Labour of Lust

ポップ・ロック傑作79年セカンド・ソロがLP再発!
ROCKPILEの完全バックアップはもちろん、COSTELLO、HUEY LEWIS、 PETE THOMAS、BOB ANDREWSまで参加した豪華さとは裏腹にシンプルに爽快に響く3分間ロックが詰まりに詰まった名盤!
時代を超えたポップネスに一曲目からノックダウンな大ヒット・チューン"CRUEL TO BE KIND"、COSTELLOやCLASH直後のNWマナーににやける"CRACKING UP"、その後を予見させる畳み掛けロック"BORN FIGHTER"などなど、多彩なNICK LOWEそのものが楽しめます。UK盤オンリートラック"ENDLESS GREY RIBBON"とUS盤オンリートラック"AMERICAN SQUIRM"、レアB面曲"BASING STREET"まで収録の決定盤です!!

Jesus of Cool was a jukebox, spinning out a series of perfectly crafted -- and decidedly quirky and subversive -- pop singles. In contrast, Nick Lowe's second album, Labour of Lust, is the work of a bar band, in this case Rockpile, playing the hell out of the same type of songs. Naturally, the result is a more coherent sound that may be a little less freewheelingly eclectic, but it is no less brilliant. Recorded simultaneously with Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary, Labour of Lust benefits from the muscular support of Rockpile, who make Lowe's songs crackle with vitality. Working primarily in the roots rock vein of Brinsley Schwarz but energizing his traditionalist tendencies with strong pop melodies, a sense of humor, and an edgy new wave sensibility, Lowe comes up with one of his best sets of songs. Not only is his only hit, the propulsively hook-laden "Cruel to Be Kind," here, but so are the rampaging outsider anthem "Born Fighter," the tongue-in-cheek, Chuck Berry-style "Love So Fine," the wonderful pure pop of "Dose of You," the haunting "Endless Grey Ribbon," the druggy "Big Kick, Plain Scrap!," and the terrific "Cracking Up," as well as his definitive version of Mickey Jupp's "Switchboard Susan." It's an exceptional collection of inventive pop songs, delivered with vigor and energy, making it one of the great records of the new wave. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine