Nick Lowe's 'Tour De Force' Debut Album 'Jesus Of Cool' Set For 30th Anniversary Reissue, Feb 19 On Yep Roc

Chapel Hill, NC (Top40 Charts/ Yep Roc Records) - He was considered an architect of pub rock but, in 1978, Nick Lowe made one of the most striking transformations in the annals of rock & roll, reemerging as the Jesus of Cool. Abandoning the rootsy grooves of his beloved group Brinsley Schwarz, Lowe delivered an album that was brash and brilliant, dizzyingly eclectic and relentlessly catchy. The eleven songs on 'Jesus of Cool' helped kick-start the new wave movement, and they sound as vital as ever three decades on. The album has been out of print for over twenty years, and has never been available online, but on February 19, 2008, Yep Roc Records will restore 'Jesus of Cool' to its original glory with a deluxe 30th anniversary reissue, available on cd, double vinyl LP, and online everywhere.

Upon JOC's initial release, Lowe's U.S. label at the time famously blanched at his new moniker and asked him to change the album title. Lowe obliged, re-christening the U.S. LP 'Pure Pop for Now People,' tweaking the sequence and tracklist as well. Yep Roc's reissue marks the first time that American audiences can hear the album as Lowe first intended, with the original album title and tracklist. It's also loaded with extras: 10 ultra-rare bonus tracks, a new essay by British rock authority Will Birch, and a beautiful, artifact-laden booklet. The reissue was produced by 3-time Grammy nominee Gregg Geller, who in a previous incarnation signed Nick to his American record deal with Columbia Records.

The Yep Roc reissue also upgrades JOC's notoriously spartan original sleeve notes, listing backing musicians, recording locations and other discographical information for each track. It's long been assumed that Lowe's bandmates from Rockpile - guitarist/vocalist Dave Edmunds, guitarist Billy Bremner, and drummer Terry Williams - played on JOC, and indeed they did. But so did members of Elvis Costello's Attractions, Graham Parker's Rumour, and Ian Dury's Blockheads, making JOC the definitive snapshot of the London new wave scene at the time.

Perhaps Lowe's debut solo LP was more culmination than transformation. Though Brinsley Schwarz disbanded in 1975, Lowe found himself busier than ever in the years leading up to JOC's release. During that time he recorded under aliases like Tartan Horde and Disco Bros., co-founded Stiff Records (providing a blueprint for the modern indie-rock label in the process), and produced legendary early recordings for Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, The Damned, and others.

In recent years, Lowe has enjoyed a bona fide 'second coming' (Village Voice) with a string of critically acclaimed albums, including 2007's 'At My Age,' his fastest-selling and best-reviewed release in decades.