Dave Edmunds - Rockpile (Regal Zonophone 1971) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

Dave Edmunds' debut album Rockpile established his sound – not only his revivalist tendencies, but also his method of meticulously recreating the sound and style of classic early rock & roll, R&B, and country records. Edmunds plays nearly every instrument on the album, with bassist John Williams being the only full-time collaborator. As a result, the record doesn't sound "live," it has a pinched, precise quality that may contradict the spontaneity that was at the core of the original singles, but it does offer an otherworldly quality that makes the record distinctive. Take the hit "I Hear You Knocking," which has a mechanical rhythm and a weird, out-of-phase vocal that qualifies as an original interpretation, unlike his by-the-book take on Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land," which suffers from the stiff rhythms. Still, the best moments on Rockpile come from songs like "Down, Down, Down," an obscure gem that manages to recreate not only the sound, but the feeling of classic rock & roll, perhaps because Edmunds wasn't concerned with recreating one of his beloved singles. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic

Track listing:

01. Down Down Down
02. I Hear You Knocking
03. Hell of a Pain
04. It Ain’t Easy
05. The Promised Land

06. Dance, Dance, Dance
07. (I am a) Lover Not a Fighter
08. Egg or the Hen
09. Sweet Little Rock & Roller
10. Outlaw Blues

Personnel:

All instruments Dave Edmunds except
John Williams – Bass & backing vocals
B.J. Cole – Pedal Steel on 01 & 06
Terry Williams – Drums on 01
Andy Fairweather-Low – Guitar & Drums on 08
Produced by Dave Edmunds
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, S. Wales
Except 05 recorded summer ’66 in the potato loft at Rockfield.