Dave Edmunds & Nick Lowe: Born Fighter

Dave Edmunds & Nick Lowe: Born Fighter

Posted

(Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

We just stumbled upon this and are thrilled. Always a bit of holy grail for Edmunds & Lowe fans, Born Fighter was made by the BBC in ‘79 and chronicles the pair and their shared band Rockpile as they simultaneously work on two albums. Dave’s Repeat When Necessary (which features “Girls Talk”) and Nick’s Labour Of Lust would provide both artists with their biggest commercial successes at home in the UK and here in Australia, and break them both into the US in a big way.

The situation between Edmunds, Lowe and Rockpile was a unique and bizarre one. The two artists were fans of each other’s music and had worked together since Edmunds produced Lowe’s old band Brinsley Schwarz earlier in the decade. They’d been playing on each other records when they decided to form a band – Rockpile – so they could tour together. Rockpile featured Lowe and Edmunds up front with Billy Bremner on second guitar and Terry Williams on drums, and was considered by some critics to be the greatest rock’n’roll outfit on the planet at the time. Unfortunately though, because Edmunds and Lowe were on two different labels as solo artists, the band couldn’t make its own record at their peak. One album, the wonderful Seconds of Pleasure was released a couple of years later, but unfortunately, Lowe and Edmunds soon fell out and that was that. In addition to Seconds of Pleasure, Repeat When Necessary and Labour of Lust stand as testaments to Rockpile’s greatness.

The documentary takes very fly on the wall approach and features much fantastic music. It’s incredible to see the tracks take shape in the studio and to hear the guys talking about what they’re trying to achieve. It features guest appearances by Phil Lynott, a pre-fame Huey Lewis (who played a bit of harmonica for the fellas), Graham Parker and esteemed English Country & Rock guitarist Albert Lee (fresh from Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band). The few minutes with Lee, when he lays down his incredible solo for Edmund’s rocking “Sweet Little Lisa”, are mindblowing!

Oh, and Dire Straits fans might be interested too because rockpile drummer Terry Williams would soon go on to join Knopfler’s gang, just in time for world domination.

Check out the official videos for “Girls Talk” and “Labour of Lust” to get yourself in the mood, enjoy Born Fighter, and then dig deep into Dave’s classic Swan Song Records catalog on Spotify!

 - Dave Laing

 

 

Related Posts

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE