Customer Reviews

I Hear You Rockin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

During the past three decades, Dave Edmunds hasn't strayed far from fifties and sixties traditional rock & roll. After the Beatles dropped the bomb in both the US and UK, Edmunds ignored the latest fashions and took his rock & roll into the pubs. The Dave Edmunds Band Live - I Hear Your Rockin' is a captivating example of his show in an intimate club setting.

The next best thing to partnering on stage with Nick Lowe is covering Lowe's countryfied pop (Here Comes The Weekend) and boogie (I Knew The Bride). Elvis Costello's witty `Girls Talk" comes-off melodic and jangling. The vocal harmonies of Jeff Lynne's `Slipping Away' are luscious, and the ELO symphonic synthesizer work is surprisingly polished for a "live" track. Although I'm not enthusiastic with Graham Parker's cover of `Crawling From The Wreckage,' Edmunds adds a Jerry Lee Lewis piano, and turns the song into a sweltering rocker. My favorites? `Queen Of Hearts' is an exuberant combination of country sensibility and fierce lead guitar. Edmunds' straight-up sixties rock is a cover of the late Del Shannon's hit `The Wanderer': the horns bark and the bass guitar thunders.

A minor annoyance is the faster than necessary tempo of several tracks (Crawling From The Wreckage, Information, I Knew The Bride). I see no need to speed-up these already exhilarating songs. All in all, Live - I Hear You Rockin' catches the "good-time rock & roll" atmosphere of Dave Edmunds on stage.

Yet another in a series of music I got turned onto by Lynn. Well, I'd actually seen the video for Dave Edmunds' cover of Dion and the Belmonts' "The Wanderer" and liked the reduplicated 50's atmosphere, down to the poodle-skirted girl with ponytail. The rest of the album, copied for me, was quite a revelation, displaying rockabilly, country, and rock, but I learned later that Edmunds was more an interpreter of 50's and 60's rock. Call this album a live greatest hits, as it contains some of his better known interpretations, such as Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk," which opens the album.

Much was my surprise when I heard a familiar tune, and one of the-then few country songs I liked. That was "Queen Of Hearts" by Juice Newton, and its high energy makes it one of the best tracks here. That's followed by the Presley number "Paralyzed," which is a close cousin to "Don't Be Cruel," rhythmically speaking. After that is the cover of "The Wanderer," complete with a horn section that really comes together during the instrumental part of the song.

The pace picks up with the Graham Parker-penned "Crawling From The Wreckage" with a devil of a piano. Edmunds also collaborated with ELO's Jeff Lynne, who produced his Information album. "Slipping Away," a more mid-paced number with a steady rhythm with dominant keyboards is included here, as is "Information," with its engaging "Happy Days" feel.

His association with Brinsy Schwarz's bass player, Nick Lowe went beyond playing together, as they embarked on a long songwriting collaboration over the years. Edmunds covered Lowe's "I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock N Roll," originally on his 1977 Get It album, is done in a quick-paced rockabilly style. The live version loses none of its energy. The two also co-wrote "Here Comes The Weekend," another rockabilly number.

"I Hear You Knockin'", which was one of his most favourite covers, was originally by Smiley Lewis, he who originally did "Blue Monday" before Fats Domino. There is a country-rock feel on this rendition. Love that bluesy guitar in the instrumental part. Edmunds winds things up with "Ju Ju Man," another raucous number that get a big finish.

Other than his collaboration with Paul McCartney on the movie and soundtrack for Give My Regards To Broadstreet, I haven't heard too much of Edmunds, having confined myself to this live album, but I enjoy what I've heard. Maybe some listening to his other material is in order.

