From small things (Big things one day come)

Nostra Dam
2 days ago
8 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Dave Edmunds is a Welsh singer-songwriter who began his career remarkably early, starting at the age of 10 alongside his brother Geoff in a duo called the Edmunds Bros Duo. This was in 1954.

He would later be found in an impressive number of groups, including The Stompers (later renamed The Heartbeats), then The 99ers, then Crick Feathers' Hill-Bills, then The Raiders, then The Image, then The Human Beans, and finally Love Sculpture.

His solo career, however, began rather spectacularly with the release of his first solo Single, "I Hear You Knocking," in 1970. This Single became a worldwide hit, making the young singer one of the biggest revelations of the moment.

Unfortunately, and as is so often the case, the follow-up wasn't really able to compete in terms of success, with tracks like "I'm Comin' Home" and "Blue Monday" struggling in 1971 to match the incredible level of success achieved by their predecessor.

The release of his first album, "Rockpile," came a year later in 1972, an album that also only achieved limited success.

It was in 1973 that he managed to get back in the game somewhat with the release of "Baby I Love You" and "Born to Be with You," two tracks that finally allowed him to reconnect with a truly significant level of success.

A new album, "Subtle as a Flying Mallet," followed two years later in 1975, but this new album confirmed that his albums were really struggling to reach a mass audience.

The following year, he teamed up with Nick Lowe to form the band Rockpile, a group that would begin to gain recognition as a solo act a few years later.

On the solo front, he released a new album, "Get It," in 1977. This album performed slightly better than its predecessors on the charts, mainly thanks to the hit Single "I Knew the Bride." His next album, "Tracks on Wax 4," released a year later in 1978, was also a success, but paradoxically, it failed to produce any major hit Singles.

However, the release of "Repair When Necessary" in 1979 finally established the artist's talent and, more importantly, gave him his first major album success. The album was propelled by the Singles "Queen of Hearts," "Crawling from the Wreckage," and especially by the massive hit "Girls Talk," which became the second biggest success of his career.

Rockpile released his one and only album, "Seconds of Pleasure," a year later in 1980. This album enjoyed considerable success and primarily produced the hit Single "Teacher, Teacher."

A new solo album, "Twangin'...", followed the next year in 1981. This album confirmed the artist's status as one of the most promising talents of the time, particularly thanks to the powerful Single "Almost Saturday Night."

Four more successful albums were released during the 1980s : "D.E. 7th" in 1982, "Information" in 1983, "Riff Raff" in 1984, and "Closer to the Flame" in 1989. These four albums were successful, but they struggled to produce a single hit Single of global renown.

The adventure continued afterward, but very tentatively, without ever recapturing the level of success achieved previously.

To discover or rediscover...

Discography (among others ...) :

60s Decade :

River to another day (Love Sculpture) 1968
Sabre dance (Love Sculpture) 1968

70s Decade :

I hear you knocking 1970
I’m comin’ home 1971
Blue Monday 1971
The promised land 1972
Baby I love you 1973
Born to be with you 1973
Here comes the weekend 1976
Where or when 1976
Juju man 1977
I knew the bride 1977
Get out of Denver 1977
Deborah 1978
Television 1978
A1 on the jukebox 1979
Girls talk 1979
Queen of hearts 1979
Crawling from the wreckage 1979

80s Decade :

Teacher, teacher (Rockpile) 1980
Singing the blues 1980
Almost Saturday night 1981
The race is on 1981
From small things (Big things one day come) 1982
Me and the boys 1982
Run Rudolph run 1982
Slipping away 1983
Information 1983
Something about you 1984
High school nights 1985
The wanderer 1987

90s Decade :

Closer to the flame 1990
King of love 1990
Chuttes & ladders 1994
I love music 1994
Beach Boy blood 1994
I still love you 1999

2010s Decade :

Again 2013
Halfway down 2013
I got the will 2013
I believe I can fly 2015
God only knows 2015
Wuthering heights 2015

2020s Decade :

It'll be me 2021

Tracks :

1968...you have to start somewhere, as they say, and for young Dave it will be in grouped mode to limit the risks as much as possible...

1968...and this grouped start will pay off beyond his expectations since the artist will manage to achieve here a first success that will be described as significant...

1970...the solo career took place at the very beginning of the 70s, and what a career it was ! His reimagined version of the 1955 Smiley Lewis hit became a worldwide smash, propelling the artist to the forefront of the international music scene in a truly spectacular fashion. Absolutely enormous !

1971...as is often the case, matching a success of this magnitude is practically impossible. And indeed, the level of success of this title will have little to do with the title that preceded it...

1971...and this one even less so. The fall was as rapid as the rise, it must be said. Such is the harsh reality of the profession...

