DAVE EDMUNDS
on Compact Disc
 

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Plugged In
Pyramid R2 71770
    Rating: **
    Tracklist
     
    There are some folks out there saying Dave hasn't 'got it' anymore and that his latest offering Plugged in is proof positive.  Well, I don't think I agree with that.  He still has 'it' and 'it' is present on this album though perhaps not as notably as in some of his other albums.
     
    He recorded this album in his home in California and plays all the instruments on it.  His use of a drum machine is fairly inexplicable for someone who used to play with Terry Williams.  Needless to say, spontaneity is not the name of the game on this album.  Nonetheless, this one-man-band approach is reminiscent of his Rockfield days and he does it fairly well.
     
    But there are some really great songs on here (and, I admit, a few klinkers) and Dave is still a guitarist to be reckoned with.  If you are already a fan, Plugged In probably deserves a spot in your collection.  If you aren't a fan, I doubt that it will change your mind.
     
    By the way, Plugged In also includes a new performance of 'Sabre Dance.'  Gee, I've had enough of Mr. Khatchaturian now . . .
Anthology
Rhino R2 71191
    Rating: *** 1/2
    Tracklist
     
    This is not a bad place to start if you have little or no Dave Edmunds in your collection.  It's a 2-CD collection including 41 tracks covering his career from 1968 to 1990.  The unfortunate thing about his collection is that the criteria for track selection seems to have relied a great deal on whether or not a song was released as a single or not.  As a result, there are songs not not particularly fun to listen to (like the stuff he did with Love Sculpture, especially 'Sabre Dance') and some songs that are classic Dave that are missing.
     
    That said, this is a mighty fine collection of tunes with very few klinkers in the mix.  Most of the songs are Dave Edmunds at his best so you can forgive the compilers need to be so comprehensive.  Disc Two is pure delight to listen to and Disc One is just fine if you skip a few songs.
     
    The booklet included is excellent.  The bio pretty much covers the bases without a great deal of sentimentality.  The song notes section is very interesting to read and includes quotes that provide a fair amount of insight into the tracks on this album.  Also included is a discography of sorts that provide release dates and album titles for the all the tracks presented here.  Full personnel listings for each track are all included.  Very nice indeed.
     
 
Chronicles
VSOP CD 209
    Rating: ***
    Tracklist
     
    Here we have yet another compilation.  It differs from the Rhino compilation in that it is only one disc and not quite so comprehensive.  The thing that keeps this from being Anthology Lite is its inclusion of several great cuts missing from Anthology. Notable are some superior early recordings like 'You can't catch me' and 'Get out of Denver.'  If you have Anthology, Chronicles might not be considered essential but it's a mighty fine album that includes songs you won't find anywhere else.  Unfortunately, the compilers did not see fit to spare us yet another presentation of 'Sabre Dance.'
     
I Hear You Rockin'-The Dave Edmunds Band Live
Columbia CK 40603
    Rating: *** 1/2
    Tracklist
     
    This is Dave's live album.  The nice thing about a live album is that it usually features a lot of an artist's most crowd pleasing tunes and generally you expect fairly good performances or it wouldn't have been released.  Of course the performances might not be quite the same as what you expected...
     
    Well, Dave's live album is pretty successful.  He knows how to put on a good show and the two represented on this album are lively and well recorded.  The songs are ones you would expect at this point in his career, a nice bunch of the crowd-pleasers you might expect.  Sure, I miss Nick Lowe presence on some the Rockpile-era stuff but Dave can really rock and roll and his sidemen are no slackers either.  His singing never sounds perfunctory and his guitar playing on this album is as good as anything he's ever recorded.  The production is a little indifferent on the CD release but what do you expect from Columbia?
    Most of the songs on the album are played in a pretty straight-forward manner and without surprises but the energy of the sets enhances most of the familiar tunes.  Elvis Costello's 'Girls talk' never sounded better than this version and 'Here comes the weekend' is faster, wilder and more frenetic than the original record.  The live version of 'I knew the bride' could probably have been improved with the presence of Nick Lowe, but it really rocks and sounds fresh.  'Slipping away' and 'Information' from the indifferent 'Information' album are really fun to listen to and a great improvement over the original performances.  "Queen of hearts sounds like the hit it never quite was.  The only disappointment here (and a small one) is 'I hear you knocking' which is well done but lacks the brilliant cheeziness of the old Rockfield performance.
     
