| Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit |
| Cover: | Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit (album).jpg |
| Released: | May 1984 |
| Recorded: | January 1984 |
| Studio: | Ampro Studios, Shepherds Bush Riverside Studios, Chiswick Eden Studios, Acton Boathouse Studios, Twickenham |
| Genre: | Rock and roll, rockabilly, roots rock, country rock, new wave, power pop |
| Length: | 37:17 |
| Label: | F-Beat (UK, Australia, Japan and most of Europe) Columbia (US and Canada) RCA (Greece and Spain) Demon (1990 UK reissue) |
| Producer: | Nick Lowe, Colin Fairley, Paul Bass, Elvis Costello |
| Prev Title: | The Abominable Showman |
| Prev Year: | 1983 |
| Next Title: | The Rose of England |
| Next Year: | 1985 |
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit is a 1984 album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. The record marked the official debut of Lowe's new band, the Cowboy Outfit (although all of the band members had appeared on Lowe's previous album, The Abominable Showman). Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit was reissued in 2000 by Demon Music Group.
Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit incorporates more of a roots rock feel than Lowe's previous albums, including nods to Tex-Mex music ("Half a Boy and Half a Man"), 1950s guitar instrumentals ("Awesome"), and country music (via a cover of Faron Young's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young"). Other notable tracks include the soul-influenced "L.A.F.S."—which was co-produced and arranged by Elvis Costello (a role reversal of sorts, as Lowe had produced Costello's first five albums).
The album also includes a cover of Mickey Jupp's "You'll Never Get Me Up in One of Those", which had been previously recorded by Lowe's former Rockpile bandmate Dave Edmunds (the Edmunds version can be heard on his album Twangin...). Rockpile had also played as backing band on the Jupp original, on his 1978 album Juppanese.
Despite good reviews (including a B+ grade from critic Robert Christgau), Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit only reached No. 113 on the Billboard 200. The first single off the album, "Half a Boy and Half a Man", would become a moderate chart hit in the UK, reaching No. 53.
All songs written by Nick Lowe except as noted.
Note: the US and UK versions of the album had different track orders; the above is the US order. However, there are no song differences between the two.