Graham Parker - Squeezing Out Sparks

This is one of those records that was "just for me" when I was a teenager.  I never played this when anyone came around, and I hardly ever talked about Graham Parker with anyone because no one I knew had any idea who he was.  One of my reasons was that everyone already knew I thought Elvis Costello was fantastic, and I heard a lot about how angry he was and that I must be angry, too.  My love of early Joe Jackson wasn't helping me here, either.  So I just kept this record to myself.  I must have done a good job of it too, because my wife swears she never heard it and she's lived with me for a long, long time.  But I think she probably thinks this is an Elvis Costello album anyway.  Squeezing Out Sparks is one of my favorite records, and I'm sure if I actually laid everything out and chose just 100 to keep, this would make that stack.

I've always thought it was pretty weird how much I could relate to Graham's songs, because I think we're pretty politically far apart and he throws his opinions into songs a lot.  In particular the anti abortion You Can't Be Too Strong.   I mean, this is a subject that St. Mary's and I clashed on in CCD one night, and I made a girl cry and the parent that was the "teacher" was really pissed at an example I used, which included him and said female student.  It wasn't like real school, they just told me I had already been confirmed and maybe I should continue my spiritual journey going to church and maybe talking with priests one on one.  So I didn't need to come to CCD anymore.  The cool thing about Graham's song is that I can relate to how he feels, but I still disagree with him.  But what a song he must have here if he can get someone that disagrees with him to not only see his point, but value his art.

So that's kind of why I kept this record to myself.  Because I see this as a real piece of art.  I think it's the best kind of art, because it forces me to think in a way I don't normally think and it demands my attention in ways most records don't.  Which I guess is another reason I don't play this around other people.  Other people want to talk, and I like to really pay attention to this record.  I remember the first time I saw the video for Local Girls, at a midnight movie, right around the time I had just got the record and I was just amazed at how everyone else seemed to not be getting how fucking great this song was.  They kept talking and passing pipes and stashed liquor around and I just thought, "Shut up and pay attention!"  What a great song, about not being noticed and I just couldn't understand why everyone was just doing whatever the hell it was they were doing.  Lord knows they all shut up and stared slack jawed when the theater put on Jimi's If Six Was 9 (yawn).

I think every song on this record is just great.  The playing by The Rumour is top notch.  The guitars sound terrific, nice and raw and a great complement to Parker's snarl.  Especially on a song like Protection or the really lyrically bleak Discovering Japan.  I was seventeen when I got this, and it really seemed like such a heavy record.  I think it's also one of those records that has really held up well over the decades.  Even the lighter Waiting for the UFO's is still worth listening to and if every record's least song was as good as that one, then every record would be really damned good!

It's not all doom and gloom, even though Graham sounds a little pissed most of the time, but rockers like Nobody Hurts You and Saturday Night is Dead were always good for helping me get out of a funk or ready to go out and party with friends (which often met yet another night at a bar wishing I had all the quarters so I wouldn't have to listen to Journey or The Rodeo Song again).  I really love this album.  I haven't been a huge fan of Graham Parker, but this record hits all the right spots for me.

My copy of this is in great shape.  The cover shows its age, but the record itself is nice and flat and shiny black and it sounds great.  Probably because it never got dragged around to parties or lent out.  Man, I remember lending records all the time.  That couldn't have been a good idea!