Customer Reviews

Repeat When Necessary

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This was the first Dave Edmunds album I ever bought (way back in the days of vinyl), and it's still arguably his very best. As other reviewers note, this record rocks from start to finish. Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk" (soon to be a big hit for Linda Ronstadt) kicks off the disc in style and helped give Edmunds a foot in the "New Wave" camp in the late '70s..."Crawling From The Wreckage" became one of his signature tunes--he often opened his legendary live shows with this song. "Queen Of Hearts" became a big hit for Juice Newton and was written by Hank DeVito, who was working with people like Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris back then..."Sweet Little Lisa" and "Dynamite" are straight-on rockers, and "Bad Is Bad" is kind of a rockin' blues tune. Simply a great album from start to finish.

Edmunds and/or Rockpile appeared to be on the verge of hitting the big time at this point, but it just didn't happen. Ironically, Edmunds produced the first couple of albums by the Stray Cats shortly thereafter, and watched them achieve huge success instead. Dave also produced artists as varied as k.d. lang, Carlene Carter and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. He is a non-American with a greater feel and taste for American roots music than most of us will ever have. Virtually all of his catalog is excellent, but this is the place to start. ESSENTIAL.

This album smokes. Edmunds was at the peak of his powers, and his back up band (see; Rockpile) was the best he's ever had. Dave comes out swingin with the excellent `Girls Talk' and doesn't slow down til it's all over. Raucous, lively and punchy, this is pub at it's best. Good rockin rockabilly in the fifties tradition. Fans of Cowboy Mouth, CCR and Men At Work should take note. Rockpile was the king of all bar bands, unstoppably great, and no matter what name they recorded under they were irresistible (see Lowe's LABOR OF LUST and their own SECONDS OF PLEASUSE). It's a pity they didn't stay together (Billy Bremner, where are you?). Pay special attention to "Crawling From The Wreckage', `Sweet Little Lisa' and `Creature From The Black Lagoon'

PS And by the way, Huey Lewis plays harmonica on `Bad Is Bad', which he covered on SPORTS.

DAVE EDMUNDS-REPEAT WHEN NECESSARY: Welsh revivalist rocker Dave Edmunds' finest hour rings in on this companion album to partner-in-rhyme Nick Lowe's equally vital LABOUR OF LUST; both were recorded simultaneously, utilizing their goodtime band Rockpile. The retro-billy singer/guitar slinger spews forth nothing but charisma, craftsmanship, and class, whether tackling the definitive version of Elvis Costello's wry and witty GIRLS TALK, Graham Parker's crash 'n burner CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE, or country bootkicker QUEEN OF HEARTS (stolen, nearly note-for-note by Juice Newton). But that's only the "hits"; monster mash CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, bloozey shuffle BAD IS BAD, and the Wall of Sound melody TAKE ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE are much more of a good thing. Edmunds, also well known for his production work for Foghat, k.d. lang, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, is a rock 'n roll flame keeper of the highest order. This salacious slab o' sound is a testimonial to his twang-banger talents.

RATING: FIVE FRETBOARDS

Look no further, this is the definitive Dave Edmunds recording. From the opening bars of "Girls Talk" to the closing chorus of "Bad is Bad", Repeat When Necessary consistently hits the mark.

Come "Crawlin' From The Wreckage and pick up this disc!

Recorded with Rockpile (Billy Bremner, 2nd guitar; Nick Lowe, bass; Terry Williams, drums), this is easily Edmunds best album. These guys flat rock. Too bad that Edmunds didn't share the vocals with Lowe and Bremner. Rockpile never realized their potential as a true group. Their sole album was good, but not as good as either this album or Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust (also recorded with Rockpile).

Ah, more unfulfilled potential

What we have here is a sterling example of what a great rock n roll record sounds like. This is straightforward, pure, passionate no-frills rock music inbued with humor and warmth which sounds both classic and at the same time ageless. No studio trickery or dated-sounding effects mar the pristene Chuck Berry/Buddy Holly riffs and blistering guitarwork. The songs themselves of course are all great choices and hold up as well today (in 2010) as they did back when this was recorded. The whole thing plays like a breath of fresh air, and reminds me of why I love rock n roll.

Needless to say, you're not gonna hear many albums like this one released today. As of now I can't really think of any young musicians who really capture this kind of spirit. Not that I am in any place to comment, but I think the rock world needs a new Dave Edmunds. Sometimes it's good to take it all back to the basics so that we can remember why we came here in the first place.

This is exceptional music.

A thoroughly consistent album. This represents Dave Edmunds at his creative and musical peak. Even more than 30 years on it still sounds fresh and exciting. Played at (reasonable) volume on the car stereo, it is the ultimate rock'n'roll. Buy it and enjoy great music from the last classic era in popular music.

Every song on this CD is excellent. If "Sweet Little Lisa" was the only song on the recording, it would still be worth full price for guest guitarist Albert Lee's incredible playing. But thankfully, the CD is chock full of outstanding takes of excellent songs. One of the best all-around albums ever, in my estimation.

Dave rips through these numbers with Rockpile (Nick Lowe, Billy Bremmer, Terry Williams) and shows off his guitar chops and strong vocals. His version of Elvis Costello's "Girls' Talk" adds an additional lyric to the original to make the meter more symetric. He then jumps to another angry young man of the time, Graham Parker, and shreds his "Crawling From the Wreckage" next. The Hank Devito song, "Queen of Hearts" (which charted for Juice Newton) is a great rockabilly tune with strong vocals. I particularly love "Take Me for a Little While", a tender love song. The release ends with guest harp player Huey Lewis joining the band on "Bad Is Bad", which the News covered and charted with later. This is a steal at the price listed.

If you want somewhere to start with Dave Edmunds then this is the place. Highly recommended!