NEVER THE COOLEST, BUT NEVER UNCOOL

It felt good. It being yesterday, Friday. The weekend was coming. I hadn't heard Dave Edmund's Everlys-sounding "Here Comes the Weekend" in a long while, so I went on a hunt and fell smack dab into a black hole. A Dave Edmunds black hole. He's done so much over the years without any sort of radical changes to his style that it doesn't seem like that long ago that he had a hit on AM radio in the U.S., but it was way back in 1970. It's hard to imagine that a cover of Smiley Lewis's "I Hear You Knockin'" would be a hit in the U.S., even more remarkable when you consider the fact that he was all but unknown stateside before that.

Dave Edmunds has never really been flashy, never a huge mega-rock star. But he was consistent, had a long career and he never hid his fascination with American roots music. Back in the day my brother had an LP by Love Sculpture, the first band that Edmunds had recorded with. My brother was going through a Bluesbreakers fueled diversion into British blues and Love Sculpture, he reckoned, was kicking it up a notch. He played the shit out of that album.

Fast forward a few years later, I read a review of Edmunds's Git It, his second solo LP, and it mentioned that there was some rockabilly on it. This was the first time I'd ever heard rockabilly mentioned in a review of a current LP. Unlike Britain, when rockabilly died in the U.S., there were no teddy boys fanning the flame. With the exception of Rollin' Rock Records, which I didn't know about at the time, rockabilly in the U.S. was pretty much kaput. So, I bit. That LP, or cassette in my case, was in my Walkman knock-off for a solid week while walking the mile and a half each way to work. It had a bit of everything. Covers of songs by Arthur Crudup ("My Baby Left Me"), Hank Williams ("Hey Good Lookin'") Otis Blackwell ("Let's Talk About Us") and an early Bob Seeger ("Get Out of Denver"), not to mention a version of Rogers/Hart's show tune "Where or When" that sounds like he's attempting a Beach Boys approach. And that's not counting the new songs, some written by Edmunds, some co-written with Nick Lowe, two by Lowe alone and one by Graham Parker. The affiliation was one just beyond the outskirts of pub rock. One of the songs, "I Knew the Bride", is the definitive version, better than Lowe's own version recorded a year or so later. That's just one LP. There's fourteen more. That's why you got the bell bottom boys yesterday. I'm still not through.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knockin' mp3 at Tumblr
Love Sculpture - Wang Dang Doodle (streaming) at YouTube
Dave Edmunds - Here Comes the Weekend (streaming) at YouTube
Dave Edmunds - Get Out of Denver mp3 at AM Then FM
Dave Edmunds - Back to School Days mp3 at Rock Town Hall
Dave Edmunds - Worn Out Suits, Brand New Pockets mp3 at Rock Town Hall
Dave Edmunds - I Knew the Bride (streaming) at YouTube

DALE WRAY SPECTOR WILSON

You've got to hand it to Dave Edmunds. He always knew when to lay back on the guitar and concentrate on the song, something not all that common for a picker of his caliber. I don't listen to his stuff all that much, but there are quite a few things sprinkled about his forty some odd year career that merit keeper status, and more often than not it's not because of his guitar playing. That said, guitar playing is how he gained entry into me and my brothers rock 'n' roll space. Back in his Love Sculpture days he did his share of showing off. Just listen to "Sabre Dance" down there. It's Dick Dale and Link Wray rolled into one hopped up frenzy. It's no wonder why we lapped it up.

The song that actually got me going tonight was his Phil Spector meets Beach Boys cover of the Chordettes' "Born to Be With You", which illustrates my original point. No guitar flash, just a fuck load of castanets and smooth vocals. This shit is lush.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Love Sculpture - Sabre Dance mp3 at Freeky Music (?)
Dave Edmunds - Born to Be With You mp3 at Plain Or Pan
The Chordettes - Born to Be With You mp3 at Plain Or Pan
Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knockin' mp3 at LZ Center

WHO KNEW?

