TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: Dave Edmunds 1970

Dave Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, he had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, while displaying a consistent tendency towards 50s-style, guitar-driven rock n roll.

As a teenager Edmunds first played with a band called The Edmunds Bros Duo with his older brother Geoff in 1954, both playing piano. The brothers later went on to play in various bands throughout the 50s and early 60s.

In 1966, Edmunds shifted to a more blues-rock sound, to form the short lived Human Beans, a band that played mostly in London and on the UK university circuit. In 1967 the band recorded a cover of "Morning Dew" that failed to chart.

After just eighteen months the core of 'Human Beans' formed a new band called Love Sculpture that scored a quasi-novelty Top 5 hit by reworking Khachaturian's classical piece "Sabre Dance" as a speed-crazed rock number, inspired by Keith Emerson's classical rearrangements. "Sabre Dance" became a hit after garnering the enthusiastic attention of influential British DJ John Peel.

Dave Edmunds then went solo and immediately enjoyed a UK smash #1 hit in 1970 with "I Hear You Knocking", a Smiley Lewis cover (featured below). The recording also reached #4 in the U.S., making it Edmunds's biggest hit by far. It sold an monstrous three million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. I myself have loved this song since the first time I heard it -at nine years old- and never tire of hearing it to this day.

Edmunds had intended to record Wilbert Harrison's "Let's Work Together", but when he was beaten to that song by Canned Heat, he adapted the arrangement he intended to use for it to "I Hear You Knocking", producing a highly original remake....

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