If the Traveling Wilburys ever recruited a 6th member, it certainly would have been Dave Edmunds; the Welsh born roots rocker — easily one of the all-time great guitarists who is never recognized as such – married Phil Spector production with Chuck Berry rock and Everly Brothers harmonies to create a sound that was sometimes country, sometimes pop, sometimes rockabilly, but always distinctive and exuberantly fun. And he did it before anyone else, including Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Springsteen. Finally reissued and remastered, 1978’s Tracks on Wax 4 and 1981’s Twangin’ are two gems chock full of blistering guitar, sing-a-long power pop, and dirty rock n’ roll. They are also the last albums Edmunds ever recorded with Rockpile (his backing group that included songwriting partner Nick Lowe), and perhaps not coincidentally, are the last truly great albums Edmunds has made.
Though slightly uneven, Tracks on Wax 4 is home to some of the guitarist’s greatest work. Opening number “Trouble Boys� is a deliriously good rockabilly stomper, and would’ve fit comfortably on his masterpiece, Repeat When Necessary. “Readers Wives,� another screamer, falls flat, but the pulsating Buddy Holly tribute “Deborah� rights the ship, showcasing Edmunds at his best, with crystal clear (but not overdone) production, masterful guitar, and an exhilarating vocal.
Twangin’ was Edmunds’ next-to-last album of straight up rock n’ roll before he entered the wilderness of the Jeff Lynne-produced synth years (which is saying a lot, considering this critic is a monster ELO fan). The joyous “It’s Been So Long,� with its insanely catchy call-and-response chorus, almost dares you not to sing along, and the heartbreaking “(I’m Gonna Start) Living Again If It Kills Me� somehow does the same. The John Fogerty cover, “Almost Saturday Night,� shows that when Edmunds picks the right material, there’s no stopping him; this version is better than the Fogerty original.
Tracks on Wax 4 and Twangin’, while not opuses like Repeat When Necessary and Get It, were Edmunds’ last records to have that perfect mix of clean garage band production and quality songs of all genres. Though Edmunds is mostly a cult favorite at this point in his career, these albums remind us why he deserves to be remembered. For those who don’t know his work, they’re the perfect place to discover a lost legend.
I actually heard these albums went number one… on the planet suck!
Andrew Murray, I love it! I am actually going to murder you!