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Graham Parker - The Up Escalator Audio CD

A fair review of the Graham Parker "The Up Escalator" 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 Up Escalator
Rating:
Release Date: 2009-03-10
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: No Holding Back 2: Devils Sidewalk 3: Stupefication 4: Empty Lives 5: The Beating Of Another Heart 6: Endless Nights 7: Paralyzed 8: Manueovers 9: Jolie Jolie 10: Love Without Greed

The Escalator Breaks Down
Consider: He'd just come off a career best with Squeezing out Sparks, finally cracked the American market, had his record company squarely behind him, and they'd teamed him up with super-producer Jimmy Iovine (Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen). This should have been Graham Parker's ride to stardom. Parker even had a couple ace songs ready to go, with "Stupefaction" cracking the top 100. But the album faltered. While a good album overall, as GP albums go, it's a less than well remembered effort. What happened?

Part of the blame goes to Iovine. Where he managed to harness the widescreen vision and kinetic energy of both Petty and Springsteen, here the music seems restrained and muted. The clean, cutting bite that flamed from the grooves on "Squeezing Out Sparks" is muddled here, one dimensional. The much ballyhooed collaboration with Springsteen came on a song that made little sense. Bob Andrews' departure sapped some of the character from the sound; Nicky Hopkins' piano sounds phoned in, even distracting on the otherwise fine "The Beating Of Another Heart,"

That's not to say the songs are bad, some rank among Parker's best. To this day the memory of GP and The Rumour giving a camera melting performance of "Empty Lives" on the late-night show "Fridays" strikes me as one of the most incredible live rock moments on television. Both "No Holding Back" and "Stupefaction" are engaging, while, for all its banality, "Endless Night" kicks. Throughout the album, The Rumour plays it sharp and solid, even if the murky production has them fighting for air. Momentum made this album match the #40 chart peak of "Sparks," but it couldn't maintain the fascination that the earlier album did. Given that Parker and The Rumour parted ways afterwards (the Jack Douglas produced Another Grey Area was done with session cats), "The Up Escalator" stands as the official end of Graham Parker's angry young man days.


One of Graham Parker's most underrated albums.
While `Squeezing Out Sparks' is lauded left and right - and is probably the only one of Parker's discs a casual fan could name - `The Up Escalator' has languished in obscurity, despite all the makings of a breakthrough album. I wholeheartedly agree with reviewer Prymel's thoughts (see review below): `The Up Escalator' is a woefully underappreciated gem - and would definitely get the nod as my favorite Graham Parker and the Rumour album.

Consider: Producer Jimmy Iovine (Tom Petty's `Damn the Torpedoes', Dire Straits' `Making Movies', Bruce Springsteen's `Born to Run') brings his breathtaking panoramic sound to the table, recording the musicians live in the studio - giving the album his telltale larger-than-life stamp. This is an ideal compliment to the Rumour's superb backing, as they were always a top-notch live band. The guitar parts are interlocking like gears, and the rhythm section sounds crisp and clear - sidestepping the muddy production that often afflicted earlier GP+R releases.

Springsteen himself contributes backing vocals to the great (and Sprignsteen-esque) "Endless Night". E Street Band member Danny Federici (organ) and noted session pianist Nicky Hopkins (The Rolling Stones' `Exile on Main Street', The Who's `By Numbers') replace departed Rumour keyboardist Bob Andrews, providing their signature sounds to the proceedings.

The songs are all simultaneously catchy and full of vitriol, ranking them among Parker's best. As Prymel astutely notes, every song has an infectious hook, with "No Holding Back", "Stupefaction", and "Jolie Jolie" taking top honors. The album's centerpiece, "Empty Lives", is a bile-spewing rail seemingly directed against everyone within listening distance who has ever questioned Parker's abilities - and kept him from the stardom he deserved. As a piece of sonic and lyrical outrage, it is almost without peer.


An Underappreciated Gem
"The Up Escalator" has been one of my favorite rock/pop albums ever since it was released; it's incredible to me that this album never received greater recognition. Most Graham Parker fans gravitate towards 1979's "Squeezing Out Sparks" as his finest achievment, but I respectfully disagree. It is filled with wonderfully melodic, intelligently constructed rock that is an absolute joy to listen to. Virtually every song has a killer hook, with "No Holding Back" and "Jolie Jolie" being particularly vibrant standouts. I was thrilled to see this album being reissued. Pick this one up if you can, it's simply fantastic.


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.

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