Sabre Dance

This Go Records compilation features a dozen tracks from the earliest Dave Edmunds sides; first as the leader of Love Sculpture and as a solo artist. There are the blistering guitar hero pyrotechnics on classical themes in the form of the title track by Aram Khachaturian and also Georges Bizet's "Farandole," as well as hard blues workouts in the cover of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle." Also there are the now signature, mutant form countrified rock tunes such as Neil Young's "Dance Dance, Dance," and James Burton's "Down, Down, Down." That said, there is also plenty here that reflects Edmunds' hardcore strength -- early roots rock and rockabilly: The cover of Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land" is a signature tune for the guitarist, as is the classic rock anthem "Closer to the Flame." This is a decent, even solid introduction to the early years of one of rock & roll's most faithful and enigmatic artists, but one can only hope that the next time someone does one of these sets, a healthy dose of his Swan Song material will appear as well. ~ Thom Jurek