Nick Lowe

Given the scope of his sprawling career, it's impressive how well this double-disc collection captures the varied essence of Nick Lowe. There's the young pub-punk whose biting wit was borrowed by Elvis Costello ("[What's So Funny 'Bout] Peace Love and Understanding"); the mid-career songwriter who made his way through the late '80s with an obsessive interest in Nashville; and the gentlemanly crooner of recent days. At 49 tracks this is a beast, but, by pulling evenly from his catalog, it presents a whole picture of Lowe's pop genius.

This veteran Brit rocker knows exactly where to put notes, chords and words for
maximum satiric effect — while paying tribute to every kind of classic pop. When he hit his
commercial prime in the late Seventies on his solo albums Jesus of Cool and Labour of Lust,
he proved himself a New Wave master at playing, arranging and producing songs that
sounded completely contemporary even as they evoked rock's past (see the de... More >