Anthology (1968-1990)

Dave Edmunds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 1993)
• Original Release Date: April 20, 1993
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000032Z2
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,393 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Rock > Oldies & Retro > Rockabilly

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. River to Another Day (Love Sculpture)

2. The Stumble [*]

3. Sabre Dance

4. Summertime [*]

5. In the Land of the Few (Love Sculpture)

6. Farandole

7. I Hear You Knockin'

8. The Promised Land

9. Down Down Down

10. Born to Be with You

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Girls Talk

2. Crawling from the Wreckage

3. The Creature from the Black Lagoon [*]

4. Queen of Hearts

5. Singing the Blues [*]

6. Baby Ride Easy

7. Crying in the Rain [*]

8. If Sugar Was as Sweet as You

9. Almost Saturday Night

10. (I'm Gonna Start) Living Again If It Kills Me [*]

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

This 2 CD set is an out of print collectible! It is the original 1993 release. Includes booklet and outer cardboard slip cover.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust, January 1, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anthology (1968-1990) (Audio CD)

There's nothing complicated about Welsh roots-rocker Dave Edmunds. Beginning with his days with Love Sculpture through Rockpile (with Nick Lowe) and as a solo artist, he's been churning out passionate music which is a product of his fifties influences without sounding like a mere rehash of the country, blues and rock 'n' roll music he so obviously loves.

Though not a gifted songwriter (he co-wrote only 8 of the 41 tracks on this collection--most with Lowe), overall he shows impeccable taste in song selection: Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk," John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night," Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land," and Bruce Springsteen's "From Small Things, Big Things Come" (a song her wrote for Edmunds)--all of which should have been big hits.

In a perfect world, Edmunds would be known for more than just his lone Top 40 U.S. hit, "I Hear You Knocking," a Smiley Lewis tune he took to No. 4 in 1970. This double-disc set is loaded with should-have-been hits: "I Knew the Bride," which reached the U.K. cart at No. 26, but wouldn't chart in the U.S. until Lowe released his own version of the song; "Queen of Hearts," which went to only #56 (while a note-perfect cover by Juice Newton went to No. 2 two years later!); "Crawling from the Wreckage," or any of a dozen others.

For some reason, chart success eluded Edmunds, but that's not to say there isn't plenty for new and longtime fans alike to enjoy. Of special interest are the non-LP single "As Lovers Do" from 1979, the duet with Carlene Carter "Baby Ride Easy" from her album Musical Shapes, and a stunning Everly Brothers cover, "Crying in the Rain" with Lowe. [You'll have to buy Rockpile's Seconds of Pleasure to get the other three.]

Even on the handful of tracks from Information and Riff Raff, where Jeff Lynne was brought on board to update Edmund's sound in the 80s, he couldn't bury Edmund's rock 'n' roll heart.

All in all this is a great place to get familiar with one of the rock world's best-kept secrets. HIGHLY Recommended

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True-Blue authentic Rock and Roll: Great overview of Edmunds, July 1, 2000

By 

"granvier" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthology (1968-1990) (Audio CD)

If you are only familiar with Dave Edmunds later work and hits, this collection will not dissapoint you but it will be a revelation to you! I first came to know of Dave Edmunds when we were all bopping to "Teacher, Teacher" off the one and only "official" Rockpile CD, but by then, Edmunds had already amassed over a dozen significant hits in England all of which were more memorable than that cut. Even so, to hear even one Edmunds record was to get hooked if you were a rocker (as opposed to a Mod). This two CD collection has assembled in chronological order, a terrificly representative sampling of Dave Edmunds' output from the late sixties through the early nineties. The accompanying booklet is almost as delightful with its succint insights into the origins of various songs as well as describing Edmunds' evolution from one style to another.

