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Dave Edmunds and The Refreshments

A Pile of Rock
Recorded live at the Central Café in Gävle, Sweden, in October 1997,

A Pile of Rock: Live is a rollicking blast of three-chord napalm -- and confirmation that, on a good night, the reclusive pub rock legend can be a supreme live entertainer. And make no mistake, this recording captures Edmunds on a good night. A very good night. Backed by Swedish rock traditionalists the Refreshments -- Mikael Finell (saxophone, acoustic guitar, backup vocals), Joakim Arnell (bass, backup vocals), and Niklas Aspholm (drums) -- pianist extraordinaire Geraint Watkins, and ex-Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner, Edmunds straps on and tears the roof off. Musical highlights are many, including a swinging version of Mickey Jupp's "Standing at the Crossroads" (featured on Edmunds' criminally neglected 1994 release, Plugged In), a bluesy instrumental rendering of the Beatles' "Lady Madonna," and a string-abusing "Sabre Dance." As good a performer as Edmunds is -- and he's in peak form here, both instrumentally and vocally -- the secret weapon is the personnel backing him up. The Refreshments are well-known in Sweden as a top-notch trad rock outfit, and they fit Edmunds' brand of classic, Chuck Berry-inspired rock & roll to an absolute T. Throw pub rock giants Bremner and Watkins into the mix, and you have a serious rhythm machine -- a machine operating at scary efficiency on tracks like Fleetwood Mac's "Stop Messin' Around," Dion's "The Wanderer," Fats Domino's "I'm Ready," and the Berry standards "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller" and "Let ItRock." This is roots rock at its best: The band is tighter than a kettledrum, and when he chooses to come out front and solo, Edmunds throws off lightning riffs with an assuredness that's no doubt sent many a cocky hotshot back to the drawing board. 

Including art work.


01 King of Love
02 Standing at the Crossroads
03 Ju Ju Man
04 Stop Messin' Around
05 Queen of Hearts
06 I Hear You Knockin'
07 I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock & Roll)
08 Lady Madonna
09 The Wanderer
10 Here Comes the Weekend
11 Sabre Dance
12 I'm Ready
13 Crawling from the Wreckage
14 Sweet Little Rock & Roller
15 Let It Rock