"I've been a Nick Lowe fan since I borrowed a friend's copy of "Labour of Lust" back in 1987. That landmark album, along with Nick's association with Elvis Costello, have helped plant him firmly as one of my favorite singer/songwriter/producers. It's a terrible shame that he hasn't received nearly the credit he deserves for his abundant talents.I recently picked up "Party of One" at a discount bin for [price]! Definitely one of my all-time greatest CD steals. This is a fantastic disc. There are so many great, fun, hilarious, infectious tunes on this disc. "You Got the Look I Like." "Gai-Gin Man." "Who Was That Man." "Jumbo Ark." And of course, one of Nick's funniest tunes, "All Men Are Liars" (That song contains one of his most infamous lines -- "Do you remember Rick Astley? He had a big fat hit, it was ghastly"). He practically invented tongue-in-cheek. Who else could write a song called "Shting-Shtang?" Or "You Stabbed Me In The Front?" The songs have a distinct rockabilly feel, aided in no small part by the musical talents of Dave Edmunds and session ace Jim Keltner, among others. The emphasis here is on fun with a capital "F." This is a great place for people to discover the wonder of Nick Lowe, truly one of rock's most overlooked songwriters. You should also check out the excellent "Labour of Lust." If you really want to go all out, get the 1999 box set "The Doings," but his single-disc anthology "Basher" is great too."
The Overtalented (And Overlooked) Mr. Lowe
Espoo Famagusta | chelsea,ny,usa | 01/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nick Lowe is that most endearing of oxymorons, the self-effacing genius. The songs on this cd display the enormous range of musical styles and writing moods of Mr. Lowe: the catchy celebration of xenophobia in "Gai-Gin Man"; the perfect pop infatuation song, "The Look I Like"; the very moving and simple statement of unsentimental despair in "What's Shakin' On The Hill." As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best pop albums ever, up there with the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" or Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde"- rarely does a musician's delight in his art form remain this contagious , when his craft is so highly developed as well. In other words, usually by the time someone is THIS accomplished, he/she is usually bitter and/or burned out. Lowe's wit and playfulness seem to have worked in his favor. The most trademark Lowe song on this, for me, is "All Men Are Liars", in which he [a man] sings "All men are liars/And that's the truth." Unfortunately, this very versatility of form has worked against Nick Lowe's "star" quotient: he's hard to market, because he seems to have a very productive form of Attention Deficit Disorder...by the time he's perfected a style, he's bored with it and on to the next thing.Get this album. Live with it. You'll thank me."
The best all-around album from the best artist around
Charles Hughes | Madison, WI USA | 07/28/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nick Lowe is one of the best performers andsongwriters of the past 25 years, maybe ever. This album represents his high-point. There are rockers(You Got The Look, Shting Shtang, Refrigerator White), great ballads(Rocky Road, What's Shakin' on the Hill, I Don't Know Why You Keep Me On) and the typical Lowe humor(Gai-Gin Man, I Want to Build A Jumbo Ark, Honeygun) This is a GREAT album, worth anyone's time. Buy this album right now, particularly if you've never heard Nick before!"
Pop Music Literacy 101
bdlove@earthlink.net | Los Angeles, California | 08/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My understanding of the US Constitution leads me to believe that the Founders intended free speech to be INFORMED speech. In that spirit, I must set straight critics of this fine CD.
This is NOT a rockabilly CD. Jim Keltner is NOT a Rockabilly drummer. He has played every style known to musicianhood. This record deftly crosses genres. Take, for example, the much loathed "Shting-Shtang." Rockabilly? It's pure testifying Gospel music. I've been to meetings; this is what they sound like. And as such, the secular nature of the lyrics is quite ironic. "You Got the Look I Like"? Roots Rock and Roll, but nobody ever once used that beat in Rockabilly. "What's Shakin' on the Hill" is in the tradition of the poor boy out. Gene Pitney. The Four Seasons. Melodically closer to Country, but lyrically part of a valued tradition of class distinction in America, particularly. And if somebody has issues with the autobiographical nature of "Gai Jin Man," I would suggest you build a bonfire and burn all your Chuck Berry records and toss in Plastic Ono Band just for fun. Well, toss in all of John Lennon while you are at it.
I find the nagging criticisms of this record preposterous. Like "Abbey Road" doesn't have some just for fun songs? An undersea garden, anyone? Serious thought there. Sgt. Peppers doesn't have a song about a meter maid? Why didn't Shakespeare think of this?
To newcomers, I can recommend ALL of Nick's CDs, and this one no less. Sure, it's got a bigger sound and some toss offs to amuse, but in the words of the great one himself, SO WHAT?"