$25.00
The new album from Graham Parker & the Goldtops on "Coke Bottle Clear" vinyl.
GRAHAM PARKER (London, England)
GRAHAM PARKER should need no introduction. Thankfully, on the lead track to his new album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, he provides one for himself.
“They tried to eliminate it – good luck with that! – they pushed it underground but it just grew back,” Parker sings with inimitably soulful grit, “It just grew stronger with every iteration... the music of the Devil was our salvation.” He's singing, of course, of the artform of which he's an widely recognized as a master: rock and roll. But it serves equally well as a summation of his career: for over 40 years, Graham Parker has been slinging his signature sound, earning a spot in the pantheon of influential rock and roll creators. Always a critic's darling, uniquely and equally beloved by anglophiles and connoisseurs of Americana alike, Parker remains a true original. His new work stands with his best, which is no small achievement from an artist whose body of work includes the undisputed classic Squeezing Out Sparks and his essential run of early albums backed by The Rumour.
Parker burst onto the British music scene in the mid '70s at a pivotal moment in its history. The prior wave of bands had become bogged down in various forms of excess, and punk rock had yet to emerge with its unrefined rage. As a young songwriter, Parker had something different from either extreme in mind, and in early 1975, having no idea how to break into the music business, he put an ad in Melody Maker looking for musicians to support him on the tunes he was developing. This led to a connection with Dave Robinson, a man with some experience in managing bands, who was suitably impressed and brought some musicians into his demo studio in islington London to back him on a few songs.
Before the nascent group had played so much as a note together, Parker had, with Robinson's aid, secured a major record deal with Phonogram Records. Rehearsals continued with the band that would become The Rumour: Parker had seen the name Brinsley Schwarz in the Melody Maker gig guide and imagined that with a name like that, they must surely be a German heavy metal band. During those first rehearsals, Robinson brought a “tall, bird-nosed fellow,” as Parker described him, to the sessions and said that he would produce their first LP. His name was Nick Lowe, the bass player in the aforementioned “German heavy metal band.” Two other members of Brinsley Schwarz, eponymous guitarist Brinsley Schwarz and keyboardist Bob Andrews, would become core members of The Rumour. That first Lowe-produced LP, Howlin’ Wind, was recorded in London in late 1975 and released in April 1976 to widespread critical acclaim.
Things moved quickly after that. The debut was followed in the same year by Heat Treatment and a hit EP, The Pink Parker, released on pink vinyl. By the dawn of the punk era, Parker was roundly celebrated for coupling literate intelligence and a deep understanding of rock's roots with the roaring energy of the new sound, and The Rumour had evolved into a legendarily explosive and empathetic vehicle for Graham's sophisticated, emotive material. Working with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche, Parker cemented his reputation with Squeezing Out Sparks, which has remained enshrined in lists of the all-time greatest albums of the rock era ever since. But for all the accolades, Graham Parker was still just getting started.
Throughout the following decade, Parker would garner critical and chart success in the US and UK with solo albums including 1980's Jimmy Iovine-produced The Up Escalator, 1982's Another Grey Area, and 1988's widely-praised The Mona Lisa's Sister, on which he was backed by veterans of The Rumour and Elvis Costello's Attractions alike. Graham's '80s records stood apart from the increasingly slick and synthetic output of his British New Wave contemporaries, imbued with his deeply rooted love of American R&B, country, and soul music and trademark wit. By the '90s, Parker could be counted as a rare Brit among the upper echelons of singer-songwriters revitalizing the Americana idiom: think Tom Waits, John Hiatt, and Springsteen (who'd guested on The Up Escalator). It's a natural evolution and a manifestation of Rolling Stone's assessment: “One of the sharpest songsmiths of the U.K. rock scene in the late Seventies, Graham Parker always owed more to Dylan and Van Morrison than to his punk counterparts.”
In the 21st century, Parker has turned polymath. Long admired for his lyrical sophistication, the songwriter has made the leap to literature with the short story collection Carp Fishing On Valium and the novel The Other Life of Brian (recently republished under its original title The Tylacine's Lair). Likewise unsurprising given the man's onstage charm and facility with character sketches, he's shown up onscreen as an actor, often in collaboration with writer/director/producer Judd Apatow. Far from distracting from Parker's musical work, these multidisciplinary excursions have, if anything, reignited his drive as a songwriter and performer. His turn as himself in Apatow's 2012 film This Is Forty dovetailed with the miracle reformation of The Rumour, which yielded two albums – Three Chords Good and Mystery Glue – hailed by critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "the rare reunion that simultaneously looks back while living in the present."
