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Oct 27, 2023 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

1996 was a rather interesting time in Graham Parker’s career. In his mid 40s and adjusting to life on an independent label (Razor and Tie) for the first time after several decades spent on major labels like Mercury, Arista, Elektra, Atlantic, RCA, and Capitol, he released 1995’s 12 Haunted Episodes a year earlier as his Razor and Tie debut. That album was uncharacteristically acoustic-driven, quiet, meditative, and peaceful, with alternate guitar tuning more reminiscent of early ’70s Joni Mitchell than Nirvana (whose “In Bloom” he would cover then), so perhaps fans expected something similar the following year.

Contrary to those expectations, however, this is a full-on rock and roll album that leaps out of the speakers as soon as the sadly still relevant “Turn It Into Hate” (which references the early ’90s Iraq war) starts off. The rest of the album has many highlights from the Jane Fonda and Atlanta Braves-referencing “Bubblegum Cancer” along with “Obsessed with Aretha,” another of Parker’s many attacks on the music and entertainment industry which he even performed on the short-lived Comedy Central variety show Viva Variety with his backing band at the time, The Figgs, who also backed him on the tour for this album (though they do not appear on the album itself).

As such, for some fans, this album marked a return to form, particularly the vaunted 1976-1980 records he made with The Rumour, but for me, while there are echoes of that era here (check out the “New Year’s crowd” line in “Impenetrable” that blatantly references the setting of the 1976 classic “Pourin’ It All Out,” for example), this album feels like an entirely different beast. A large part of that is its topical lyrics, still relevant today and feeling like a warm-up for 21st century ills, going after everything from the soullessness of corporate life (“Beancounter”) to the eradication of the wolf population in “They Got It Wrong (As Usual).” There is a slight air of self-righteousness, admittedly, on songs like that one and “Sharpening Axes,” which contains the all-time classic Parker line “I don’t appeal to the masses and they don’t appeal to me,” a line which has served to please his loyal fans while serving as a mantra for his world view.

Thankfully, all of this is balanced by Parker’s less written about but just as crucial humorous and sensitive sides, as “Milk Train” is perhaps the only rock and roll ever song ever written about breastfeeding while the gorgeous “The Girl at the End of the Pier” contains some of his most sensitive and moving lyrics as well.

For this reissue, the first time this album has ever been on vinyl, the track order is rearranged a bit with most of the songs being on the LP but with three of the songs on the original CD being on a bonus 7-inch as well. Even as someone who’s listened to this album dozens if not hundreds of times since its original release in 1996, this wasn’t anywhere near as jarring as it could have been, as the new sequence flows very well and helps the album sound better with fewer songs per side than the original cassette release as well.

Furthermore, it’s on beautiful pink vinyl with brand new liner notes by Parker himself. This is a must-buy for any vinyl-loving Parker fan who’s long dreamed that this album would be available on vinyl and in general a great reminder for fans at how fruitful this new era was for Graham Parker at the time. (www.grahamparker.net)

Author rating: 8.5/10