Dave Edmunds Plugged In 1994

Dave Edmunds made a bunch of fine records in the 70s and 80s. Then in 1994, in response to all the "unplugged" records being made, Edmunds went with Plugged In. A solo record all the way, Dave produces, sings, and plays all of the instruments. Not always a good idea, but Dave does it as well as anyone.

Edmunds never writes a lot of the songs on his records (two on this one), but he has impeccable taste in songs to cover. Chutes and Ladders is a driving opener with a hot riff. A bluesy riff pounds away on Billy Gibbons' One Step Back. Dave's own I Love Music has a funky backbeat, the sentiment is clear, and Dave rips a nice lead break. Jim Lauderdale's Halfway Down is another hot rocker, and Dave lays on the reverb on the vocal. Beach Boy Blood (In My Veins) is a wonderfully fun pastiche of Beach Boy melodies and vocals that more than simulates the real thing. Jerry Reed's instrumental The Claw gets the rockabilly guitar twang from Edmunds, and it's a skill set he's particularly good at.

I Got The Will is an Otis Redding tune that Dave turns into a stomping soul rocker. Then Dave does A Better Word For Love, the lovely Al Anderson/NRBQ ballad that is one of Anderson's best songs. Standing At The Crossroads rocks hard, and Dave's high tenor and smoking guitar are all the song needs. Edmunds' own It Doesn't Really Matter is rockabilly magic with a cajun feel and something that sounds just like an accordion. The records ends with Sabre Dance '94, a remake of Khachaturian's classical piece, and Dave's first hit song from 1968 with the band Love Sculpture.

And there you have it. A fine outing that stands up to comparison with Dave's best from his productive 70s and 80s. He made three more good records records after this, but this is the last one that sounds like the ones he made with Rockpile.