New Musical Express, March 18, 1978: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> Nick Lowe | <center><h3> Nick Lowe - Springtime for Basher </h3></center> | ||
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<center> Charles Shaar Murray </center> | <center> Charles Shaar Murray </center> | ||
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Nick Lowe, the Pure Pop For Now People candidate, sighs into his Bloody Mary. "I wouldn't mind looking that good when I'm his age." Following a five-minute varnish-and-respray job by the Beeb's technicians, Basher looks something like a waxed fruit himself. Stuffed into a fluorescent green suit festooned with question marks — based on The Riddler, a villain from the old ''Batman'' TV show — fractionally too small for him, he looks faintly unnerving. | Nick Lowe, the Pure Pop For Now People candidate, sighs into his Bloody Mary. "I wouldn't mind looking that good when I'm his age." Following a five-minute varnish-and-respray job by the Beeb's technicians, Basher looks something like a waxed fruit himself. Stuffed into a fluorescent green suit festooned with question marks — based on The Riddler, a villain from the old ''Batman'' TV show — fractionally too small for him, he looks faintly unnerving. | ||
"Damned unmanly, all that make-up," jibes Martin Belmont of The Rumour, who've been pressed into service to mime "I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass" with Lowe for tonight's ''TOTP'' taping, seeing as how it was them on the record and all. | "Damned unmanly, all that make-up," jibes [[Martin Belmont]] of The Rumour, who've been pressed into service to mime "I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass" with Lowe for tonight's ''TOTP'' taping, seeing as how it was them on the record and all. | ||
"You just calm yourself right down," retorts Lowe as the scrathplate falls off his magnificent black Gibson Everly Brothers acoustic guitar. It's only held on with Blu-Tack, see, and he has the horrors that his axe is going to start falling to pieces right there and then on television. I mean, what a thing to happen to the Jesus Of Cool! | "You just calm yourself right down," retorts Lowe as the scrathplate falls off his magnificent black Gibson Everly Brothers acoustic guitar. It's only held on with Blu-Tack, see, and he has the horrors that his axe is going to start falling to pieces right there and then on television. I mean, what a thing to happen to the Jesus Of Cool! | ||
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Yeah, but surely the act of taking the group into the pubs — and trust me, no-one gets to be a tax exile playing the Hope — was an act of idealism rather than cynicism? | Yeah, but surely the act of taking the group into the pubs — and trust me, no-one gets to be a tax exile playing the Hope — was an act of idealism rather than cynicism? | ||
"That wasn't the main reason. There were a lot of other things — like we were taking a lot of acid at the time — and we got this crusade. It was almost ''"We'll show the fuckers''... no matter what happens we won't get conned again" | "That wasn't the main reason. There were a lot of other things — like we were taking a lot of acid at the time — and we got this crusade. It was almost ''"We'll show the fuckers''... no matter what happens we won't get conned again." Don't get me wrong, we were 'conned' in the literal sense: we did it with our eyes open, but we were very inexperienced. | ||
"We had a marvellous time, I don't regret anything that happened, but it was just so horrifying to us. We developed this attitude, and we got this house. When groups share a house, you tend to share a lot of the same ideas: it tends to stifle your individuality quite a lot, which can be a very good thing, but it has its drawbacks as well. You can get intimidated and just go along with things. | "We had a marvellous time, I don't regret anything that happened, but it was just so horrifying to us. We developed this attitude, and we got this house. When groups share a house, you tend to share a lot of the same ideas: it tends to stifle your individuality quite a lot, which can be a very good thing, but it has its drawbacks as well. You can get intimidated and just go along with things. | ||
