New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) On March 15, Yep Roc will reissue Nick Lowe's landmark second solo album 'Labour of Lust' on CD, LP, and for the first time, digitally. Originally released in 1979, and out of print for nearly two decades, the album has been remastered to its original glory and now includes both the U.K.-only track "Endless Grey Ribbon" and the U.S.-only track "American Squirm," along with the bonus B-Side "Basing Street." The reissue also comes with a 12-page booklet complete with artwork by revolutionary graphic artist Barney Bubbles, and essays by noted music journalist Will Birch and reissue producer (and former Lowe A&R man) Greg Geller.
Hailed by Trouser Press as "a brilliant piss-taker that pairs sprightly pop and savage lyrical wit," 'Labour of Lust' also contains Nick Lowe's biggest hit to date, the album opener "Cruel To Be Kind." The song climbed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching No 12 in the U.S.
The Yep Roc reissue also upgrades the album's original sleeve notes, properly crediting the special guests--Elvis Costello (vocals on "American Squirm"), Huey Lewis (harmonica on "Born Fighter"), Pete
Thomas of The Attractions (drums on "American Squirm"), and Bob Andrews of The Rumour/Brinsley Schwarz (Oberheim synthesizer on "Endless Grey Ribbon")--who performed alongside the other members of Lowe's band Rockpile (guitarist/vocalist Dave Edmunds, guitarist Billy Bremner, and drummer Terry Williams).
The 'Labour of Lust' release follows Yep Roc's 2008 reissue of Nick Lowe's first solo album 'Jesus of Cool,' which Pitchfork called "a timeless and bulls**t-free masterpiece" in a 9.3-rated review.
As the bassist and primary songwriter for Brinsley Schwarz, Lowe was one of the catalysts of the pub rock phenomenon in the early 1970s. As the co-founder and house producer at Stiff Records, he would help create the blueprint for the modern indie rock label, and usher in British punk and new wave, helming historic recordings for The Damned, Elvis Costello, and The Pretenders, not to mention his own releases of the time. 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.
Lowe is currently working on a follow-up to 'At My Age.'
'Labour of Lust' Tracklist:
1. Cruel To Be Kind
2. Cracking Up
3. Big Kick, Plain Scrap
4. American Squirm
5. Born Fighter
6. You Make Me
7. Skin Deep
8.
Switch Board Susan
9. Endless Grey Ribbon
10. Without Love
11. Dose of You
12. Love so Fine
Bonus Track:
13. Basing Street
Nick Lowe Online:
https://www.nicklowe.net
https://www.shorefire.com/clients/nlowe
