Dave Edmunds: Repeat When Necessary

 Dave Edmunds: Repeat When Necessary

1979

Swan Song Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl and Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Girls Talk  2. Crawling from the Wreckage  3. The Creature from the Black Lagoon  4. Sweet Little Lisa  5. Dynamite  6. Queen of Hearts  7. Home in My Hand  8. Goodbye Mister Good Guy   9. Take Me for a Little While  10. We Were Both Wrong  11. Bad Is Bad


This is the Dave Edmunds album people usually single out as his best work...And I can't argue with that assessment...It's pretty great...For the first time, he has a really eye-catching album sleeve (all new wave red, blues and pinks) and some of his greatest performances are contained within...If I had to pick a definitive Edmunds album, I'd probably have to say Side Two of "Tracks on Wax 4" and Side One of "Repeat When Necessary"...

My God, I can still remember the night I first heard "Girls Talk." Back when I first discovered the (now closed) FYE and brought home a crates worth of cheap records and was slowly working my way through them all...I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom (where my record player used to be, before I dragged it into the living room to inflict my musical tastes on everybody else), drinking the usual Bud Light and Chelada...

 When "Girls Talk" came on...I swear to you there was an immediate electricity in the air as soon as that guitar came in with those big, chiming strums and the band quietly chugged behind him...And when he started singing that melody (which twisted and turned like a good mystery novel) I decided then and there to devote the rest of my life to the worship of that song...The greatest thing I had ever heard...

...and what made all this remarkable is that I had heard the song before...As written and performed by the song's author and one of my favorite artists of all time...Elvis Costello...

But Elvis' version, despite its awesomeness, couldn't hold a candle to Dave's...Listen for yourself if you don't believe me...

(Dave's version)

(Elvis' version)

(Even Linda Ronstadt (of the Ronstadt Center fame) got in on the action with a version that closely follows the Edmunds arrangement)

This was the moment I realized that Dave improves every song he touches...It's kinda his thing...And after the monumental opening of "Girls Talk" the rest of the album must be a massive disappointment, right?

NO! Next up is a song Graham Parker donated to Dave's cause called "Crawling From the Wreckage" and it's nearly as staggering...Just fast, simple rock n' roll, played so precisely and acutely attuned to every hook...

After that comes the bizarre pop horrorshow homage, "Creature from the Black Lagoon," which sounds sorta like Dave is trying to get airplay on Dr Demento, but its repetitive hook has a way of growing on you after the 20th repetition...

If I was a bit less of a Creature from the Black Lagoon fan (big ups, 3-D presentations on WNEM in the early 80's!!!) it might annoy me, but as it stands I have a huge fondness for it...It's definitely earned a coveted spot at the top of my Halloween playlist...

The remainder of Side One finishes with a couple of rockabilly tracks that on the surface appear to be the usual Dave Edmunds fare, but "Sweet Little Lisa" has so much power pop in its DNA that it can't help but distinguish itself...

When I first put on Side Two I was in for a huge surprise...WTF? IT'S THAT JUICE NEWTON "QUEEN OF HEARTS" SONG THAT PLAYED ENDLESSLY ON EARLY 80'S COUNTRY MUSIC STATIONS (nestled next to Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night)....

But wait...This album came out in the 70's...I know that Juice Newton track didn't come out until the 80's...It turns out Dave was the first artist to record the song...His version is a few clicks faster and a little less Nashville perfect, but otherwise Juice copied the arrangement wholesale...Which was a wise choice...You can't improve Dave Edmunds...Only Dave Edmunds can improve you.....It's a cosmic law...

Anyway, she racked up the hits with her version and Dave did not...Which might be attributable to the Juice version being aimed at the correct audience...Dave was usually lumped in with the new wave/pub/punk rock thing, where hits are hard to come by and  a finely crafted country-pop number might be a bit lost....After hearing the Juice Newton version again recently, I was taken aback by how sluggish it seemed in comparison, despite it being an undeniably uptempo number...Then it struck me, that's another reason it probably resonated so well with country fans...See, country fans like shit slooooowww...Even fast country material is slow when you start comparing it to new wave tempos...You just can't tuck yer tight-fittin' jeans into yer boots and line-dance to the Dave Edmunds version...I mean, you could, but you might have to drink a cup (or two) of coffee beforehand...

