Day 7: Pub Rock

Brinsley Schwarz
Nervous on the Road

With its stripped down, rootsy approach to blues and country-based rock, pub rock stood in stark contrast to the more popular glam, prog, and hard rock of the early 70s and in doing so, it served as an important precursor to punk rock. Indeed, several fixtures of punk and new wave got their starts as members of pub rock groups, including Joe Strummer (the 101ers), Ian Dury (Kilburn & the High Roads), Elvis Costello (Flip City), and Nick Lowe (Brinsley Schwarz). Brinsley Schwarz was the finest, most important of these acts, and the band was immeasurably important to the creation of what became a pub rock circuit in England in the early 70s. Named for its lead guitarist, the group was more notable for cultivating the talents of bassist/singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Brinsley Schwarz succeeded by combining Lowe's nascent songwriting talent with back-to-the-basics, country and blues-tinged arrangements of rock & roll. The band hit its artistic stride with the 1972 release of Nervous on the Road, which features several of Lowe's best compositions. Among the highlights are "It's Been So Long," which employs a simple but effective call and response refrain, and "Surrender to the Rhythm," which prominently features a killer melodic line on a Hammond B-3. Though Nervous on the Road may be the strongest overall statement from the group, 1974's New Favorites of Brinsley Schwarz also should not be missed for many reasons, not the least of which is that it contains Lowe's finest early composition, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding." Conveniently, the two albums have been combined on a single, indispensable CD put out by BGO.

Brinsley Schwarz performing "Surrender to the Rhythm."