''Nick the Knife'' is the third solo album by
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,[Rockpile
Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...]
.
Background
The record still has several ties to
Rockpile
Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...
with Lowe's former bandmates
Billy Bremner
William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Regarded as one of the game's great midfielders, he combined precision passing skills with tenacious tackling and physical stam ...
and
Terry Williams both playing on the album. The album includes Lowe's slower remake of the Rockpile song "Heart"; the original version can be found on the band's album ''
Seconds of Pleasure
''Seconds of Pleasure'' is a 1980 album by Rockpile, a band consisting of guitarists/vocalists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner, bassist/vocalist Nick Lowe, and drummer Terry Williams. The band had played together on various solo albums by Edm ...
'', sung by Bremner.
''Nick the Knife'' reached #50 on the
''Billboard'' 200, and #99 on the UK album charts. No singles from the album made the US or UK charts, although in Canada "Stick It Where The Sun Don't Shine" hit the top 40.
''Nick the Knife'' is notable for being one of only two Lowe solo albums with no cover versions, including only songs written or co-written by Lowe, the other album being his 1990 ''
Party of One
''Party of One'' is an album by English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Dave Edmunds, it was released in 1990 by Reprise Records and reissued with altered cover art and two bonus tracks in 1995 by Upstart Records.
''Party of One'' i ...
''.
A 1990 CD of the album was issued on
Demon Records
Demon Music Group (DMG) is a record company owned by BBC Studios that is mainly concerned with back-catalogue rights and re-issuing recordings as compilations on physical media (CDs and vinyl) via supermarkets and specialist stores.
History
DM ...
with the catalog number FIEND CD 183.
The album was reissued by
Yep Roc Records
Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Nick Lowe, Paul We ...
in 2017.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Nick Lowe except where noted.
#"Burning" - 2:07
#"Heart"
(Lowe, Rockpile
Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...
) – 3:41
#"Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine" – 3:42
#"Queen of Sheba" – 2:30
#"My Heart Hurts"
(Lowe, Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith.
As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 album ...
) - 2:39
#"Couldn't Love You (Any More Than I Do)" – 2:36
#"Let Me Kiss Ya" – 2:56
#"Too Many Teardrops"
(Lowe, Carter) – 2:33
#"Ba Doom" – 2:19
#"Raining Raining" – 2:45
#"One's Too Many (And a Hundred Ain't Enough)"
(Lowe, Kim Wilson
Kim Wilson (born January 6, 1951) is an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the Fabulous Thunderbirds on two hit songs of the 1980s, "Tuff Enuff" (which was the group's only Top 40 ...
) – 2:37
#"Zulu Kiss"
(Lowe, J.E. Ceiling) – 3:22
Bonus tracks from 2017 YepRoc reissue:
#
"Heart (Demo)" - 3:53
#"Raining Raining (Demo)" - 1:55
#"I Got a Job" - 3:01
Personnel
*Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,[Bobby Irwin
Bobby Irwin (23 March 1953 – 8 May 2015) was an English drummer, record producer and songwriter. He is known for working in close collaboration with Nick Lowe as co-songwriter and drummer and as a member of Lowe's band the Cowboy Outfit, as w ...]
– drums, backing vocals
* Terry Williams – drums
*Billy Bremner
William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Regarded as one of the game's great midfielders, he combined precision passing skills with tenacious tackling and physical stam ...
– guitars
*Martin Belmont
Martin Belmont (born 21 December 1948) is an English rock and country-blues guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Graham Parker & The Rumour.
Life and career
Belmont was born in Bromley, Kent, England. After working as a roadie ...
– guitars
*Aldo Bocca – guitars, drums on "Heart", engineer
*Neill King – piano and Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
, audio grip
*Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith.
As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 album ...
– piano and Hammond organ
*Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve ( "naïve"; born Stephen John Nason, 21 February 1958) is an English musician and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Nieve has been a member of Elvis Costello's backing bands the Attractions, the Imposters and Madnes ...
– piano and Hammond organ
*Ben Barson – piano and Hammond organ
*Paul Carrack
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
– piano and Hammond organ
*James Eller – more bass
Singles
Three songs from the album were released as singles:
*"Stick it Where the Sun Don’t Shine" b/w "My Heart Hurts"
*"Burning" b/w "Zulu Kiss"
*"My Heart Hurts" - released in four versions:
#promo b/w same
#b/w "Stick it Where the Sun Don’t Shine"
#double 45 with three live songs "Pet You and Hold You", "Cracking Up" and "(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding"
#b/w "Pet You and Hold You" (Live)
Live versions recorded by Nick Lowe and His Noise To Go, February 10, 1982 at the Agora Ballroom, Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Ohio
Cover version
In 2015, Justin Remer of Elastic No-No Band
Elastic No-No Band was a musical group based in New York City's anti-folk scene. Started in the mid-2000s, the band's name was initially just a pseudonym for its leader and main songwriter, Justin Remer. After 2005, Elastic No-No Band's line-up a ...
recorded covers of all 12 tracks on ''Nick the Knife'' with his side project Duck the Piano Wire and released it as the album ''Duck the Knife: A Homemade Remake of Nick Lowe's "Nick the Knife."''
Notes
External links
*
{{Authority control
1982 albums
Nick Lowe albums
Albums produced by Nick Lowe
F-Beat Records albums
Columbia Records albums
Yep Roc Records albums