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Graham Parker: Another Grey Area 40th Anniversary Edition
by Doug Collette
Iconoclassic Records lives up to its label name with this Graham Parker reissue. Admittedly a niche artist, this irascible Brit has seen more than a few excerpts from his lengthy discography treated with the meticulous care that bespeaks true labors of love, and this initial release of Parker's sans the splendid backing band known as the Rumour puts the spotlight squarely on his original material. Of course, the man's own songs have always been the focal point of ...
read moreGraham Parker: Five Old Souls
by Doug Collette
It only stands to reason Graham Parker would want to document the live performance that comprises 5 Old Souls. Cloud Symbols (100% Records, 2018) was an utterly remarkable return to form. With uncanny accuracy but not one iota of self-consciousness, the curmudgeonly Brit hearkened directly to that earthy one-two punch by which he first gained attention via Howlin' Wind (Mercury, 1976) and Heat Treatment (Mercury, 1976). For all its superficial similarities, however, this live music may not radiate ...
read moreGraham Parker: The Up Escalator - 40th Anniversary Edition
by Doug Collette
It might well be an exercise in futility to find a more potent transitional album than Graham Parker's The Up Escalator. At least that's what The 40th Anniversary Edition suggests, and in no uncertain terms. Why else open the album with a track of deserved braggadocio titled No Holding Back" or close it with that sentiment brought to life on the crackling live takes of the record's two most unforgiving numbers, Empty Live" and Stupefaction," included as bonus material?
read moreGraham Parker: Sparks Keep Flying!
by Doug Collette
It can be brave or foolish (perhaps even a combination of both) for any artist to revisit one of their seminal works as Graham Parker has done here. But the illuminating view he's offered of this music, taken from two markedly different perspectives, reaffirms just how provocative is the material and, in turn, how inspiring it is for the musicians who play it, including the author himself. Released to complement these titles is a book of tablature (duly and extensively ...
read moreCD Review: Graham Parker, "Imaginary Television"
Source:
Pop Dose
Coming from the 1970s UK pub-rock scene, Graham Parker had to slip away from the shadows cast by Nick Lowe, the producer of his first album Howlin Wind, and the burgeoning legend of Elvis Costello. Adept at sharp lyrics, a wicked wit and a keen sense of how to wed it to visceral rock and roll, Parker fit in comfortably with the crowd but had difficulty standing out. His ballsiest move came when he left original label Mercury for Arista, ...
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