The Doings

Lowe may have only one true hit to his credit (1979's "Cruel To Be Kind"), but he is one of rock's most respected artists. Across 86 tracks, THE DOINGS traces his transformation from self-styled "Jesus of Cool" and purveyor of "pure pop for now people" into a bluesy roots-rocker and perennial critics' darling. The fun-filled pure pop on disc 1 was recorded between 1976 and 1982, skipping recordings from Lowe's tenure as bassist/singer in Brinsley Schwarz, Rockpile, and Little Village. The disc kicks off with "So It Goes", Lowe's 1976Stiff Records debut single, and collects obscure B-sides (the rocking "Shake That Rat") and sublime power pop numbers ("I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass", "American Squirm"). Discs two and three explore Lowe's 1983-1998 output and find him moving away from boisterous garage rock ("Half A Boy And Half A Man") in favour of reflective roots rock ("Shelly My Love"). A fourth disc of unreleased studio recordings andlive tracks will be of greatest interest to Lowe's dedicated cult following.