They were a supergroup of sorts, even if the members would likely have shunned that appellation as somehow being too gaudy for the kind of music they made. And they had already played together for years before finally releasing the first album under their name, which would also be their last.
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The story of Rockpile is a somewhat strange and abbreviated one. But that lone album, entitled Seconds of Pleasure, sounds sharper today than many other albums from the class of 1980, which is also ironic because their music often hearkened back to a much earlier era of rock and roll. Here is the story of how Rockpile came and went, leaving behind one wonderful parting gift to music fans.
Forming Rockpile
The two driving artistic forces behind Rockpile were Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe. These two men had enjoyed a successful run throughout out the ‘70s, both as performers and producers. Edmunds made his name for himself with his rockabilly stylings, while Lowe morphed from the pub rock of his early ‘70s band Brinsley Schwarz into more of a power-pop approach as a songwriter and solo artist.
Edmunds and Lowe crossed paths professionally in multiple ways before they ever decided to form Rockpile. The name came from an album title Edmunds had previously used in his solo career. Joining them in the group were guitarist Billy Bremner and drummer Terry Williams.
The odd thing about Rockpile is that most avid rock fans of the late ‘70s likely heard their work before they knew the band’s name. Because Edmunds and Lowe were under contract to different labels, they couldn’t record under that band’s name. But they found a way around that so the quartet’s indelible chemistry could help their respective careers.
Rockpile basically acted as the backing band for several solo albums by Edmunds and Lowe. In 1979, their whooshing rhythms helped Lowe to his Top-20 U.S. hit “Cruel to Be Kind” and Edmunds on his Elvis Costello cover “Girls Talk,” which became one of Edmunds’ signature songs. When Edmunds closed out his record contract, they were finally able to release an album.
Alas, just when they reached that milestone with Seconds of Pleasure, they splintered. Lowe couldn’t see much of a future for his unassuming outfit in a world of New Romantic British rockers, while Edmunds clashed with the group’s management. Rockpile was over and out after a single album.
The Pleasure Principle
One wonders what Seconds of Pleasure might have been had those aforementioned “solo” hits by Lowe and Edmunds been a part of it. As it is, the album does a nice job playing to the strengths of the two men, while also showing off some of the extras brought to the table by Bremner and Williams.
For example, Bremner delivers the lead vocal on “Heart,” one of the album’s most charming tracks. And Williams is the ever-ready engine that drives these tracks, whether they’re strolling about in Edmunds’ rockabilly comfort zone or zooming in Lowe’s preferred power-pop lane.
Although most of the original tracks are credited to the whole band, Lowe’s deft lyrical touch is clearly on display on “When I Write the Book,” the album’s standout track. Edmunds and Lowe get to indulge in a little Everly Brothers-style harmonizing on “Now and Forever,” while the choice of cover material, from the urgent opener “Teacher, Teacher” to the rollicking closer “You Ain’t Nothin’ But Fine,” keeps things fresh.
Seconds of Pleasure seemed like a springboard toward a long, promising catalog. Instead, it was both a debut and a swan song, a fittingly odd duck of an album from a band with a curious career. The album title was apropos. It seemed like Rockpile were around for only a few moments, but the good times they brought in that brief span were undeniable.
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Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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