For me, Dave Edmunds was the greatest song interpreter of the 1970s and early 1980s. Right from his 1st solo release, I Hear You Knocking, he demonstrated superb ability to select a song, then arrange, perform and produce it, so that it became the definitive version. Perhaps this is why Twangin' is my favourite Dave Edmunds LP. Who else could put out such a great LP that is compiled almost exclusively from old outakes of cover versions? My favourite cut from this album is Singing Blues, which surpasses the #1 versions by both Guy Mitchell and Tommy Steele. And it's not just the songs. The whole package exhibits a retro vibe, starting with the album title. The great cover artwork, the dancing dot figures on the back cover and even the inner sleeve, invoke a feeling of nostalgia. The only thing to shatter the illusion is the Swan Song label in the centre of the platter.
Many thanks. I remember a Dave Edmunds gig in a small outdoor pub in Karlstad, Sweden, ca 10 years ago, playing for around 100 people. At the same evening, Bruce Springsteen had a concert, also in Sweden, at Ullevi Gothenburg for an audience of perhaps 50 000. A strange perspective. DE did not the whole set since he had turned old & tired, someone in the band (Refreshments) told me. But when he was up & run he was 100%. A wonderful memory.
Came accross this while searching for Rockpile videos and anyone that likes Dave Edmonds , Nick Lowe and Rockpile is definitely worth listening to in my book.
Agree with your rankings, mostly. My Top Ten from the Welsh Wizard would be: 1. Get It 2. Trax on Wax 4 3. Rockpile (1970) [I have this as a French-published double album that includes best of the Love Sculpture output as well] 4. Repeat When Necessary 5. DE 7th 6. Twangin' 7. Subtle as a Flying Mallet (lifted by 'Let It Rock' 'Shot of Rhythm and Blues' and 'Leave My Girl Alone') 8. Information 9. Closer to the Flame ('King of Love' is a real keeper) 10. Riff Raff (Shout out for 'Can't Get Enough' and a great blues harp part from Paul Jones But maybe his best album of all is the 1980 Rockpile album 'Seconds of Pleasure'. Dave Edmunds as producer should not be overlooked either, particularly his work with Flamin' Groovies (post Roy Loney), The Pretenders (Learning to Crawl), Stray Cats of course and Squeeze (East Side Story). All in all, Dave Edmunds has given me so many good times.
Don't forget his production of The Everly Brothers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, KD Lang, Man (Rockpile drummer Terry Williams was a member), Foghat, Shakin' Stevens, and a few more.
Dave's album Rockpile is absolutely amazing. For 1972, it was crazy avant garde and I wish I'd heard it then. But I have it now, and it's crazy good.King of Love is a sports Anthem. Ah, ah, oh. So good.
As a teenager in the late 80s, I had the live album "I hear you rockin'". I played it so much that in the end, it looked like I had used it for cutting pizza on it, and no tracks could be played. Found a version on cassette, and I kept that and my walkman until the tape was ruined just a few years ago. Dave Edmunds is the reason for me picking up the guitar back then, and that album got me through a lot of s... Sadly today, I can't find it anywhere. It has meant so much to me, that I'd propably would fall to pieces if I found it.
Got to see Dave Edmunds at the Palace in Louisville/mid nineties. The plugged in tour. Great stuff! Such a great 🎸 player. My favorite would have to be Trax on wax!!
Great video! I totally agree on your top 3, these are timeless albums! Although not a Edmunds solo album I feel the Rockpile album Seconds of Pleassure should be in that list as well.
Fantastic! I discovered Edmunds when reading about his Get It album in Greg Shaw's Bomp magazine in 1977. Dave quickly became my favorite contemporary artist, and remained so throughout the rest of the 70's and 80's. He and I were both living in Sherman Oaks California in the 90's, and I occasionally saw him around the neighborhood. There was a British pub he frequented regularly. Though Dave has retired, we now have Buddy Miller who has picked up where Dave left off ;-) . Dave was also great as a live performer, and I loved the band he put together in the 80's. I saw him with both Billy Bremner and Mickey Gee on 2nd guitar and harmony vocals, with Geraint Watkins on piano and accordion. I disagree with you only on your low ranking of the Subtle As A Flying mallet album. It's great! Listen to his singing on the Chantels song "Maybe". Spine-tingling! And each LP side closes with Dave (backed by the Brinsley Schwarz band---with Nick Lowe on bass) doing great versions of Chuck Berry songs live in a Welsh pub. Keith Richards only wishes he could play guitar like Dave!
