[Review] Graham Parker and The Rumour: Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)

His first album on Arista propels Parker to the vanguard of the new wave.

Kronomyth 5.0: Parker is no ordinary bard.

This is the album that established Graham Parker as a new wave artist along the lines of Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello. The horns were gone but The Rumour remained, their sound now a few degrees tauter. Maybe it was the influence of new label Arista, who was building a stable of new wave artists from unconventional rock stars (Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, The Kinks), or maybe Parker realized that Elvis was killing it without conventional good looks by playing the underdog. Regardless of the reason, the album’s success rests squarely with its songs: Discovering Japan, Local Girls, Passion Is No Ordinary Word, Saturday Nite Is Dead. There isn’t one track on here that doesn’t generate its share of electricity. Squeezing Out Sparks is also notable for Parker’s dystopian outlook. The songs deal with hurt people who don’t heal, outsiders who will never know what it feels like to be on the inside, love as an illusion, and so on. Dark matter, most of it, played with a light touch that’ll have you humming all the way to Armageddon. You’ll find no “Lady Doctor” here to make the pain go away but, like Elvis, there’s pleasure to be found in watching the artist skillfully dissect the world’s problems and wrap it all up in a melody that might have been a hit single if it were coming from a happier place. Who said you can’t have your poisoned cake and eat it too? Those approaching Parker from the perspective of new wave should definitely start with Squeezing Out Sparks and stick around for his next two albums, The Up Escalator and Another Grey Area.

Original elpee version

A1. Discovering Japan (3:30)
A2. Local Girls (3:44)
A3. Nobody Hurts You (3:40)
A4. You Can’t Be Too Strong (3:24)
A5. Passion Is No Ordinary Word (4:25)
B1. Saturday Nite Is Dead (3:15)
B2. Love Gets You Twisted (3:00)
B3. Protection (3:55)
B4. Waiting for the UFO’s (3:09)
B5. Don’t Get Excited (3:06)

All songs written by Graham Parker.

CD reissue bonus tracks
11. Mercury Poisoning
12. I Want You Back

The Players

Graham Parker (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Bob Andrews (keyboards and backing vocals), Martin Belmont (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Andrew Bodnar (bass), Steve Goulding (drums and backing vocals), Brinsley Schwarz (guitar and backing vocals). Produced by Jack Nitzsche; engineered by Mark Howlett; studio assistance by Phil Bodger.

The Pictures

Photography by Chris Gabrinowski. Lettering by Gerard Huerta.

The Plastic

Released on elpee in March 1979 in the UK (Vertigo, 9102 030), the US (Arista, AB 4223), Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand (Vertigo, 6360 168) and Japan (Vertigo, RJ-7584). Reached #18 on the UK charts and #40 on the US charts.

1. Re-issued on elpee and compact disc in the US (Arista, AL5/ARCD-8075).
2. Re-packaged with Live Sparks on expanded, remastered compact disc and cassette on October 1, 1996 in the US (Arista, 18939-2/4).
3. Re-issued on expanded, remastered compact disc on July 2, 2001 in the EU (Mercury, 548 681-2) with 2 bonus tracks.