Customer Reviews

Passion Is No Ordinary Word: The Graham Parker Anthology [2-CD SET]

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Graham Parker is a growling, howling volcano of a performer backed by a roaring band that melds soul and punk on terrific songs like "White Honey," "Fool's Gold," "Temporary Beauty," "You Can't Take Love for Granted," "Break Them Down," and "Get Started, Start a Fire." He collaborated on this 1993 Rhino Records collection of tracks from 11 albums produced for four different labels over a period of 15 years, from 1976 through 1991. It's a great showcase for an immensely talented, intelligent, and passionate writer, singer, and instrumentalist. With his corruscating guitar licks, switchblade voice, irresistable hooks, and provocative lyrics, Parker shows us what rock and roll is all about.

Four cuts on the anthology come from Parker's groundbreaking first album, "Howlin' Wind," three from his second release, "Heat Treatment," and three from his next LP, "Stick to Me." His greatest success, "Squeezing Out Sparks," deserves no less than six excerpts, including the songs "Discovering Japan," "You Cant Be Too Strong," and the fiery song for which this compilation is named, "Passion Is No Ordinary Word." The album "The Up Escalator" is up next, showcasing four tracks, while "Another Grey Area" and "The Real Macaw" are represented by two and three cuts respectively. Four other releases are excerpted: "Steady Nerves," "The Mona Lisa's Sister," and "Human Soul," with three tracks each, and "Struck by Lightning," with four. Three live performances, "Soul Shoes," "Hold Back the Night," and "Soul Corruption," round out the set.

The anthology also includes a booklet with an in-depth essay, numerous quotes from the man himself, and a characteristically self-deprecating and snort-inducing preface. There are 39 tracks in all, two-and-a-half hours of brilliant music on two discs, making this the definitive overview of Parker's early career. "Burning Questions," the album that followed this one, is also recommended as uniformly excellent.

PASSION IS NO ORDINARY WORD offers a pretty good sampling of Graham Parker's career through 1991. Except for the strange omissions of "A Brand New Book" and "Protection," the anthology includes all the Parker classics this long-time fan expected. Otherwise, as what seems to be the norm for these anthologies, the PASSION IS NO ORDINARY WORD selections favor the artist's older music. The souvenier booklet adds value. To promote PASSION IS NO ORDINARY WORD, Graham Parker appeared on the "Live With Regis and Kathy Lee," TV show. Kathy Lee Gifford did a fine interview with Parker, but when he sang a reggae, acoustic-guitar version of "Get Started, Start A Fire," Graham dumbfounded the white-bread studio audience. (Good thing the applause sign worked.) Just for that, pick up PASSION IS NO ORDINARY WORD.

GRAHAM PARKER-PASSION IS NO ORDINARY WORD/THE GRAHAM PARKER ANTHOLOGY 1976-1991: Squawling pub rocker GRAHAM PARKER boasted some of the purest white soul slinger pipes of the 80s, a slimey vinegar and saccharin cocktail that gave raspy hacksaw voice to his scathing sabre-pen and world weary mix of punk, folk, and island vibes. Opening salvos on this chronological career roundup reveal HEAT TREATMENT and HOLD BACK THE NIGHT, barnstormers dripping with roadhouse sweat and red hot RNB horn blasts, while DON'T ASK ME QUESTIONS lurches along on a shuffling ska plane. Peak period album SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS boasts a steampacket of riches from would-be smash LOCAL GIRLS to sardonic slasher DISCOVERING JAPAN, and I WANT YOU BACK packs a bona fide wallop unlike few MOTOWN classics ever tackled. PARKER's twisted wit and thorny wordplay inform MERCURY POISONING, an odious grenade lobbed at his old record label that's in sharp contrast to the harshed mellow of TEMPORARY BEAUTY and WAKE UP (NEXT TO YOU). Later efforts SOUL CORRUPTION and MUSEUM OF STUPIDITY are the scalding kiss-offs their titles imply, suggesting that PARKER sacrificed precious little of his sardonic edge as time marched on, always a man with something important to say.

RATING: FIVE GROWLS

This CD is a must if you are looking for an anthology of Graham Parker's work.

What can you say that hasn't already been said about this man. I've followed Graham for 30 years now and there hasn't been a song or album I could honestly say I didn't like. You can't say that about too many others, even the Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan. But for a Compilation of Graham's first half of his career this is an excellent little set. I don't like the term anthology because that should be reserved for when your done recording or dead, and it's obvious that Graham has a whole lot more to say. I love the fact that he's still out there putting out great records and his final real anthology will have to be at least 10 disks just to get the really good songs in. Love ya, Graham and come to Jersey soon. I seen the late great Warren Zevon at a solo show at the Stone Pony some years ago and I'd like to see you do one too, just to reminise. Thanks.

YES, I'LL STAND OVER MY OPENING STATEMENT. HAVING PREVIOUSLY LISTENED TO {A BAD} COPY OF HEAT TREATMENT {WHICH BY THE WAY BELONGED TO JIMMY FLYNN AND HAD IAN DURY & - - - ON THE OTHER SIDE} STEADY NERVES AND IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF YOU AIN'T GOT THAT SWING ..... .........YOU COULD SAY I KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT GRAHAM AND HIS VARIOUS BANDS. BUT SERIOUSLY, THIS WOULD NOT BE A BAD ALBUM TO GET IF YOU LIKE GOOD, FAST, WELL WRITTEN SONGS AND SOME GOOD ELECTIC GUITARS TOO.

PS. GRAHAM, DO YOU EVER TOUR ANYMORE ?????

YES, I'LL STAND OVER MY OPENING STATEMENT. HAVING PREVIOUSLY LISTENED TO {A BAD} COPY OF HEAT TREATMENT {WHICH BY THE WAY BELONGED TO JIMMY FLYNN AND HAD IAN DURY & - - - ON THE OTHER SIDE} STEADY NERVES AND IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF YOU AIN'T GOT THAT SWING ..... .........YOU COULD SAY I KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT GRAHAM AND HIS VARIOUS BANDS. BUT SERIOUSLY, THIS WOULD NOT BE A BAD ALBUM TO GET IF YOU LIKE GOOD, FAST, WELL WRITTEN SONGS AND SOME GOOD ELECTIC GUITARS TOO.

PS. GRAHAM, DO YOU EVER TOUR ANYMORE ?????