The 1st CD leads off with some cuts from Edmunds' work with Love Sculpture. Listening to the first cut, your heart might sink a little since it's nothing more than a competent record of the time. However, the second record, "The Stumble" is a hard rocking, techinically amazing Guitar instrumental with a bluesy feel. At this point, any listener would have to concede that Edmunds is nothing if not a Virtuoso Electric Guitarist. That feeling is confirmed after listening to the two retreads of classical numbers ALA Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It was playing some gigs with Keith Emerson that gave Edmunds the idea of covering "The Sabre Dance" The exuberence and technical bravado of the piece are stunning. Of course, some people find Showing off like that a turn-off, but Edmunds manages to come across as thoroughly enslaved by the groove and not at all haughty like some other God-like guitarists of the time. The rest of the CD is testimony to Edmunds' ability to mimick the styles of his greatest influences while doing them a little better. We have nods to Smiley Lewis, Chuck Berry and even Phil Spector. Towards the end of the first CD, you can begin to hear the brilliant melding of two minds, as Nick Lowe's presence is felt on cuts like "I Knew The Bride" In the Liner notes, Edmunds states he felt he overdid the Phil Spector Wall of Sound technique on "Born to be With You", but I beg to differ, and differ vehemently. In fact, that cut is dizzingly romantic and so classic sounding one might suspect Spector had mixed it himself if not for a few curveballs Edmund throws in. Of course, that song is taken off of his album AS SUBTLE AS A FLYING MALLET which contains a number of Spector Sound-A-Likes. I was a tad dissapointed that this CD did not include his cover of "Baby I Love You" which charted well in England, but that's a piddling complaint. Of course, most people will treasure most Edmund's version of "I Hear You Knocking" which is a sparsely produced but simply perfect record. Anyone interested in Music Production should play this one over and over again to gain an understanding of when less is more.

The second CD is perhaps a little more accessible but still has a couple of surprises such as the achingly poignant acoustic duet with Nick Lowe on "I'll Do My Crying In The Rain". This cut illustrates how perfectly their two voices are matched and how, over the years, the two working together have created something that is more than the some of it's parts. Again, on all of the cuts, we see Edmund's technique on full display. I especially enjoyed his Power-pop rendition of Creedence's "Almost Saturday Night" which foreshadows his later work with Jeff Lyne on "Slipping Away" and other hits which are also present on the last half of the second CD. His shuffle treatment of "Singing the Blues" is just.. amazing and reminds you that for all the High-Tech-iness of the Lynn produced cuts, it's Edmunds' solid guitar and straightforward vocals that forms the foundation of his appeal as musician. SOme people might listen to "Queen of Hearts" and think Edmunds ripped off Juice Newton, but it should be remembered that it is, in fact, the other way around. Listen to his version, look at the date it was cut and you'll realize that Juice simply reproduced his unique arrangement and aped even his vocals and delivery. He mentions this in his comments but doesn't seem bitter. I bring this up to point out that Edmunds' Country and Rockabilly roots are present on this 2nd CD in a big way with a couple of cuts that could easily have been top country hits. A nice duet with Carlene Carter (Nick Lowes wife) and an ironic ballad sample this side of Edmunds' talent.

Overall, this Set is not only a great representation of Dave Edmunds' various styles and progression but it also would make an excellent introduction for listeners who are only familiar with his later work. The cuts are wellchosen and leave you wanting more. Amazon has a fairly good selection of some of the Albums worth seeking out in addition to this set, but this one set should provide you with many hours of listening pleasure and the price is very agreeable. You should not hesitate to order this since it's easily worth twice the price. Dave Edmunds has been singlehandly keeping the traditional Rock and Roll flame burning in small clubs for decades and he deserves his place next to Clapton and other Guitar Gods on your CD Shelf. Listen and enjoy. HAIL EDMUNDS and forgive my lousy spelling!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock N Roll !!!!!, June 30, 2005

By 

Chris Foreman "Krutcho" (Carp Capitol of the Central U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthology (1968-1990) (Audio CD)

The Dave Edmunds Anthology is an outstanding collection, if you are a Edmunds fan you will have heard (or already own) most of this material, but if like me, I purchased this to "retire" my old and worn Dave Edmunds vinyl collection....Great stuff for any fan of Rock n Roll/Roots rock.....GET IT !!!!!