Of all the hugely underrated British music artists…

…GRAHAM PARKER must be at or near the top of the list

This post originally appeared on my Substack page.

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I have had a great day listening to a great selection of music new and old. Now, this might surprise those who know me: a (not-so-new) new Neil Diamond record released in recent weeks – Wild at Heart (side 2 is particularly good), recorded with members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. Why not so new? It was recorded at the time of the Home Before Dark sessions that produced an excellent 5-star record of stripped-back acoustic songs thanks to production by Rick Rubin of Beastie Boys, Run DMC, etc. fame.

The rest of my musical playmates this afternoon are pure nostalgia, including a great triple album of New Orleans Funk rarities (prompted by trawling through my groovy 45’s), an X-Ray Spex album (prompted by the super-fan punkster in Stranger Things Tales From ‘85) and Graham Parker & The Rumour (prompted by my recent post on the song Kansas City).

Graham Parker. Remember him? If the answer is ‘no’ you should be bloody well ashamed of yourself! If The Who was Maximum R&B then Graham Parker was Maximum Soul. Think Black and Blue Jagger, Asbury Park Springsteen, Moondance Morrison and My Aim Is True Costello. All rolled into Graham Parker with added groovy pub-rock smoked paprika for a fuller flavour.

One of the biggest giving-away-a-record-I-should-never-have-given-away regrets of my life was a 12-inch EP featuring (Hey Lord) Don’t Ask Me Questions that I cannot find online anywhere from any source, apart from a live version on Howlin’ Wind (1976). I think one of the other tracks might have been Soul Shoes, but I’m not sure. What a twat. That was a staggeringly good record, and I gave it away!

I was very lucky to get a ticket to see Graham Parker & The Rumour recorded live – 17th. March 1977 – by the BBC at a studio they owned in those days in Golders Green – The Hippodrome. I’ve never been able to find a recording of that gig. I probably taped it off the radio and onto cassette at the time, but that (if it ever existed) is long gone.

Anyway, if you have never come across Graham Parker and you have a soul I urge you to search out Howlin’ Wind or Heat Treatment on your favourite streaming service. You will not regret it. Or if you do regret it, well, you must have sold your soul to the Prince of Darkness.