Yes,Dave's solo albums were essentially Rockpile albums. That whole crew with Lowe, Costello, etc. were just fantastic. Still kicking myself for never getting to a show, the tendency to think a band is always going to be around. I lost interest when he got involved with Jeff Lynne. I never knew there was a video of the studio session for DE7 until I saw it on TH-cam a few years back. Dave going gaga watching Alvin Lee's soloing on Sweet Little Lisa was great to watch!
My ranking of the Top Ten Dave Edmunds albums : 1. Repeat When Necessary 2. Closer to the Flame 3. Get it 4. Trax on Wax 4 5. Riff Raff 6. Twangin 7. DE 7th 8. Rockpile 9. Subtle as a Flying Mallet 10. Information And I do love the Plugged in album very much too!
Great list! I certainly agree with your top 3, but I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Closer to the Flame. Although certainly not on the level of Rockpile, I think you may want to revisit that one. There are some quality tracks on there. You mentioned the title track, but I’d also include Mickey Jupp’s, Don’t Talk to Me, King of Love, Big Al Anderson’s Never Take The Place of You and IGot Your Number, written by Big Al and John Hiatt! It’s a pretty remarkable album.
Closer to the flame is definately in the Top 3 Dave Edmunds albuns such great songs and so well arranged and produced this should have been a hit record in the charts!
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you, Mike. I can hardly fault your review of my records. It makes me want to go back and do it all over again.
Plz do!! 🎸🎸🎸
For me, Dave Edmunds was the greatest song interpreter of the 1970s and early 1980s. Right from his 1st solo release, I Hear You Knocking, he demonstrated superb ability to select a song, then arrange, perform and produce it, so that it became the definitive version. Perhaps this is why Twangin' is my favourite Dave Edmunds LP. Who else could put out such a great LP that is compiled almost exclusively from old outakes of cover versions? My favourite cut from this album is Singing Blues, which surpasses the #1 versions by both Guy Mitchell and Tommy Steele. And it's not just the songs. The whole package exhibits a retro vibe, starting with the album title. The great cover artwork, the dancing dot figures on the back cover and even the inner sleeve, invoke a feeling of nostalgia. The only thing to shatter the illusion is the Swan Song label in the centre of the platter.
I've nothing but praise for both Dave and Nick; both made an indelible impression on my appreciation of music.
Many thanks. I remember a Dave Edmunds gig in a small outdoor pub in Karlstad, Sweden, ca 10 years ago, playing for around 100 people. At the same evening, Bruce Springsteen had a concert, also in Sweden, at Ullevi Gothenburg for an audience of perhaps 50 000. A strange perspective. DE did not the whole set since he had turned old & tired, someone in the band (Refreshments) told me. But when he was up & run he was 100%. A wonderful memory.
Crawling through the records.....interesting review.....thanks a lot
Came accross this while searching for Rockpile videos and anyone that likes Dave Edmonds , Nick Lowe and Rockpile is definitely worth listening to in my book.
Agree with your rankings, mostly. My Top Ten from the Welsh Wizard would be:
1. Get It
2. Trax on Wax 4
3. Rockpile (1970) [I have this as a French-published double album that includes best of the Love Sculpture output as well]
4. Repeat When Necessary
5. DE 7th
6. Twangin'
7. Subtle as a Flying Mallet (lifted by 'Let It Rock' 'Shot of Rhythm and Blues' and 'Leave My Girl Alone')
8. Information
9. Closer to the Flame ('King of Love' is a real keeper)
10. Riff Raff (Shout out for 'Can't Get Enough' and a great blues harp part from Paul Jones
But maybe his best album of all is the 1980 Rockpile album 'Seconds of Pleasure'. Dave Edmunds as producer should not be overlooked either, particularly his work with Flamin' Groovies (post Roy Loney), The Pretenders (Learning to Crawl), Stray Cats of course and Squeeze (East Side Story). All in all, Dave Edmunds has given me so many good times.