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"Nowadays I just ''steal'' the stuff. I don't try and write in anybody's style: if I hear a good lick on a disco record or something, I'll just pinch it and use it and by the time it's come out it's only students of the genre who'd recognise it and know where I pinched it from. In some cases it's almost a virtue to pinch — and it's like the difference between... Eric Carmen, say. When you hear him pinching from Paul McCartney — the style of the voice — he's trying to steal a bit of McCartney's thunder, you know, to get over to people like Paul does. | "Nowadays I just ''steal'' the stuff. I don't try and write in anybody's style: if I hear a good lick on a disco record or something, I'll just pinch it and use it and by the time it's come out it's only students of the genre who'd recognise it and know where I pinched it from. In some cases it's almost a virtue to pinch — and it's like the difference between... Eric Carmen, say. When you hear him pinching from Paul McCartney — the style of the voice — he's trying to steal a bit of McCartney's thunder, you know, to get over to people like Paul does. | ||
"He's got it down, he's very clever, but it's like the difference between The The Beatles doing The Beach Boys on 'Back In The U.S.S.R.' That's so ''obviously'' Beach Boys and so ''obviously'' just lumped out of there. Eric Carmen is just 'ahhhhh, go listen to your bloody Paul McCartney records | "He's got it down, he's very clever, but it's like the difference between The The Beatles doing The Beach Boys on 'Back In The U.S.S.R.' That's so ''obviously'' Beach Boys and so ''obviously'' just lumped out of there. Eric Carmen is just 'ahhhhh, go listen to your bloody Paul McCartney records then', but The Beatles are 'wooooohhhhh great! They've done a Beach Boys bit!' | ||
"That's what I'm trying to do. Basically I'll just lift ideas because I think ideas are the most exciting part of the whole thing. Nowadays, I buy the music papers, man, and I read them cover to cover because it's much more off-the-wall now. It's all just a lot more fun because the rule book's been bunged out of the window. | "That's what I'm trying to do. Basically I'll just lift ideas because I think ideas are the most exciting part of the whole thing. Nowadays, I buy the music papers, man, and I read them cover to cover because it's much more off-the-wall now. It's all just a lot more fun because the rule book's been bunged out of the window. | ||
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"It's ''easy'' for me, that's why. I've got to make a living, and this is easy but also I think there's a lot of people who can do that and get off on it and dig writing in different styles without thinking, 'That's a bit uncool! I'm gonna geta hard time for this.' They can do that and get their personality across too. It's good from an audience point of view, because it's easy to listen to but still a bit thought-provoking." | "It's ''easy'' for me, that's why. I've got to make a living, and this is easy but also I think there's a lot of people who can do that and get off on it and dig writing in different styles without thinking, 'That's a bit uncool! I'm gonna geta hard time for this.' They can do that and get their personality across too. It's good from an audience point of view, because it's easy to listen to but still a bit thought-provoking." | ||
Yeah, but | Yeah, but 10cc exist as an awful warning for what happens if you follow that philosophy too far... | ||
'Yeah, but they got worried about drying up and so they started to force it and use too much technology whereas what I'm into doing is keeping it simple and keeping it so that people can understand it. This whole 'pop' thing has sprung up now, whereas I meant it as a very simple, easy-to-use-no-embarrassing-bending formula for listening to music which I described as pop music because then it was a real unfashionable word. | 'Yeah, but they got worried about drying up and so they started to force it and use too much technology whereas what I'm into doing is keeping it simple and keeping it so that people can understand it. This whole 'pop' thing has sprung up now, whereas I meant it as a very simple, easy-to-use-no-embarrassing-bending formula for listening to music which I described as pop music because then it was a real unfashionable word. | ||
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Nick Lowe is a man without guilt or shame — musically, anyway. "I used up all my supplies of guilt years ago." The song "Little Hitler" on his album — and, just to set the record straight, is about petty authoritarianism with no straightforward political overtones whatsoever — derived from the time when Elvis Costello mentioned that ''he'' was writing a song of that title. | Nick Lowe is a man without guilt or shame — musically, anyway. "I used up all my supplies of guilt years ago." The song "Little Hitler" on his album — and, just to set the record straight, is about petty authoritarianism with no straightforward political overtones whatsoever — derived from the time when Elvis Costello mentioned that ''he'' was writing a song of that title. | ||
Lowe had his song down before Costello even had the time to finish his. A slightly aggrieved Costello subsequently suggested that Lowe's next album be called "Grand Larceny" | Lowe had his song down before Costello even had the time to finish his. A slightly aggrieved Costello subsequently suggested that Lowe's next album be called "Grand Larceny." | ||