Anyone who chooses to open a concert with a blistering rendition of an obscure Elvis Costello B-side ("Girls Talk") obviously has a love of both the ideas behind and the attitudes that comprise rock & roll! Add to this several textbook original songs ("Here Comes The Weekend," "I Knew The Bride") and more obscure covers ("Paralyzed" is a nearly-forgotten Elvis classic from 1956, "and who could imagine Juice Newton's 1981 "Queen Of Hearts" revisited as a new rockabilly classic?) and you have one of the great lost classics of the 1980's! A must for anyone who loves pure, adrenalized rock & roll!

Dave Edmunds, the torchbearer for 50's style rockabilly supplemented by economical yet virtuostic guitar playing. Edmunds started out with endless, self indulgent, acrobatic guitar solos when he was in "Love Sculpture" but he really hit his stride when he became a twangy retrorocker.

This live collection showcases Edmund's best works and adds some interesting covers as well.

Edmunds took a so-so Elvis Costello song, sped and revved it up and then made it his own. This album starts out on such a high note by immediately going into his best song "Girl's Talk". While it may seem anti-climatic to start the album off with such a top notch song, it actually works because this compilation goes from 0 to 60 immediately. "Girls Talk" enables this cd to immediatley rock! "Here Comes the Weekend" segues the concert deeper into rockabilly territory. Edmunds voice sounds pure and sincere. The next song, a cover of Juice Newton's "Queen of Hearts" perfectly draws on the rockabilly genre but also draws on the county genre...Edmund's achey vocals and twangy guitar runs outdoes the more serene Juice Newton version. It's a smart cover within the context. Another great cover, a raucous version of Dion's "The Wanderer" brings the concert back into the rock and roll realm. All of Edmund's best songs are here including a fast paced "I knew the Bride (when she used to rock and roll").

Edmunds voice is strong and the harmonization of his vocals soemhow retains his tone by just thickening his voice (kudos to whoever is harmoizing with him). His guitar playing is strong but nver overpowering the songs. Lightening fast runs are snuck into the songs rather than interfering with them.

The only criticizm of this type of music is that it is too easy to play it safe. This is "can't miss" stuff but, because there's no emotion or chances being taken, the songs don't have a powerful charge. Thats neither a good nor bad thing it's just a matter of fact; retro 50's rockabilly is fun to listen to but it's more pedestrian than groundbreaking.

I received this CD today and had not heard this album for about 10 years. I saw Dave Edmunds in concert in about 1980-81 at Reading. He was amazing (never heard of him before). The at first nonplussed audience got into the music. The back to basics rock and roll got people dancing. So what that Dave Edmunds is stuck in the past, better that than stuck up. So you may ask why rave about a concert and not the CD; well this live CD has the same get up and dance, full on rock and roll feeling of a concert. Sure the tracks may have been a little doctored in the studio, but that does not detract from this brilliant CD. The other live Dave Edmunds CD I have is `A Pile of Rock Live' compared to `I hear you rockin' `a pile of rock live' could be called a pile of crock. The one track that misses is `Singing The Blues'.

Anyone who chooses to open a concert with a blistering rendition of an obscure Elvis Costello B-side ("Girls Talk") obviously has a love of both the ideas behind and the attitudes that comprise rock & roll! Add to this several textbook original songs ("Here Comes The Weekend," "I Knew The Bride") and more obscure covers ("Paralyzed" is a nearly-forgotten Elvis classic from 1956, "and who could imagine Juice Newton's 1981 "Queen Of Hearts" revisited as a new rockabilly classic?) and you have one of the great lost classics of the 1980's! A must for anyone who loves pure, adrenalized rock & roll!

Every track on this collection is terrific. Enough Said.

Listen for yourself--it will change your perception of rock and roll.

I've been a performer for over 30 years and have had the pleasure of seeing Dave Edmunds several times. Each time reminds me that I want to put my guitar in it's case and leave it under the bed. Now comes a CD that captures one of the loudest shows I've ever heard (next to Slade) to taunt me, and has me looking for my guitar case again. The only problem I have with this CD is that it's too damned short! It seems like an economy version of the shows I remember. A must own for true D.E. fans! It will help keep you "Closer to the Flame".