    Finally we are spared a live rendition of 'Sabre Dance!'   For that the album almost deserves another star.
Information
Columbia CK 38651
    Rating: ** 1/2
    Tracklist
     
    How Dave got involved with Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne is a complete mystery to me.  Why it happened is completely puzzling.  What exactly do Jeff Lynne and Dave Edmunds have in common.
    I'm guessing that Dave admired more than anything else the commercial success achieved by Electric Light Orchestra and imagined that maybe he could manage some of that success with a more 'modern' sound and who would know more about a more modern sound that Jeff Lynne?  Yeah well...
    Jeff Lynne's fingerprints are all over this album with it's gurgling synthesizers and choral harmonies.  Sure, Dave's presence on the album is distinctive with his urgent vocals and a general rocking feel but it all seems so diluted.  If you are really a Dave Edmund's fan (and of course I am).  the album is listenable but not very often.  Thank God his affair with Jeff Lynne was fairly short-lived.  Nick Lowe was a far better partner but we all knew that.
D.E. 7th
Columbia CK 37930
    Rating: *** 1/2
    Tracklist
     
    I have to tell you that this is classic Dave Edmunds.  It is chuck full of instant classics and highly memorable tunes that remind me why I love Dave Edmunds.  What's not to like about great rocker's like 'Me and the boys' and 'Other guy's girls?'  His cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'From small things (big things one day come) is bloody definitive.  I don't even like Bruce Springsteen but I can't get enough of this song!
    D.E. 7th is as good as anything Dave did in the Rockpile days and despite uninspired production from Columbia should be considered an essential element in Dave's catalog.
The Best of Dave Edmunds
Swan Song 8510-2
    Rating: ****
    Tracklist
     
    The first time I saw the title of this album, I dismissed it as nothing less than false advertising.  I still believe that but I am less dismissive.  The Best of Dave Edmunds can hardly be considered an accurate description for a compilation that covers only his four album recordings for Swan Song records.  On the other hand, there are those who would contend that he recorded his best material during that period.
     
    There is certainly something to be said for that.  The albums covered by this compilation were among his very best and the tracks chosen are among the best from those albums.  The result is a great album that is as much fun to listen to as any of his best.  I recommend this one highly.
     
    Actually I might love any compilation that didn't include 'Sabre Dance' . . .
     
Repeat When Necessary
Swan Song 8507-2
    Rating: ****
    Tracklist
     
    This album helps demonstrate why Rockpile was one of the truly great rock 'n' roll bands of all time even if hardly anybody ever heard them.  Featuring the Rockpile line-up of Dave on vocals and guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, Terry Williams on drums, and Billy Bremner on guitars, this album is nothing short of brilliant.  Even though the boys didn't write a single tune on this album, they--and especially Dave Edmunds--own every damn one of them.
    Elvis Costello's 'Girl's talk' Huey Lewis' 'Bad is bad' bookend 9 more cuts of exquisite and definitive rock 'n' roll performance.  I will never get tired of great songs like 'Crawling from the wreckage,' 'The Creature from the black lagoon,' or 'Queen of hearts.'  I find it necessary to repeat this album all too often.
Tracks on Wax 4
Swan Song 8505-2
    Rating: ****

    Tracklist

    Widely regarded as Dave's best recording, Trax on Wax may indeed be his best recording!  Featuring his buddies from Rockpile as well as pedal steel whiz Gerry Hogan and pianist Pete Kelly, Trax is an awesome listening experience with nary a misstep.  Covering the gamut from rock 'n' roll to country to rockabilly, this is the kind of album that we always knew Dave could record.  It really doesn't get any better than this!

Get It
Swan Song 8418-2
 
Twangin...
Swan Song 7 16034-2
Subtle As A Flying Mallet
RCA/BMG 74321 12850 2
(Original vinyl L.P. released on Rockfield RRL 101)
Rating system key:
*****: Exceptional
****: Excellent
***: Good
**: For fans only
*: Don't bother!
 
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This page is under construction and will continue to be until I've covered all of Dave's catalog to which I have access.  Check back from time to time to see how I'm doing.

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