CD1
- So It Goes 2:33
- Heart Of The City 2:01
- Born A Woman 2:30
- Shake That Rat 2:11
- Marie Provost 2:48
- Endless Sleep 4:05
- I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock 'n' Roll) (Live) 3:00
- Halfway To Paradise 2:28
- I Don't Want The Night To End 1:58
- I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass 3:14
- Little Hitler 3:00
- Cruel To Be Kind 2:54
- Tonight 3:57
- No Reason 3:33
- 36 Inches High 2:58
- American Sqirm 2:32
- Cracking Up 3:00
- Basing Street 2:35
- Cruel To Be Kind (Single Version) 3:30
- Born Fighter 3:10
- Switchboard Susan 3:48
- Without Love 2:29
- Burning 2:05
- Heart 3:44
- My Heart Hurts 2:41
- 82 Raining Raining 2:48
CD2
- Ragin' Eyes 2:39
- Time Wounds All Heels 2:46
- Half A Boy And Half A Man 2:56
- Awesome 2:51
- Maureen 3:06
- Darlin' Angel Eyes 2:46
- She Don't Love Nobody 3:23
- 7 Nights To Rock 2:47
- The Rose Of England 3:26
- I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock 'n' Roll) 4:27
- Indoor Fireworks 3:33
- Bo Bo Skediddle 3:04
- (You're My) Wildest Dream 3:20
- Crying In My Sleep 4:01
- Lover's Jamboree 3:45
- Big Big Love 2:51
- What's A Shakin' On The Hill 4:01
- All Men Are Liars 3:24
- Gai-Gin Man 2:45
- You Stabbed Me In The Front 2:58
CD3
- Soulful Wind 3:04
- The Beast In Me 2:32
- True Love Travels On A Gravel Road 3:39
- Shelly My Love 3:15
- Where's My Everything 2:42
- 12-Step Program (To Quit You Babe) 3:15
- Lover Don't Go 4:09
- I Live On A Battlefield 3:24
- 14 Days 3:01
- In The Middle Of It All 3:02
- (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? 3:49
- Faithless Lover 2:44
- Lonesome Reverie 2:55
- You Inspire Me 3:12
- Time I Took A Holiday 3:29
- Man That I've Become 2:54
- Freezing 3:58
- High On A Hilltop 3:05
- Lead Me Not 3:00
- I Must Be Getting Over You 2:21
CD4
- Pet You And Hold You (Live) 3:22
- Crackin' Up (Live) 2:57
- (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? (Live) 3:29
- Baby It's You (& Elvis Costello) 3:13
- Don't Think About Her (Demo) 3:00
- Rocky Road (Demo) 3:56
- Losin' Boy (unreleased) 2:32
- Love Is After Me (unreleased) 2:48
- Lonely Just Like Me (unreleased) 2:57
- 36 Inches High (Live) 3:41
- Raining Raining (Live, unreleased) 3:31
- Without Love (live) 2:36
- Lover Don't Go (Live) 4:53
- Dream Girl (live) 2:39
- I'm Coming Home (live) 2:34
- I'll Give You All Night To Stop (unreleased) 2:19
- Soulful Wind (live) 2:43
- She Don't Love Nobody (live) 3:01
- Cruel To Be Kind (live) 3:06
- Half Boy And Half Man (live) 3:19
Notes
The subtitle of the four-disc box set The Doings is The Solo Years, and the 86-track compilation never once strays from that edict. Disc one kicks off with Nick Lowe's seminal single "So It Goes," bypassing his early work with Brinsley Schwarz. By the end of that first disc, the compilation is already at Nick the Knife, his first album after the disbandment of Rockpile, and none of that group's official recordings are here. As it stands, The Doings falls just below the definitive mark, mainly because of those omissions. It's still a worthwhile set, though, playing much like an expanded version of Basher. It could be argued that it moves a little too quickly through Lowe's '70s and '80s material, especially since the third disc contains almost all of his '90s albums Impossible Bird and Dig My Mood. Then again, those two records really are among the best music he's ever made, so they deserve such an elevated position. Still, such decisions help point out what's missing from The Doings, and there are some great songs not included, but that's nit-picking. What's here is excellent, tracing a good history of Nick's solo career, perfect for casual fans wanting a comprehensive anthology. But The Doings is really for obsessive fans, and they'll be pleased by the rarities. Not only is the original fast version of "Cruel to Be Kind" here, but there's a full disc of live recordings, demos, and home recordings, all of high quality. Not only does The Doings do a good job of collecting obscurities, it does an even better job of drawing a portrait of Lowe's solo recordings. Ultimately, that's what makes The Doings a success.