Graham Parker Part 5

This series as bene very well recieved, thanks to Jane Richards for sending us an additional link (also
an adoreable picture of herself, very beautiful!).....surprised that so many jump to defend "The Parkerilla", I agree with most critics that it is fairly awful and uninspired, but it seems that Parker has some RABID fans, like some other bands, who will defend nearly anything he does......another handful of live recordings today to wrap this up before heading onto something else, not sure what, but hopefully you'll like it, and if you are new here simply for the Geep, I hope ya stick around because I try to post some fun and interestin things, new and old alike.

First up today we have a set from 1979, The Old Waldorf, great set, there's a lot of "Sqeezing Out Sparks" material here (I seem to remember in an interview years ago that Parker stated he rarely performed "You Can't Be Too Strong" live because he found it too scary/emotional, there IS a version of it here, but, oddly, no "Discovering Japan").

From the same year comes a stereo simulcast from KISW Seattle, a fine set all the way through to the energetic encores, "I Want You Back" and "Pouring It All Out".  Since Parker was at his "Squeezing Out Sparks" best in 1979, (my senior year in high school, coulda wore out THREE copies of "Squeezing"...), there were PLENTY of boots from that year, and here are two more.....

From Hempstead NY comes a fine WLIR simulcast, there's kind of a clumsy tape flip in the middle, but it does offer up some "old" classics from the first two albums. We have a very short set from Park West, Chicago, I have no details other than set list, "Shame Shame Shame" closes the set, somewhat unusual.

We have a "King Biscuit Flower Hour" set from 1983, it includes a good bit of material from the underappreciated "The Real Macaw", ("Just Like a Man", "Sounds Like Chains"), with some still smoking versions of the "Squeezing Out Sparks" classics. Also from 1983 is a Chicago set "Sweet Home Chicago", with a good mix of old/new material, and the smart move of using "Discovering Japan" as an encore.

"Live Alone In America" is kind of an odd set, I like it, it may not be for everyone, accoustic and
very relaxed, and comprehnsive with stuff ranging from "Heat Treatment"to "The Mona Lisa's Sister"......maybe not for everyone, as I say, I like it as obviously did the audience. Of special note is the great encore of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come".

Another live accoustic set from later on (early 90's or so) is "Live Alone, Dicovering Japan", somewhat similar to the above set, but to my knowledge the only version on record of "Just Like Herman Hesse" and Parker's covers of "Sweet Sixteen" (!) and "No Woman No Cry"

That's gonna about do it for MY Parker stash if you have any of the MANY which I DON'T have, please please share them, obviously many here (myself included) have a soft spot for the work of Parker, please enoy these, but if you can add to them PLEASE do (as our new friend Jane has already done!)

OLD WALDORF 9/4/79-01 Intro/02 Local Girls/03 Soul On Ice/04 Passion is No Ordinary Word/05 Protection/06 Mercury Poisoning/07 Heat Treatment/08 Stick To Me/09 You Can't Be Too Strong/10Watch the Moon Come Down/11 I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down/12 Saturday Night Is Dead/13 I Want You Back/14 Chain of Fools

SEATTLE 1979-01 KISW Intro/02 Discovering Japan/03Local Girls/04 Soul On Ice/05 Don't Get Excited/06 Back To School Days/07 Howling Wind/08 Heat Treatment/09 Stick To Me/10 Mercury Poisoning/11 You Can't Be Too Strong/12 Passion Is No Ordinary Word/13 Clear Head/14 Don't Ask Me Questions/15 Protection/16 Saturday Night Is Dead/17 Nobody Hurts You/18 Soul Shoes/19 Encore Applause/20 I Want You Back/21 Pouring It All Out

HEMPSTEAD NY-01 Discovering Japan/02 Local Girls/03 Protection/04 Don't Get Excited/05 Back
to Schooldays/06 Passion Is No Ordinary Word/07 Howling Wind/08 Heat Treatment/09 Stick To Me/10 Mercury Poisoning/11 You Can't Be Too Strong/12 Love Gets You Twisted/13 I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down/14 Don't Ask Me Questions/15 Saturday Night Is Dead/16 Nobody Hurts You/17 Soul Shoes/18 Encore Applause/19 I Want You Back (Alive)/20 New York Shuffle

PARK WEST CHICAGO 8/11/79- (unsplit tracks)01 Local Girls/ Mercury Poisoning/ Heat Treatment/ Stick To Me/ You Can't Be Too Strong/ Saturday Night Is Dead/ I Want You Back/  Shame Shame Shame

SWEET HOME CHICAGO-01 Just Like a Man /02 Thunder and Rain/03 White Honey/04 Life Gets Better/05 Can't Take Love For Granted/06 Glass Jaw/07 Local Girls/08 Protection/09 Last Couple On the Dance Floor/10 Saturday Night Is Dead/11 Discovering Japan

LIVE ALONE IN AMERICA!-01 White Honey/02 Watch the Moon Come Down/03 Black Honey/04 Protection/05 Soul Corruption/06 Gypsy Blood/07 Back To Schooldays/08 Durban Poison/09 The 3 Martini Lunch/10 Back In Time/11 Hotel Chambermaid/12 Don't Let Thm Break You Down/13 You Can't Be Too Strong/14 A Change Is Gonna Come

LIVE ALONE! DICOVERING JAPAN-01 That's What They All Say/02 Platinum Blonde/03 Mecury Poisoning/04 Sweet 16/05 No Woman No Cry/06 Lunatic Fringe/07 Long  Stem Rose/08 Discovering Japan/09 Don't Ask Me Questions/10 Watch the Moon Come Up/11 Just Like Herman Hesse/12 Too Many Knots To Untangle/13 Chopsticks/14 Short Memories

KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR 1983-01 Just Like a Man/02 Thunder and Rain/03 Fool'sGold/04
Fear Not/05 Sounds Like Chains/06 Love Gets You Twisted/07 Passive Resistance/08 You Can't Take Love For Granted/09 Glass Jaw/10 Life Gets Better/11 You Can't Be Too Strong/12 Local Girls/13 Protection/14 Saturday Night Is Dead/15 Discovering Japan



Really enjoyed doing this series, hope someone out there has some cool additions to this that we can all enjoy......and as I said before, Parker fans, PLEASE see "This is Forty" in which Parker appears (looking like your grandfather), an noone in the movie other than the main character (who LOVES him) has ever heard of him......it's funny, it's said, it's ironic, and it sure as hell don't make ME feel no younger, but I'll take 10 minutes of Parker over the whole catalouge of whatever the kiddies are listening to for the most part, Linkin Park or whatever it's called.......Don't bother with the local girls, don't bother them cause they don't bother ME........