GRAHAM PARKER : HOWLIN WIND

  1. White Honey
  2. Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart
  3. Silly Thing
  4. Gypsy Blood
  5. Between You And Me
  6. Back To Schooldays
  7. Soul Shoes
  8. Lady Doctor
  9. You've Got To Be Kidding
  10. Howlin' Wind
  11. Not If It Pleases Me
  12. Don't Ask Me Questions

Label : Vertigo

Release Date : April 1976

Length : 42:02

Review (AllMusic) : For most intents and purposes, Graham Parker emerged fully formed on his debut album, Howlin' Wind. Sounding like the bastard offspring of Mick Jagger and Van Morrison, Parker sneers his way through a set of stunningly literate pub rockers. Instead of blindly sticking to the traditions of rock & roll, Parker invigorates them with cynicism and anger, turning his songs into distinctively original works. "Back to Schooldays" may be reconstituted rockabilly, "White Honey" may recall Morrison's white R&B bounce, and "Howlin' Wind" is a cross of Van's more mystical moments and the Band, but the songs themselves are original and terrific. Similarly, producer Nick Lowe gives the album a tough, spare feeling, which makes Parker and the Rumour sound like one of the best bar bands you've ever heard. Howlin' Wind remains a thoroughly invigorating fusion of rock tradition, singer/songwriter skill, and punk spirit, making it one of the classic debuts of all time.

Review (Wikipedia) : Howlin' Wind is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Graham Parker and his band the Rumour, released in 1976. The Rumour are mainly former pub rock scene musicians, including guitarist Brinsley Schwarz and keyboardist Bob Andrews of the band Brinsley Schwarz; Parker's recent jobs included pumping gas at a filling station. The music is a blend of rock and roll, R&B, reggae and folk music, behind Parker's searingly intelligent lyrics and passionate vocals. Critics likened Parker's spirit to British punk rock, then in its early stage, and retrospectively to that of singer-songwriters Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, who would release their debut records within a few years of Howlin' Wind. Many of the album's songs became live staples for the group, especially the reggae-tinged "Don't Ask Me Questions", which dismisses a malevolent God. "Back to Schooldays" demonstrates why Parker was categorised as "angry young man" by journalists throughout his career: Parker plans retribution against an education system that promised him that "it was like a film out here" when "it's a real horror show, boys". The title track "Howlin' Wind" bracingly announces Graham Parker's career aim: "I'm gonna howl". "Between You and Me" dates from 1975, when Parker, before meeting the Rumour, recorded demo versions of a few of his songs for Dave Robinson, future founder of Stiff Records. These tracks were shopped to labels and played on radio. The album's liner notes explain that "A subsequent recording of the song did not match the feel of the original ... here it is!" Howlin' Wind was reissued in the United Kingdom in 2001 on Vertigo/Mercury, with one bonus track.