An anecdote for dessert. Lowe's nickname "Basher" was given him by Lee Brilleaux during sessions for the Feelgoods ''Be Seeing You'' album after the Nth time that Lowe told the band to "bash it down and we'll tart it up later" | An anecdote for dessert. Lowe's nickname "Basher" was given him by Lee Brilleaux during sessions for the Feelgoods ''Be Seeing You'' album after the Nth time that Lowe told the band to "bash it down and we'll tart it up later." Perhaps this ultra-casual approach can be best demonstrated by recounting what went down when Lowe delivered the tapes of Elvis' new album to CBS in New York for mastering. | ||
"Mastering" is the process whereby a tape is transformed into the master disc from which copies of a record are pressed, and a lot of bands and producers use the mastering process to boost frequencies on the record to cover up for weaknesses in performance or mix. | "Mastering" is the process whereby a tape is transformed into the master disc from which copies of a record are pressed, and a lot of bands and producers use the mastering process to boost frequencies on the record to cover up for weaknesses in performance or mix. | ||
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'''New Musical Express, March 18, 1978 | '''New Musical Express, March 18, 1978 | ||
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[[Charles Shaar Murray]] | [[Charles Shaar Murray]] interviews [[Nick Lowe]]. | ||
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Charles Shaar Murray reviews Elvis Costello & [[The Attractions]], Tuesday, [[Concert 1978-03-07 Toronto|March 7, 1978]], El Mocambo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. | Charles Shaar Murray reviews Elvis Costello & [[The Attractions]], Tuesday, [[Concert 1978-03-07 Toronto|March 7, 1978]], El Mocambo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. | ||
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EC is featured in Gig Guide and a [[:Category:1978 UK Tour|UK tour]] advertisement. | |||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express cover.jpg| | [[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express cover.jpg|x270px|border]] | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express page 07.jpg|x270px|border]] | |||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express page 07.jpg| | <br><small>Cover and page scan. Photos by [[Chalkie Davies]].</small> | ||
<br><small>Cover and page | |||
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{{Bibliography box 350}} | {{Bibliography box 350}} | ||
<center><h3> Holocaust in microcosm </h3></center> | <center><h3> Holocaust in microcosm </h3></center> | ||
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{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express page 47.jpg|136px|border|right]] | |||
"HEY ELVIIIIIS!!!" There's this blonde gumdrop down the front, see, shaking it down in that demure stoned way that hippie girls seem to favour, and she's splitting her throat to scream at the singer in the band every time he prowls in her direction. | "HEY ELVIIIIIS!!!" There's this blonde gumdrop down the front, see, shaking it down in that demure stoned way that hippie girls seem to favour, and she's splitting her throat to scream at the singer in the band every time he prowls in her direction. | ||
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It's the second of two nights at the El Mocambo in Toronto, the last date of Elvis Costello's seven-week tour of the North American continent. El Mocambo is a funky little rock-and-roll dive that got famous when the Stones cut the blues side of ''Love You Live'' there last year or whenever it was. | It's the second of two nights at the El Mocambo in Toronto, the last date of Elvis Costello's seven-week tour of the North American continent. El Mocambo is a funky little rock-and-roll dive that got famous when the Stones cut the blues side of ''Love You Live'' there last year or whenever it was. | ||
Anyway, since then the place has received added emoluments of sheer, unadulterated glaaamuh that, thankfully, hasn't disguised the fact El Mocambo is a sweathog of a club that has rock-and-roll dripping out of the walls. One of those places that get explosive any time the band is even halfway decent. | Anyway, since then the place has received added emoluments of sheer, unadulterated ''glaaamuh'' that, thankfully, hasn't disguised the fact El Mocambo is a sweathog of a club that has rock-and-roll dripping out of the walls. One of those places that get explosive any time the band is even halfway decent. | ||
