Dave Edmunds: Swan Songs: The Singles 1976-1981

Extended as is Joe Marchese's essay in the twelve-page booklet enclosed with Swan Songs, it is nonetheless as breezy and free-flowing as the content spread across the two compact discs. Consisting of cuts originally issued 45-rpm singles on the label imprimatur of Led Zeppelin (referenced in the main title of the package), the cumulative impact of these selections reaffirms the effect of the somewhat daunting expanse of prose, that is, clearly making the case for Edmunds as a decidedly rootsy but authentic contrast to the prevailing taste(s) of that late Seventies/early Eighties era.

The Singles 1976-1981 is a most complementary companion piece to The Dave Edmunds Anthology 1968-90 (Rhino, 1993). Hearing this more narrowly-circumscribed collection, it is altogether tempting to become immersed in the craftsman-like approach Edmunds and company bring to the equally well-wrought material, largely because the deceptively-nuanced musicianship conjures multiple effervescent peaks such as the one called "Juju Man."

But even as Edmunds's prominence as a recording artist, producer and band member dates to the Sixties—including his early scuffling with various groups before the quasi-novelty hit of 1968, a reworking of Khachaturian's classical piece "Sabre Dance," performed by the unit dubbed Love Sculpture—the reach of the man's self-avowed musical heritage extends some two decades further back into history.

Thus, while the swells of background vocal harmonies that suffuse "New York's A Lonely Town" and "As Lovers Do" constitute an overt stylistic nod to the The Beach Boys, that homage is a marked departure from the mesh of country with R&B—too often designated with the glib appellation 'rockabilly—within much of the material on Swan Songs.

Not surprisingly, however, that earthy blend also resonates from Dave's Edmunds's twangy guitar solos. The abbreviated instrumental interlude on "Here Comes The Weekend," for instance, is just one such segment every bit as economical as the majority of cuts among these twenty-nine total (many of which time out around the two-minute mark).

Dave Edmunds was not a particularly innovative composer, but he did appreciate a good song as means to arrange and perform in an inspired manner proportional to the material (further testimony to which is the success another artist like Juice Newton garnered with pedal steel guitarist Hank DeVito's "Queen of Hearts").

Accordingly, Edmunds learned his songwriting lessons from some of the standouts of his most prolific era, herein documented as "Back to Schooldays" by Graham Parker, "Girls Talk" by Elvis Costelloand, among many others, "I Knew The Bride" by Nick Lowe, (Edmunds's kindred spirit and band mate in the foursome Rockpile, who appear in more than just the one instance of their collaboration "Boys Talk").

In the midst of a total eighty two-plus minutes playing time, Chuck Berry's literally represented by "It's My Own Business" but also via indirect means in the form of "Get Out Of Denver," Bob Seger's obvious rewrite of that icon's style off the native Detroiter's LP Seven (Capitol, 1974). And then there's "Almost Saturday Night," from Creedence Clearwater Revival's titular leader John Fogerty's eponymous 1975 album, a track almost as irrepressible in its high spirits as those that infuse Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner's own "Trouble Boys."

The trebly sonic textures of such recordings are also true to Edmunds' roots. Originally produced by the Welsh-born artist himself—and here remastered by Michael Graves with his usual expertise—these sonic values would appear to camouflage some of the many layers of instruments (particularly Edmunds' own guitars). But as is often the case with such carefully-devised audio—tacit paean to Phil Spector's archetypal 'Wall of Sound—high volume reveals the details: hear drummer Terry Williams' ride cymbal work on "The Creature From The Black Lagoon."

In keeping with Dave Edmunds' renaissance man persona (and notwithstanding a certain sameness to this music here despite the varying personnel and sources of songs), he participated as co-equal in the aforementioned Rockpile and led his own groups, besides working effectively at producing other artists.

Primitive rock throwback group Stray Cats—heard together with Edmunds for "The Race is On"—are only the highest profile name in that category, followed closely by Savoy Brown emigres Foghat, but by the same token, Edmunds' innate empathy combined with his technical expertise and no-frills musicianship brought out the best in pub-rockers Ducks Deluxe and Brinsley Schwarz (who later morphed into The Rumour).

The aforementioned liner note writer is comprehensive in his annotation of such versatility (as are the scrupulous credits inside the witty-graphic design double-fold digi-pak (adorned with the image of a guitar pick). To that point, Dave Edmunds thus might be pictured wearing various symbolic hats on the cover of Swan Songs, but it's far more appropriate to instead picture him as he is in the black and white color scheme of the front cover: grasping two big Gretsch guitars that no doubt figured heavily in The Singles 1976-1981.

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