During the early stages of establishing his solo identity in 1981, Nick Lowe assembled a backing ensemble known initially as the Chaps, which included guitarist Martin Belmont from Ducks Deluxe and the Rumour, keyboardist Paul Carrack formerly of Ace, and drummer Bobby Irwin. This ensemble underwent a prompt name change to Noise to Go, and its members contributed to every track on the 1982 release Nick the Knife, issued solely under Lowe’s name. The same players featured on the 1983 album The Abominable Showman, another project attributed only to Lowe, yet the next year saw the outfit rebranded as Nick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit, coinciding with the May 1984 issuance of a self-titled album. The configuration endured until the 1985 album The Rose of England, after which the group dissolved officially. Nevertheless, those same musicians from the Cowboy Outfit participated in the recording of Lowe’s 1988 effort Pinker and Prouder Than Previous.
I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)The Rose of England · 1985The Rose of England4:27
Half a Boy and Half a ManNick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit · 1984Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit2:55