[Review] Brinsley Schwarz: Nervous on the Road (1972)
A loose concept album that captures the highs and lowes of the road.
Kronomyth 4.0: Surrender to the Schwarz.
While I wouldn’t call Nervous on the Road a concept album in the familiar sense, the theme of being a musician on the road—and the challenges it brings to relationships—runs throughout this record. What I would call it is Brinsley Schwarz’s most obvious entry in the pub-rock category. Earlier albums straddled the fence between rock and roll and country-rock, but what you get here is good old rock & roll with only a trace of country. No wonder Dave Edmunds tuned into these guys and produced their next album, The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz—this stuff is right up his alley. Ian Gomm contributes only one song this time, but what a song it is! It’s Been So Long is two minutes of rock and rock perfection. That’s followed by the honky-tonk Happy Doing What We’re Doing and Nick Lowe’s best song since “Country Girl,” Surrender to the Rhythm. From there, it’s ballads and rockers from Nick Lowe that sound like Ronnie Lane (Don’t Lose Your Grip on Love), Steve Miller (Feel a Little Funky), The Band (Brand New You, Brand New Me) and Edmunds (Nervous on the Road). A pair of playful covers round out the record, and the closing Why, Why, Why, Why, Why keeps you wanting more. Approaching the band from the later work of Nick Lowe, this is what I expected Brinsley Schwarz to sound like. It’s the band’s best record so far, consistent from beginning to end, tasty rock ‘n roll without those country caraway seeds in it. My only knock on the album is that Brinsley Schwarz somehow gets shuffled into the background; if I were producing the record, he’d get a solo on every song. Instead, it’s usually Bob Andrews who steps up for the solos, short though they are. I still haven’t found a Brinsley Schwarz record that I like better than Jesus of Cool or Labour of Lust, but I’m encouraged that I may yet find one after hearing Nervous on the Road.
Original elpee version
A1. It’s Been So Long (Ian Gomm) (2:02)
A2. Happy Doing What We’re Doing (Bob Andrews/Nick Lowe) (4:24)
A3. Surrender to the Rhythm (Nick Lowe) (3:18)
A4. Don’t Lose Your Grip on Love (Nick Lowe) (4:15)
A5. Nervous on the Road (But Can’t Stay at Home) (Nick Lowe) (4:50)
B1. Feel a Little Funky (Nick Lowe) (5:00)
B2. I Like It Like That (Chris Kenner) (3:02)
B3. Brand New You, Brand New Me (Nick Lowe) (4:32)
B4. My Home in My Hand (Ronnie Self) (2:49)
B5. Why, Why, Why, Why, Why (Nick Lowe) (3:40)
8-track version
A1. It’s Been So Long
A2. Brand New You, Brand New Me
A3. Don’t Lose Your Grip on Love
B1. I Like It Like That
B2. Surrender to the Rhythm
B3. Nervous on the Road (But Can’t Stay at Home)
C1. My Home in My Hand
C2. Feel a Little Funky
C3. I Like It Like That (Reprise)
D1. Happy Doing What We’re Doing
D2. My Home in My Hand (Reprise)
D3. Why, Why, Why, Why, Why
The Players
Bob Andrews, Ian Gomm, Nick Lowe, Billy Rankin, Brinsley Schwarz. Produced by “Brinsley Schwarz,” Dave Robinson & Kingsley Ward; engineered by Kingsley “Magic Fingers” Ward and Ralph Down.
The Pictures
Cover by Jet Power. Photos by Chris Gabrin.
The Plastic
Released on elpee and 8-track in September 1972 in the UK (United Artists, UAS 29374) and the US (United Artists, UAS-5647/U-8455).
- Re-released on elpee in 1978 in the UK (United Artists, LBR 1040). (First appeared on 9/16/72 issue of New Musical Express.)
- Re-issued on elpee in the US (Liberty, LN-10146) and Japan (Liberty, LLP-80809).
- Re-packaged with The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz on remastered 2-for-1 compact disc in 1995 in the UK (Beat Goes On, BGOCD289).
- Re-issued on compact disc in 2001 in the Uk (Repertoire, REP 4941).
- Re-issued on expanded compact disc on January 13, 2016 in Japan (Parlophone, WPCR-17024) with 3 bonus tracks.