(Miscellaneous Note: I use that brief overdriven fast-acoustic strum of the Edmunds version as a barometer of my record needle's health...If it crackles and cuts out, then I replace my needle...If it sounds fine, then I'm still good for awhile...)

The remainder of Side Two is your standard Edmunds popabilly...Good fun, but nothing too Earth-shaking (which is why I maintain that if you replace this side with Side Two of "Tracks on Wax 4" you'd have a flawless record) but there's another big surprise at the end...

IT"S THAT "BAD IS BAD" SONG FROM THAT HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS "SPORTS" ALBUM!!!!

But wait...This album came out in the 70's...I know that Huey Lewis track didn't come out until the 80's...It turns out that although Huey Lewis wrote the song, Dave was the first artist to record it...Who cares, really...Song ain't that great either way...

So yea...As with any Dave Edmunds album from this  period, I recommend it very highly...Up there with his best stuff due to the appearance of  some of his best tracks...

 Here's "Crawling from the Wreckage" by Dave Edmunds...Enjoy...

Dave Edmunds: College Radio Network Presents Dave Edmunds and Rockpile

Dave Edmunds: College Radio Network Presents Dave Edmunds and Rockpile

1978

Swan Song Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Introduction  2. Pause  3. Quotes  4. It's My Own Business  5. Interview  6. Deborah  7. Interview  8. Never Been In Love  9. Interview  10. A. 1. On The Jukebox  11. Interview  12. I Hear You Knocking


I live for odd vinyl releases like this...It's a ready-made radio show designed for stations hungry to fill an empty half hour and promote Dave Edmunds in the process...As far as I can tell, there was only one other entry in the "College Radio Network Radio Presents..." series, and that was for...

drumroll...

The one and only Carillo...

Wait...Who's Carillo?  

Ah, it doesn't matter...You wouldn't know it by talking to me these days, but I looooove the pre-Clear Channel era of radio...I can't tell you how many nights I spent glued to the dial, listening to King Biscuit, Metal Shop and other radio programs...And even though I had never heard this before (I'm not even sure it ever aired on radio), it takes me right back to those days...The infinitude of old radio...

This contains an exclusive live take of "I Hear You Knocking" (as loudly proclaimed on the sticker on the front cover), four tracks from "Tracks on Wax 4" and a smattering of introductions and interviews...One interesting interview segment consists of Dave discussing some game where you have to spend a pound for every minute that you're in the pub...I'm sure this game was much more difficult back in '78...An order of wings and a pitcher of beer will buy you a couple hours these days...

It's also interesting to get some insight intn the working relationship between Dave and Nick Lowe...My favorite track however is a brilliant piece of experimental musique concrete provocatively titled "Pause,"  which manages to convey the existential angst of modern living utilizing nothing but deafening silence between segments...A masterpiece of minimalist profundity that says more in a scant three seconds than most albums can say in an hour...Bravo!

I can really only recommend this to fans of radio curiosities and the hardest of hardcore Dave Edmunds fans who will probably cherish the interviews and the cool live version of "I Hear You Knocking"...I always have a hell of a good time listening to this...

You can listen to the whole thing here... Enjoy...

Dave Edmunds: Tracks on Wax 4

Dave Edmunds: Tracks on Wax 4

1978

Swan Song Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Trouble Boys  2. Never Been in Love  3. Not a Woman, Not a Child  4. Television  5. What Looks Best on You  6. Readers Wives  7. Deborah  8. Thread Your Needle  9. A.1. On the Jukebox   10. It's My Own Business  11.Heart of the City


I might actually finish up the Dave Edmunds section over the next few days before doing the annual reboot to "A"... I don't think the new A-D's will take as long as 2015's, which took up...well...the whole year...Anyway, let's get on to today's records, "Tracks on Wax 4"...Here, I'm going to give this one a proper Dave Edmunds introduction...

"WEEEEE-E-E-E-E-L-L-L-L-L..."

Listening to "Tracks on Wax 4" back to back with "Get It," points out what was missing on that prior album...It's the glorious power-pop! Listen to "Never Been in Love"! Now that's some sweet, sweet stuff...Or the boppy Buddy Holly-isms of "Deborah"...Pop heaven, I'm telling you...

