Jimmy Edwards - Love Bug Crawl

Jimmy Edwards - Love Bug Crawl
Bear Family BCD16621

Track listing: Love Bug Crawl / Do That Again / Love Bug Crawl / My Honey / Your Love Is A Good Love / Golden Ruby Blue / Live And Let Live / Rosie Lee / Honey Lovin' / Sorry I Lied / What Do You Want From Me / The Way To My Heart / Recipe Of Love / Wedding Band / Silver Slippers / Favor For A Friend / The Way To My Heart / Wedding Band.

As Phil will no doubt confirm, I haven’t exactly got the biggest singles collection in the world. About 150 probably, but it’s the quality not the quantity that counts. Among my stash are two Jimmy Edwards singles, Love Bug Crawl and Your Love Is A Good Love.

The legend of Jimmy Edwards revolves around his hit record, Love Bug Crawl which is a stunning rocker by anyone’s standards. Nothing on this collection quite matches it, but that’s not to say that it can be dismissed. It’s got some great soft rock moments and as with all Bear Family releases, it comes with a detailed booklet and the best possible sound. Edwards has been totally overlooked on the reissue front, making this even more important for fans.

He was born James Wiley Bullinton in Mississippi, but was working in the General Motors Buick plant in Flint, Michigan when he first cut Love Bug Crawl in 1957. It was issued on the local Wednesday label before getting picked up by Mercury. Bear Family give us both the original and the re-recorded version from later in the year. Everyone must know and love the Mercury cut, and all of you will love the original as well. It’s a bit more basic but still goes like the clappers and shows Edwards had already cracked the vocal hiccups.

Two more Mercury singles failed to chart despite My Honey and Do That Again being mighty fine records. RCA took a chance with him but they too couldn’t get him on the hit parade. The pick of the RCA tracks is Your Love Is A Good Love, a near perfect pop rocker with it’s LBC intro and backing vocals. It’s very much of the 1959 Nashville sound. The flip, A Favour For A Friend is a spoken word ballad that features Chet Atkins at his jazziest. Live And Let Live has a Marty Robbins feel.

There’s a couple of unreleased numbers to round things off, the pop rockers, Recipe Of Love and Sorry I Lied. This CD is recommended to anyone who can take their rock ‘n’ roll on the softer side – just don’t expect a platter full of Love Bug Crawl rockabilly boppers.