Graham Parker- Squeezing Out Sparks Solo Acoustic

Thoughts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have taken over our lives. It has affected the way we interact with people, how we cautiously move about and how a weird sense of taking back control of our lives has led to hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Schools, universities, professional and amateur sports, movie theatres, galleries, museums, theatre/concerts, restaurants and many businesses are shutting down to help stop the spread of this deadly virus. It's the uncertainty that is one of the biggest concerns and who knows how long it will take for our lives to return to normal, whatever that'll look like. Today at my place of employment (my real job), we made the decision to be closed, except only by appointment to pick up completed work (I work at a picture framing shop). For the rest of week, one employee will be physically there to field phone calls, inquiries and pickups and most likely by next week we temporarily close completely. Since hockey has been a no-go for almost a week now, I will have a lot more free time to dedicate what I truly love best, writing posts on this blog. Expect to see more updates than once a month.

One of the key annual events in the music industry, Record Store Day is also effected by the virus. RSD was to take place this year on April 18th, but has been postponed until June 20th. This is a popular day for a mass of new releases, many limited edition and/or reissues. To be fair and realistically the stores might not be open even a month from now so this is a good decision to maximize the full retail potential. This year, one item that caught my attention was a new release from the Young Fresh Fellows, Toxic Youth, that will be limited to 800 copies. Check the RSD and the Record Store Day Canada website for more details and for participating stores in your area.

Speaking of Record Store Day, here's a little something from RSD 19, a reworking of sorts of one of Graham Parker's best albums, Squeezing Out Sparks. This edition is an album of all new solo acoustic performances from Graham (sorry, no Rumour) that celebrates the 40th anniversary of this classic. It was a limited UK edition limited to 500 copies on blue vinyl and is long out of print. It is sequenced in the same order as the original record with the addition of a bonus track of Mercury Poisoning, which I think is arguably one of his best songs. Just imagine Graham Parker, acoustic guitar in hand performing these songs in your living room (or where ever), no band, no overdubs and no special effects. It's clear and refreshing and he serves up a mighty fine performance. Though the songs are strong and powerful, what this recording lacks is the "sparks" and the angry rebelliousness raw sound that Parker's music expressed 40 years ago. I can't help feeling after listening to this album that I have to put on the original disc from 1979 to remind myself why Allmusic cited it as, "[his] finest album", "a masterful fusion of pub rock classicism, new wave pop, and pure vitriol". Parker's career has varied greatly over the years and he often revisits some of his past triumphs. In the mid-90's he joined up with The Figgs as his supporting band after years of performing solo and his recent collaborations with his former band, The Rumour (Three Chords Good & Mystery Glue) continues to be promising. Parker still has a lot more gas in his tank and he's always worth a listen even if it's not a full tank.

Take care, wash your hands, stay at home, share your toilet paper and listen to good music!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!


Graham Parker
Squeezing Out Sparks (2019)
(Solo Acoustic 40th anniversary)

01    Discovering Japan   
02    Local Girls   
03    Nobody Hurts You   
04    You Can't Be Too Strong   
05    Passion Is No Ordinary Word   
06    Saturday Nite Is Dead   
07    Love Gets You Twisted   
08    Protection   
09    Waiting For The UFOs   
10    Don't Get Excited   
11    Mercury Poisoning   

GRAHAM PARKER- Squeezing Out Sparks-40th Anniversary solo acoustic FLAC. rar