The reformed band would again dissipate, but Parker's ambitions and creative drive remained undimmed. Against the backdrop of recorded and onstage celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of Squeezing Out Sparks, Graham has been crafting new material and pursuing a new direction. It was first heard on his 2018 debut for the UK's 100% Records, Cloud Symbols, introducing the new backing band The Goldtops and highlighted by the return of the Rumour Brass. The new renaissance gains even more momentum as Big Stir Records welcomes Parker to our roster with the new album Last Chance To Learn The Twist. On the other side of an uncharacteristic break from the road in deference to the global pandemic, Graham Parker has delivered an eclectic, reflective stew of soul, rock and blues fusions bursting with tasty, rootsy grooves and shot through with (as one song title has it) “Wicked Wit” in his classic style.
Listeners have already been treated to a tease of the playfulness that Parker has brought to bear on the new record with the reggae-inflected single “Them Bugs” and the positively giddy wordplay of its galloping non-album B-side “The Ologist Song," and the devastatingly emotive followup "We Did Nothing" is set to follow in early July. The album they herald is one of remarkable depth even by the lofty standards of Graham Parker's catalogue. Last Chance To Learn The Twist is due this September from Big Stir Records, and we can't wait to bring it to you.
$12.00
The new album from GRAHAM PARKER & THE GOLDTOPS, on CD in a a Digipak.
$25.00
This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for all.
• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Blank product sourced from Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, or the US
$25.00
This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for all.
• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Blank product sourced from Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, or the US
BIG STIR RECORDS presents a very special three-sided single spotlighting our biggest release of the year – the new album from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER – pairing one of the album's most-played tracks with two brand new live cuts recorded during Parker's acclaimed UK tour with his superb backing band The Goldtops just months ago. The album version
BIG STIR RECORDS presents a very special three-sided single spotlighting our biggest release of the year – the new album from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER – pairing one of the album's most-played tracks with two brand new live cuts recorded during Parker's acclaimed UK tour with his superb backing band The Goldtops just months ago. The album version of “Sun Valley” serves as the A-side, and it's joined by previously unreleased live readings of the rousing new album closer “Since You Left Me Baby” and the tour staple “That's Life,” best known a Frank Sinatra tune.
Just days after the September 8 release of the acclaimed album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST (out now on Vinyl, CD and Streaming from Big Stir Records), Graham Parker hit the road in his native England backed by The Goldtops in exactly the same lineup from the record: Martin Belmont (guitar), Jim Russell (drums), Geraint Watkins (keys) and Simon Edwards (bass). Also on board as on the record were backing vocal duo The Lady Bugs (Paige Stubley with Martha Evans covering Marietta Smith's parts from the LP) as the group performed most of the album along with a selection of Parker's classic catalog of tunes. By all accounts an all-too-brief triumph of a tour, it saw the tunes from the new record – including “Sun Valley,” featured here in its studio version -- getting their first onstage airings to rapturous response.
“As a song, 'Sun Valley' has been in the making for at least a decade,” says Parker. “It needed that long to unlock it, taking various arrangement directions until I find a way to not let it get ponderous, which was holding me back all along. I've still never been to Sun Valley!” In fact the song's sweeping economy is what has made it a breakout hit from the album: in just over three minutes, it moves from a tight and tasty soul groove with an instantly memorable chorus to a sweeping coda where Parker brings all of the records' guests to the party, including The Easy Access Horns and The Lady Bugs. It doesn't hurt that the lyrics and the vocal performance are among Parker's best.
The two live tracks were recorded by Robert Cooper on the tour's penultimate date at the Brook in Southampton on September 30. The fiery rendition of “Since You Left Me Baby” from Last Chance To Learn The Twist captured here makes this single a true document of Parker's current creative renaissance. Of the song's origins, the songwriter says: “'No, no!' I heard myself saying, as the words 'Since You Left Me Baby' popped out of my mouth as soon as I hit that opening riff on an acoustic guitar. Too obvious, not me at all! But when something comes as naturally as that, it cannot be replaced. I wish I'd got The Lady Bugs to sing it on the album, but we made up for that live anyway, as the world at large can now hear.” The Goldtops, too, are on fire here, and you've got a front row seat.
