Nervous on the Road/The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz

Performer: Brinsley Schwarz
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: 2 LPs on 1 CD. This single disc compilation of Brinsley Schwarz's two best albums is the perfect introduction to the revered English group's amiable blend of rock, R&B, country and reggae. Led by singer/songwriter/bassist Nick Lowe, Brinsley Schwarz were arguably the best known band to emerge from the pub rock scene (a reference to the small pubs where bands typically performed) that thrived in England in the early seventies. Released in 1972, NERVOUS ON THE ROAD captures Brinsley Schwarz at the peak of their powers. Performing everything from swinging pop ("Surrender To The Rhythm"), New-Orleans funk ("I Like It Like That") and such gritty R&B as "Home In My Hand," Brinsley Schwarz created a fresh, down-to-earth sound. Recorded two years after NERVOUS with producer Dave Edmunds, NEW FAVORITES found the band moving in a more pop-oriented direction. The album's centerpiece is an anthemic rock version of Nick Lowe's "What's So Funny (About Peace Love And Understanding)." The moody R&B ballad "Ever Since You're Gone" and the catchy beat group pop of "The Ugly Things" illustrate why Nick Lowe's remarkable ability to write almost any style of music allowed Brinsley Schwarz to retain their vitality long after many of their contemporaries were forgotten.

With members that would go on to make up Graham Parker's backing band, the Rumour, and featuring English power-popper Nick Lowe on vocals, Brinsley Schwarz (named after the band's lead guitarist) not only defined the sound of early-1970s British pub rock, but were--in retrospect--something of a supergroup. Heavily influenced by the rootsier aspects of 1960s American rock, the band provided an alternative to the bombast of glam rock and the cerebral excess of prog rock that exemplified most British music at the time. The band had broken up by 1975, but left a song book that included early versions of Lowe's great "Cruel to Be Kind" and "Peace, Love and Understanding (What's so Funny 'Bout)," later made famous by Elvis Costello.

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