And this is Elvis' last date on the tour, so he and the Attractions are tossing every last iota of energy that they've got left into the pot, chucking in the energy by the handful knowing that after this one they get to rest up all they want... until the U.K. tour starts, that is, and then after that there's another international binge and then – woweee, gang – they get all of two weeks off at the end of July and then they go through the whole palaver once again. | And this is Elvis' last date on the tour, so he and the Attractions are tossing every last iota of energy that they've got left into the pot, chucking in the energy by the handful knowing that after this one they get to rest up all they want... until the U.K. tour starts, that is, and then after that there's another international binge and then – woweee, gang – they get all of two weeks off at the end of July and then they go through the whole palaver once again. | ||
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Over by the mixing desk, Jake Riviera takes a heroic plug on his vodka and grapefruit, watches the ongoing wipesies situation and covers his eyes. | Over by the mixing desk, Jake Riviera takes a heroic plug on his vodka and grapefruit, watches the ongoing wipesies situation and covers his eyes. | ||
"Oh no," he moans. "Well over the top, this. Damned bad. You won't mention that, will you?" | "Oh ''no''," he moans. "Well over the top, this. Damned bad. You won't mention that, will you?" | ||
"C'mon, Jake," I say. "Would I do a thing like that?" | "C'mon, Jake," I say. "Would I do a thing like that?" | ||
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What I'm saying is that Mr Costello has himself one screaming lulu of a band, an aggregation worthy of what he puts in front of it; one capable of outpunchmg most of the competition on their own turf and then moving with almost ludicrous ease into territories where lesser bands would never dare to tread. | What I'm saying is that Mr Costello has himself one screaming lulu of a band, an aggregation worthy of what he puts in front of it; one capable of outpunchmg most of the competition on their own turf and then moving with almost ludicrous ease into territories where lesser bands would never dare to tread. | ||
It's during the knife-edge riotous finale of "[[I'm Not Angry]]" – with virtually the entire population of the club raising their fists and yelling "Ang-greee!!!" along with the band on the trade-offs – that it becomes apparent that the British New Wave has produced an exportable proto-superstar, possibly the most sophisticated British music that Americans and Canucks et al can connect with since David Bowie himself. | It's during the knife-edge riotous finale of "[[I'm Not Angry]]" – with virtually the entire population of the club raising their fists and yelling "Ang-greee!!!" along with the band on the trade-offs – that it becomes apparent that the British New Wave has produced an exportable proto-superstar, possibly the most sophisticated British music that Americans and Canucks ''et al'' can connect with since David Bowie himself. | ||
Costello can reach people who'd never understand The Clash in a million years. | Costello can reach people who'd never understand The Clash in a million years. | ||
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That's all changed now. | That's all changed now. | ||
The current show is a super-tight package of Costello faves old and new – with a hidden masterstroke in the shape and form of an entirely new set of lyrics to "Less Than Zero" written specially for U.S. audiences who misunderstood the original song because they thought that "Calling Mr Oswald with the swastika tattoo" referred to Lee Harvey Oswald instead of Sir Oswald Mosley (God, the kind of people who can get a knighthood in this country). | The current show is a super-tight package of Costello faves old and new – with a hidden masterstroke in the shape and form of an entirely new set of lyrics to "Less Than Zero" written specially for U.S. audiences who misunderstood the original song because they thought that ''"Calling Mr Oswald with the swastika tattoo"'' referred to Lee Harvey Oswald instead of Sir Oswald Mosley (God, the kind of people who can get a knighthood in this country). | ||
So Elvis took 'em at their word and rewrote the song so that now it does refer to ol' Lee, and maaaaaaaaaaan, you shoulda seen the faces of all the hip kids were all fired up to sing along when Elvis hit 'em with the new words. | So Elvis took 'em at their word and rewrote the song so that now it ''does'' refer to ol' Lee, and maaaaaaaaaaan, you shoulda seen the faces of all the hip kids were all fired up to sing along when Elvis hit 'em with the new words. | ||
If they get around to it, a live version of the U.S. edition of "Less Than Zero" will be included as a bonus extra B-side on Elvis' next single. I hope they do it. | If they get around to it, a live version of the U.S. edition of "Less Than Zero" will be included as a bonus extra B-side on Elvis' next single. I hope they do it. | ||
