Nick Lowe-Labour of Lust reissue in '09?

Nick was a pretty nasty drunk in those days, but my understanding is that since he's dried up he's a lot different. I'd be surprised if Nick/Dave couldn't get along these days.

 

Perhaps Sony will get around to releasing a "Legacy Edition" of Seconds of Pleasure with a concert performance on disc two.

 

This is the news I've been hoping for! Labour of Lust has always been one of may faves, and I agree with some of the others here that it works really well as a whole album. "American Squirm", "Big Kick, Plain Scrap"...and on and on and on.

 

Actually, I think "American Squirm" was a stand-alone single not availible on the UK version of the album, iirc... It replaced "Endless Grey Ribbon" on the US Columbia version

 

American Squirm was a UK single with EC's Peace Love and Understanding on the flip. The latter was credited to 'Nick Lowe and his Sound'.

 

Oh yeah, if you know where to look.

 

They both drank to excess. Did you ever hear the Rockpile College Network LP? Dave and Nick talk about being in the "Pound a Minute Club". They spent 1£ per minute in the pub!

I'm sure we won't ever see these guys working together again, which is a pity. Like Lennon & McCartney, these guys produced much better work together than apart.

I am grateful that I saw Rockpile in concert a few times and have seen Dave many times. Nick played Toronto around the time that he got his surprise $1 million royalty cheque for "what's So Funny...." and I managed to see him at a small club downtown.

For their brief history, no band on the planet could touch Rockpile for such great musicianship and such enthusiastic, pure rockin' & rollin'.

R

 

whats the latest on this??

 

I heard back from Yep Rock last week that-"maybe" this fall is when it will be released.

 

"maybe" jeez.... my fav Nick Lowe and probably his best, if a poll was taken. This definitely needs to come out. One of the very best pub/new wave/power pop (call it what you want) great albums of the era.

 

I know-hands down my favorite Lowe album and power pop albums of all time-why couldn't we got the reissue before the new best of?

 

Silly...because "Best Ofs" SELL BETTER!!!!

 

I have a promo CD from back when Sony did reissue Seconds last time around and the bonus tracks are different from what ended up on the released version (which came out nearly two years later than the promo did...) I'll have to dig it up and post the original track listing -- might help give a clue as to what's in the vaults and what they can and can't use at this point. I know for certain that one of the tracks on the promo that didn't make the final version was a cover of "Little Sister" with Robert Plant on vocals...

 

That would be interesting, thanks!
I got the Plant song on CD when I saw a radio Show cd called The Live Show that has various live songs on it. They had three Kampuchea songs on it and for $10, I had to grab it. Of course, they had to be needledrops, but what the heck.

 

I'll look for it in a few hours when I head home for lunch... watch this space!

I have a feeling they couldn't get the rights to the Kampuchea stuff and that's why the final version was different (and I assume also why it was delayed so long...)

 

Labour of Lust is my favorite Nick Lowe album as well. I have the Columbia and Demon CD’s (Columbia and Radar vinyl too) so I don’t really need a reissue, but I’d probably plump for a re-buy. I did my own custom edition CDR following the UK sequence, inserting American Squirm after Big Kick, Plain Scrap and closing-out with Basing Street, the only non-LP B-Side I’m aware of from that period. Man, it's a satisfying 13-track collection.

After the Rockpile album I was disappointed by Nick The Knife and stopped buying his albums. I rekindled my fanship with Party of One at which point I went back and bought all the Columbia LP’s I’d missed. They’re a pretty solid bunch. Pinker & Prouder Than Previous may be the best of the lot, but The Abominable Showman, Cowboy Outfit, Rose of England… they’re all good albums.

 

I listened to Labour of Lust at lunch today (and very enjoyable it was). Even with the addition of the UK-only and US-only LP tracks plus the non-LP Basing Street the 13-song collection clocks-in at 39-minutes.

I think Nick's remaining six Columbia albums are ideal candidates for a trio of 2-fers... I'm sure they'd all fit and even allow for the inclusion of associated odds 'n sods.

 

Okay, just dug up my original Rockpile reissue promo CD... dated February 4, 2000 (note that the resissued CD finally came out on April 27, 2004!)

Tracklisting:

Tracks 1-12 are the standard album
Tracks 13-16 are the Everlys covers (Take A Message to Mary, Crying in the Rain, Poor Jenny, When Will I Be Loved)

Track 17 is a live take on "Crawling from the Wreckage"
Track 18 is a live take on "Little Sister" with Robert Plant on vocals
Track 19 is "Teacher Teacher" live @ the Bottom Line
Track 20 is "Cry Cry Cry"

total time = 57:05

The released version only has 19 tracks, and outside of the Everlys stuff and "Crawling From the Wreckage," none of these bonus tracks are on there...

 

Here's hoping that Lowe is still writing and recording new music despite having a family now since his most recent, "At My Age", was so deep. In fact, I cannot wait until his next album arrives.

 

Yeah, but in the meantime, let's hope for the Labour of Lust reissue

 

Speaking of Rockpile, is anyone aware of an alternate version of "Cruel To Be Kind"?

I bought a promotional 12" (pressed on orange vinyl) that has cuts from Elvis Costello, Mink DeVille and Nick Lowe. The version of "Cruel To Be Kind" on it is a completely different version from the one that was a hit single in the latter half of 1979. Anyone else ever heard this version before?

 

I have the Columbia...any difference between it and the Demon?

 

What does it sound like? It's likely the original version, which was a b-side in '78 and included on the Jesus Of Cool reissue.

 

It was the flipside of "Little Hitler" originally, about a year before Labour. It's on his The Doings box set, as well as on the reissue of Jesus of Cool.

 

Thanks for the info guys!