Dave Edmunds - "Twangin..."

Released 45 years ago today: “Twangin…” by Dave Edmunds. Apart from two albums with Love Sculpture and one with Rockpile, this was the 37-year-old Welsh rock & roll guitarist’s 6th solo album, and last with the members of Rockpile (Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner, Terry Williams). The album consists mostly of cover versions, though Edmunds co-wrote two songs with Lowe. The LP reached #48 Billboard (#37 UK) while earning mainly good reviews. Cover art by Barney Bubbles. Fun fact: For the track “The Race Is On” Dave’s backing band was Stray Cats, whose debut album he had just produced a few months prior. More in Comments.

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Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Twangin' was recorded as Rockpile was in the process of breaking up, and the record suffered as a result. Where the previous Rockpile collaborations were loose and rocking, Twangin' is tight and precise, as if Edmunds recorded it on his own. Only on "The Race Is On" does the record truly cut loose, and he's backed by the Stray Cats on that one. Still, there are a number of fine moments on the record, particularly in the pseudo-new wave pulse of John Hiatt's "Something Happens," the pub rock of Mickey Jupp's "You'll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those)," and the gorgeous Everly-esque "(I'm Gonna Start) Living Again if It Kills Me." The rest of the record is pleasant filler which could have used some of the old Rockpile spark.

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Dave Edmunds - "Twangin..."

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