 1987 shows that may have been the inspiration for his subsequent more mature style.

Tracklist
01. Without Love
02. From Now On
03. Talk
04. Cruel To Be Kind
05. When I Write The Book
06. Raining Raining
07. Talk (Huey Lewis Story)
08. Heart
09. The Rose Of England
10. Too Many Teardrops
11. Big, Big Love
12. So It Goes
13. I Knew The Bride
Time - 38:54

Note - first song fades in just before the first lyric.

New Link! (Updated 09/27/21)
Nick_Lowe_-_San_Diego_CA_-_04-18-87.rar

Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit - 1985-10-19 - New York

Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit (featuring Paul Carrack)
October 19, 1985
The Ritz Theatre, New York
FM Broadcast (WNEW-FM), Good Quality
mp3 @ 320

OK, so, here's the next stage in Nick Lowe's evolving recording and touring bands, Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit, as recorded in an FM broadcast during their Rose of England Tour. Although essentially the same lineup as his previous 'Noise to Go' band (w/Paul Carrack, Martin Belmont, and Bobby Irwin), The Cowboy Outfit incarnation was characterized by a bit more of a roots rock sound, as exemplified by songs such as 'Seven Nights of Rock', 'Darling Angel Eyes', 'Half a Boy and Half a Man', and a reworked version of 'I Knew the Bride'. However, after two critically successful albums and tours, this would be the last for this form of the band. This fine 1985 show, although not nearly as good a recording (taken from on-air broadcast) as the previous Lowe shows I offered, presents a nice mixture of old and new Lowe songs. Shortly after this 1985 tour, Paul Carrack went on to join Mike Rutherford in Mike and the Mechanics. Interesting side note: a couple years earlier, Nick produced and he and this band backed up John Hiatt on side 2 of his 1983 album, Riding With the King, where they became good friends. Nick's Cowboy Outfit included a previously unreleased John Hiatt song, 'She Don't Love Nobody' on the Rose of England album (also included in this show). After the Cowboy Outfit wrapped up, Nick went on to be in John Hiatt's backing band for his breakthrough album, Bring the Family (1987), along with Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner. Nick also toured quite a bit with Elvis Costello in 1987 and 1989, opening for Elvis as a solo acoustic act for many of his shows (see previous Elvis posts). Although the Cowboy Outfit was no more, Nick continued to work with all these guys on his next couple solo albums. In fact, his next albums (Pinker and Prouder Then Ever, 1988, and Party of One, 1990) would be a reunion of sorts, as they included contributions from all his old pals from Rockpile and His Cowboy Outfit, and were also produced by Dave Edmunds. Maybe next up should be some John Hiatt and/or Mike and the Mechanics, huh, to continue this 'stream of consciousness' style posting?


Tracklist
1. Raging Eyes 2:37
2. She Don't love Nobody 3:43
3. Cracking Up 2:41
4. Marie Provost 2:58
5. One Woman Man 2:11
6. Saint Beneath The Paint 3:26
7. Your My Wildest Dream 3:06
8. Shake And Pop 4:03
9. Tempted 4:03
10. Cruel To Be Kind 3:43
11. Rose Of England 3:30
12. Darling Angel Eyes 2:41
13. Seven Nights of Rock 3:12
14. I Knew The Bride 3:10
15. I Need You 3:28
16. How Long 6:44
17. Half A Boy 2:59

New Link! (Updated 09/27/21)
Nick_Lowe-Cowboy_Outfit_1985-10-19_-_New_York_FM.rar

Nick Lowe and His Noise To Go - 1982-03-15 - London BBC

Nick Lowe and His Noise To Go

March 15, 1982

Hamersmith Palais, London, UK

BBC Rock Hour Broadcast

From BBC Transcription Discs, Very Good Quality

mp3 @ 256 kbps

Artwork Included

After the breakup of Rockpile (1981), for Nick Lowe's next band, he continued to work with guitarist Billy Bremner, and added guitarist Martin Belmont, drummer Bobby irwin, and keyboardist and vocalist extraordnaire Paul Carrack (formerly of Ace, Roxy Music, and fresh off his brief but successful stint with Squeeze). As with Rockpile, Lowe was perfectly comfortable sharing the the lead vocal duties with Carrack. This new band incarnation was dubbed 'Noise To Go'. However, with the addition of Carrack's keyboards and crooning vocal style, the music had a somewhat different sound, with more keyboards and ballads added to the pop and rockers. They still could rock out when needed, but overall, they had a bit less aggressive, softer sound. This band was predominantly used on Nick's next 2 solo albums, Nick The Knife (1982) and The Abominable Showman (1983). This band, much like with Rockpile, also served to back up Paul Carrack on his solo album of the time, Suburban Voodoo (1982). The same core band (but with Billy Bremner dropping out to join The Pretenders), and renamed 'Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit', continued on for a couple more Lowe albums (Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit, 1984, and The Rose of England, 1985) and tours. Presented here is a BBC Rock Hour show, taped March 15, 1982 during the 'Nick The Knife' Tour and broadcast on June 27th. This is an excellent representation of Nick's music at that time and a fine addition to any music collection. I also have a good FM broadcast of a later Cowboy Outfit show (1985) for those interested (coming up next).

