We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
One of the surprise radio hits of 1971 was a re-make of the song ‘I Hear You Knocking” by Welch guitarist Dave Edmunds. He included it on his first solo record called “Rockpile” released in early 1972.
If you had heard of Dave Edmunds before it was probably for the unlikely hit “Sabre Dance” with his band Love Sculpture in 1969….here are both the whole piece and the edited hit single of the classical tune.
In 1972 Edmunds was still honing his roots rock sound that he would meld into a bunch of singles and albums with his partner in crime Nick Lowe and a band called Rockpile later in the 70’s and 80’s
Most of this record is covers of some interesting older tunes like Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” and “Sweet Little Rock & Roller” and “Outlaw Blues” from Dylan. But he also visits the Kinks catalog with “I’m A Lover Not A Fighter”, Three Dog Night’s “It Aint’ Easy” and the Willie Dixon blues shouter ‘Egg or Hen”that was a hit for Koko Taylor. He also does an excellent version of Neil Young’s “Dance Dance Dance” which Young had just recorded in the Harvest sessions but had been also put on record the previous year by Crazy Horse.
Edmunds plays most of the instruments on the record although he is joined by Love Sculpture alum John Williams on bass, future Rockpile drummer Terry Williams on a couple of tracks and session steel guitar ace BJ Cole (youve heard him on dozens of records including Elton John’s Tiny Dancer”.
The sound is a unique blend of layered guitars and Edmunds voice that is filtered into a sound that works for the material. If there is a critique…its the seeming lack of spontaneity in some of this…but that’s nit-picking.
You can tell he loves old time rock and roll…and if you do too, you’ll get a kick out of this.
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