As for the second track from the live gigs, it's a surprising chestnut that's become a Goldtops live favorite, and Parker's impassioned delivery makes it clear why. “I remember playing 'That's Life' by Frank Sinatra repeatedly on a jukebox in a pub in Guilford, Surrey, England one night when I was not even of legal drinking age. 'I'll play that song one day,' I thought to myself, rashly, having no idea I'd ever be in a position to do just that. Job done!” Fortunately for fans, Graham Parker is far from done: LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST has been raking in the raves and US solo dates for 2024 are already in the offing. As he recently told Q Magazine, he still makes records because he still writes songs, simple as that. And when they're as good as “Sun Valley” and “Since You Left Me Baby,” we can only be grateful that's the case.
Expected release: December 15, 2023
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Sun Valley 3:130:00/3:13
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0:00/3:26
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That's Life (Live) 3:560:00/3:56
Last Chance To Learn The Twist
Graham Parker
"Coke Bottle Clear" Vinyl Download |
$25.00
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CD Download |
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Big Stir Records is proud to announce the release date for an all-new album from British rock legend GRAHAM PARKER. LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, credited to GRAHAM PARKER & THE GOLDTOPS and produced by Parker and Tuck Nelson, sees worldwide release on CD and all streaming services on September 8, with a limited-edition LP run on clear green
Big Stir Records is proud to announce the release date for an all-new album from British rock legend GRAHAM PARKER. LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, credited to GRAHAM PARKER & THE GOLDTOPS and produced by Parker and Tuck Nelson, sees worldwide release on CD and all streaming services on September 8, with a limited-edition LP run on clear green vinyl to follow in October. The album, up for pre-order and pre-save now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-lctltt), includes both of the pre-release singles that've brought Parker back to the worldwide airwaves throughout the summer, and will be supported by a full band tour of the UK this fall.
GRAHAM PARKER's first album of new material since 2018, LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST finds the veteran singer-songwriter in top form, offering up thirteen new compositions with exquisitely tasteful backing by The Goldtops (bassist Simon Edwards, drummer Jim Russell, guitarist Martin Belmont and keyboard player Geraint Watkins) and frequent contributions from the Easy Access Orchestra horns and backing vocal duo The Lady Bugs. It's a dazzlingly diverse album: sweet classic soul grooves and roots rock sounds dominate, all framing lyrics dripping with Parker's vintage “Wicked Wit” (as one song title has it) and inimitable, impassioned vocal delivery. Two early singles have hinted at the record's depth: the devastatingly stark “We Did Nothing” with its heartbreaking examination of the cost of inaction on both the personal and global stages, and the delightfully playful reggae-tinged “Them Bugs.” But there's much more waiting to be discovered on the full album, which is at once one of Parker's most relaxed and boldest statements to date.
“My usual rather conservative arrangements went out the window on this album,” Parker says. “The songs morphed as they grew: 'Grand Scheme Of Things,' and particularly 'Sun Valley,' became less about 'parts,' as in a typical pop song, but more about 'movements.' Bridges arrive in unusual places, songs were restrained and held to under three minutes, The Lady Bugs sang like street corner ruffians on 'The Music Of The Devil,' then floated like the choir girls that they actually are on the ballads, infused with old soul. The Goldtops gave me everything I wanted. Yes, I’m more than pleased with this one.”
From the sinister shuffle of the opener “The Music Of The Devil” -- a mission statement of sorts for the album and perhaps the singer-songwriter's career – through the closing honky-tonk-inflected “Since You Left Me Baby,” Parker blends humor and heartbreak as only he can. Touching on concerns both intimate and culture-wide, often within the same song as on “We Did Nothing,” LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST finds Parker moving from strength to strength over the course of its two sides. Highlights include the bittersweet, piano-led third single “It Mattered To Me,” the loose groove of “Sun Valley” with its soaring horns-and-harmonies coda, and the folksy meditation on mortality of the near-title-track “Last Stretch Of The Road” (already a fan favorite from its live airings at Graham's recent solo gigs in the US).
LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST is as warm and inviting a record as Graham Parker has ever issued, but it also delivers all the unflinching honesty, literate nuance and passion his admirers have come to expect from him. September brings their first chance to hear it for themselves.
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0:00/4:02
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0:00/3:12
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Sun Valley 3:130:00/3:13
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It Mattered To Me 2:560:00/2:56
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Wicked Wit 3:290:00/3:29
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Pablo's Hippos 2:410:00/2:41
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Cannabis 2:080:00/2:08
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Shorthand 3:180:00/3:18
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We Did Nothing 2:360:00/2:36
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Lost Track Of Time 3:450:00/3:45
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0:00/2:15
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Them Bugs 4:060:00/4:06
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0:00/3:14
With a new album from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER on the way this September, Big Stir Records is proud to present the third advance single from the forthcoming and already widely praised LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST. “It Mattered To Me” is one of the record's many highlights: a short, bittersweet and deeply-felt ballad of the type that's all too
With a new album from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER on the way this September, Big Stir Records is proud to present the third advance single from the forthcoming and already widely praised LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST. “It Mattered To Me” is one of the record's many highlights: a short, bittersweet and deeply-felt ballad of the type that's all too rarely heard today. It's out Friday, August 18, up for pre-order/presave now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-imtm) and already working its charms across the airwaves worldwide as anticipation builds for the new album, Parker's first in five years and certain to be ranked among his finest.
Parker tells us about the development of the song and its point of departure from his prior work. “Picking up on the musical attitude of my previous album, Cloud Symbols, 'It Mattered To Me' felt at first to be almost the template for my latest album when I wrote it, and could have fitted in with that previous record seamlessly,” he says. “I had no idea that Last Chance To Learn The Twist would quickly morph into a very different affair due to the variety of the tunes and approaches to each number. 'It Mattered To Me' turned out to be as sweet as I knew it would - apart from the lyrics, that is. That’s another matter altogether…”
True to those words, “It Mattered To Me” sports a lovely melody and a nuanced, almost delicate vocal performance from Parker, but it possesses the razor-sharp edge listeners have come to expect and treasure. In less than three minutes, and wrapped around an unforgettable piano line, Parker's lyrics touch on tenderness, regret, and the pain of loss, shot through with typically devastating humor and, ultimately, a message for today: “It mattered to me when a friend got so cut up / By somebody who needed to shut up,” he sings, bringing it all home with the lines “It’s called empathy / We need more of that now.” Once again, Graham Parker delivers a timely musical insight that should matter to us all.
As on the album, Graham's current backing band THE GOLDTOPS -- SIMON EDWARDS (bass), JIM RUSSELL (drums), MARTIN BELMONT (lead guitar) and GERAINT WATKINS on that trademark piano – provide an impeccably sympathetic musical setting for the sentiment. Following the earlier singles from LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST (the playful reggae-tinged “Them Bugs” and the lacerating lament “We Did Nothing), “It Mattered To Me” continues to showcase the variety and depth of the new record as a whole. The album is due September 8 on CD and Streaming worldwide, with a Limited Vinyl Edition to follow later this Autumn and a full-band UK tour scheduled in support of the release. For more on GRAHAM PARKER's new music and live dates, visit:
British rock legend GRAHAM PARKER returns with the second new single leading up to his forthcoming album. “We Did Nothing” sees digital release on July 7 and is up for pre-order/presave now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-wedidnothing), impacting radio worldwide in the week to come. Already a fan favorite from its debut at Parker's solo performances
British rock legend GRAHAM PARKER returns with the second new single leading up to his forthcoming album. “We Did Nothing” sees digital release on July 7 and is up for pre-order/presave now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-wedidnothing), impacting radio worldwide in the week to come. Already a fan favorite from its debut at Parker's solo performances in the US this Spring, “We Did Nothing” is a devastatingly honest look at the cost of inaction and apathy on both a personal and global level. Immediately gripping and heartbreaking, its starkness stands in contrast to to playful vibes of the album's first hit single “Them Bugs” and begins to paint a picture of the depth and ambition of the album that features them both, due this fall from Big Stir Records.