Tracks:

01 RICHARD SKINNER INTRO

02 I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS (Nick Lowe)

03 STICK IT WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE (Nick Lowe)

04 TEMPTED (Paul Carrack)

05 ALWAYS BETTER WITH YOU (Paul Carrack)

06 BURNING (Nick Lowe)

07 MARIE PROVOST (Nick Lowe)

08 CRUEL TO BE KIND (Nick Lowe)

09 LESSON IN LOVE (Paul Carrack)

10 LITTLE UNKIND (Paul Carrack)

11 WISH YOU WERE HERE (Nick Lowe/Paul Carrack)

12 SWITCHBOARD SUSAN (Mickey Jupp)

13 CRACKING UP (Nick Lowe)

14 I KNEW THE BRIDE (Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds)

15 Nutted by Reality/Heart of the City (Nick Lowe/Rockpile)

16 RICHARD SKINNER GOODBYE

The Band:

Nick Lowe

Paul Carrack

Martin Belmont

Billy Bremner

Bobby Irwin

New Link! (Updated 09/14/18)
Nick_Lowe-Noise_To_Go_1982-03-15_BBC.rar

Rockpile - 1978-10-24 - New York, NY (FM broadcast)

Rockpile
1978-10-24
The Bottom Line, New York, NY
FM Broadcast (WNEW-FM), Excellent Quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps
Custom Artwork Included

Listening to the Ian Gomm stuff again made me think about Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, and Rockpile during that same time period, and how great they were. After Brinsley Schwarz broke up (1975), Nick Lowe began working on a solo career, as well as being an in-house producer for Stiff records (remember, he produced the first several Elvis Costello albums). At that time he also started playin' and hangin' out with Dave Edmunds (who produced the last Brinsley Schwarz album) in what became the band Rockpile. Lowe played and toured with Rockpile, but since Edmunds and Lowe both had solo contracts with different record companies, they could not release albums under the Rockpile name. Lowe released his first solo album, one of the greatest pop albums of all time, Jesus of Cool, in early 1978 (nervous record executives re-ordered the tracks and changed the title to Pure Pop For Now People for the US release), which contained wickedly funny, biting, and tuneful critiques of the music industry, people, and modern life, and some of Lowe's greatest songs ('So It Goes', 'They Called It Rock', 'Heart of the City', 'I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass', etc.), of which 2 ('They Called It Rock' and 'Heart of the City') were actually Rockpile songs. The group only released one album under the 'Rockpile' name (1980's Seconds of Peasure), but actually made several albums together as a group, including two Edmunds 'solo' albums (Tracks on Wax 4 and Repeat When Necessary, 1978, 1979) and Lowe's Labour of Lust (1979), as well as being the back-up band for solo albums by Carlene Carter (Mrs. Nick Lowe at that time) and Mickey Jupp, and miscellaneous other tracks on Edmunds and Lowe's other solo albums. Rockpile was just a great rock band, known for their rockabilly and power pop influences, and actually produced a lot of fine music in just a few years. By 1980, Edmunds was wrapping up his recording contract, and they were finally able to release an album under the Rockpile name. However, by the end of 1980, friction between Edmunds and Lowe lead to the breakup of Rockpile, and they went their separate ways. Lowe continued to work with Bremner and Willams on subsequent albums, but did not play with Edmunds again for many years. Presented here is an excellent Rockpile show from 1978, a crisp, clean FM broadcast from the Bottom Line in NY. I also threw in a few bonus tracks of different songs from other shows (also FM broadcasts) from around that same time, including a couple from a very similar show at the University of Maryland (11-03-78),and a couple from a radio show from the Netherlands in early 1979. Great Stuff. Check it Out (and be sure to check out their other solo albums, if you can). I'll have some more Nick Lowe stuff next week.

Tracklist
01. Down Down Down
02. So It Goes
03. I Knew The Bride
04. Deborah
05. I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass
06. No More Mr. Nice Guy
07. Trouble Boys
08. It's My Own Business
09. Never Been In Love
10. So Fine
11. Promised Land
12. I Hear You Knockin
13. They Call It Rock
14. Ju Ju Man
15. Heart Of The City
16. Hear Comes The Weekend
Bonus Tracks:
17. You'll Never Get Me Up*
18. Let It Rock*
19. Back To Schooldays#
20. Mess of Blues#

Bonus Tracks: * 1978-11-03, University of Maryland, WHFS-FM Broadcast,
# 1979 Live in the Netherlands, FM Broadcast

Rockpile is:
Dave Edmunds, vocals, guitar
Nick Lowe, vocals, bass guitar
Billy Bremner, vocals, guitar
Terry Williams, drums

New Link! (Updated 08/01/21)
Rockpile_-_Bottom_Line_10-24-1978_NY.rar