Rose of England

Personnel: Nick Lowe (vocals, 6-string bass); Bobby Irwin (vocals, drums); Martin Belmont (guitar); Paul Carrack (piano, organ, background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Joe McEwen; Josh Abbey.
Recording information: Boathouse Studios, Twickenham (1984-1985); Eden Studios, Acton (1984-1985).
Photographer: Nick Knight.
1984's ROSE OF ENGLAND is a peak album from a career filled with uniformly high quality work. This was the second album with Cowboy Outfit, following the self-titled predecessor (and the band is also the core of THE ABOMINABLE SHOWMAN). John Hiatt's "She Don't Love Nobody" is a perfect choice of outside material, sounding like it could be his own (Lowe went on to play on Hiatt's BRING THE FAMILY which led to the formation of the band Little Village). The great tradition of gut-bucket instrumentals is invoked in the band-composed "Long Walk Back," while Lowe's own catalog of great songs is added to with, among others, the title song and "I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock'n'Roll)."