Don't forget his production of The Everly Brothers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, KD Lang, Man (Rockpile drummer Terry Williams was a member), Foghat, Shakin' Stevens, and a few more.
Dave's album Rockpile is absolutely amazing. For 1972, it was crazy avant garde and I wish I'd heard it then. But I have it now, and it's crazy good.King of Love is a sports Anthem. Ah, ah, oh. So good.
As a teenager in the late 80s, I had the live album "I hear you rockin'". I played it so much that in the end, it looked like I had used it for cutting pizza on it, and no tracks could be played. Found a version on cassette, and I kept that and my walkman until the tape was ruined just a few years ago. Dave Edmunds is the reason for me picking up the guitar back then, and that album got me through a lot of s... Sadly today, I can't find it anywhere. It has meant so much to me, that I'd propably would fall to pieces if I found it.
Got to see Dave Edmunds at the Palace in Louisville/mid nineties. The plugged in tour. Great stuff! Such a great 🎸 player. My favorite would have to be Trax on wax!!
Great video! I totally agree on your top 3, these are timeless albums! Although not a Edmunds solo album I feel the Rockpile album Seconds of Pleassure should be in that list as well.
Fantastic! I discovered Edmunds when reading about his Get It album in Greg Shaw's Bomp magazine in 1977. Dave quickly became my favorite contemporary artist, and remained so throughout the rest of the 70's and 80's. He and I were both living in Sherman Oaks California in the 90's, and I occasionally saw him around the neighborhood. There was a British pub he frequented regularly. Though Dave has retired, we now have Buddy Miller who has picked up where Dave left off ;-) .
Dave was also great as a live performer, and I loved the band he put together in the 80's. I saw him with both Billy Bremner and Mickey Gee on 2nd guitar and harmony vocals, with Geraint Watkins on piano and accordion. I disagree with you only on your low ranking of the Subtle As A Flying mallet album. It's great! Listen to his singing on the Chantels song "Maybe". Spine-tingling! And each LP side closes with Dave (backed by the Brinsley Schwarz band---with Nick Lowe on bass) doing great versions of Chuck Berry songs live in a Welsh pub. Keith Richards only wishes he could play guitar like Dave!
Yes,Dave's solo albums were essentially Rockpile albums. That whole crew with Lowe, Costello, etc. were just fantastic. Still kicking myself for never getting to a show, the tendency to think a band is always going to be around. I lost interest when he got involved with Jeff Lynne.
I never knew there was a video of the studio session for DE7 until I saw it on TH-cam a few years back. Dave going gaga watching Alvin Lee's soloing on Sweet Little Lisa was great to watch!
I wasn't even aware of those albums after the two Jeff Lynne ones.
My ranking of the Top Ten Dave Edmunds albums :
1. Repeat When Necessary
2. Closer to the Flame
3. Get it
4. Trax on Wax 4
5. Riff Raff
6. Twangin
7. DE 7th
8. Rockpile
9. Subtle as a Flying Mallet
10. Information
And I do love the Plugged in album very much too!
Good work, Mike, you know your stuff! BTW, from the French, oeuvre (body of work by an artist or composer) erv-ra.
Great list! I certainly agree with your top 3, but I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Closer to the Flame. Although certainly not on the level of Rockpile, I think you may want to revisit that one. There are some quality tracks on there. You mentioned the title track, but I’d also include Mickey Jupp’s, Don’t Talk to Me, King of Love, Big Al Anderson’s Never Take The Place of You and IGot Your Number, written by Big Al and John Hiatt! It’s a pretty remarkable album.
I will do just that. Thanks.
Closer to the flame is definately in the Top 3 Dave Edmunds albuns such great songs and so well arranged and produced this should have been a hit record in the charts!
I don't have any Dave albums but I do have a fantastic 2 CD collection that is invaluable to me
Rockpile was the named Rickpile studio in wales where Dave ans Oasis recorded there
The studio is actually called Rockfield
I'd've put your top three as the top three and as you say, those three might have been in a different order on another day.
Yep! Right now I can't stop singing Dave songs!
Is that an FPK t-shirt you're wearing :-)?
WFUV