Album review: DAVE EDWARDS – Many Rivers

DAVE EDWARDS - Many Rivers

Cadiz [Release date 24.06.22]

It would be an interesting exercise to identify those “nearly men” (or women) of rock that for whatever reason failed to realise their ambitions (if they had any). This might be due to the musical climate, taste and preference, record label or management shenanigans, personal reticence, lack of originality, or simply they weren’t good enough.

According to Mick Geggus’ glowing liner note “as the 80′s dawned it seemed that image played a bigger part in getting signed to a major label than unique talent. Unless you were six feet tall with hair down to your arse, they would look the other way.”

This reissued compilation of material from the early eighties onwards might be of more interest by way of association than the actual main artist. Dave ‘Spud’ Edwards rubbed shoulders with members of Rory Gallagher’s band – as Ramrod - and even Rory himself when the Irishman dropped in for a blast at the Bridgehouse venue in London’s Canning Town. Edwards now has a blue plaque at the venue.

Edwards also formed the band Remus Down Boulevard (RDB) in 1975 with Dennis Stratton, early Iron Maiden guitarist, but there are no examples included in this collection.

But maybe the lack of originality and a certain dated feel are the culprits here, in spite of evident guitar dexterity. The opener ‘Maybe This Time’ steals Lizzy’s ‘Dancing In The Moonlight” riff and ‘Enemies’ sounds like the 1970s never went away. ‘Baby Says’ even recalls Sir Elton’s ‘The Bitch Is Back.’

Overall it reminds me of bands like Strife who themselves remained a popular support band in the seventies but no bigger than that.

The title track, a Jimmy Cliff cover, features Gerry McAvoy’s Band including Lou Martin and Ted McKenna but is uneventful. The bulk of the material here is derived from Edwards’ band ‘National Gold’ who for a time included Groundhogs drummer Clive Brookes. Sadly it seems that this is the material mostly derived from cassette tapes.

By the mid-nineties, it seems Edwards had caught on to the eighties with a power ballad ‘Forever’ and ‘Feels Like Ice’ has a whiff of contemporary Russ Ballard.

‘Railway Station’ from 2015 (referred to as ‘Train Station’ in the notes) is a broody slow blues evoking the likes of Peter Green. This style is probably where Edwards’ strengths really lie.

The sonic quality only really ramps up when we get to two tracks from 2017 and TNT (Not the Norwegian configuration). But again very ordinary.

As Edwards is still active it begs the question why he hasn’t released any solo albums previously and even a compilation of more recent live material might have been more relevant (check him out on YouTube).

A rock journeyman maybe but, in terms of context, Bernie Marsden got there before him. ***

Review by David Randall

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THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
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