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Rock fans who read album jacket notes and English music magazines such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express know who Nick Lowe is.
He produced the debut albums of Graham Parker, the critics' hero of 1976, and Elvis Costello, their hero of '77. Lowe supervised recordings for Stiff Records, the leading promoters of new wave music. And he has written and recorded some of the most irresistible, commercial rock songs to come out of England since Elton John's heyday.
In short, Lowe is the figurehead of the new wave/back-to-commercial-rock movement that is blossoming in England. He could become to English pop in the late '70s what Phil Spector was to U.S. pop in the early '60s: its guiding light.
"Actually, I've been doing this for years," Lowe said last night. "Now I'm just starting to get notice. In England, pop and so-called underground music — discriminating musicians with standards — are coming together, merging into one. The classifications are blurring."
Lowe was in Minneapolis at the State Theater to kick off his U.S. concert tour. In fact, it was the first time the 29-year-old bassist-singer-songwriter had ever fronted a group onstage.
Even though he has had hit songs in England, his band has not performed there. "It's a drag. A bore," he said "You play to stupid students all the time. Because there are so many groups there, they've seen them all. The Beatles, Stones, Kinks. You feel like an animal in a zoo. Americans are much less jaded. I like to play to people who stand up and are enthusiastic."
Last night's sellout crowd at the concert featuring Lowe, Costello and Mink DeVille certainly responded enthusiastically to Lowe's 30-minute performance.
He demonstrated a clever craftsmanship for composing catchy pop songs in a variety of styles. He clearly borrows musical ideas from other artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley to Steely Dan and the Bay City Rollers.
"I stole bits from here and there," Lowe said. "Sometimes reviews mention records I've never heard, though. I do it very tongue-in-cheek. I'm really a music fan. I listen to radio and other people's records. I own only three albums. But I don't do something because I think this is what the kids are buying. I do it 'cause I genuinely like chucking it all into a barrel, shaking it all up and singing what comes out."
That usually means a simple, contagious, three-chord, three-minute song.
Two other ingredients Lowe sees as crucial for successful pop songs are a sense of humor and inferior sound quality. "I like to make records that sound hot through Mickey Mouse stereos at low volume," Lowe said. "That's what the kids who buy records use. I make the records real smelly. The secret is in the drums."
Ironically, this astute and articulate observer of the music scene never intended a career in music. After playing in bands as a teenager, he worked as a journalist. But, in 1968, he became the bassist and chief songwriter in Brinsley Schwarz, a British pub band that earned a cult following.
Members of the group were hired to play with newcomer Parker in 1976 and Lowe was signed to produce the album.
Since then, he has produced records by Costello, Dave Edmunds, Dr. Feelgood and The Damned, a punk-rock band. He also has toured Europe and the United States with Edmunds' band.
This spring Lowe recorded his first solo album. Pure Pop for Now People. It's an all-purpose pop album with a wealth of sure-fire singles, especially "So It Goes" and "Heart of the City," which were the high points of Lowe's set last night.
Although Lowe said he is performing in the United States to promote his album, he would be just as pleased if one of his other endeavors became successful in the states. "I don't feel jealous if Elvis' (Costello's) albums are doing well because I produced them. All projects I get super involved in are the same to me. I guess I'm still the quiet hippie about this."
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