1972... which doesn't necessarily mean the end of the adventure. It simply means he'll have to redouble his efforts if he wants to rejoin the leading group...

1973...the efforts he will make will allow him to make a spectacular comeback. Proof that nothing is ever truly over in music...

1973...certainly we're not talking about a return to grace, but the level of success achieved during that year 1973 is far from negligible, quite the contrary...

1976...another setback at the beginning of the second half of the 70s. It's clear he's really struggling to maintain his position at the highest level...

1976... yet he clearly puts in the effort, but it doesn't seem to be enough at first glance. So, he'll have to redouble his efforts once again...

1977...still no noticeable improvement in this new year of 1977. It must be said that the excessive speed doesn't necessarily help...

1977...it's a little better with this title, at least in terms of the charts, because in terms of overspeed, we remain at roughly the same level...

1977...and to that, targeted releases clearly didn't help either. This title was only released in the United States, hence its inevitably limited reach...

1978... a year that won't be remembered as its best, that's for sure. Starting with this song, which will go 'under the radar' as they say...

1978...then with this second album which fared no better. After a spectacular start to the decade, the end of the decade can hardly be said to have been very favorable to the artist...

1979...nothing has gone right for him for some time now, and it's clear that a strong takeover is necessary, otherwise the exit door might open sooner than expected...

1979...the message got through at first glance, because he managed to make a spectacular comeback with this new Single. His second biggest hit...

1979...we're used to him relapses after he's produced a huge hit. And that will certainly be the case with this new track...

1979... he managed to pull off a major coup during that year, but once again failed to stabilize his position once and for all...

1980...it remains to be seen how he intends to approach this new decade of the 80s. For now, let's say it's off to a pretty good start...

1980...here he delivers a revisited version of Guy Mitchell's 1956 song which holds up well and which will above all allow him to show that he will still be a force to be reckoned with for years to come...

1981...in the series of revisited versions, here now comes his deluxe cover of John Fogerty's 1975 song. Covers that always turn out well for him...

1981...a new, revisited version of George Jones' 1964 hit. One might have hoped that sharing the bill with the Stray Cats would create sparks, but these were, to say the least, limited...

1982...a song originally composed and performed by Bruce Springsteen sometime in 1979, but which was never officially released as a Single. That has now changed with this revisited version...

1982...a year that saw the artist definitely slip back in the charts, which was not necessarily a good omen for what was to come, to say the least...

1982...the series of high-quality covers continues, this time with his revisited version of Chuck Berry's 1958 hit. A sound and style not exactly in keeping with the times...

1983... there's an ocean between that title and the one before it, as they say. What's really strange is that when he wants to, he can produce titles that are completely in tune with the times. The proof !

1983...but as soon as he switches back into high-speed mode, the general public immediately loses interest. A phenomenon he doesn't seem to grasp at first glance...

1984...and here we are back in the 60s with this deluxe cover of the Four Tops' 1965 hit. A deluxe cover version that he overuses somewhat...

1985...if only his entire discography from the 80s had been in this style, it's clear that his level of success would have been much higher...

1987...and the luxury covers continue, this time of Dion's 1961 hit. Clearly, he's having fun, but it's always at the expense of the song's success...

1990... well, on the other hand, we all understood that we weren't remake him again no matter what. So it's inevitable that the 90s will start again on the same musical foundations as before...

1990...the last official Single. The adventure would continue afterwards, certainly, but on a much more low-key level...

1994...an adventure that has lasted for over 20 years, which is no small feat. With its ups and downs, but it has endured nonetheless...

1994...as long as he finds enjoyment in what he does, there's no reason for it all to stop permanently. Who could blame him ?

1994...and as in music anything is always possible, who knows if a comeback to the forefront of the scene isn't within the realm of possibility one day or another...

1999... he believes in it, otherwise he would have given up a long time ago. It's clear that only the die-hard fans are still following him anyway...

1999...a still substantial core fan base that makes him believe that every adventure deserves to be pursued as far as possible...

2013...a major 14-year hiatus, but here he is again, still as determined as ever to never give up. A will to believe until the very end that undeniably commands respect...

2013...because many in his position wouldn't even have attempted a comeback, but he believes in it wholeheartedly. Just like his core fans, of course...

2013...in terms of style and sound, he remained virtually unchanged from beginning to end. This desire to maintain the status quo ultimately did him more harm than good...

2015... but that didn't bother him in the slightest. Here he is again, back in luxury mode, but with much more recent titles than before...

2015...except for this one, which dates from 1966. This special collection of deluxe guitar covers is nice, certainly, but won't offer much more than the originals anyway...