 And the overall tempo is upped as well, resulting in some pretty ferocious punk on his take of Nick Lowe's "Heart of the City" and the whiplash rockabilly of "Readers Wives"...Probably his most bracing material...And I'm giving Dave the nod for best version of "Heart of the City," since his take rocks so hard that it just about blows the pomade outta your quaff, Teddy...We also get the usual array of popabilly singles in "A1 on the Jukebox" and "Trouble Boys"...I can't praise his melding of pop, new wave and 50's rock enough...It really was a refreshing antidote to punk's nihilism, new wave's coldness and country's clean-boots professionalism...He ironed out some kinks in a few different genres and melded them into one...Hats off...

There's a couple of "meh's" here and there..."Not a Woman, Not a Child" is kinda dopey unless you like dopey-ass blues, and "Television" is merely okay, but for the most part this album is pure fun...Just a bunch of fast-paced, old-timey rock n' roll that never fails to get me boppin' around...They don't make music like this anymore...That's fer damn sure...

Here's "Never Been in Love" by Dave Edmunds...Enjerr...

 

Happy New Year!!

Well..Here he is...It looks like the Grim Reaper has finally come for me...It's been a great run but...Hey! Waitaminute! That's Father Time! He's here to symbolize the passing of another year and to usher in 2016...So get ready to keep writing the wrong year on all yr checks for the next few months! I like New Year's Eve! It's a night dedicated to hanging out with friends and getting plaster-ass dranked!

So let's pop a bottle and put on some tunes...I have a very hard time coming up with a list of songs about New Years and an even harder time coming up with a list of them that I actually like...But here it is..If anyone else can come up with any others feel free to share them...

 Tom Waits: A Sight for Sore Eyes

Lawrence Arms: 100 Resolutions

U2: New Years Day

Beach Boys: Auld Lang Syne

HAPPY 2016 EVERYBODY!! SEE YOU, LATER 2015!! YOU SUCKED! YOU KILLED LEMMY (OH, AND PHIL TAYLOR), YOU DIRTY, ROTTEN, NO GOOD YEAR!!!!

Dave Edmunds: Get It

Dave Edmunds: Get It

1977

Swan Song Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listin': 1. Get Out of Denver  2. I Knew the Bride  3. Back To School Days  4. Here Comes the Weekend  5. Worn Out Suits, Brand New Pockets  6. Where or When  7. Ju Ju Man  8. Git It  9. Let's Talk About Us  10. Hey Good Lookin'  11. What Did I Do Last Night?  12. Little Darlin'  13.My Baby Left Me


Yes! "Get It"marks the beginning of one of my favorite run of album's ever...Dave picks up a band, rather than recording every instrument himself, which shoots the energy through the roof (although the spike in energy is also possibly attributable to the new genre of punk that emerged in the wake of "Subtle As a Flying Mallet"). And the band he assembles (Rockpile (minus a member at this point))  features fucking brilliant songwriter Nick Lowe who also has a knack of improving everything he touches...And to top off this transformation, the Phil Spector recreations are (mostly) shelved in favor of high-speed  R n' R, Everly Brothers harmonies and a splash of country here and there...

 (Oh man...I've always been fascinated by the Swan Song label graphics...On one hand, the lack of genitalia is disturbing, but on the other hand I'm thankful the angel isn't jutting  his junk right in my face...And the wings originate from an odd place on his back...Sort like a tramp stamp becoming a real set of wings...

 Also, is the angel supposed to be Robert Plant? I think it might be...)

This is where you find  those fast and tight classics, "JuJu Man," "I Knew the Bride," and an incredibly ass-kicking  cover of Bob Seger's "Get Out of Denver" where he just revs the engine until the wheels nearly fall off (You have to use an automobile metaphor when you're discussing Bob Seger right?)

(Ooo...Look at those big wheels bounce...)

(I know this is blasphemous talk for a Michigander, but I don't usually care for Bob Seger...It seems like he doesn't rock as much as he should...Although whenever anyone covers Bob Seger, I usually love it (see also Thin Lizzy's "Rosalie" (do NOT see Metallica's "Turn the Page" (ah, man...I hate the song "Turn the Page," forget my mixed feelings on Bob Seger...The memory of that irritating sax squonk in "Turn the Page" makes me hate every possible aspect of Bob Seger...)))

