Search - Nick Lowe :: The Impossible Bird

The Impossible Bird
Nick Lowe
The Impossible Bird
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

As a member of both Rockpile and Brinsley Schwarz, as a producer for Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Damned, and the Pretenders, and as a solo artist with his own Top 20 hit, Nick Lowe seemed to have his finger in every...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Nick Lowe
Title: The Impossible Bird
Members Wishing: 7
Total Copies: 0
Label: Upstart / Umgd
Release Date: 11/29/1994
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Styles: Americana, New Wave & Post-Punk, Country Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 011671801322

Synopsis

Amazon.com
As a member of both Rockpile and Brinsley Schwarz, as a producer for Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Damned, and the Pretenders, and as a solo artist with his own Top 20 hit, Nick Lowe seemed to have his finger in every pub-rock pie there was. Unlike so many of their punk pals, the pub-rockers had a sense of craft and tradition which enabled them to outlive the moment, and that's why Lowe is still making strong, fascinating records nearly 20 years after the heady days of 1976-'78. Lowe's 1994 The Impossible Bird is a low-key, easy-going album which has a lot more to do with 1956 country music than with 1978 punk. Nonetheless the 13 songs--10 Lowe originals and three country chestnuts--are marked by the sort of no-frills arrangements and unpretentious passion that made pub-rock so special in the first place. When Lowe sings a ballad such as "The Beast in Me," "Withered on the Vine," and "Lover Don't Go," the arrangements are so minimalist--just a hint of guitar and drums behind the organ--that the song lives or dies by the vocal. Fortunately, Lowe pulls off the difficult trick of sounding lonely and desperate without sounding self-pitying. Whether it's a tongue-in-cheek rocker such as "12-Step Program (To Quit You Babe)" or one of the many ballads, Lowe and his musicians have stripped away every extraneous element that might get between the listener and the song. --Geoffrey Himes

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CD Reviews

Nick's changed but he's still the best
Rainer Krack | 06/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"How many people would wonder, "who is this?" if they were lucky enough to have it grace their ears. Or would they instead ask you if you had any of that cool, pretentious Moby to put on instead. Is anyone else flabbergasted that the sections for albums of this quality say, see all six reviews while garbage music has lines such as see all 625 reviews?"
I like it a little more each time I listen
J. Carroll | Island Heights,NJ | 06/07/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is definitely Nick Lowe in full country mode, and I find more to like about it each time I listen to it. Gentle melodies and heartfelt lyrics are found throughout and while the occasional bit of rockabilly creeps in (Particularly on "12-Step Program" which would not have been out of place on CRUEL TO BE KIND)this CD would not be out of place on anyone's "Best of" country list. Tales of love and loss are here as are fairly common topics for country albums, but Lowe puts his own spin on them so they sound anything but cliched. If your looking for the Lowe of the 70's, this isn't him. This is an artist who decided to pursue a different route to finding his muse, and this recording shows that he is finding it with success.
PS. I know it's Nick's song, but Johhny's version of "Beast in Me" has so much more going for it that I almost wish I hadn't heard Nick's version. It pales in comparison."
Just fabulous
J. Carroll | 01/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"My single favorite cd that I own. What else can one say then.Except for his next two cds are almost every bit as good as well."