Album 96 | Nick Lowe’s, “Bowi” (1978)

Nick Lowe titled this 1978 EP “Bowi,” without the “E” as a joke suggesting that Bowie’s album, “Low,” was named after him, again without the “E.”  The four songs on the EP have nothing to do with Bowie, however they are kind of funny without being novelty songs.  For instance, “Marie Provost” is an upbeat song about the hideous, lonely death of silent-era movie star Marie Prevost.  Lowe zeroes in on a particularly repulsive aspect of the all-but forgotten star’s death— that her dog apparently started eating her dead body.  If you either weren’t paying attention or didn’t know anything about the real story, the song sounds happy and lighthearted.    

Actually, in that respect maybe there’s more of a Bowie connection than the EP’s name— some of Bowie’s music had lyrics that didn’t seem in sync with the music, though that mostly happened later, say, with “Let’s Dance.”  

Its also worth noting that Bowie’s album cover was itself supposed to be a visual pun.  The title, “Low,” appeared over Bowie’s profile, so we’re supposed to think, “Low Profile,” (which described Bowie’s Berlin retreat at the time).

Lowe has another, apparently more coincidental Bowie reference in his song, “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass,” which was released after Bowie’s, “Breaking Glass” (which in fact was on Bowie’s,  “Low,”). They are two totally different songs, and Lowe claimed that he didn’t know about Bowie’s song at the time, but I also read a quote in which he said, “I think the music on my ‘Breaking Glass’ has something to do with him [Bowie]. I think I pinched something off of him in the music.”