Nick Lowe, born in the English county of Surrey in 1949, began his musical career in 1967, organizing a group with a school friend Brinsley Schwartz with the unmemorable name Kippington Lodge. The hippie Era, famous for its strange bell-bottomed trousers and wreaths of wildflowers (“wreaths”, not “corollas”, do you hear, Aleksashka Blok?), was getting ugly in the yard. Naturally, not a single shaggy stoner could pronounce this their “hippie-who-is-eating?”. Therefore, by 1969, our guys, without further ado, and perhaps giggling at Jethro Tull, renamed themselves Brinsley Schwarz, making a tilt towards country rock in the spirit of The Byrds and The Band.
The following year, the production company decided to widely publicize their performance at New York’s famous Fillmore East Auditorium, for which they sent a private flight across the Atlantic, packed with music journalists and critics of all stripes. The plane with the musicians was late, which is why the Schwartzs went on stage without tuning up, but the plane with the feather sharks was delayed for several hours, and the supply of hot drinks was not limited, for which reason the sharks arrived in the hall in the form of possessed monkeys. The lack of a sound check can be disastrous for bands, and critics, as soon as they got hungover, began to rivet devastating articles. The vilification in the press did not subside all year, catching at the same time the debut album of the same name. As a result, none of Brinsley Schwarz’s records were commercially successful, and the final one, recorded in 1974, was released forty years later.
However, over the years of the band’s existence, Nick Lowe became adept at both writing and playing, mastering not only the bass, but also other instruments, and the BS style was dubbed pub rock because of the venues. Soon, Lowe and Dave Edmunds put together Rockpile, where they played really lively pub rock with elements of rockabilly and new wave. At the same time, Nick started producing such iconic musicians as Elvis Costello, The Damned, Dr. Feelgood and many others, including his first wife Carlene Carter, stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. Cash himself performed Lowe’s song “The Beast In Me” on the legendary album “American Recordings”. Between 1978 and 2014, Nick Lowe released 14 solo albums, heterogeneous but stylistically correct, while simultaneously participating in collaborations with various artists, including The Mavericks and John Lee Hooker. He played bass with Los Straightjackets for the first time in 2001 in the composition “Shake That Rat”.
Los Straightjackets was founded in 1988 by rockabilly guitarist Eddie Angel, who came to Nashville, Tennessee to play with the band Planet Rockers, and Danny Amis, who worked in Nashville as a sound engineer and played in the surf band The Raybeats. Jimmy Lester, then the drummer in Robert Gordon’s concert band, was called on to play the drums. The formation called The Straightjackets did not last even a year, the participants scattered to their corners. In 1994, the situation changed dramatically: Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” gave rise to the surf rock fashion and our heroes did not fail to catch the wave. Having invited bassist Scott Esbeck to their company, changing the definite article The to the equally definite article Los, wearing black tuxedos and hiding their faces under masks of Mexican wrestlers, the musicians gradually began to acquire a cult status.
In 2003, after six instrumental records, Los Straightjackets recorded their first collaboration album, Rock’N’roll City, with renowned bluesman Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, for which they were nominated for a Grammy. The album is also interesting because it is a rare occasion when a black artist performs rockabilly. The first successful experience was followed by joint recordings with “Big” Sandy (Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys), Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos), Dick Dickerson (Dave & Deke Combo), Kaiser George (Kaiser Chiefs). In 2017, a collection of surf versions of Nick Lowe’s songs called “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love And Los Straightjackets” was released.
A couple of years before, the musicians had already given concerts with Nick’s participation, which was recorded by the “live” CD “Quality Holiday Revue”. Of course, a full-fledged studio recording didn’t take too long, and Lowe and LS concocted their first album, Walkabout, in 2020. The next one, Indoor Safari, was released in 2024. The musicians were separated by the Atlantic: Lowe recorded the voice parts on an island called Great Britain, Los Straightjackets minted the arrangements in Chicago, Illinois. The frequencies were controlled by Alex Hall, a highly professional man who devoured a prairie dog while working with J.D. McPherson and Cactus Blossoms. Here’s what came out of it:
Gone To A Party, composed by the entire glorious camarilla, sounds like The Kinks are trying to create another garage action movie, lying on the California sand. Pipe trousers turn into elegant shorts. Imposingly danceable.
Love Starvation perfectly conveys the Texan-Mexican spirit, which Buddy Holly managed to infect new generations of rockers even after his death.
Crying Inside is reminiscent of Ricky Nelson from the “Garden Party” era. Although what you can’t hear in Nick Lowe’s voice is puppy nostalgia. On the contrary, there is always a slight sarcasm in his presentation, allowing you to relive the most mawkish moments.
A Quiet Place is preceded by the nasty voice of the neighborhood witch shouting the guitarist’s name: “Hey, Eddie! Eddie Angel!” Pretending to be a smart British pop star of the early 1970s, the story tells of March cats, boisterous drunks and loud-mouthed tenants. It seems that even over the hill, silence in private apartments is a rare value. The first of the two cover versions is here. Original by Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters loses in some ways, being a typical black rhythm and blues of the sixties.
Blue On Blue is probably the most relaxed song of the album. The guitar occasionally roars, as if trying to wake up, but to no avail.
The Jet Pack Boomerang is simply magical. The right proportions of romance and hooliganism produce the kind of amazing result that George Harrison would envy.
Tokio Bay was already released by Nick and LS on the previous album, but it was reinterpreted here. And very useful. A weighty, almost menacing groove and witty escapist lyrics are the ingredients of good rock’n’roll.
The trombone should sound every spring from every vacuum cleaner. It will open not only the kidneys of the willow, but also the liver and spleen. I wish I could hear it performed by Tom Jones.
Different Kind Of Blue fascinates with the transparency of the elegy and the gossamer melody. Other words are superfluous.
Raincoat In The River was once performed by the aforementioned Ricky Nelson. A non-committal pop-country song, albeit with some weird imagery in the lyrics.
Lay It On Me Baby is charming in its unpretentious lightness and imitation of bands that imitated bands that imitated the Beatles.
Don’t Be Nice To Me is another outwardly lyrical, but absolutely mocking in essence. She would have suited Del Shannon well in style, and perhaps if he had caught her in time, Del would have laughed and changed his mind about what he had done.
02 Love Starvation
03 Crying Inside
04 A Quiet Place
05 Blue on Blue
06 Jet Pac Boomerang
07 Tokyo Bay
08 Trombone
09 Different Kind of Blue
10 Raincoat in the River
11 Lay It on Me Baby
12 Don’t Be Nice to Me
Download or listen to the album Indoor Safari online (mp3, 35 MB):
“Indoor Safari” is a very smart and subtle album, where every song, even the most seemingly unsightly, works for the overall picture. Each subsequent listening opens up new nuances. Once infused, this record will acquire an absinthe strength, remaining lighter than “Cuba libre”. The sea surf whispers “stand down”, Moon Dogs!
