Nick Lowe was a bit short of cash when his group, Brinsley Schwarz, split up at the end. of 1975. He reckoned his best bet was to get. free of his recording contract and demand a healthy advance from a new company. "But It, didn't quite work out like that," sari Nick whose single " I Love The Sound Of Breaking Oblast" is at number 21 in the charts.
"I ended up with a number one Angie in Japan and writing an album for the old Com-ponyI " I had nothing against the outfit but wanted out. I thought up the worst song possi-ble_ It was called 'Bay City Rollers We Love You.' "It had the reverse effect on the company. They loved it. "It only sold about 40 copies here, but it went down very well in Japan. "Sc' much so that I was asked to do an album for that market. I'm still doing it.
"Actually, I'm having quite a lot of fun. It is so rubbishy It's almost a work of art. " Anyway, the next singleI did for the com-pany did the trick. It was called 'Let's Go To The Disco ' by the Disco Brothers—who were me. It was dreadful. They fired me after that." Nick, who was on the famous Stiff Records tour last year with Ian Dury and Elvis Costello, is of to the States with Elvis next month for a seven-week tour. "I shall be going to
the States with Dave Edmunds' group. Rock-pile. We only did two days of rehearsals before the Stiff tour. This time I think I'd better put. bit more into it. I don't have a per-manent band_ I don't really like doing things on a regular basis. "There was the possi-bility of a very well-known British band coming with me to the States, but they are too t t ed u p with other things." Nick is usually too busy in the studio producing other people albums to go out on the road regularly. Now 28. l has pro-duced seven hit atinnts in bhe last couple of years, including his own L P, " Jesus Of Cool." A couple of weets ago
he went to Finland to record some tracks for his- next album. "Why Finland? Well. whey !lot? I thought it would be a bit different. " But what with 'all the vodka I consumed and the fact that none of the four tracks sound particularly good. It wasift much of • success. " I've stopped drinking as heavily as I used to. t could quite easily get through a couple of bottles of vodka In a studio. sL.,ton, " I was developinz the Image Of a horrible drill*.-.People were treating Me As a sort of joke. They'd say; 'Oh.' bete comes old Nick Lowe, booed tip again.
"I haven't actually had to dry out, but I have derided to take life a bit steadier in my old age' One of Nick's UlanS Is to produce Peters and Let. " Yes, I know what c;I're, thinking. They are very middle- of the road. and not really like the type of people I've been producing. "But I think they have /Teat 'voices — just that they use rubbishy " you've: &Ot to retnem-bri thatrthe Music busi-ness is just a joke. Like a game of .'Monopoly you've got to be able to move around the board."
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