I know what you're thinking. Bob Seger? Hear me out. Like a lot of people, my first exposure to Seger was his mid-70's stuff, all of the hits that you've probably heard way too many times. Inoffensive, but not my cup of tea. But, in 1977, Dave Edmunds, whose work I was familiar with (from his single "I Hear You Knockin'" and his LPs with Love Sculpture) put out his first solo LP, with a cover of Seeger's "Get Out of Denver." By itself it might have been a fluke, but shortly after that another UK act, Eddie and the Hot Rods, covered it. If you know the musical tastes of the UK back then, you know that they picked up on a lot of American acts that never got due recognition domestically. So, with only that thought to temper my Seger bias (c'mon, "Night Moves," you know you hated it), I never completely wrote off Seger, putting him in the further listening at some point file.

Everything had to be reevaluated after a chance purchase of a beat up 45, and, as it happens, it's one of the best anti-war songs I've heard. It's the Bob Seger System's "2 + 2 = ?", in this case it was against the war in Vietnam. I'd been wanting to post it, because it could also apply to our most current fuck-ups in the Middle East, but couldn't find an mp3 already online. Yesterday, I ran across a great post on AM Then FM, that's all about the early Seger stuff. The kicker is that he has contributions from a handful of other bloggers, most of whom I was already familiar with, and respected. So, here's a couple and a link to the rest. When it comes to Seger's early work, you might want to reconsider. (Note: Check out the Caretakers cover of "East Side Story" below for a little more punch.)

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Bob Seger and the Last Heard - East Side Story (1966) mp3 at AM Then FM
Bob Seger and the Last Heard - Heavy Music (Part 1) (1967) mp3 at AM Then FM
The Bob Seger System - 2 + 2 = ? (1968) mp3 at AM Then FM
Covers:
The Caretakers -Eats Side Story mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Dave Edmunds - Get Out of Denver mp3 at Rock Town Hall Note: a bit tinny.
Bob Dylan - Get Out of Denver (live) mp3 at Seger File Because it was floating around.
Visit:
Bob Seger's Other Greatest Hits at AM Then FM More early Seger
Bob Seger at Wikipedia

WE MEET AGAIN

This actually started out as a quick post just to shove Foghat's version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" in front of you, because I love the sound of it. It was produced by Dave Edmunds in the early 70s. It's nothing close to the original, just a nice slice of 70's guitar thud. So, after straying off the path, I ended up going on a two day Willie Dixon binge. It was overdue. I've seen his name in album cover notes since...well, a long fucking time. One of my earliest fetishized LPs (Johnny Winter) had a Dixon song on it. Later, I finally heard his music, and revisited versions by his contemporaries. (If you want a mind fuck, check out this list at Wikipedia.) He was a singer, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, producer, arranger, and talent scout; one of the architects of the Chicago blues sound, as well as the sound of Chess Records. He is the man.

Here's a variety of Dixon written stuff. Starting with a few rock bands. Love Sculpture is an early Dave Edmunds band. And check the video at the bottom. Strap yourself in. it's the pay off. Dixon's in it, with some heavy friends. It is awesome. Turn it up and go full screen on the mother.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

The UK rock bands:
Love Sculpture - Wang Dang Doodle mp3 at From Russia With Art
Foghat - I Just Want to Make Love to You mp3 at The Giant Panther
Cream - Spoonful mp3 at South Bay Amp Works
Led Zeppelin - You Shook Me mp3 at Great Gonzo
The old school:
Howlin' Wolf - Wang Dang Doodle mp3 at Burning Hand
Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle mp3 at Clumsy & Shy
Etta James - I Just Want to Make Love to You mp3 at 8106
Muddy Waters - You Shook Me mp3 at Harmony Talk
The Man:
Willie Dixon - Spoonfull mp3 at Le Mellotron
Willie Dixon - You Shook Me mp3 at Great Gonzo
Willie Dixon - Twenty Nine Ways to My Baby's Door mp3 at Merry Swankster
Willie Dixon - I'd Give My Life For You mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Willie Dixon & Koko Taylor - Insane Asylum mp3 at Clumsy & Shy
Watch:
Willie Dixon - Bassology video at YouTube
Several videos at Willie-Dixon.com
Visit:
Willie Dixon at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame
List of Dixon songs, and who has covered them (incomplete list) at Wikipedia
Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation

WATCH THIS: