I’ve been a fan of Rockpile in one form or another as long as I can remember, starting with “I Hear You Knocking” which came out when I was about 11 years old. It sounded like nothing else that anybody put out at that time. Those vocals by Dave Edmunds, they sounded like he was trapped in a big metal box. That powerful slide guitar bit and the whiplash percussion. It still sounds fresh and more importantly, genuine.
Six years after that or so, the 1-2 punch of Edmunds’s “Repeat When Necessary” coupled with Nick Lowe’s “Labour Of Lust” were recorded, albeit released separately due to contractual obligations preventing the guys from sharing credit on the same disc. In between there were other "solo" albums released by them which are also tremendous records in their own right.
It really didn’t matter because the concert stage is where the magic REALLY happened and this recording from1980 that I recently got my grubby little mitts on is proof positive of that.
Opening with the hard charging “Sweet Little Lisa”, the show still packs an immense wallop some 31 years later. These guys played wicked fast, and were immensely talented. Drummer Terry Williams displays stadium rock chops that bowl over anything in his way. Lowe’s bass lines anchor the backbeat and the dual guitar assault of Billy Bremner and Edmunds wrap it up in one thrilling package.
It’s really hard for me to understand how during an era that brought us the likes of Greg Kihn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tommy Tutone, The Stray Cats and so on, how there was never any room at the rock and roll inn for a band like Rockpile, who were clearly head and shoulders above those aforementioned acts.
The answer was probably because they didn’t really give a shit about being famous. Especially Lowe who dissolved the band just as it looked like they were going to start to reap those types of rewards. Coming off their first actual album credited to “Rockpile” and their appearance at The Concerts For Kampuchea, the bedrock was laid for a concert tour and record release that would never happen.
Perhaps it’s best that the greatness that was Rockpile just sits there, waiting to be discovered by future rock and roll generations. No hits, no tunes turned into commercials, no discernable back catalog, and most importantly no image. Just four guys that blew you away whenever they took the concert stage, demonstrating in no uncertain terms what rock and roll is really all about. Here’s the complete electrifying set list from that night in Montreux, Switzerland.
Sweet Little Lisa
So It Goes
I Knew The Bride
Queen Of Hearts
Switchboard Susan
Trouble Boys
Teacher Teacher
Girls Talk
Three Time Loser
You Ain’t Nothin’ But Fine
Crawling From The Wreckage
Let It Rock
I Hear You Knocking
They Called It Rock
Juju Man
Let’s Talk About Us
