DAVE EDMUNDS – Twangin’ – (Swan Song) – 1981

what Frank is listening to #207 – DAVE EDMUNDS – Twangin' – (Swan Song) – 1981

If you have read enough of my "comments" it would probably come as no surprise that I would like Dave Edmunds.

He is obsessed with rockabilly, roots rock, country rock and early rock n roll.

What may be surprising is that he is English. Normally, I think it pointless to listen to English variations on these most American of the rock 'n' roll variations. And that is still the case. However saying that there are a handful of English artists: Edmunds, Ian Matthews, Alvin Lee, Nick Lowe, Chris Spedding and a few others that does not apply to. These guys do not pretend for a second that the music is anything other than American roots music but they all play well and are inspired.

Edmunds has also put out a solid body of solo work (from what I have heard thus far), and has also produced or collaborated with some my other favourite acts: The Flamin Groovies, Nick Lowe, Paul McCartney, Carl Perkins, The Everly Brothers, Dion, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, as well as Brinsley Schwartz, The Stray Cats, Jeff Lynne, Status Quo and others.

What appeals to me most, and this is entirely a matter of preference, is that Dave Edmunds has incredibly good taste.

His passion for his chosen music is not something by an affected dilettante, it is neither superficial nor an attempt to jump on the band wagon. He is passionate and is not afraid of doing some well considered covers of old songs, which though not always successful are always sincere. He also writes many new songs, that, unsurprisingly sound like "old" songs.

Edmunds usually acts as a producer (and built his own studio) and knows what he loves and what he is looking for ….and what he loves stopped before The Beatles rise. That's not to say he doesn't do covers that post date The Beatles but those songs themselves harken back to pre-Beatles days.

From what I have already heard by Edmunds I think he does better on his own songs than on his covers. He is happy "tweaking" or changing the covers (he is no slave) but ultimately he reveres them to much. The other problem is that because he has incredible good taste some of the originals he has chosen to do are hard to top or even compete with.

But, and this is important, his music rarely sounds dated. He manages to recreate the original sound and feel of the era he loves but he also mixes in contemporary sounds, as long as those sounds are consistent with his musical loves. So, in the era of late 60s psychedelia a band as "retro" as his "Love Sculpture" actually seemed to fit in with their driving rock 'n' roll, whilst his mid 70s solo reworkings of 50s classics also seem to fit in with the rock 'n' roll revival craze, and his late 70s solo work (which gave him the most aclaim) sounds almost new-wave with short punchy rock songs. Not that that was unexpected. After an era of bloated excess in the form of prog rock, art rock, disco and glam rock, many a straight ahead rock 'n' roller was mistaken as being "new wave" (and maybe by definition they were).

Edmunds knows what he loves and wears his heart on his sleeve and rarely moves outside of his field of dreams but within that area he does push the boundaries. There is many a bar band who love the same music but rarely sound as inspired or are as inventive as Edmunds. They also don't have the smarts or are as quirky as him …. he isn't afraid of throwing in things in from left field, or surrounding himself with like minded individuals (the great Nick Lowe for example)

A big build up.

Yes.

But, Edmunds has put out a lot of patchy work also …. maybe that is a not unexpected result of being inventive and quirky?

This album is (apparently) made up of outtakes from then recent Dave Edmunds sessions (with his band Rockpile, which included Nick Lowe) backing him and on one song The Stray Cats backing him (he had just produced them). The playing is uniformly excellent. The album is also his last on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label.

Tracks (best in italics)

Something Happens- Hiatt- by the underrated John Hiatt and released on his "All of a Sudden" LP in 1982. Slightly new wave and different to the rest of the album, but it still fits in.
It's Been So Long – Gomm – the old Brinsley Schwartz song written by their rhythm guitarist Ian Gomm from 1972. An excellent pop rock song very much in the early 60s mould.
Singin' the Blues- Endsley, McCreary- Guy Mitchell's big, big hit from 1956. Edmunds misses the mark on this one. The first one was a tour de force (and a big, big hit) for Croatian- American trad pop singer Guy Mitchell. It was also exclusively a song for a vocalist with a irresistible melody conveying a certain lightheartedness despite the songs subject matter ….. here it is weighted down with too much chunk a lunk guitar.
(I'm Gonna Start) Living Again If It Kills Me – Carter, Edmunds, Lowe – a country flavoured up-tempo ballad with a perfect country song title.
Almost Saturday Night– Fogerty- from John Fogerty's magnificent 1975 album, this is one of Fogerty's best non Creedence Clearwater songs … both a celebration of, and a warning to the end of the working mans week, the Saturday night. This version is very good but Fogerty's original is perfect, no one can come close.
Cheap Talk, Patter and Jive -Cowart, DeVito, Dowart- written by a number of US seventies country legends ….but done first by Edmunds I think. Catchy but again the instrumentation is too heavy.
Three Time Loser- Covay, Miller- the Wilson Pickett B side from 1966 (the flip to "Mustang Sally") – not bad.
You'll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those)- Jupp- original by English pub rocker Mickey Jupp.
I'm Only Human -Bremner, Lowe, Rockpile, Williams – Rockabilly with a capital R. Gentle though certainly it harkens back to the 50s of the South with it's country honky tonk come rockabilly sound.
The Race Is On – Rollins- the George Jones song from1964. More country honky tonk with rockabilly overtones. Edmunds is backed by the Stray Cats on this tune.
Baby Let's Play House– Gunter- Elvis' 1954 Sun era classic. A track done by Edmunds in 1968 and released here for the first time. Edmunds manages to capture the Sun sound and Scotty Moore's guitar (and just about everything else). It's amazingly close. It's not Elvis of course and Elvis was on fire on this one. Edmund's version doesn't take the song anywhere new but in some ways it is a fitting close to the album.