Propelled by Parker's insistent acoustic guitar and adorned with tastefully understated accompaniment from The Goldtops -- Simon Edwards (bass), Jim Russell (drums), Geraint Watkins (keyboards) and Martin Belmont (guitar) -- “We Did Nothing” is an emotional gut-punch of a song, and quite possibly what rock and roll needs in 2023. Moving from the intimate to the global and back again with remarkable nuance in the space of two and a half minutes, it's a marvel of songwriting that stands with Parker's best. There's nothing quite so unflinchingly honest on the radio today, either in terms of its sentiment (part brutal self-recrimination, part plaintive protest song) or the soulful, dynamic vocal delivery. Graham Parker is, put plainly, shaking things up again.
“'We Did Nothing' begins with the personal, then flows into the global on the first and second bridge sections, with the personal returning from then on,” Parker explains. “It should be called 'I Did Nothing' because that’s what I sing throughout. Unconsciously, though, I was deflecting from the personal, enlarging the song into a wider view, and I managed to throw in the line 'A pandemic of stupidity,' which made the global aspect deeply satisfying!”
There's much more peak Parker songwriting to be found on the new record LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, and listeners have yet to hear The Goldtops really cut loose on Graham's new songs... but that will come in due time. For now, on “We Did Nothing,” Graham Parker delivers what rock and roll all too rarely does these days: grabs our attention and gives us a deeply compelling reason to look inward and outward, and listen to a master of the form at his very best.
For more on GRAHAM PARKER's new releases and live dates, visit:
BIG STIR RECORDS is proud to announce the first new music from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER in five years: the new single “Them Bugs” backed with “The Ologist Song”, two all-new tracks from the venerated British singer-songwriter, backed by THE GOLDTOPS. Out June 2 and up for pre-order and pre-sale now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-single), “Them
BIG STIR RECORDS is proud to announce the first new music from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER in five years: the new single “Them Bugs” backed with “The Ologist Song”, two all-new tracks from the venerated British singer-songwriter, backed by THE GOLDTOPS. Out June 2 and up for pre-order and pre-sale now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-single), “Them Bugs” offers fans their first taste of Parker's forthcoming album, due in September, while the exclusive non-album B-side demonstrates the songwriting renaissance that led to the new record, one of the finest in a catalog already rife with classics.
The world awaits the wit and wisdom of GRAHAM PARKER, so we'll let him set the stage for “Them Bugs” and its wonderfully playful sound. “It’s about time I released a gimmick single,” says Parker. “Still, it’s the funkiest gimmick single ever, pulsing with skanky heat and the cool croon of The Lady Bugs on backup vocals. It was written after 4th of July fireworks with my son when 'Them Bugs' were indeed biting in 'the places you never should get bit.' Lighten up - get jiggy with it.” Parker's inimitably soulful singing unfolds the tale over a tasty reggae-inflected groove – a move that will remind longtime fans that he was immersed in the form long before the punks caught on, as far back as his 1976 debut album Howlin' Wind and the classic cut “Don't Ask Me Questions”. “Them Bugs” is more laid back, but no less true to its roots, and a pure summertime delight.
Of the B-side, Graham says: “One day I had to write 'The Ologist Song.' Damn straight I did. A non-album track featuring pulsing horns, those sweet soul singing Lady Bugs again, and The Goldtops with the horns punctuating their intense swing.” The Goldtops – Simon Edwards (bass), Jim Russell (drums) and Martin Belmont (guitar) – loom large on the forthcoming album and will be backing Parker on his UK tour dates this fall, and fans will be thrilled that horns are very much in the mix on the new material. But at the forefront of “The Ologist Song” is Parker's universally lauded gift for wit and wordplay. And it is indeed a sign of the depth of his new songs that this instantly lovable tune is not among the thirteen tracks that will make up the new album, remaining exclusive to this single release.
Much more is to be unveiled about the new album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, due this September from Big Stir Records. But for now, “Them Bugs” and “The Ologist Song” give fans the chance to scratch the itch for new music from GRAHAM PARKER throughout the long, hot days of summer. As the man himself says, “Check it out, folks.”
For more on GRAHAM PARKER: https://www.grahamparker.net/Home.html
GRAHAM PARKER on Big Stir Records: https://bigstirrecords.com/graham-parker