Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

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GP beginners buy this.
This CD contains many of GP's best songs (not all. impossible to cover them all in one CD anyway). They range from "White Honey" ---A-1 of his debut album--- to the unforgettable "Disney's America" from his '95 Album, all arranged in chronological order.
Deep fans buy this too.
I have been a GP fan for 25 years, and I can tell you that this CD has the best sound quality of all. Many of his classic songs sound much better than in the 25th anniversary re-issues released in 2001. Do not complain about the number of GP compilations, it's not this CD's fault. This collection deserves its title.

I've been fan of Graham Parkers since I saw him with the Rumour at the Roundhouse in 1976 when they were the support act to a chap called Andy Fairweather Low - from the English band Amen Corner. His nervous energy never left me, soul mixed with English sacastic wit and Van's romantic dreaming of gypies and caravans. He was overcome by punk in 1997 and too many people thought he was a copy of Elvis Costello - who released his first album a year later. This is collection that would better suit a new comer to GP and discover his underated talent and brilliance. If you dont know Graham Parker - this is the place to start, otherwise you will have these tracks already. Buy it if you like an original talent and tell your friends what you have found.

Graham Parker was up to near 20 albums spread across six labels by the time Hip-O dropped this single disc on the market, and unfortunately it falls far short of the mark. Parker developed from an excellent Van Morrison/Bruce Springsteen acolyte (Howlin' Wind and Heat Treatment) to contender on the charts for Angry Young Man King (Squeezing Out Sparks) to a gradual slide into middle aged malcontent/romantic (everything from Another Grey Area on).

However, this CD front-loads the music from the first four albums (arguably Parker's best work) and then skimps. It abandons several albums entirely (The Real Macaw, Burning Questions and three of his 4 RCA albums. "Life Gets Better" could have bumped something from the first half easily, and "Empty Lives" (from The Up Escalator) is one of his fiercest rockers ever, but not here.

However, all the obvious "hits" are here, including Parker's one US Top 40, "Wake Up Next To You" (off the recently reissued Steady Nerves), the radio rockers "Get Started. Start a Fire" and "Discovering Japan." You can hear Parker gain confidence and personality as he changes from those first albums to the intensity of the classic "Sparks," then note the sophistication that increases the complexity of his music even as his fan-base dwindled. His jaunty pub-rock (it's almost impossible not to notice Nick Lowe's guiding hand in the early production) sharpens by "Sparks" to laser-like burn, then to the folkish lover's lament "Disney's America" that closes this disc.

While the Rhino double disc Passion Is No Ordinary Word: The Graham Parker Anthology [2-CD SET] does a better job in fleshing Parker's music out (but ended before the Capitol and Razor/Tie CD's), this single disc offers a solid overview/introduction. If you're just curious, there's also The Best of Graham Parker 1988-1991 to cover the RCA years, Master Hits: Graham Parker for the Arista years, and - of course - those incredible first four studio albums.

To these ears, Graham Parker was always one of those artists with (Maybe) one or two decent songs per album. Now, thanks to the folks at Hip-O, all of those songs are together on one CD--aptly titled, Ultimate Collection. All of the hits are here (like "Don't Ask Me Questions," "Hold Back the Night" and "Get Started, Start a Fire"), plus an ample selection of album tracks and rarities. Listening to these songs now, most of them have held up quite well over time. Hip-O has taken flack for some of their Ultimate Collection titles, but I'm happy to report that they did this one right. All 20 songs included here have been remastered in 24-bit for the best possible sound. Billboard's Jim Bessman contributed informative liner notes for the compilation, with excerpts from a recent Parker interview. Whether you're a long time fan, or a newbie who's just discovering Parker's music, or someone (like me) who just wants Parker's best tunes all on one CD, you can't go wrong with this disc.