I don't think "Get It" is quite as great as what would follow  ("Hey Good Lookin'" is still a little too familiar, even in this rockabillied-up version, and "Back To School Days" is nowhere near the league of Dave's second Graham Parker interpretation, "Crawling From the Wreckage") but it's pretty close...And "Here Comes the Weekend" is one of the best Friday Night songs ever written...Not to mention everything here clocks in at right around the 2-minute mark, so if a song's not doing it for you, it'll pass soon enough..I still give it a hearty recommendation if you're looking for straight-up rock n' roll...

Here's "Here Comes the Weekend" by Dave Edmunds...Enjoy...

Here's 

Christmas Songs 2015

Merry Christmas everyone! By this time, I hope you're all waist-deep in shredded wrapping paper and drunk on buttered rum...Every year at the Friday Night Record Party, I post a bunch of Christmas songs that I like...The list gets harder and harder to do without running into repeats, so this year's list is shorter than usual...Which leaves more time to play with yr shiny new Xbox One, right? Or hey! You can listen to the previous year's lists:

2013

2014

SO without further ado...Here's a heap o' Christmas songs...

The Misfits: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Dwarves: Drinking Up Christmas

Jesus and Mary Chain: Birthday

The Pretenders: 2000 Miles

Captain Beefheart: There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage

 

The Residents: Santa Dog 

 

 Lagwagon: Razorburn

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: Hallmark Presents the Most Loved Christmas Carols

It's the Friday Night Record Party Christmas party! Let's twist!

(drinks eggnog. feels a twisting pain in stomach. Sweats and has to lie down.)

(ting ting ting ting ting)

"Do you kids hear that? It sounds kinda like jingle bells doesn't it? Could it be?"

"It is!! It's Santa! And he's carrying a big sack! Could it be full of presents and toys for you?!?! I bet it is! Oh, I bet he's bringing that bike you asked for! And the sled! And the Xbox One!!"

"Oh, wait...Nevermind...He flew right past our house...Go back to bed I guess...Maybe we'll just shovel snow tomorrow instead..."

(BTW,  it kinda bothers me that they called the latest Xbox, the Xbox One, cos now I don't know what to call my old Xbox...)

(Maybe I'll just start referring to it as the 30 lb. brick in my closet...)

Anyway, our Christmas Party is in full swing...Slick Snailman is drunk on Cold Duck and telling us what's wrong with this country and Bethany from accounting is showing her boobs!  None of the IT Department showed up cos all they're all watching Star Wars...Oh, well...All is good...And on the turntable? 

  \

The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: Hallmark Presents the Most Loved Christmas Carols

1985

Hallmark Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1.  O Come, All Ye Faithful  2.  The First Noel  3. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen  4. Angels We Have Heard On High  5.  O Holy Night  6.  Deck The Halls  7.  We Wish You A Merry Christmas  8.  The Twelve Days Of Christmas  9. Hark! The Angels Sing  10.  What Child Is This?  11.  Silent Night  12.  Joy To The World

I got this record for free about 2 days after last Christmas...And I think it hits the Christmas mark more cleanly than any other Holiday record I own, except for possibly the Chipmunks Christmas album...This is some deep, deep Christmas shit...

This is the bitter taste of cinnamon in a particularly pungent Christmas Pudding...

 ...the very dead Christmas goose that delights the children...

...the real candles on the Christmas tree, an inch away from torching your entire house down...

This is massed choirs and ominous music...Taking place in a fussy, ornate church where the foreboding light barely shines through the stained glass, causing red and blue baubles of light to dance across the clusters of gold...Vaguely unsettling but at the same time imbued with a joyous wonder..."Who's Kid is This?" asks Mary to the cold, unanswering sky...A robed angel, wings spread wide like a swooping bird of prey, hovers gently to the ground to break the news, "An invisible man hath stolen your womb in the dead of the night and filled it with life, but fear not...For you have sacrificed your virginity for a greater glory! Listen to how the choir of angels sing! HEAR THEM AND REJOICE!!!" 

Suddenly " Deck The Halls" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" glow brighter in the light of recent trauma..."dazed...head hurts...light bright...I hear a song..."Tis a wondrous song..." You stumble towards the bedroom, as you pass the unlit hall a stranger puts his hand on your shoulder and asks, "You alright, kid?" Is it an angel? 

There is no snow in the Arizona heat...There was also no snow on the first Christmas...

Elliott Gould

Frankenstein

Mer-Man

The Three Wise Guys

 All is calm...

Happy Life Day everyone!!!