Customer Reviews

Deepcut to Nowhere

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ten seconds into the first track on this CD, Dark Days, I find myself smiling from ear to ear. There are a very limited group of artists that can offer us such an organic groove, but Graham Parker is definitely one of them.This album is very varied in music and lyrics, from hardrocking and cynical to soft (if this is possible for GP?) and romantic sweet with a little humour stuck in between, GP covers the full spectra. The musicians play tastefully with an overall acoustic feel and GP himself sings better than ever since he varies his singing style more than ever before. Among the highlights are the groovin' Dark Days, the beautiful Depend on Me, the touching Blue Horizons, the funny Tough on Clothes and Socks'n'Sandals, the catchy Syphilis & Religion ... I could go on and on. The album ends with a breathtaking slow song called Last Stop is nowhere, where GP sings like a Nick Lowe of our days with a low, rich voice. It is plain beautiful. This is a very, very good album where in my opinion most of the songs are as good as they get.

While I have no argument with the opinion of the "Castro" reviewer (someone who is so obviously a SERIOUS GP fan has to be respected), I don't see this album in quite the same vein. I've always enjoyed the different facets of GP's talent and therefore grooved quite nicely on the rockin' "Dark Days" & "Jacksonville". The highlights ARE indeed the more "adult" songs. "Depend On Me" is thematically AND musically the sequel to "Wake Up (Next To You)", "Tough On Clothes" IS a GREAT song (anyone with a teenage daughter can't help but laugh out loud), "Socks'n'Sandals" will make all 40/50 somethings cringe, and the last verse in "Blue Horizon" literally brought tears to my eyes (first time in a LONG time a song has been able to do that for me). I COULD go on & on, but the important thing is GP is BACK!! Where does this album fit in his 25 year pantheon? Can't say yet. Like the artists that I consider his peers, Bob Dylan & Van Morrison, GP's music is never "easily digestible". It takes repeated listenings (and sometimes YEARS) to fully appreciate what lays in the grooves. All I know is that I enjoy every second of GP's first studio album in five years and hope he won't wait so long to make me so happy again.

I've been waiting patiently for five years for Graham Parker to release some new music.Well, the long wait is over.Acid Bubblegum was released in 1996 and it was excellent. I rate this new release, Deepcut To Nowhere right up there with all his recent releases. Grahams sense of humor shines on cuts like "I'll Never Play Jacksonville Again" and "Socks And Sandles". His songwriting skills are sharp as ever on basically every song.Graham has a way of making the average listener part of each song, drawing you into each cut. His voice is strong and his band (including original Rumour drummer, Steve Goulding) is tight.Artists such as Graham Parker are hard to find. He has great songwriting skills, good musicians and the quality of music that you just don't hear on the radio anymore.Do yourself a favor and purchase this release. Take the time to sit down and give it a few spins and I know you'll end up agreeing with me.
I take it with me in my car so I'm not stuck listening to the radio. What a pleasure it is to have Graham back. Let's just hope he doesn't wait another five years to release some more excellent music!

This album delivers very strong material. In my opinion, it's a more consistent and satisfying group of songs versus GP's last studio album, Acid Bubblegum (an album I frankly don't listen to anymore). Deepcut to Nowhere is closer to The Mona Lisa's Sister and Struck by Lightning in sound, but the great thing is you can actually hear Graham's singing hone some of that harshness and bite from Squeazing out Sparks and Howlin Wind ( a plus for old fan's who favor his earlier stuff ). Rewards you on repeated listenings, too. I can't seem to take this one out of my cd player! Favorite tracks: If IT EVER STOPS RAINING, HIGH HORSE and DEPEND ON ME (a should-be hit song if radio played him).

Early review of the new Graham Parker, based on two listens (3-4 is the recommended minimum for GP).

Sounds like one of his better efforts ... the voice sounds good, slightly lower pitched with the usual rasp ... the music and melodies are sound, similar in spirit to 'struck by lightning', nothing rocking too hard ... lyrics are wicked, 'socks n sandals' will make you LOL and 'syphilis and religion' deserves controversy as it skewers christianity in the context of the white man's burden.

Is he angry? Is it his best since 'squeezing out sparks'? Get over it and move on. If you like GP, or you appreciate great melodies coupled with lyrics that bite, get this and see where the deepcuts take you.

I'm glad to see there are still some people out there willing to invest in and support artists like Graham Parker these "dark days". Hats off to Razor and Tie Records too for its support of GP and other commercial and artistic musicians. GP has always worked in a successful commercial framework and not sacrificed artistic vision. I think that's why he is still successful today.

I agree that Blue Horizon is the best cut on the disk. It's beautiful. Possibly the culmination or swan song of a long career. But there's not a bad cut on the disk. I've been a fan of GP's since the 80's and often thought he never got the appreciation he deserved...speaking of which, anybody know if he's been nominated for the Rocknroll hall of fame yet? Enough said...

Meanwhile, GP has one of the most consistent bodies of work in rock today and is still cranking it out. As with this cd his work never sounds old or dated. This is a great intro to GP's body of work and covers many themes of GP's records over the years. Love, politics, culture, sociology...Tough, angry, tender, funny, sometimes all at once. Few others artists today have such insight into the human condition or have done more with a rocknroll song while at the same time rocking with such minimal production. The flashes of mandolin on the disk were greatly appreciated. While I concur about how nice it would be to see him live with band I've seen him live alone twice and he's one of the few artists who captivates an audience with nothing more than his voice, songs, guitar, harmonica. Enjoy this disk.

When you think of all the "stars" of Parker's age who are just marking time, or whose careers have gone down the drain ... and all the angry young men, now turned old conservatives, who can't find anything to kick against ... it's just amazing to put on this CD and hear someone who is still plugged in, still writes great songs, and can sing just like he used to. Of course, this release will count for nothing in today's world of plastic, processed music, but one can only hope enough people will hear it and buy it to keep GP going. This is probably one of the best records of his career. Just listen to "Jacksonville" to be completely convinced.

Was Graham Parker ever really in fashion? Let's see. He has made a career out of writing clever, bitingly cynical songs that harpoon pretty much every establishment in sight. He's set out to ... off just about everyone, including his own record company on occasion. He has done all of this without flash or glamour and, unfortunately, without that breakout hit single to lift him into public consciousness. "Deepcut to Nowhere" is just another great Graham Parker album, with great lyrics and great songs that range stylistically from straight ahead rock and roll to clever pop to ballads that feel like cousins to "Dock of the Bay". Just another top notch installment in the 25 year career of one of rock's hidden treasures. It seems that GP is forever destined to fly along just below the radar of success.

I've been a GP fan since the mid 80's and have all his albums. Any GP fan will of course want to buy this album, but for anyone out there who isn't, I would advise you to invest the time and listenings required in learning to appreciate his music, which really rocks, but isn't always pretty top 40 material . If you enjoy quality music, you won't be disappointed.
As for Deepcut to Nowhere, there are several quality tracks (socks n sandals, syhpilis and religion, tough on clothes, dark days, If it ever stops rainin, etc) and a few in which Graham Parker stretches too far to hit some high notes. No, this album doesn't excite me with rockers like "bubblegum cancer" or "nobody hurts you", but the songs are mostly quality ones and the album is an enjoyable one.

My wife (who is not a big music fan) came into the room while I was playing this CD and asked "Is this Bob Dylan?" I smiled as GP sang "Her cheap chipped black nails / pick the threads out of a suture / that was holding your life fast", and said "No, but Dylan probably wishes it was."