Dave Edmunds: Subtle as a Flying Mallet (1975)

Keith Moon provides the title, the hitmakers of the 50s and 60s provide the material and Dave Edmunds does the rest.

Kronomyth 2.0: A mallet-justed boy.

Since the release of Rockpile, Dave Edmunds seems to have spent most of his time in his studio perfecting his Spectoral wall of sounds. A few singles were released in the interim, and those songs account for about half of Subtle as a Flying Mallet. Baby, I Love You b/w Maybe was a Top 10 hit at the end of 1972, Born to Be with You repeated the feat in 1973, and A Shot of Rhythm and Blues b/w Let It Be Me was released in 1974 (although it didn’t chart). The remaining “new” tracks include a pair of live Chuck Berry numbers with Brinsley Schwarz, a Nick Lowe original and tunes by Ray Charles, Phil Spector, Mel Tillis and the traditional Billy the Kid. It’s an eclectic mix, ranging from country-rock to girl-group pop, with Edmunds painstakingly multitracking everything from drums to horns and using layers of vocals to give the songs a suitably “big” sound. It’s a swell songbook, with the achievements of Edmunds the producer only slightly overshadowing the achievements of Edmunds the player. That seems to be the biggest difference between this record and Rockpile. The first album featured unusual effects while Subtle as a Flying Mallet plays it relatively straight. Now, none of this has a blessed thing to do with progressive rock; Edmunds, in fact, is antithetical to the idea. Yet his craftsmanship and reverence for the great music of the 50s and 60s is something all music fans can appreciate. If you tuned in for Rockpile and liked what you heard, you’ll enjoy Dave Edmunds (in his many musical guises) all over again on his second album.

Original elpee version

A1. Baby I Love You (Phil Spector/Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry) (3:29)
A2. Leave My Woman Alone (Ray Charles) (2:34)
A3. Maybe (Richard Barrett) (2:50)
A4. Da Doo Ron Ron (Phil Spector/Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry) (2:17)
A5. Let It Be Me (Gilbert Becaud/Mann Curtis/Pierre Delanoe) (2:43)
A6. No Money Down (Chuck Berry) (3:50)
B1. A Shot of Rhythm and Blues (Terry Thompson) (2:41)
B2. Billy the Kid (traditional arr. by Dave Edmunds) (3:32)
B3. Born to Be with You (Don Robertson) (3:28)
B4. She’s My Baby (Nick Lowe) (3:38)
B5. I Ain’t Never (Mel Tillis/Webb Pierce) (3:18)
B6. Let It Rock (Chuck Berry) (3:00)

Expanded CD reissue bonus tracks
13. Pick Axe Rag (Dave Edmunds/Mickey Gee) (2:56)
14. Some Other Guy (Richard Barrett/Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller) (2:25)

Original 8-track version (US)
A1. Baby I Love You
A2. Let It Rock
A3. Let It Be Me
B1. She’s My Baby
B2. Born to Be with You
B3. Da Doo Ron Ron
C1. Billy the Kid
C2. I Ain’t Never
C3. Leave My Woman Alone
D1. No Money Down
D2. Maybe
D3. A Shot of Rhythm and Blues

Original 8-track version (UK)
A1. Baby I Love You
A2. Maybe
A3. Let It Rock
B1. Leave My Woman Alone
B2. She’s My Baby
B3. I Ain’t Never
C1. Da Doo Ron Ron
C2. Billy the Kid
C3. Born to Be with You
D1. Let It Be Me
D2. No Money Down
D3. Shot of Rhythm and Blues

The Players

Dave Edmunds (all instruments and voices unless noted) with Bob Andrews (piano on B4), Brinsley Schwarz (band on A6/B6), Nick Lowe (bass on B4/B5), Pique Withers (drums on B5). Produced and engineered by Dave Edmunds.

The Pictures

Cover design and photos by Hipgnosis. Bromoil by Bruce Atkins. Lettering by Richard Evans.

The Plastic

Released on elpee and 8-track in April 1975 in the UK (RCA, RRL/RR8 101) and the US (RCA, LPL1/LPS1-5003).

1. Re-issued on elpee and cassette in the UK (RCA, PL 25129) and the US (RCA, AYL1/AYK1-4238).
2. Re-issued on compact disc in 1998 in the US (One Way, DRC1-2033).
3. Re-issued on expanded compact disc in 2005 in the UK (Acadia, ACA-8114) with 2 bonus tracks.
4. Repackaged as Original Album Classics with DE 7^th, Information, Riff Raff & I Hear You Rockin’  on 5CD in 2013 in the UK (Arista).
5. Repackaged as 5 Originals with DE 7^th, Information, Riff Raff & I Hear You Rockin’  on 3CD in 2020 in the EU (Floating World, FLOATD6404).