Customer Reviews

Howlin' Wind

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the great rock albums of the 70's, or any other decade. With the onset of the awful disco movement coming on, what a breath of fresh air this guy was. We had all the punk rockers out there who couldn't sing or play. But when this little English pub rocker came along with this album, it blew all those pretenders out of the water. He had a snarly voice that sounded like he just swallowed a mouthful of gravel, but he had SOUL! And that's all that really counts. With a chip on his shoulder a mile wide, he comes swinging out of the gate with that nasty little drug song called "White Honey". Whatta great rock song! When he sings "we're gonna hit white honey when the chips are down, we're gonna taste white honey when there's no one around", it sounds like he's been down that road before. Parker sings with more emotion than just about any singer can hope to achieve. He can be serious one minute, as in "Howlin Wind" or "Don't Ask Me Questions", or he can have some fun on songs like "Silly Thing" or Lady Doctor". Not many bands would be able to pull off the songs he wrote for this album, but Parker hired The Rumour, who were some of the best musicians England had to offer. I've always thought these guys were England's answer to Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. They were THAT good. I can't say enough good things about this album. It's fantastic! Also, I highly recommend his second album "Heat Treatment". It comes a very very close second to this one. Good luck finding it.

If you enjoyed MUSIC FROM BIG PINK and THE BAND (the "brown" album) you are likely to enjoy HOWLIN' WIND. Rootsy, gutsy, soulful and only occasionally punkish. The "punk" aspect of this album mostly has to do with attitude, rather than music. Parker crafted an album that has aged very well and will undoubtedly sound terrific 10 years from now, and the remastered sound is terrific! Highest recommendation to fans of early-70's Van Morrison, early Springsteen and the aforementioned The Band.

This is just a terrific, timeless album. It still sounds incredibly fresh today. Graham Parker is usually categorized as a "pub-rocker," which he was, but he was also an amazing gifted song-writer and an unmatchably passionate performer. There's a lot of good humour on this album, and a lot of wistfulness too. If you are a fan of Bruce Springsteen, or Van Morrison, you owe it to yourself to check this album out. Incidentally, this made Rolling Stone's list of the "Top 100 Albums since Sgt. Pepper's," published way back in 1987, but still valid today. That's how I discovered it, and of all the great albums on that list, this is one I come back to again and again. Not a "deep" listen, but one that is surprisingly moving, whether high-spirited, angry, romantic, or sad. There is no point in singling out special favorites, since every song on here kills. A classic from the first track to the last.

Graham Parker's Howlin' Wind has stood the test of time and is one of the greatest rock n roll, r&b, punk, records ever, period. Heat Treatment equals this accomplishment. Get both these recordings immediately! I bought these in the 70's and literally wore out the vinyl copies. I have them on CD and would not be without them. He has done some great work since, but none equal them, not even the highly touted Squeezing Out Sparks (I have them all).

First bought Howlin Wind in 78, which means punk had happened and a lot of this record`s sounds;blues,rockabilly and R and B were looked down on. Well very much of that period doesnt stand up now while this album does. In fact I like it better. the two tracks I thought were duff then, Lady Doctor and Not if it Pleases me can be appreciated as brilliant white English takes on musical styles most English musicians have never done well. The rest is sublime,pure and simple...the first four tracks on what used to be side two `Soul Shoes` onward are perhaps Parker`s finest medley of songs,with Howlin Wind and You Got To be kidding breathtaking takes on reggae and Dylan respectively. This album is the best rock singer ever with some of his best songs ever which crucially take on say The Stones and Van Morrison and are better than them, eg Gypsy Blood,Soul Shoes and White Honey. A vital album influencing--to me--Elvis Costello,The Boomtown Rats, The Clash and Joe Jackson especially. `Influenced`? Nah..they copied him...this was a new rock and roll blueprint. And the Rumour were a transcendent backing band...not too many dumb soloes,with great sounds and arrangements.

Graham Parker's "Howling wind" from 1976 is more or less a superb album. It have a blend of rock, blues, soul, and pop. Parker is an energetic singer and this album sure have a feeling of honesty. Maybe you could say that Parker's "Howling wind" is a Rolling Stones-like album with punk rock attitude and a fair amount of melody and hooks. With songs like "White honey", "Silly thing", "Between you and me" and "Lady doctor", this album is almost a classic effort. Just too bad they don't build them like this anymore!

This has got to be one of the best debut albums of all time. In 1976, Graham Parker, along with his band The Rumour, put out an out-of-nowhere album that capitalized on the rebirth of soul and r&b-influenced rock that was back in the forefront, thanks to the likes of Bruce Springsteen (to whom Parker was being compared). Not quite the punk style of other English performers, and a little more r&b influenced than Elvis Costello, Parker "howls" his way through some all out rockers ("Soul Shoes", "White Honey", "Back to Schooldays") and more soulful, acoustic-tinged songs ("Gypsy Blood", "Between You and Me"). Typecast as the latest incarnation of the Angry Young Man, Parker delivers on that premise and takes it up a notch. There isn't a false note, or emotion, on this album. And The Rumour, made up of pub-rock veterans like Brinsley Schwartz and Bob Andrews, do his songs justice. 25 years later, this album is just as fresh.

An important milestone that pre-dated (ever so slightly, but importantly) the punk movement that was brewing in the UK, this was a throwback and a look forward at the same time. When GP snarled and sang his way through these songs, he wasn't kidding around. He was out to stake his claim in the world of real rock'n'roll. Unfortunately, Parker seldom got better than on his first 4 studio albums, but he remains an important artist as a songwriter and performer. This is a must have album. So put on those soul shoes and let the wind howl. When attitude and intelligence mix with from-the-gut rock'n'soul, you've got the goods. I highly recommend this as a starting point for the mid-70's music scene. If you only own one GP album, this is the one.

Sometimes I hate rock critics but without them, I never would have heard of this masterpiece. This album has so much heart, it puts most rock music to shame. There aren't many artists who can switch from raging at God one minute to sadly longing for a lost love the next, and then throw in how great it is to put on some cool shoes. How could you not love an album with lines like, "I feel like I've been livin' to die, but when that rhythm plays, I don't know how to cry"?

Coming from a brit-pop perspective, I first thought that this reminded me of My Aim is True. Then, as I continued to enjoy it, classic Van Morrison came to mind as well.
It's cool, for sure.

I've had Dire Straits' Making Movies album on the brain for some reason. It's one of my favorites, but I haven't owned it for years. I priced it, listened to some cuts, most notably "Romeo and Juliet." Then I decided to listen to "You've Got to Be Kidding," price this album, and read some reviews. I'm surprised that no one else has mentioned "You've Got to Be Kidding" in the 5-star reviews; it's an amazingly passionate piece of singing in which Parker almost cannot keep up with the music because he's drawing his breath up from beneath the floorboards. Listen closely to about the last 45 seconds or so. I can't recall anyone ever doing that on record. I know other artists have poured their hearts and souls into their singing, but Parker sounds like he might not make it through the song. Unlike the great James Brown, a valet won't have to escort Parker backstage, but a paramedic might. The performance recalls Van Morrison stealing the Band's show at the Last Waltz concert with his "Caravan" performance, except Parker even outpassions the wee Irishman, too. Much of the rest of the album is very good ("Between You and Me" and "Silly Thing" are great songs), but "Kidding" is the performance of a lifetime.