Dave Edmunds - vocals, guitar; John David - bass; Dave Charles - drums; Billy Bremmer - guitar; Gerriant Watkins - piano
Dave Edmunds, who built a strong reputation as a player, writer, producer and performer between the late 1960s and mid 1990s, is featured here in this radio concert from 1983 that was originally aired nationally on the King Biscuit Flower Hour. This show features a solid collection of pop songs built around old time rock 'n' roll riffs. Edmunds was returning to New York City, one of his strongest markets, while promoting the album Information. He had assembled a great backing band that included former co-member of Rockpile, Billy Bremner.
This tour was a musical departure for Edmunds, who up to this point had either made his albums himself or had worked in the studio with his other Rockpile alumnus, Nick Lowe. For Information, Edmunds worked with Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne, who had begun making his mark as a record producer with the Traveling Wilburys, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Elton John. Lynne pushed Edmunds into a more modern sound for this album and the results are mixed. Still, there were several strong songs that came out of the collaboration, the biggest being "Slippin' Away," which became a big radio hit for Edmunds.
In addition to material from the recent record release, the show features several Edmunds classics, including "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Grow)," "Girls Talk" (originally written for Elvis Costello), "Queen Of Hearts" (a hit for Juice Newton), "I Hear You Knockin'," "Paralyzed," "Crawling From The Wreckage" and his signature Rockpile song "I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock And Roll)."
Edmunds brings his initial set to a close with two early rock classics: Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Rock N' Roller" and the Eddie Cochran rocker "C'mon Everybody," proving he was still one of the best guitarists on the rock scene.