Rockpile

Dave Edmunds' reproduction of Smiley Lewis' early rock classic "I Hear You Knockin' "
became an improbable hit in 1971, initiating the Welsh musician-producer's career-long
preoccupation with American roots idioms. Edmunds' Fifties-revivalist oeuvre may be
limited in scope, but it's sizable, so Legacy's new sixteen-song retrospective seems
chintzy. It's also unbalanced, with only four tracks from the 1970s and a later liv... More >

Though Lowe & Edmunds's touring vehicle piledrives too much, if you just stand there and get run over you'll enjoy it. Aurally, Edmunds prevails: this hits the ear as a collection of good neoclassicist rock 'n' roll songs, less mindless than prog nitpickers claim and less meaningful than rock 'n' roll loyalists wish. Conceptually, Lowe gets the last word, last song first side: "Play That Fast Thing (One More Time)" not only sums up their limitations, it sums up their knowledge of their limitations--which will separate them forever from the run of good neoclassicist rock 'n' rollers, Dave Edmunds included. (Grade: A-)