Ed,

I can't agree more with your assessment of Graham Parker, especially his early works. Few artists came out of the gate as strongly as he and The Rumour did during the late 70s. I remember an advertisement in Rolling Stone magazine, it was probably 1977, and it quoted Springsteen as saying that Parker was the only guy he'd pay money to see. That was enough for me and I promptly picked up Howlin Wind and Heat Treatment. Stick to Me was a bit of a disappointment given how incredibly powerful his first two discs sounded, but then Squeezing Out Sparks (his 4th studio effort) paid off in aces. Sadly, when Graham and The Rumour parted ways, he lost a lot of the passion and edge, and to me, he never remotely reached his earlier heights. No collection is complete without GP's earliest albums.

The esteemed rock critic, Greil Marcus, wrote passionately about Graham's early efforts:

"Harbinger of the English New Wave, with roots in the hardest soul music and ska of the sixties, Parker burned with anger and romance, class resentment and a sense of fate, all powered by a questing spirit that blew away the fog of the mid-seventies. As for the Rumour, they came up with the drama that made Parker's every gesture seem like a last stand."

Damn that is bloody amazing writing. Greil Marcus should have formed his own band.

Peter T.

And if you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Graham's switchblade voice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIYAMisgDXQ