Fretplay.com Graham Parker CD reviews Graham Parker guitar tabs Graham Parker CD reviews Graham Parker tabs The Real Macaw


Graham Parker - The Real Macaw Audio CD

A fair review of the Graham Parker "The Real Macaw" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Graham Parker reviews here, or go back to the Graham Parker tabs.

Graham Parker Band: Graham Parker
Title: The Real Macaw
Rating:
Release Date: 2007-02-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Just Like a Man 2: You Can't Take Love for Granted 3: Glass Jaw 4: Passive Resistance 5: Sounds Like Chains 6: Life Gets Better 7: Miracle a Minute 8: Beyond a Joke 9: Last Couple on the Dance Floor 10: Anniversary 11: (Too Late) The Smart Bomb 12: I Want You Back [Live][*]

Free as a bird
This time, a more sympathetic producer helps actualize the songs, with David Kershenbaum having a better hand in these songs than Jack Douglas did on AGA. "The Real Macaw" picks up where Graham Parker's Another Grey Area left off in that Parker was maturing away from the "Angry Young Man" persona that fueled the classic Squeezing out Sparks but was beginning to fizzle come The Up Escalator.

Parker also seems in a better groove here. The Dylan-esque wordplay on "Just Like a Man" and "Sounds Like Chains" rate among Parker's best. Domesticity finally suits him, with the sweet-but-spiky "Our Anniversary" and the downright blissful "Life Gets Better" and "Last Couple on The Dancefloor" pointing towards the direction his RCA albums like Struck by Lightning eventually ended. There's also the obligatory industry slam in "Passive Resistance," blasting researched playlists that excluded people like Parker and Elvis Costello in the 80's.

Better than AGA and on a par with Escalator, "The Real Macaw" is probably my second favorite Parker album from his tenure at Arista. It was also his last before jumping to his next label for Steady Nerves, his last uniformly decent album and back in print after a long absence.


finally available again
Just like Costello, he could not sustain his angry-young-man persona. Way back when, Parker gave Elvis Costello a run for his money. This album was made after Parker's early pub rock sound period with Mercury Records and before he became an "indie" artist. Basically, it's a polished, glossy rock record that was made in the hope of getting a radio hit. So it's not as raw or exciting as Squeezing Out Sparks (from 1979). Instead, it's mostly an album of sunny optimism and happiness. With songs like "Life Gets Better" and "Anniversary," it is an essential purchase for anyone who likes Parker's music.


You can see a complete list of all Graham Parker discography, or go back to the Graham Parker tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]