Labour of Lust

The album cover and corresponding ad campaign were designed by Barney Bubbles, who designed the artwork for virtually all of the early albums and 45's by Lowe, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, the Damned, and many other Stiff Records and Radar Records artists. It featured a distinctive "Hamer & sickle" logo, fashioning the body and snapped neck of Lowe's Hamer bass guitar into a pop-art Hammer and sickle, the symbol of proletarian solidarity from the Russian Revolution. This logo was also used on the sleeve of the 45 release of "Cracking Up." Bubbles's original mockup of the logo, which recently sold at auction, is featured in the gatefold sleeve of the 2011 Yep Roc reissue of the album. ==Critical reception==

The Globe and Mail wrote that "Lowe's ear for background is, in its own contemporary way, as inventive and dramatic as Phil Spector's was 15 years ago." The New York Times deemed Labour of Lust one of 1979's "most exuberant and finely crafted rock-and-roll albums." == Track listing ==

U.K. version All songs written by Nick Lowe except where noted. • "Cruel to Be Kind" (Lowe, Ian Gomm) – 3:31 • "Cracking Up" – 2:59 • "Big Kick, Plain Scrap!" – 2:28 • "Born Fighter" – 3:09 • "You Make Me" – 1:53 • "Skin Deep" – 3:12 • "Switch Board Susan" (Mickey Jupp) – 3:50 • "Endless Grey Ribbon" – 3:17 • "Without Love" – 2:29 • "Dose of You" – 3:21 • "Love So Fine" (Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner, Terry Williams) – 3:52 U.S. version • "Cruel to Be Kind" – 3:31 • "Cracking Up" – 2:59 • "Big Kick, Plain Scrap" – 2:28 • "American Squirm" – 2:29 • "You Make Me" – 1:53 • "Skin Deep" – 3:12 • "Switch Board Susan" – 3:50 • "Dose of You" – 3:21 • "Without Love" – 2:29 • "Born Fighter" – 3:09 • "Love So Fine" – 3:52 2011 Yep Roc records • "Cruel to Be Kind" – 3:31 • "Cracking Up" – 2:59 • "Big Kick, Plain Scrap" – 2:28 • "American Squirm" – 2:29 • "Born Fighter" – 3:09 • "You Make Me" – 1:53 • "Skin Deep" – 3:12 • "Switchboard Susan" – 3:50 • "Endless Grey Ribbon" – 3:17 • "Without Love" – 2:29 • "Dose of You" – 3:21 • "Love So Fine" – 3:52 • "Basing Street" (Bonus Track) – 2:32 ==Personnel==

• Nick Lowe – bass and vocals • Dave Edmunds & Billy Bremner – rhythm & solo guitars & backing vocals • Terry Williams – drums ;Additional personnel • Huey Lewis – harmonica on "Born Fighter" • Bob Andrews – Oberheim on "Endless Grey Ribbon" • Elvis Costello – backing vocals on "American Squirm" • Bruce Thomas – bass on "American Squirm" • Pete Thomas – drums on "American Squirm" • Roger Bechirian – recording ==Charts==