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His performance of "[[The Beat]]" is holocaust in microcosm; "[[Lipstick Vogue]]" reaches a dervish intensity that leaves you caught up in a sonic whirlpool and staring straight into the awful stillness at the eye of the hurricane and before you can even readjust your ears it segues into a version of "[[Watching The Detectives]]" that makes the studio cut sound like The Brotherhood Of Man jamming with The Dooleys after seventeen hours of chasing mandies with meths. | His performance of "[[The Beat]]" is holocaust in microcosm; "[[Lipstick Vogue]]" reaches a dervish intensity that leaves you caught up in a sonic whirlpool and staring straight into the awful stillness at the eye of the hurricane and before you can even readjust your ears it segues into a version of "[[Watching The Detectives]]" that makes the studio cut sound like The Brotherhood Of Man jamming with The Dooleys after seventeen hours of chasing mandies with meths. | ||
What I mean is it's good | What I mean is it's ''good'', Jack. | ||
Bruce Thomas strikes every guitar-hero pose in the book with charming elan while Elvis throws tortured, splay-footed, knock-kneed shapes and makes a Fender Jazzmaster do things that the makers never intended. Naive just does insane keyboard stuff that leaves [[Ray Manzarek]] right back at the starting post next to Dave Greenfield. | Bruce Thomas strikes every guitar-hero pose in the book with charming elan while Elvis throws tortured, splay-footed, knock-kneed shapes and makes a Fender Jazzmaster do things that the makers never intended. Naive just does insane keyboard stuff that leaves [[Ray Manzarek]] right back at the starting post next to Dave Greenfield. | ||
Something's happening. I don't care what else goes down this year: Elvis Costello and The Attractions are the band to watch. | Something's happening. I don't care what else goes down this year: Elvis Costello and The Attractions are ''the'' band to watch. | ||
Everybody else is so far behind that they'd have to double their speed just to choke on his dust. | Everybody else is so far behind that they'd have to double their speed just to choke on his dust. | ||
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<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
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<br><small>Page scan and clipping.</small> | |||
<small>Photos by [[Chalkie Davies]].</small><br> | <small>Photos by [[Chalkie Davies]].</small><br> | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo 07 cd.jpg| | [[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo 07 cd.jpg|380px|border]] | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo 05 cd.jpg|380px|border]] | |||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo | [[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo 06 cd.jpg|380px|border]] | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo | |||
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[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo 08 cd.jpg|380px|border]] | |||
<br><small>Photos by [[Chalkie Davies]].</small> | |||
<br><br> | |||
<small>Photo by [[Brad Elterman]].</small><br> | |||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express photo 10 be.jpg|x240px|border]] | |||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express page 53.jpg|x240px|border]] | |||
<br><small>Gig Guide on page 53.</small> | |||
<br><br> | |||
<small>Ad for [[:Category:1978 UK Tour|1978 UK]] tour.</small><br> | <small>Ad for [[:Category:1978 UK Tour|1978 UK]] tour.</small><br> | ||
[[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express page 16 advertisement.jpg| | [[image:1978-03-18 New Musical Express page 16 advertisement.jpg|280px]] | ||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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*[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/n/nme.780318a.html elviscostello.info] | *[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/n/nme.780318a.html elviscostello.info] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Musical Express 1978-03-18}} | |||
[[Category:Bibliography 1978 | [[Category:Bibliography]] | ||
[[Category:Bibliography 1978]] | |||
[[Category:New Musical Express| New Musical Express 1978-03-18]] | [[Category:New Musical Express| New Musical Express 1978-03-18]] | ||
[[Category:Magazine articles | [[Category:Magazine articles]] | ||
[[Category:1978 concert reviews|New Musical Express 1978-03-18]] | [[Category:Interviews]] | ||
[[Category:Nick Lowe interviews]] | |||
[[Category:1978 concert reviews]] | |||
[[Category:2nd US Tour|~New Musical Express 1978-03-18]] |
Latest revision as of 04:58, 26 July 2021
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